Automobile and motorcycle purists alike may take issue with the gradual shift to electric vehicles, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to deny that this is where both industries are headed. As emerging technologies unlock new levels of performance, it's safe to expect that, someday soon, the best vehicles on the road will be electric.

 

Regardless of how you may feel about it, performance is performance.

 

So, in anticipation of what’s to come, let’s take a look at some of the top electric motorcycles hitting the road today.

 

Zero SR/F

Zero was an early pioneer that began producing electric motorcycles about 15 years ago. As such, they are the clear front runner in the e-cycle market, and the SR/F makes it clear why. It sports a host of cutting-edge rider assistance tech that puts the $21K in league with top street bikes, adjusting power levels, throttle ramping, and regenerative braking across four different ride modes (sport, street, rain, and eco).

It has a 14.4 kWh battery pack that puts out 110 hp, allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 in 3.65 seconds with a top speed of 124mph. While that’s not quite on par with top-performing gas bikes, it’s nothing to sneeze at, either. Similarly, the SR/F’s range is able to ante up to most gas street bikes by delivering about 161 miles on a single 9-hour charge. 

Some options allow for faster charging, such as a 6kW Level 2 system that can refill the battery in under 2 hours.

 

Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Of course, the legendary motorcycle company, Harley-Davidson is not about to allow itself to fall behind in any motorcycle category, and the LiveWire is proof. Not only does it share many of the exact same features as the Zero SR/F (above), but it also goes pretty much neck-and-neck in terms of performance.

HD has always put the design focus on its engines, and they’ve clearly gone to great lengths to keep that legacy intact with the LiveWire. Unlike the simple parallel motor shaft/wheel axle setup employed by nearly every other electric motorcycle, the LiveWire instead features an underslung liquid-cooled Revelation motor that’s perpendicular to the rear axle, relying upon a 90-degree spiral cut bevel gear reduction to deliver 105 hp to the rear wheel. This gives the LiveWire a unique sound.

The LiveWire tops out at about 110 mph, but it blasts off the line at 0-60 in 3.02 seconds. Its 146-mile range is slightly lower than the Zero SR/F, and it takes about 12 hours to fully charge. However, it does offer DC Fast Charging, which can speed up the process substantially, recharging in less than an hour, or less than a half hour if the battery is not fully drained. 

 

NIU RQi-GT

Leading electric scooter manufacturer NIU also appears to be aiming at the electric motorcycle market with an impressive light class entry. Although the RQi-GT doesn’t fully compete with street cycles like the Zero and HD models discussed above, it does have an impressive feature set that is not far off.

The RQi-GT is powered by a pair of removable 7 kWh batteries powering a mid-mounted motor capable of generating 40 hp and a top speed of 100mph. It has a range of about 80 miles, off a single 6-hour charge.

While these stats may place it in a different class than the Zero and HD models, it still offers plenty to be excited about. That includes driver-assist tech like an adaptive front headlight that leads into turns, traction control, and smart IoT technology that powers the dashboard display and connects the RQi-GT to Bluetooth and GPS. Not only does this provide for remote diagnostics, but it also protects the bike from theft or loss. 

You can also get excited by the RQi-GT’s price point, projected to be about $8,000, less than half of the Zero or HD options.

 

CONCLUSION

So, while leaders like Zero and HD are showing us how e-cycles are starting to compare with their gas counterparts, newcomers like NIU are envisioning a completely new technological paradigm for the urban motorcycle market.

When will this new electric breed of motorcycle take over? Hard to say. But with the leaps and bounds that battery-powered transportation has taken in recent years, it may be sooner that you think before you find yourself filling your bike with electricity.