After setting a 216 mile-per-hour land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats last year Lightning Motorcycles, made it known that you can purchase one of their TTXGP-winning electric bikes. While we've not yet heard of anyone taking them up on the $38,888 offer, the company is still moving forward with retail plans and has released some specs – including a range of battery options – and a sketch of what buyers might expect the consumer model to look like. (Hint: Seriously badass.)
The company has also handed off one of its machines to a journalist from Motorcycles.com for a little inspection and some on-the-street action. The test, much of which was captured on video, features real time commentary that consists largely of repetitions of "Oh my god!", "Holy crap!", and "That's fast!" as the rider rolls forward and back on the throttle.
While there's no doubt it's entertaining to watch someone experience the punch of a top-level electric race bike for the first time, we were equally intrigued by revelations in the write up. For instance, in addition to the standard 12-kWh pack – which should be good for 100 miles of highway riding – Lightning will offer a 14-kWh option. Still too small? The company is also currently testing a monstrous 22-kWh pack which should do a lot to alleviate the range concerns of most sport bike riders, though we can't help but wonder about how the added weight will affect handling dynamics.
Each Lightning Motorcycles machine is hand-built and can be customized by request, with a lead time to delivery between 60 to 90 days. We hope the real thing looks as sweet as the sketch and expect to see an example on display in the Hollywood Electrics showroom later this year. Scroll down to watch the Lightning Motorcycles race bike make a big enough impression to put it on the website's "Best Motorcycles of 2012" list.
Source: Autoblog Green
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