The styling seems a little too inspired by the segway...

Silence wouldn't be valued by the bikies I've seen. Also, pedestrian accidents will probably increase for a while, until we stop trusting our ears for traffic. On my bicycle, I've noticed people not looking for traffic because can't hear any traffic.

I wonder if there is a segment of motorbike riders for whom silence is a crucial benefit? That could be a good niche to start. Teenagers, sneaking home late? Shy people? Hunters? Burglars? Spies? Ninjas?

Loud motorcycles are one of my pet peeves. I have never been able to figure out why someone would want to make their motorcycle as loud as possible. Don't they realize how rude it is to every single house, pedestrian, etc. they pass? When I see one I immediately project a complete a-hole personallity onto that person, because I assume he really doesn't care about anyone but himself.

I find them annoying too, but the safety advantage while riding on highways is clear. The safety of the rider is, in my opinion, of more importance than any mild annoyance a loud bike might cause. That said, I suspect, like you, that safety was not the reason a lot of riders picked a loud bike.

I've always been slightly on the fence about getting a motorcycle. One of the things I don't like is the noise so getting rid of that puts me a little close to actually getting myself in motion. (The other is the long regulatory period where you have to get your learner's, then the classes, then ride with a partner, etc)

I feel dumb asking this, but what does EV stand for? Obviously, it's an electric motorcycle, but does it just mean electric vehicle?

Yep, EV stands for Electric Vehicle

This is brilliant. Not cheap, not practical, but it'll add some big brand credence to EV technology that nobody else can muster, given the world wide fan base that OCC enjoys. Nice work junior :-)

This makes a lot of sense; bikes have a lot less extraneous weight to carry around than cars do, so it should be a lot easier to get a good milage/performance combo out of an electric engine than with a car. There's less room for the engine and batteries, but those are small/dense enough now that the overall ratio should be a win.

dammit, couldn't this story come around 2 weeks from now.

OT: I sell custom choppers, with electric engines just rolling in the shop floor, if anybody is interested (just got the contract last week, still flogging the web designers)

What's the mileage like? You'd have to be proud if its comparable to a technology giant like Siemens!

We license Yamaha, Honda engines for now. We might even get this engine, but the body is custom built.

Current site is flash-based. The company is an Aussie boutique shop with A-list celebrity and activist clients:

http://deus.com.au/

I am bringing that to the U.S., Middle East and Europe.

[Edit: We're also offering a very handsome sales commission for referrals. Email in profile. I can say this in HN can't I? Fuckit, it's business!]

Holy crap.

I don't know much about motorcycles, but some of those SR400 models are mindblowingly beautiful.

Well done.

Thank you. They're made with love.

no need to panic or flog anyone. OCC isn't competition, right? i mean, you both sell choppers to slightly different niches. this article will only help drum up business for EV bikes.