Daimler AG to Produce "smart escooter" Electric Scooter

This appears to be an actual fact and not some rumor. According to high-level officials at Mercedes-Benz, and parent Daimler AG, the company will begin selling an electric scooter under their smart automobile brand. It is now known as the smart escooter (all lower-case letters as is their standard with smart) and will be seen in dealerships and on the roads by 2014. Almost no details are available presently, but this is a firm commitment, so more information is certainly forthcoming. Until then, have a read:

http://tinyurl.com/d27z8uo

Chip Yates and the Flight of the Century

Chip Yates will be familiar to those of us following American motorcycle road racing - not only is he an accomplished racer on gasoline-powered bikes, he is also the only person to put an electric motorcycle on a podium in a race full of old-school fire-breathers - but he may also be known for his technological prowess. His SWIGZ.COM team - both the engineers and the race crew - are all top-notch on their own, and they make Yates look good. However, this is a different story; this is about the guy who wants to fly an electric airplane around the world - Chip Yates is after the Flight of the Century:

http://tinyurl.com/7g23fxr

TT Zero Welcomes Honda via Mugen

The Isle of Man TT has run the TT Zero as part of the race fortnight since it replaced the TTXGP in 2010. Since that time, no major manufacturers have entered their own machinery; partially, at least, this is due to the fact that they do not have much to enter at this point - everything is in development and their cycles require more time since they are trying for mass production and mass acceptance - and somewhat to the need that a big company not get embarrassed on a regular basis by people working out of a glorified garage. This, though, is about to change, even if it is only through an indirect route. An electric motorcycle designed by Honda as a prototype - this is speculated at this time - will be fielded at the 2012 running of the SES TT Zero Race, scheduled for 26 May to 8 June. As more comes out, I'll see if I can post it...until then, have a quick read to back this up:

http://tinyurl.com/7h3ymhp

Brutal Electric

No, it's not from MV Agusta, but it is called the Brutus (a name, not a concept like Brutale) and it is definitely electric. What you see here is the second generation of the original Brutus from Chris Bell, a Las Vegas builder. This machine sports a mechanical, but clutchless, five-speed transmission which drives the rear wheel via a chain drive, as opposed to the belt used on the first model. It also is rumored to have a top speed in excess of 100 MPH, a range of 100 miles, and does 0 - 60 MPH in 4.7 seconds. Given the 535 pound weight, that is power! The battery providing that juice is an all-new lithium polymer which should last 50,000 miles. Since Mr. Bell is being mostly mum on specs, that is about all the information available. For more, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/6wqy4x7

It Will Be Built, Will You Buy? The Xenon, a TRON Lightcycle

For around US$55,000 you too may ride a lightcycle at least similar in form to the machines from the recent TRON: Legacy film from Disney. Not a whole lot has come out about the machine other than its electric powertrain and the 100 mph (160 km/h) speed and 100 mile range (160 km). The company building it in the USA is Evolve Motorcycles, or "evolve" as it appears on their official documentation. That say something about them...expect more interesting machines from this relatively new operation.

http://tinyurl.com/7ngow6k

http://evolvemotorcycles.com/

Honda RC-E Electric Concept

Late (again) with this news about the soon to show - at the Tokyo Motor event, of course - Honda RC-E electric superbike concept. The idea here is that the RC-E may actually reach production, though, so not so much of a concept as a prototype. Whether this is more than a rumor will only be known in time. Until it either becomes reality or burns out with the many others which came before it, we can let our eyes wonder over the curvaceous machine that is the Honda RC-E. She is sweet, no?

http://tinyurl.com/7fkt56e

Polaris is Expanding - Buys into Brammo!

Brammo Empulse RR

Surely, you have already read this, but the news is still encouraging for the motorcycle industry and thus it must be brought to the attention of those involved in it. Polaris most recently took over the new Indian - which seems to be going well at this early stage - and now they have bought a minority share in Brammo. They do make a good bike, in my opinion, and seem to be walking a solid line with the business operations as well. Brammo, based here in Oregon, is on the path to real industry relevancy; soon, no one will laugh at electric motorcycles.

So, without further crap from me, here is the press release:
http://tinyurl.com/697mqj6

Brammo Releases Empulse to the World

Wow, Brammo had something working in the background for some time now. After interviewing one Brian Wismann, I knew something was up but not how big it would be. Cycle World has already managed to lay hands on the machine and has a piece on the beast. This is the new Empulse, and it comes in three different power versions...and, it is lovely. If you are an avid motorcyclist, you need to check this out now!

http://tinyurl.com/293y7a2

TTXGP Begins at Infineon Raceway Today!

