This motorcycle looks like the future we’ve always dreamed of

This, in purely objective terms, is a custom electric motorcycle. And this rather dry sentence illustrates the fundamental flaw of pure objectivity: the inability to make value judgments.

And, when you talk about a rolling sculpture like this, a series of shapes and forms that combine and intersect, catching your eyes and overwhelming your brain, suddenly phrases like “my truth” don’t sound so oxymoronic anymore. . Or ordinary moron.

The truth, at least from where we sit, is that this is the kind of machine we would park inside the house, ditching the TV and spending evenings watching it instead. Then again, given its manufacturer, this is probably a common reaction.

Untitled Motorcycles has been making motorcycles more beautiful since 2010, designing and building custom creations based on Ducatis, Triumphs, BMW, etc. We also happen to be particularly fond of his Hyper Scrambler, an 800cc trellis-framed Ducati that weighs less than a Vespa. We assume this is quite vivid.

And this fierce focus on removing a bike of all unnecessary weight, whether physical or visual, is so far down our street that it is already parking in our driveway. If weight is the enemy of any car – and it absolutely is – it doubles for motorcycles.

Which clearly brings us to the biggest problem with electric power: weight. For all that humanity has figured out, it seems making an electric powertrain with decent range and low weight is a bridge too far. Or at least it was.

While automakers throw in two-ton leviathans and say it’s fine (to say nothing of the upcoming Hummer EV, which rivals the Death Star for its mass), it doesn’t half seem like the bike builders have discovered the secret.

Namely, the XP Zero weighs 218 kg – just 6 kg more than the Honda CBR1000RR, 5 kg more than the delicious MV Agusta F4RR and one kilo more than the Ducati 998. For a small comparison of the weight stakes for the e-bikes, that’s 31kg lighter than Harley’s Livewire and 40kg lighter than Energica’s Ego superbike.

In terms of motivation, you’re considering 110 hp of … well, an electric motor, obviously. For anyone unfamiliar with road bikes, a good rule of thumb is that 50hp is enough, 100hp is pretty fast, 150hp is close to superbike territory, and 200hp is right in the middle of it. . Anything over 200 hp, just for reference, is fully doolly. But, just like the power wars that the big German brands got into some time ago …

Even so, what this increasingly overpowered pair of superbikes can’t deliver is massive torque. For example, it is quite possible for a regular bettor to go out and buy a Ducati Panigale V4R, then come away with a frankly absurd 234 hp between their legs. But this power tower, like most motorcycles, comes courtesy of stratospheric revs – over 15,000 of them at peak power. There’s also a very healthy 83 lb-ft supply (you wouldn’t be making that much horsepower otherwise), but that figure immediately pales against the XP Zero’s 146 lb-ft, plastered on a torque curve that stays flat well. in license shredding speeds. For reference, this is roughly the same torque as the Hyundai i20N.

As you might expect, then, the performance numbers are hardly shabby. The official 0-60 road time is 3.7 seconds, which, considering that nothing at 124 mph takes 7.0 seconds, makes it seem like it’s being limited by a) traction and b ) the cyclist’s ability to stay on the bike. For comparison, this is the same 0-124 mph time as the McLaren P1, Porsche 918, and LaFerrari. So, you know, quick.

And, when countless bursts of neck snapping have depleted your battery, the on-board charger can recharge the 14.4kWh battery in two to four hours. If you then ride like a respectable human being, you can expect 160 miles of range before you have to do it again. Of course, you can select different performance modes, depending on your situation, your needs, and your willingness to listen to the pervert’s imp.

If you get into a mischief (we can understand that), a slew of top-of-the-line components – aerospace aluminum this one, remote tank that, yoke floating the other – guard against an immediate dose of inevitability. All the same, we recommend all the equipment. And the whole track day too, while we’re on the subject. But regardless of the speed, it will still look like a rolling sculpture. Until you throw it away, of course. It could then look like modern art.

Objectively, therefore, the XP Zero is fast, light and powerful. Subjectively, it’s a shame that we don’t have one.