Autoportal India

 Lightning Motorcycles working on an electric ADV

– Registered designs leaked online

– To be based on the existing Strike sportbike 

The California-based electric two-wheeler maker, Lightning Motorcycles, is reportedly working on an electric adventure motorcycle. The registered designs of this motorcycle have been leaked which reveal that it will be based on the brand’s existing electric sportbike called the Strike. 

Lightning is quite a prominent name in the EV space globally, mainly for the 350kmph top speed record set by the modified version of its LS-218 electric superbike at Bonneville in 2012. And the aforementioned adventure bike might create a similar mark in the industry, one of the indications of which is its codename ‘Dakar.’ While it shares certain components with the Strike, such as the swingarm and chassis, there are a host of changes inclined towards making it a hardware ADV.

The leaked designs show that the bike will be belt-driven and the motor will be a major part of the overall chassis. There’s are billet-style sub-frame at the front and rear along with a long-travel suspension for taking on the rough stuff. The battery pack, meanwhile, is mounted vertically ahead of the motor, similar to other offerings from Lightning. The 20kWh battery pack of the Strike is claimed to deliver a range of around 321km and this ADV will certainly offer a similar range. 

Now, whether Lightning Motorcycles and the aforementioned electric ADV will ever come to India is difficult to tell at the moment. What’s clear though is that the electric two-wheeler space is fast evolving abroad with a variety of new entrants joining the queue and the Indian market might witness a similar shift in the coming years.