Sorry this is so late, but the inaugural TTXGP race for the 2010 season will begin today at Infineon Raceway in California. The series will have 13 rounds and will end with a huge Grand Finale event in Spain. It is a historic weekend for all motorcycle racing - this is the first ever global electric racing series! You may be able to catch some of the action on your local motorsports TV channel if you cannot get to the track...check your local schedule. In the meantime, take the link below to learn more.

http://tinyurl.com/397dhpu

Breaking News: KTM Will Go Electric & Jeff Ward Joins AMA Pro Racing

KTM has announced that they will be showing two electric motorcycles at the Tokyo Motor Show next week. They even leaked obscure photos of the machine - much like Honda's VFR1200F, Ducati's Multistrada 1200, etc. Anyway, it is very sweet to hear that the orange Austrian marque will actually consider producing electric enduro and supermoto models. If they produce them, I guarantee they will sell with the one caveat being the price. Take a look and watch for more Tokyo Motor Show news...

http://tinyurl.com/yzmkzm6

It has also been announced that Jeff Ward, a nine-time AMA Pro Racing Champion in motocross, supercross and supermoto, will be joining AMA Pro Racing as a rider liaison and advisor. The man is a living legend. He is in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, he competed in IRL events including the Indianapolis 500 - where he was voted Rookie of the Year - and it goes on like this...He will be a very valuable asset to both riders and the AMA Pro Racing owners, Daytona Motorsports Group. Maybe he can bring back some legitimacy...

http://tinyurl.com/ykqk6ke

Brammo to Work With Jackie Chan & AMA Supercross Toronto Results

Jackie Chan's company JCAM Advanced Mobility Company Ltd., based in Hong Kong, has signed up to distribute the Brammo electric motorcycles in Hong Kong and Singapore. The deal is certainly a solid one as Jackie Chan has the star power to really bring in the customers. Plus, both Hong Kong and Singapore are perfect locations for electric motorcycle ownership - both have very little land area and rather tight roads and streets (in HK, you could probably ride the Brammo from one side of the island to the other three times without needing to charge it!) plus they are both very congested and polluted. They should sell very well there...too bad they didn't hire me for the job!

http://tinyurl.com/yamj6xp

The AMA Supercross event in Toronto was broadcast on TV this weekend and it was a great race. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto turned in an impressive performance and took the win - putting him even closer to Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, who still holds the points lead and finished third in Toronto behind Red Bull Honda's Trey Canard. For the details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/y8pm4ov

TTXGP Changes Racing & Hungarian MotoGP in Doubt

The Azhar Hussain series, the TTXGP, will be a race to own series. Yes, it sounds a bit odd as it is a new way to handle racing management. Each team will earn shares in the TTXGP series as the race and the teams are all involved in the rule making and racing decisions. This is called Trust.eGrandPrix.Org (TEO) and it is all Hussain's idea. It's a very good plan for keeping your series relevant and I would hope it would encourage more teams to join up. For your details, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yevykc4

The Balatonring circuit in Hungary may never get finished now after a huge Hungarian bank has refused to give the operating group any more funding. This all went down on Friday and the principals involved said the bank refused due to some problems found while doing due diligence...This could mean a huge delay, or the end, of top-level racing in the nation of Hungary...

http://tinyurl.com/yevpp2h

More Afternoon Moto News - MotoCzysz eDD & NZ Superbike Championship

MotoCzysz has now announced that they will be selling a race version of their E1pc powertrain, the Electric D1g1tal Drive (eDD). The eDD will allow teams to purchase a ready to roll power solution for an electric racing motorcycle. The price is a bit steep, but not as bad as you may think. If you have any interest in starting an electric race team, let me know! I will be glad to join and help out; the MotoCzysz shop is only blocks from where I live...You really do want to read this, so please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yhczc2f

The fourth round of the New Zealand Superbike Championship was held this past Sunday. The 125GP Championship was decided and Alistair Hoogenboezem took the 2010 title. Andrew Stroud still leads the Superbike class, with Robbie Bugden in second. Nick Cole barely holds on to the lead in the Supersport 600 class, as he is only 2.5 points ahead of James Smith. The next and final round is about a month away and will be held at Hampton Downs from 27 to 28 March 2010. For the details, take the link...

http://tinyurl.com/yf9ca4q

Friday Afternoon Moto News - Zero Motorcycle to Display 2010 Models & Zero Hires Former Buell Engineer

First up is the news that the long-awaited models from Zero Motorcycles will be premiering at Daytona Bike Week next month. Zero will have all four of their electric motorcycle models at the event - and there will be demo rides available! This is big news as Zero is the only electric bike manufacturer with four different models available to the public now.

http://tinyurl.com/ycb8m2l


Next, we get news that Zero Motorcycles has hired a former Buell engineer to be their Vice President of Engineering. Abe Askenazi has a wealth of experience and several higher education degrees (which somehow qualify him above people with more experience) and will be running their engineering and design groups. Given Askenazi's past, though, we can expect things to hum along at Zero for the foreseeable future.

