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Confederate Motors Goes Electric, Starts with 290 Lb-Ft Dual Motor Cruiser Bike

Much like their four-wheeled relatives, electric motorcycles are beginning to catch on, despite the fact that the vibrations and the sound of the atmospheric engine are even more important for bikers than they are for drivers.
Confederate P51 Combat Fighter G2 15 photos
Photo: Confederate Motors
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But still, when the alternative is a bike with two motors, absurd amounts of torque (290 lb-ft or 393 Nm), and 175 horsepower, it's hard to remain neutral. So it's silent? It doesn't really matter since the sound would have been left behind anyway considering how quick this thing is going to be.

These are the specs promised by Curtiss Motorcycles, a company that is both new and old at the same time. It is the result of a collaboration between two well-known and respected names in the industry (each in its own way) that enthusiasts of the two-wheeled vehicles will have probably heard of: we're talking about Confederate Motors and Zero Motorcycles.

The former is famous for its incredibly expensive, loud and obnoxious V-twin street bikes, while the latter is probably the market leader in the US for electric motorcycles with 11 years of experience behind it. A rather unlikely alliance, but one that has every chance of making zero-emissions motorcycles a lot cooler than they are now.

In a piece on L.A. Times, Confederate Motors president Matt Chambers explains the decision: "We can’t go any further than this. We’ve hit the ceiling [with gasoline-powered motorcycles]. This is it.” To support his statement, Chambers announced that Confederate Motors would produce just 13 more units of the Bomber model, which will add to the nine already in stock. After these 22 are gone, the company switches name to Curtiss Motorcycles and goes full electric.

Knowing what the Confederate Motors bikes look like, it will be very exciting to see how this design language (which relies on exposed mechanical bits) will be translated to the new powertrains and their architecture. Will it resemble the spirit of this modified BMW C Evolution electric scooter in any way? Regardless, they will definitely be cool.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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