World's first 125mph road legal electric motorbike
British-built 86bhp motorcycle to spearhead emission-free races at next year's Isle of Man TT
The TTX01 produces 86bhp and can achieve 125mph
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THE FIRST prototype of the world's fastest electric road legal motorcycle was unveiled yesterday at the 2008 NEC Bike Show.
The TTX01 is a road-legal electrically-powered machine with impressive performance figures: 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed 125mph is enough to give most modern day motorcycles a run for their money in real world riding conditions.
The bike, designed and built by British engineers, will be built in limited numbers and should go on sale at the end of next year at an estimated price of £20,000.
The TTX01 was built to take part in the world's first emissions-free grand prix for motorbikes, at the Isle of Man's TT road races circuit next year. Azhar Hussain, organiser of the emissions-free event, said the TTX01 was a strong indication of what we can expect from electric vehicles of the future. He told The Guardian newspaper:
"One of the good things about motorcycles is that the technology is good enough today to give you a motor sport performance [with no emissions]," said Hussain. "There's an opportunity here to move the science and technology forward and to deliver a meaningful change in a meaningful time."
The TTX01 runs on two battery-powered electric motors, producing around 86 bhp. The prototype has been built using a Suzuki GSX750 chassis and running gear, but the full production model will be made from lightweight carbon composite materials. Hussain says a two-wheel-drive version is in the pipeline, too.
How long 'til an electric bike cracks a lap record at the Island?
Discuss this story
Duracells, mate, and some diddy in a rabbit suit to ride it  . As good as won...
Posted: 28/11/2008 at 16:50
Um I dont like electric anything. This is whats wrong with the tree hugers these days, they think that its more enviromentally safe to build and keep running a electric car, bike, whatever else but its not. You have to mine the nickel then it has to be refined (the refinery is a cause of acid rain) and all this other stuff then sent off to another place to be packed into the cells and the shipped back around the world to get where it needs to go. Yeah i really dont think electric is the way to go they need to find something else and combustion cars are not gone they will be here until no one can afford gas. Let us petrol heads have are powerful cars and bikes the big manufatures arent going to let the little people take them over so they will be bought out.
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 10:52
Looks promising but it wont get anywhere with that price tag. To have a realistic chance it has to be cheaper than the opposition.
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 11:42
it was just a matter of time untill we have to ride fucking electric bikes ! thats all i need isnt it ! a 50cc electric motorbike ... i'll have the grannys on grannymobiles over taking me ! 
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 12:02
it was just a matter of time untill we have to ride fucking electric bikes ! thats all i need isnt it ! a 50cc electric motorbike ... i'll have the grannys on grannymobiles over taking me !
Don't they do that already  
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 12:16
Where's the exhaust on this bike eh? I bet Akrapovic are shitting themselves.
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 12:39
Been done before, but still funny
PMSL
Do you know what happened to the rider? Hey, grasshopper, seen how fast that f*cker went? Get on the blower to Gilera, tell 'em to get their finger out.
Posted: 29/11/2008 at 13:18
Tis impressive but i think lap records are out of the question Maybe for the time being The other question is, at the speeds needed to race will it complete a lap before the batteries are flat At least with racing the distance is defined so you can plan for it. One problem, it'll sound crap. One of the things I love about bikes is the sound! I'm not paying 20 grand for a duracell bike! Once we start getting reasonable numbers of electric vehicles on the road there will be a surge in accidents with pedestrians in towns. To stop this manufacturers will start to fit a noise making device to the car/bike so that pedestrians stop jumping into the road without looking/hearing the vehicle. Eventually someone will catch on that they can make their electric scooter sound like a desmosedici, and before you know it we will have downloadable bike noises to apply to our electric bikes.
Posted: 30/11/2008 at 09:13
i Burty there is already talk of adding sounds to these Electric vehicles, would be nice to change the sound and or loudness .
Posted: 30/11/2008 at 09:22
will these electric bikes have the unique gilera 50cc stroke sound ? sort of sounds like a cow in labour ... and im gonna get onto the phone to gilera ey !
Posted: 30/11/2008 at 12:33
Ah yes, 2 stroke sounds, that's another one. Only for the fully authentic feel you'd need a smell generator too. Ah Castrol R. I expect that any electric 50cc equivalent will be supplied from the dealers with the Crazy frog sound.
Posted: 30/11/2008 at 13:54
will these electric bikes have the unique gilera 50cc stroke sound ? sort of sounds like a cow in labour ... and im gonna get onto the phone to gilera ey !
Loudness will be limited, but you bet eventually you'll be able to get different noises, we'll end up with Harley noises, Ducati noises, Triumph noises, IL4 noises etc etc Sounds like a marketing opperchancity for the sound modelling folks at Line6
Posted: 01/12/2008 at 13:31
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