PiCycle brings high style to the eco-commute

Electric bicycles occupy a strange vehicular netherland. Outfitted with pedals and other low-speed components, they’re more bicycle than motorcycle. But their motors prompt scorn among cycling purists, and their relatively high cost makes them a hard sell for the masses. Powered but not especially powerful, these bicycles-that-aren’t-really-bicycles occupy a niche within a niche, appealing to an already small minority within the country’s huge bicycling population – those who use their two wheels to commute rather than recreate.

The very word "commuting" is as unsexy as sanitation work, which makes something like the new PiCycle that much more intriguing. It’s a commuter-oriented electric bicycle that values style as much as substance. An exceptional art piece that is both practical and affordable, it almost requires its own category.

The PiCycle is the second iteration of an electric bicycle called the Pi, which was introduced two years ago with a price tag as highfalutin as its name. The Pi costs $7,500, which helps explain why just 40 of these arched, Ayn Randian anomalies have been sold. The new PiCycle costs one-third as much.

That’s right. It’s now $2,500.

Love Ride 26 canceled

In its 25 years, the Love Ride has raised $22 million for various charities. It drew hundreds of thousands of bikers – from regular Joes to stars the likes of Jay Leno, who’s been the grand marshal of the event for 24 years. It featured performances from some of the biggest names in music, such as The Foo Fighters, who headlined the event’s silver anniversary last year, and Dwight Yoakam, who was scheduled to play Love Ride 26 later this month.

Now the Love Ride is on hiatus. Love Ride founder Oliver Shokouh pulled the plug on what would have been the 26th annual event last Thursday, after a month of agonizing over pre-registration numbers that were "way down" to "as little as 40% of some of the worst years we’ve had," said Shokouh, whose voice, even in a phone interview, sounded disconsolate.

That’s despite a $10 ticket price reduction, which Shokouh instituted for Love Ride 26 "in anticipation of some of the woes out there with the economy." But even the lower ticket price couldn’t lure riders, just as the ride itself was struggling to recruit vendors and sponsors, both of which were down about 50%. Farmers Insurance, Best Buy and LoJack all backed out of sponsorships for this year’s event, and Budweiser was only able to donate a fraction of what it had for the previous 25 years it had supported the ride.

In the last decade, the Love Ride has averaged 18,000-20,000 riders and raised as much as $1.7 million per event for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. and a host of children’s charities, such as Autism Speaks. As of early October, only 600 riders had pre-registered for Love Ride 26, which, coupled with the steep decline in sponsorship and vendor support, would have caused the event to lose money for the first time in its history.

Such dim news is mirrored inside Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale, the dealership Shokouh owns which has also served as the starting point for the annual Love Ride. Shokouh has had to cut 15% of his staff due to a 30% decline in motorcycle sales. As of Sunday, the 33-year-old dealership will also reduce its operating hours; its sales and service department will be closed Mondays.

Suzuki TU250X may lack punch, but (for a beginner bike) it sure has style

When Suzuki announces its 2010 lineup later this month, I’m hoping the TU250X will be on the list. Technically, the 250 cc beginner bike was new for the 2009 model year but not for California. We were the only state in the nation that didn’t get the bike; according to Suzuki, its emissions clearance was held up by the California Air Resources Board, which conducts the test that allows bikes to be sold in the state.

My reasons for hoping the TU250X gets the OK? Variety, for one. It’s the first all-new, street-centric beginner bike to be released by the big four Japanese makers in well over a decade. Half of the bikes that make up this small and small-displacement class are cruisers, i.e. the Honda Rebel, Kawasaki Eliminator and Suzuki GZ250. So the TU250X, with its retro, ‘70s, cafe styling breathes some much-needed fresh air into the genre.

Beyond that, it’s affordable. At $3,799, it’s one of the least expensive bikes a rider can buy from a major manufacturer, which is good, since the industry is in such dire straits these days that sales are down about 50% for the year. Getting roughly 80 miles to the gallon, that low price is a gift that keeps on giving, especially as gas prices inch back up.

While the TU250X has as much punch as a choreographed stunt, this air-cooled, single cylinder is at least fuel injected – the first for its class. Speaking as a person who feared having to futz with a choke or fumble with a petcock when I was first learning how to ride, oh, 18 years ago, it’s nice that the fuel delivery system has been streamlined to remove rider input, except for looking at the gas light and pulling into the station to fill up.

Mission Motors' electric motorcycle surpasses speed record by more than 80 mph

The salt was mushy and the crosswinds were fierce, but that didn't stop Mission Motors from setting the land-speed record for an electric motorcycle Sept. 1 during the annual BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at Utah's Bonneville Speedway.

The production prototype for the San Francisco-based company reached a top speed of 161 mph, and set the official record at 150.059 mph -- obliterating the 68.848 mph record set by Electrobike, also of San Francisco, in 2007.

"We were pretty excited to just have some place to officially show that we can do what we said we can do," said Forrest North, Mission's founder and chief executive.

