Brammo Recalls Empulse Motorcycle for Rear Tail Bracket Fatigue Problem

Brammo, Inc. (Brammo) is recalling certain model year 2013 Empulse motorcycles manufactured November 19, 2012, through June 18, 2013.

The rear tail assembly bracket can fatigue and may allow the rear tail assembly to break off while riding. If the rear tail assembly breaks off, it could contact the rear wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.

605 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Zero Motorcycles Produces a Military Motorcycle with New Capabilities

Motorcycles of a different breed may be coming back to military uses. Zero Motorcycles is leading the way. Damon Lavrinc of Wired.com has the story. Here's an excerpt:

"Electric motorcycles just went from practical to tactical with the Zero MMX, the first all-electric bike developed specifically for the U.S. Special Operation Forces." -- Damon Lavrinc, Wired.com

Read more.

Lit Motors Creates a Unique New Motorcycle

I just saw an article by Marco della Cava in usatoday.com that shows how Daniel Kim came up with a revolutionary motorcycle design that is starting to take off. It's different: electric, enclosed, and won't fall over. Here's an excerpt:

"Daniel Kim may well become the Steve Jobs of personal transportation. Not that he'll ever tell you that. The soft-spoken 33-year-old founder of Lit Motors is far too polite for such braggadocio. But the fact of the matter is, Kim – who, like Jobs, dropped out of Oregon's Reed College – is barreling down an iconoclastic highway whose destination is a revolution in the way humans move about." -- Marco della Cava, usatoday.com

Read more.

Brammo Recalls 2013 Empulse for Electrical Shorting Problem

Brammo, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2013 Empulse electric motorcycles manufactured February 22, 2013, through March 29, 2013. Due to a high current cable being attached to the motor controller incorrectly, electrical shorting can occur.

An electrical short can cause a complete loss of power while riding the motorcycle or a fire, either of which can result in a vehicle crash or personal injury.

5 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Terry Hershner Rides Zero S Electric Motorcycle on 3000 Mile Trip in 5 Days

Terry Hershner decided he wanted to take a motorcycle ride from Orlando, FL to Los Angeles, CA. That's a 3000 mile journey. However, he wanted to take the trip riding a Zero S electric motorcycle. These bikes don't go very far between charges and a charge can take 8 hours. Terry wanted to make the trip in 5 days. Do the math and this looks to be impossible. Terry had a plan to do it with modified charging methods. Take a look at an article with a video by gas2.org's Susanna Schick. Most of your questions will be answered.

Take a look

When Will Electric Motorcycles Make It to the Big Time?

Dexter Ford of the New York Times thinks that electric motorcycles may have a place but it may be a long time coming. Here's an excerpt from his article:

"The appeal of an electric motorcycle is obvious. It would deliver its power silently and instantly, without the need for oil, fire, smoke, noise, clutch or gearbox. Each fill-up would cost just a dollar. It might even talk to your iPhone, though it's hard to imagine what kind of a useful conversation the two might have. An electric bike might someday be the next big thing, in a 'what would Steve Jobs have ridden' sort of way." -- Dexter Ford

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Zero Motorcycles Recalls 2012 DS and S for Drifting Motor Encoder Position Signal

Zero Motorcycles, Inc. (Zero Motorcycles) is recalling certain model year 2012 S and DS motorcycles.

These motorcycles are equipped with a motor encoder position signal that may drift over the extended use of the motorcycle. If the signal drifts outside of the given parameters, the motor controller may shut off, resulting in the motorcycle inadvertently losing power.

315 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Jay Leno Discusses and Rides the Mission-R Electric Superbike

Denis Flierl of TorqueNews.com has published an article that discusses the Mission-R electric superbike with Jay Leno. Jay then takes us on a ride to see how the bike compares to a regular superbike. The bike is quiet, has no transmission, uses Android 7" tablet technology for an instrument panel, and has a range between 80-100 miles, depending on how ridden. Here's an excerpt:

"It's no secret that Jay Leno loves cars and has a stable of over 100 classic and collectable cars in his garage, but he also has over 100 motorcycles in his collection. So it was only natural for Leno to invite the team from Mission Motors over to learn more about the companies Mission-R electric motorcycle and its technology." -- Denis Flierl, TorqueNews.com

I suggest you play the video in full-screen mode. Read the article and see the Video.

Introducing the Mission One Electric Sportbike: 150 MPH, 150 Mile Range

Well, I'm hearing more and more about electric vehicles and, in particular, electric motorcycles.

I rode the Vectrix electric scooter at Americade 2008 and wrote a review about it.

Today, I read an article about Mission Motors, a company that will unveil a revolutionary new vehicle at TED2009. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.

The Mission One motorcycle promises to be the world's fastest production all-electric motorcycle. The sportbike has a top speed of 150 MPH, a range of 150 miles and uses a lithium ion battery pack.

Take a look at the vehicle itself and look at videos here.

Check out the press release for the introduction of the Mission One electric motorcycle.

Wear a Motorcycle

What a concept! Just walk up to your motorcycle, strap it on, and move off at up to 75 mph.

One future-looking college student, Jake Loniak, has come up with a design concept and even has a realistic animation of how it might work.

Read the complete story by Annemarie Conte and Esther Haynes, view the animation, and glimpse into the future.