SAN FRANCISCO, CA. August 3, 2011 — BRD Motorcycles announced today its new electric motorcycle, the RedShift, targeted towards off-road and urban use, and intended to outperform gas-powered equivalents. “We just want to make faster motorcycles” said CEO, Marc Fenigstein. “We’re a team of riders and racers with high-performance gas machines in the garage. We’re building the bikes we’d rather be riding.” Like a gas supermoto, only faster The RedShift SM, the urban version, was unveiled this evening in San Francisco at the Dainese D-Store SF. The unit is said to be a pre-production prototype, with production planned for 2012. The RedShift MX, the dual-sport version, is in parallel development. The models share a proprietary chassis and drivetrain, producing 40hp and weighing in at approximately 250lbs (240lbs in off-road trim). They feature fully adjustable suspension, with conventional wheel and sprocket sizes. “There are decades of development in modern motocross and supermoto chassis” said Chief Technology Officer, Derek Dorresteyn, a former proffessional racer. “We chose to harness the best of that while taking advantage of the torque and throttle response an electric motor delivers.” BRD states that this creates a familiar riding experience for seasoned motorcyclists, but one that provides riders more control, feedback, and confidence. Both versions of the RedShift use a 5.2kWh battery that should deliver about 50 miles of range based on other electric motorcycles in the market, but BRD refrained from specifying a range until further testing. Fenigstein clarified, “we expect people to ride the snot out of these in a way that hasn’t been possible on previous electrics – that’s going to affect the range and we want to be careful about getting the specification right.” Unique manufacturing approach creates a distinctive design The most distinctive feature of the bike is the chassis, made of two sculptural aluminum monocoque members. Chief Design Officer, Jeff Sand explains: “While the chassis geometry is conventional, packaging an electric drive-train required rethinking frame design. Starting with a clean slate, we developed a new methodology that allows tight integration of the drive-train components in a very dense package, while meeting our strength and stiffness requirements, and being manufacturable here in California.” The motorcycles will be sold through conventional motorcycle dealerships to ensure superb warranty and service support. Specifications and product images can be found at BRD’s website: ~http://www.faster-faster.com~. BRD plans to provide further information on the motorcycles at the 68th EICMA in Milan, Italy in November.
BRD Motorcycles Announces “RedShift” Electric Bikes
BRD Motorcycles Announces “RedShift” Electric Bikes
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