When Mission Motors unveiled its Mission One at the Technology, Entertainment, Design conference in Long Beach this year, it boasted of a machine that could not only reach 150 mph but travel 150 miles on a charge -- a claim that seemed apocryphal considering current and soon-to-be-released battery technologies, even for a bike that wasn't going to go into production until some time in 2010. Competing in the world's first electric superbike race on the Isle of Man just a couple months after its initial unveiling, the Mission One fell far short of its maker's claim, reaching a top speed of 100.6 mph on the 37.7-mile course and placing fourth out of nine finishers.

But Mission's showing at Bonneville indicates the company may be able to live up to what it's billing after all. In the three months since competing at the Isle of Man, with the exact same machine, Mission's engineers were able to extract 50% more peak power from the motor through changes to the motor controller and software.

"I definitely think we can make it go faster," said North. "Right now, our powertrain is around 90% efficient from the battery pack to the road surface, including losses in the electronics, motor and drivetrain. We really haven't even hit the limit of what we can do right now with today's technology."

Maybe, just maybe, the $68,995 Mission is charging for its groundbreaking e-sportbike will be worth it.

-- Susan Carpenter

Photo: Mission Motors

Big as an 'Apocalypse Now'-era Brando, it's the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird

 

It's been 60 years since the Triumph Thunderbird came on the market, and oh so much has happened. The famed British motorcycle manufacturer became the bestselling marque in the U.S.... before its business was obliterated by the Japanese and it went bankrupt. Now the motorcycle that helped grow the brand into one of the world's most beloved is back.

Big as an "Apocalypse Now"-era Brando, it's the 2010 Thunderbird from the Hinckley incarnation of Triumph -- 1,597 cc, 85 horsepower and something that's unusual for a cruiser -- a parallel, rather than a V-, twin motor. The T-16 motor is the world's largest production parallel twin, and Triumph is proudly showing it off under the twin spines of its tubular steel frame, as it should for a bike that's been in the works five years and is trying to run a little of Harley's business off the road, just as it did back in the day.

Unlike the original, the latest incarnation of the Thunderbird isn't a hoodlum bike, but it is a bit of an outlaw in terms of upsetting the big American cruiser status quo. Its cylinders are liquid cooled, its chromed 2-1-2 exhaust is catalyzed, its six gears are belt- rather than chain-driven and there's optional ABS. Best of all in this post-home-equity-line-of-credit, bike-buying market, it's reasonably priced for the level of craftsmanship; $12,499 is the base price. The ABS version comes at an $800 premium.

Susan Carpenter reviews Moto Guzzi V7 Classic

With the classic bike scene raging, it’s surprising motorcycle manufacturers haven’t introduced more retro models to take advantage of the trend, especially now – when that trend has been underscored by a doom-and-gloom economy that has Americans looking to the past for comfort instead of forward to an uncertain future. With its V7 Classic, Moto Guzzi is, for once, ahead of the curve. Inspired, perhaps, by Italy’s own economic death spiral, which was in force long before the rest of the world’s kicked in, the new V7 is retro done right. A modern take on a classic, it hasn’t been so modernized that it feels ... Japanese. It still has character – character that’s distinctly Italian, and Guzzi.

The 744 cc V7 Classic is not a purist’s update of the original V7, which debuted in 1967 with the jutting, 90-degree V-twin transverse cylinder heads that have since become Moto Guzzi’s most distinguishing feature. The new V7 is an amalgamation of models from the brand’s ‘60s and ‘70s heyday. Its flying saucer tank flew in from the ’71 sport version of the original, and its stitched and strapped saddle was couched from the T3.

Unlike brand mate Aprilia, which is also owned by Piaggio Group, G-force performance is not the V7's strong suit. But power isn't the reason a person buys a Guzzi anyway. Part of the brand's appeal is that it isn't a Ducati or Aprilia. It's different. What Moto Guzzi does have is heritage, and in that sense, the V7 Classic rides exactly as you’d expect -- like an 88-year-old. With a mere 40 pound feet of torque and 48 horsepower, it feels a little geriatric by modern standards. While it’s a shaft drive and a V-twin, each cylinder contains only two valves, so the power is adequate rather than exhilarating. Takeoff's decent but it isn't likely to win any green-light skirmishes with an MV. The mounting of the twin, with its longitudinal crankshaft, also creates a bit of a shimmy, which, on a sport bike would be unacceptable, but is charming for this Classic.

Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle primes for its Best Buy debut

 

This has been a banner year for electric motorcycles. In the spring, Zero Motorcycles introduced its street-legal S. Then, in June, the Isle of Man TT hosted the world’s first electric superbike race, bringing 16 teams to compete in the famed 37.73-mile road race as part of the inaugural TTXGP. Now one of the TTXGP’s top finishers is poised to bring its bike to market. The Brammo Enertia will go on sale in select West Coast Best Buy stores starting later this month.

