Noted Honda tuning company Mugen has revealed the second generation version of its electric racebike which will race in the TT Zero at the 2013 Isle of Man TT. The Shinden Ni (“Shinden” meaning “God of Electricity” while “Ni” is the number two in Japanese) will once again be ridden by 19-time TT winner John McGuinness.

Mugen has been working on the Shinden Ni since last year’s TT Zero, using data collected in the race and during tests at circuits in Japan. Mugen worked on making improvements through optimizing motor output and increasing battery capacity. Mugen engineers also managed to remove a significant amount of weight. According to the specs sheet (see below) the Shinden Ni has a curb weight of 240 kg (529 pounds), which is 44 pounds lighter than the first Shinden. Continue Reading »

Lightning Motorcycles has signed two-time Isle of Man TT race winner Cameron Donald to race in the 2013 TT Zero and the FIM’s e-Power championship.

The Australian native, who won races in both the Superbike and Superstock classes at the 2008 Isle of Man TT, will ride the latest version of Lightning’s electric motorcycle, a bike our own Troy Siahaan calls the fastest motorcycle he’s ever ridden.

Donald becomes the latest established road racer to sign up to race electric motorcycles. Last September, Miguel Duhamel rode the Lightning to victory at the Le Mans stop of the e-Power series. Earlier in 2012, overall Isle of Man TT lap record holder John McGuinness rode the Mugen Shinden in the TT Zero, and on this side of the Atlantic, Eric Bostrom rode for Brammo in the TTXGP’s North American Championship. Continue Reading »

Noted Honda tuner Mugen announced it will compete in the 2013 TT Zero on the Isle of Man with an updated version of its Shinden electric sportbike.

Mugen entered the Shinden at last year’s TT Zero, with Isle of Man veteran John McGuinness finishing second with an average speed of 102.215 mph. Team Mugen managed to break the 100mph barrier but fell short to the race winner Michael Rutter who rode the MotoCzysz E1PC.

For 2013, McGuinness will ride the Shinden Ni (a.k.a. Shinden 2), the second generation version of Mugen’s electric racer. Developed from data from last year’s race, the Shinden 2 is said to be lighter and more aerodynamic than its predecessor. Continue Reading »

Third time’s a charm. 2010 and 2011 TT Zero winner MotoCzysz, with rider Michael Rutter, finally became the first to average a speed of 100 mph on the Isle of Man‘s 37.733 Mountain Course on an electric motorcycle, capturing the long-sought after 10,000 British pound (US$15,000) bounty.

Wearing the #1 plate for winning last year’s TT Zero, Rutter completed the 2012 TT Zero with a time of 21:45.33 for an average speed of 104.056 mph on the new 2012 MotoCzysz E1PC. Rutter had passed the 100mph mark earlier in the week during practice but that was considered unofficial as it was done outside the actual competition. Rutter won last year’s race but fell agonizingly close to the 100 mph target with an average speed of 99.604 mph, Continue Reading »

MotoCzysz unveiled what may be the most aerodynamically designed motorcycle ever produced … and we’re not just talking about electric bikes here. The covers were pulled from the 2012 MotoCzysz E1PC electric race bike ahead of the TT Zero electric race at the Isle of Man, revealing a sleek silver and red sportbike with aerodynamically curving wings and fins.

The updated E1PC is MotoCzysz’s latest stab at claiming the 10,000 British pound bounty for being the first electric motorcycle to score an average speed of 100 mph on the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. MotoCzysz took the last two TT Zero races and is a favorite to do it again this year, but the 100 mph barrier is the bigger goal.

Mark Miller won the 2010 TT Zero with a time of 23:22.89 to average a speed of 96.820 mph, a good 7.53 mph faster than anyone else, and last year, Michael Rutter came agonizingly close to the target speed, averaging 99.604 mph with a 22:43.68 lap time. Continue Reading »

British Superbike race team Bournemouth Kawasaki and electric powertrain maker Zytek Automotive will compete in the 2012 TT Zero on the Isle of Man with an electric ZX-10R with support from Kawasaki UK.

The Zytek-Kawasaki ZX10ev uses the chassis of a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and an oil-cooled Zytek permanent magnet electric motor. Zytek is a race-proven electric powertrain supplier, though its expertise is primarily with cars.

The Zytek-designed motor claiming 134 hp is based on a Zytek design used in hybrid race car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The motor is also equipped with Zytek’s Kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) which recovers  energy from braking. Unlike some other forms of regenerative braking, the energy recovered by KERS isn’t used to charge the main battery but to provide a burst for acceleration. In 2009, Zytek supplied its KERS technology for the Mercedes-McLaren F1 team. Continue Reading »

Isle of Man TT veteran John McGuinness recently got a chance to test the new Mugen Shinden electric rice bike to prepare for the 2012 TT Zero.

The test took place at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, a world-class racing circuit but perhaps not-coincidentally, a track built and owned by Honda, further fueling the belief the Mugen effort is a front for the Japanese manufacturer. The Honda-contracted McGuinness put the Shinden through its first big test, helping the Mugen team gather data on the electric racer.

“The bike was, as you would expect from a company such as Mugen, a well-designed and well put together proper race bike,” says McGuinness. “As soon as I got underway it felt natural and I almost forgot it was fully electric while I was also learning the Twin Ring Motegi circuit for the first time. Now, having ridden the Mugen Shinden I am looking forward even more to competing in my first SES TT Zero event.”

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Honda has revealed – Oops. What we meant to say was the Honda-associated Mugen Motorsports has revealed its electric race bike which will enter the 2012 TT Zero on the Isle of Man.

Let’s get the caveats out of the way first. Mugen, a Japanese tuning company, is not an actual Honda company. Mugen was, however, founded by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda. Mugen also specializes in tuning Honda cars and motorcycles, but officially, the two companies are separate entities.

That’s what makes the newly unveiled Mugen Shinden electric race bike so intriguing. The Shinden may not be an official Honda electric racebike, but it’s the next closest thing.

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Engine tuning company Mugen Motorsports announced it will compete in the TT Zero electric motorcycle race at the 2012 Isle of Man TT.

Though not officially a Honda company,Mugen was founded by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, and the company is best known for its work as an engine tuner and parts maker for Honda vehicles. The Mugen entry to the TT Zero represents possibly the closest connection so far between a traditional motorcycle OEM and the relatively new realm of electric motorcycle racing.

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The Isle of Man TT usually provides a lot of drama, and this year’s event was no different. John McGuinness, second on the all-time TT wins list, added two more wins to his resume to win the Joey Dunlop Trophy while MotoCzysz once again fell just short of taking the bounty for being the first electric motorcycle team to record a 100 mph lap on the Mountain Course.

The 2011 Isle of Man TT also had its share of tragedy with three racing fatalities. Sidecar racer Bill Currie and passenger Kevin Morgan died in an accident during qualifying while Derek Brien was killed in a high-speed crash in the first Supersport race.

The event also featured a parade lap with five-time World Champion Mick Doohan, Ducati MotoGP racer Nicky Hayden, Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow,   2010 Isle of Man TT star Ian Hutchinson, and British Superbike racer Josh Brookes.

Full recap after the jump.

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