An Urban Motorcycle for the Future
Erik Buell was the man behind Buell motorcycles, which you probably remember being connected to Harley-Davidson. That venture went south eventually. Now Buell is back with a new company called Fuell. The name may not be very creative, but the Flow electric motorcycle that it’s putting out sure seems to be. It’s now available for pre-order and all the details are up on the website.
First, the preorder info. For $500, you can preorder your Flow motorcycle. You can pick the battery size and the color, slap down $500, and wait for the bike to be ready. The preorders are refundable. Fuell will keep in touch with you and get final confirmation one month before production begins. Once you agree and your bike is made, Fuell will ship it directly to you.
What Can It Do?
Now, let’s talk specs and price. The bike lists some impressive numbers. The modular design means you can upgrade the battery and other components if you want and as they become available. This bodes well for the future of Fuell. There are two different battery packs currently, a 10kw and a 35kw. The 35kw battery is good for 150 miles of range and with a fast-charger, it can be topped up in just 30 minutes.
Performance specs are impressive, too. The rear hub motor makes a super strong 48 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a typo. It makes the motorcycle good for a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.7 seconds. Its top speed is 85 mph, but that’s in shorter bursts. Its top “sustained” speed is 55 mph, so it’s not a perfect machine, and not made to gobble up highway miles.
Price is interesting and promising. The 10kw version of the bike costs $10,995. The 35kw costs $11,995. With the slight difference in cost between the two, most people are going to buy the more expensive version due to the extra range. Smart move by the company.
Also smart is the integration of apps and modern safety technology like blindspot detection, anti-collision system, a rear camera, and ABS with regenerative braking. The modular design means owners won’t have to upgrade to a new bike from Fuell down the road. They can simply upgrade their existing bike. This is super smart. It gives the company a way to upsell current customers and allows those customers to take advantages of the latest technology.
Overall, the Flow appears to be a darn good machine. It looks well-engineered and has the performance goods to be competitive in the market. Zero, Lighting Motorcycles, Energica, and the other big players in the segment have another competitor.