http://tinyurl.com/y8mclxd

MORE Evening Moto News - Honda 3R-C EV & River Ranch GNCC

Honda has released information on their new three-wheeled electric vehicle. It sits somewhere between a motorcycle and a car, but it certainly looks closer to the two-wheeled machines given the way it leans and how you ride the thing. It is supposed to be all-electric but there are few other details; it is a concept vehicle, after all. It looks rather fun to me!

http://tinyurl.com/yfcy6mk

The River Ranch GNCC round is coming up on 2 March 2010 in the town of Lake Wales, Florida. It is part of the 2010 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country motorcycle racing series. It is a special time for New Zealander Paul Whibley, who is also the defending champion, as he prepares to defend his title. This year he rides with the Am-Pro Yamaha team this season...and he is ready to ride...

http://tinyurl.com/ykh5ch5

More Evening Moto News - Troy Corser & Swedish Electric Motorcycle

Troy Corser will be riding a BMW S1000RR in this coming weekend's World Superbike race at Phillip Island. You might think that he will have a sizable advantage given this is his home track, but you might be wrong. It seems that the Ducati team had a much better practice at the track and Corser had some issues...Take the link and learn why we might as well consider him at a slight disadvantage.

http://tinyurl.com/yzocjr8

A new team has committed to racing in the Isle of Man TT Zero race on 9 June 2010. The team is known as the Swedish Electric Racing Team (SERT) and they have purchased a former Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR to use as the chassis for their entry. Chris Palmer will be riding their bike and he has plenty of experience; he has three wins and four podiums since his debut on the Isle in 1990.

http://tinyurl.com/yhesaat

Friday Afternoon Moto News - MotoCzysz Returns to Isle of Man & Noriyuki Haga

MotoCzysz is not worried about the Isle of Man issue between the TTXGP series and the local TT Zero race. In fact, they simply want to race their new 2010 E1pc electric motorcycle in the event this summer. The bike is 90% new, according to Michael Czysz, and is anything but a tame and quiet motorcycle. They are going for the 100 mph top speed prize as well as the win. For all the details, please take the link.


http://tinyurl.com/yhrsuex

Noriyuki Haga has now said that he thinks 2010 will be his toughest year yet in World Superbike. That is because he has a slew of former champions and several national champions now in the series as his competitors. Plus, he has many of the same tough adversaries from 2009. Haga has his work cut out for him...the man deserves a Championship!

http://tinyurl.com/ye3ch8u

More Afternoon Moto News - Electric Motorcycles & Asian Motocross Championship Series

First up, we have a report on what experts believe will be the sales volume of electric motorcycles. The word is that they expect some 466,000,000 to be on the road by the year 2016. It is a very interesting read and it is a good read for someone interested in forecasting the future of our industry. Of course, there are still the doubters - in fact, someone recently called the "green movement" and electric motorcycles a fad! What an idiot!

http://tinyurl.com/yj64yqc

In the Philippines, at the Sta. Monica International Racetrack in Puerto Princesa City (Palawan), the 2010 FIM Asian Motocross Championship Series will start on 21 February 2010. This is the seventh straight start at this location and it will bring out the best motocross riders from all over eastern Asia. The rules are a little different there, but it is very much worth following!

http://tinyurl.com/yazltbb

Thursday Afternoon Moto News - The Electric Confusion & PINK AMA Supercross

Mark Gardiner has done a great job of covering the stink between the TTXGP and the Isle of Man - with their TT Zero race. As you may already know, the Isle of Man race organizers switched away from Azhar Hussain's race series, the TTXGP, to their own version which they call the TT Zero. There is a great deal which went on behind the scenes when this decision was made. For some of that knowledge and to get some history on the whole affair, take the link to the two part article...it is worth your time!

http://tinyurl.com/yfovtr6

Well, we read that the Kawasaki 24-hour charity ride for the Cure was a success; we also heard that the AMA Supercross race held the next day was also used to bring in some money in the fight against Breast Cancer - they raised over US$27,000! Well, there is also an auction for various autographed goods from your favorite racer. Just take the link to learn the details. Susan G. Komen is loving this, and they are most grateful!

http://tinyurl.com/yeuzhlw

More Afternoon Moto News - Electric Motorcycle Racers & Pegram Racing Club

As you might expect, electric motorcycle racers simply want to face the best of the competition. With the strange competition between the three major players in organizing the races, it looks like some teams will never meet on the track, and that is not good for the sport. The questions abound and most are covered after the link...

http://tinyurl.com/ykpw9a4

With the upcoming AMA Pro Racing season getting even nearer, Larry Pegram has come up with another way to gain some sponsorship money has created the Pegram Racing Club. With support from Foremost Insurance and Ducati NA, Pegram has been able to build a successful team around the Ducati 1098R - he won 3 races last year and finished fourth overall. With the Club, which is only limited to 10 people, the members will get a first-hand experience with American motorcycle racing...take the link for more information.

http://tinyurl.com/ylx6czb