Electric bikes are here, and they are growing in market share year to year, sometimes even month to month. Manufacturers big and small are involved, all the way from BMW and KTM down to Zero and Energica.
And then you have tiny little companies like Australia’s Ed Motorcycles that come out with some awesome concepts.
The bike in question today is their “Concept Z” flat track racer. For those unaware, flat track racing is a sport where you are almost constantly sideways, with the rear wheel on a long, stiff swingarm, slinging dirt and mud into the side as you slide around a corner.
The Concept Z was designed and developed by Tony Robers of Ed Motorcycles, and follows the age-old adage of “less is more.”
The entirety of the bike frame is exposed, with a long flat tracker seat, a low slung “tank,” and the heaviest part, the batteries and electric motor, slung as low to the center of gravity as possible without scraping the ground. And, as the engine and battery housing is CNC machined, it is also used as a stressed member, holding the swingarm pivot.
The motorcycle uses Zero’s 75-7R engine, good for 70 HP and 115 lbs-ft of torque. The engine is kept cool both through passive dissipation with the fins along the side of the mount, as well as a hidden ram air duct that flow cool air across the front of the motor and out under the bike.
Handling is taken care of by Yamaha YZF-R6 forks up front, and a rear monoshock adapted from a Honda CR85 keeps the rear wheel slammed to the ground.
The Concept Z is still going through design and development, with a TFT screen intended to be mounted in the composite “tank,” and potentially developing it for road use. For now, though, we think it’s an awesome, minimalist design that just works…