AMERICAN motorcycle maker Curtiss Motorcycles have announced their latest creation called the Hades.
The brand is an offshoot of Confederate Motorcycles, but they mainly leave the internal combustion engines alone. Instead, they dream up and build retro-styled electric bikes, with premium finishes and insane (if slightly impractical) design touches.
And the Hades does not disappoint on the crazy styling stakes! Built around a carbon fibre backbone, the bike features a 16.8kWh battery which is housed in the bullet-shaped, underslung casing. The outers cover of the battery looks to hold two purposes, in that it keeps the battery protected from damage and looks to have open channels through it, helping to keep the unit cool. The motor looks to be located at the swingarm pivot-point, powering the back wheel via either chain or belt drive.
Another interesting feature is the rear shock absorber location and actuation as it’s hidden away underneath where the fuel tank on a convention petrol bike would be. The shock is linked to a pushrod that fixes swingarm by a small linkage.
For a bike this off-the-wall, conventional telescopic forks would just not do, so the Hades uses a girder layout – think Ariel Ace type setup – that relies on a small shock that's mounted between the vast plates that make up the suspension.
The brakes are also an interesting setup as they’re made up of four individual brake discs and three brake pads. The idea was first designed for use in Supermoto racing – where you need extreme braking power but want to reduce the gyroscopic force of a huge diameter brake disc – but were shelved by custom brake builder Beringer after funds ran out. The system has seen use on the road though, having been fitted to the re-boot of the Brough Superior with some success.
Designboom claim that the bike runs at 399volts and that it has 217bhp and 200Nm (147lb-ft) of torque, making it one of the most powerful electric motorcycles available – if it does actually go on sale!
Curtiss is currently asking interested parties to contact them through their website. For more information head to the link below:
www.curtissmotorcycles.com/hades