Urban oriented and supermoto in style, the Enertia is for do-gooders whose interest in practical, environmentally friendly transportation trumps their need for speed, which isn’t to say the Enertia is unsatisfying. Quite the opposite. It’s probably the best e-bike I’ve ridden. It’s easy to ride, fun, well groomed and fast...ish.

Brammo is erring on the side of caution, its unofficial motto being to under-promise and over-perform. Officially, the company is only claiming a top speed of 55 miles per hour and a range of 50 miles. But, as with all electric vehicles, those numbers vary dramatically based on how the bike is ridden. While punks might get the bike up to 65 mph, they won’t go nearly as far. Pussycats who tread lightly on the throttle, however, might travel as much as 60 miles before needing to plug in.

Being a regular rider of internal-combustion product, I fall into the former camp. I got the bike up to 65 during my test ride of a very-close-to-production version of the Enertia on Brammo’s home turf in Ashland, Ore. That speed was enough to impress a pair of young guys in a low-riding sedan, who trailed me through the turns, then stopped me to ask, "OK. How much are they?"

Harley-Davidson unveils 2010 customs, but can they stop the bleeding?

The news from the dairy state isn't good. Harley-Davidson's motorcycle sales were down 30% in the second quarter of 2009 versus one year prior, according to the company's most recent earnings report, prompting a 25% to 30% reduction in this year's bike shipments and the impending layoffs of 1,000 employees. Ouch.

But there is, Harley hopes, a bright spot, and that’s with its Custom Vehicle Operations – limited-production, factory customs that cater to Harley’s most loyal and moneyed fans – bikers who’ve already owned a half-dozen Hogs but are willing to give up even more garage space for their habit. For 2010, Harley loyalists have a lot of options to flaunt the fact that they still have jobs and good credit. Milwaukee’s given four very different models the CVO treatment – two all new, two fan favorites that are returning for extra curtain calls.

New this year is the just-in-time-for-Sturgis Softail Convertible – a bike that can shed its touring garb and transform into a boulevard-cruising beauty in mere minutes – and the Street Glide, a hot rod bagger with a tight-to-the-wheel front fender that’s trimmed to show some leg, er wheel. The Fat Bob is back for a second CVO spin, with a new smoky chrome finish and distressed, brown-leather saddle, and the cream-of-the-crop Ultra Classic Electra Glide dresser continues for a fifth CVO year with blinding, wraparound LED taillights and an improved backrest to keep the old lady from grumping.

All four bikes use the power monger’s special – the CVO-exclusive 110-cubic-inch motor that first debuted for the 2007 model year. All four feature paint schemes that will never be available to the working stiffs who buy non-CVO versions of the same bikes, though many of the features and accessories that are making their custom debuts in 2010 will trickle down to future product or be immediately available as accessories in the Harley catalog. So much for exclusivity.

I had a chance to taste test all four bikes for a day in early July, and here are my impressions.

Californians are still waiting for the now not-so-new Indian Chief

Riding a motorcycle through 114-degree heat isn’t my idea of a good time, but I was tired of waiting for the new Indian Chief, and Dante’s Inferno was the closest location I could find. The not-so-new debut from the latest incarnation of Indian Motorcycle, the Chief has been on the market since January. It just hasn’t cleared the emissions hurdles to be available for sale in California, which is why I traveled to Mesa, Ariz., this week to ride one.

Welts and heat blisters be damned. The 2009 Chief was worth it.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from the bike before I got there. Despite its 108-year legacy, the Indian brand, and the bikes that have been built in its name, have been fumbled more times than a football by a second-string running back. Sure, the pictures I’d seen looked great, but so do a lot of fashion models until you see them in person without the benefit of an airbrush. I needed to see and experience the bike up close, which I got to do at a place called Chester’s – a Harley-Davidson dealer that has separated Tonto from its American sidekick with a stand-alone building devoted entirely to Indian merch and motorcycles.(See video after the jump).

Europe's bestselling Honda SH150i scoots onto U.S. market

Like most forms of transportation in 2009, scooter sales are down this year after seeing their biggest sales ever in 2008. One in four on-road two-wheelers sold last year was a scooter, aided by $4-a-gallon gas and an economy that had yet to implode.

With gas a buck short of the scooter-buying tipping point and accessible credit an increasingly distant memory, scooter sales have declined more than other categories so far in 2009, but that isn’t stopping Honda from bringing two new models to the U.S. this summer, the first being the immensely practical SH150i.

I had the chance to spend a morning on Honda’s newest scoot, which was designed to appeal to new riders of all ages, about a quarter of whom are expected to be women. I’d say the SH150i has hit its mark with a user-friendly scooter that has enough juice off the line that it isn’t likely to be roadkill for surrounding four-wheeled traffic, even if its uppermost speed is only about 70 mph.

Lightweight and easy to throw around, the SH150i seems to have been designed to be as non-intimidating as possible. Its seat is a confidence-inspiring 30.9 inches, and its wheels are a stability-conscious 16 inches instead of the more characteristic 12- to 14-inchers found on most other mid-size scooters. The brakes are also responsive without being so powerful that new riders will get in trouble by over-braking.