PDA

View Full Version : Electric Superbike to attack Pikes Peak



aerofaze
Wed Mar 30th, 2011, 03:10 PM
I stole the headline from the article, but it caught my eye!

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/03/electric-superbike-to-attack-pikes-peak/?hpt=Sbin

Excerpt:
Making it to the summit will be no small feat and another milestone in the development of electric motorcycles. Pikes Peak is among the most challenging events in motor sports, a frantic 12.4-mile scramble through 156 turns. The course, which includes pavement, dirt and gravel, rises from 9,390 to 14,110 feet.

And Yates plans to ride it on a street bike based on the Suzuki GSX-R750.

“The course is almost completely paved, but I will be challenged by several miles of dirt in the middle of the climb,” Yates said. “I’ll be calling on my previous SCCA Pro Rally driving experience to get safely through the lower grip sections. Our engineers are busy developing new traction control software and mapping that will automatically adapt based on my position on the mountain.”

Yates and his engineers already have outfitted the bike with a 240-horsepower electric motor that produces a mind-bending 365 foot-pounds of torque. He needs all that power to offset the bike’s ungodly weight of 585 pounds.

Spooph
Wed Mar 30th, 2011, 03:31 PM
Nutters, absolutely nutters! Hrm, I might have to get tickets to PPIHC again this year...