Now that the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is fully paved, the event is drawing a number of racers worldwide for the 91st running. The latest to announce his entry into the motorcycle field is six-time winner Chip Yates, aboard a Lightning superbike.  Continue Reading »

KTM announced it will bring its E-Speed electric scooter to production, with plans to introduce it to he European market in 2015.

Originally unveiled last month at the 2013 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, the E-Speed made its European debut at this past weekend’s Bike Austria show where KTM officially announced the scooter will enter production. The E-Speed will follow the Freeride E as the second electric model offered by KTM.

The E-Speed uses the same battery and motor as the Freeride E, but retuned for urban commuting rather than off-road riding. KTM claims 14.8 hp and 26.6 ft-lb. for the E-Speed compared to 29.5 hp and 30.9 ft-lb. for the Freedom E. Continue Reading »

Polaris has added another brand to its growing list of acquisitions, buying out Aixam Mega S.A.S., a French manufacturer of light-duty commercial vehicles and quadricycles – small four-wheeled enclosed vehicles that can be driven, in some markets, without an automobile driver’s license.

Aixam Mega joins Polaris’ portfolio which already includes Victory Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycles, electric vehicle makers Global Electric Motorcars and Groupil. Like GEM and Groupil, Axiam Mega produces small vehicles, though its products include both electric and diesel-powered vehicles. The company sells quadricycles under the brand name Axiam, as well as commercial vehicles under the Mega brand. Its vehicles are sold primarily in Europe with sales reaching US$110 million in 2012. Continue Reading »

Canada’s Amarok Racing has secured quite a coup in signing six-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner Greg Tracy to ride its P1A electric superbike for the 2013 edition of the event.

Tracy has six class victories in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, winning in 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. His victories have come riding motorcycles from several manufacturers: Honda, Yamaha, BMW and, more recently, Ducati. In last year’s Hill Climb, Tracy and his winning teammate Carlin Dunne became the first motorcycle riders to complete the event in under 10 minutes riding Ducati Multistradas in the 1205cc class.

For 2013, Tracy had been considering a switch from motorcycles and competing in a car, but decided instead to try his hand in event’s new electric motorcycle class after meeting with Amarok’s co-founder and chief designer Michael Uhlarik. Continue Reading »

The new unified electric racing series run by the International Motorcycling Federation and TTXGP has a new name: the eRoadRacing World Cup. The new World Cup, announced last month, unifies the FIM’s ePower championship with the TTXGP’s eGrandPrix series

As previously announced, this year will follow the TTXGP’s traditional format, featuring two separate series in Europe and North America, and a best-versus-best final championship event to be held in Asia.

The FIM released a provisional calendar for the World Cup featuring three rounds each in Europe and North America. The schedule isn’t complete however, as the FIM and TTXGP previously announced plans to have four rounds in each series. The series will only use this World Cup format for the 2013 season before switching to a more traditional racing series format. Continue Reading »

For the first time in its 90-year history, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will feature a class exclusively for electric motorcycles. Electing to take advantage of this new development, Zero Motorcycles and Hollywood Electrics, the first all-electric motorcycle dealership in the country, are joining forces to compete in this year’s event on June 30.  Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles announced the addition of Pieter De Waal as the newest member of its board of directors.

De Waal provides Zero with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industries. Formerly of Nissan, Delta (General Motors), Mercedes Benz and, most recently, BMW, De Waal has experience dealing with many facets of the industry, from engineering to sales.

In addition to joining Zero’s board of directors, De Waal will also be a consultant on future business strategies including powertrain initiatives. The move follows Zero’s pattern of attracting experienced motorcycle industry executives. Previous additions include hiring AMA Hall of Famer Scot Harden as vice president of global marketing. Continue Reading »

Icon and Brammo made a big splash last year with eye-catching livery for their TTXGP racebike, with Steve Atlas riding the black-and-white patterned “Stack” graphic Empulse RR to a TTXGP world championship. The riding apparel maker returns to sponsor Brammo’s team again for 2013, introducing two new designs for Atlas and teammate Eric Bostrom.

Atlas’ Team Icon Brammo Empulse RR will be clad in a red cheetah-themed “Sauvetage” livery (pictured above). It features a red-on-red spotted pattern with a gaping mouth with fangs running from under the seat to the belly resembling the design of fighter planes of  the World War II era “Flying Tiger” 1st American Volunteer Group. The livery is paired with red wheels and frame.

Bostrom’s race bike keeps the black and white with florescent green from last year’s Empulse RR but features a new zebra-themed design called “Big Game” (pictured below the jump.) Continue Reading »

KTM unveiled a new electric scooter concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motorcycle Show called the E-Speed. The E-Speed is the second electric model from KTM, following the Freeride E dirtbike.

The E-Speed actually shares the same electric battery and motor technology as the Freeride E, but repurposed for urban mobility. The E-Speed’s motor isn’t as powerful as the Freeride E’s however, with KTM claiming 14.8 hp and 26.6 ft-lb. compared to 29.5 hp and 30.9 ft-lb. for the Freedom E.

According to KTM, the E-Scooter weighs 309 pounds and has a top speed of 85 kph (53 mph). The E-Speed’s lithium ion battery has a capacity of 4.36 kWh which KTM claims offers a range of 40 miles can be fully charged within two hours from a normal household power outlet. Continue Reading »

Electric Brammo motorcycles will share the grid with gas-powered motorcycles in American Federation of Motorcyclists competitions. The AFM, America’s oldest motorcycle road racing body, announced Brammo riders can compete head-to-head for championships against those riding internal combustion engine motorcycles.

The Brammo Empulse R, Empulse TTX and Empulse RR will be eligible for competition. The AFM has yet to define which classes they will be eligible for, except to say they will be determined by power-to-weight ratios. The key point however is Brammo’s electric motorcycles will be integrated into existing classes instead of being segregated into an electric-only class.

“What caught AFM’s attention about Brammo’s approach was that they were not asking for a separate class, but were instead looking to have a chance for their bikes to compete within the existing class structure and go head to head with gas-powered bikes of similar performance and power-to-weight,” says Berto Woodridge, president of AFM Racing. “We believe this to be a historic moment in motorcycle racing and are happy to have made it possible.” Continue Reading »