Photo: Kodlin
Compared to their four-wheeled cousins, motorcycles have not gone down the electrification path with the same fervor. That may be because in the motorcycle world the need to cut down on bad emissions does not seem all that urgent, or because it could be a little difficult to fit electric motors and batteries onto a bike, and still keep its main design and performance attributes. But the reality remains.
Sure, there are a few bike makers who have dedicated themselves to making two-wheelers in this fashion, and even some of the industry's biggest names have also launched electric models (the most famous being Harley's LiveWire), but that's not nearly comparable with what's happening in the auto industry.
With that in mind, common sense tells us the crews in charge of making custom motorcycles are not that keen to go electric either, so the number of modified electric bikes is still very small, and so are conversions. As it stands, electric drivetrains in bikes are almost non-existent. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon what's described as the "world's first electric custom bagger."
That's right, a bagger just like all other baggers, only not powered by ICE. A thing that holds in its frame a battery and an electric motor, built not starting from an existing model, but from scratch.
The bike is called Togetherness, and was shown for the first time back in 2019. It is the work of Fred Kodlin, the first non-American to be inducted into the International Master Bike Builders Association (IMBBA) Hall of Fame (that happened in 2007).
The bike was put together for a Swiss fashion brand called Birds of Love. Its skeleton is a custom frame made by Kodlin himself, tailored to house the components of the electric drive. Sadly, we're not told exactly what this drive is all about in terms of specs and performance, but the feat remains impressive nonetheless.
Despite this non-conventional approach to such a custom build, the bike still has all the elements that make a custom bagger stand out. Up front, a massive 26-inch wheel steals all the attention, while the one at the back is completely invisible, hidden from sight by a shroud of bodywork that forms the rear, hard bags included.
The bike was propped on an air ride suspension system and, being electric, lacks any hint of an exhaust system. That makes it, visually, quite a strange appearance, but not something that can immediately be disliked.
Other shops we know of from the custom motorcycle industry have contributed to the build as well. For instance, Performance Machine is responsible for the grips and motogadget supplied the mirrors. The paint job, mostly white, is the work of Kodlin, and makes the Togetherness impossible to ignore.
It's not clear what happened to the bike in the four years that have passed since it was first shown, and its current whereabouts are not known. Given how EV tech has progressed greatly since, we thought another look at the thing might inspire crews out there to go for such an approach. After all, we certainly wouldn't mind seeing more such builds.
With that in mind, common sense tells us the crews in charge of making custom motorcycles are not that keen to go electric either, so the number of modified electric bikes is still very small, and so are conversions. As it stands, electric drivetrains in bikes are almost non-existent. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon what's described as the "world's first electric custom bagger."
That's right, a bagger just like all other baggers, only not powered by ICE. A thing that holds in its frame a battery and an electric motor, built not starting from an existing model, but from scratch.
The bike is called Togetherness, and was shown for the first time back in 2019. It is the work of Fred Kodlin, the first non-American to be inducted into the International Master Bike Builders Association (IMBBA) Hall of Fame (that happened in 2007).
The bike was put together for a Swiss fashion brand called Birds of Love. Its skeleton is a custom frame made by Kodlin himself, tailored to house the components of the electric drive. Sadly, we're not told exactly what this drive is all about in terms of specs and performance, but the feat remains impressive nonetheless.
Despite this non-conventional approach to such a custom build, the bike still has all the elements that make a custom bagger stand out. Up front, a massive 26-inch wheel steals all the attention, while the one at the back is completely invisible, hidden from sight by a shroud of bodywork that forms the rear, hard bags included.
The bike was propped on an air ride suspension system and, being electric, lacks any hint of an exhaust system. That makes it, visually, quite a strange appearance, but not something that can immediately be disliked.
Other shops we know of from the custom motorcycle industry have contributed to the build as well. For instance, Performance Machine is responsible for the grips and motogadget supplied the mirrors. The paint job, mostly white, is the work of Kodlin, and makes the Togetherness impossible to ignore.
It's not clear what happened to the bike in the four years that have passed since it was first shown, and its current whereabouts are not known. Given how EV tech has progressed greatly since, we thought another look at the thing might inspire crews out there to go for such an approach. After all, we certainly wouldn't mind seeing more such builds.
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