The Post-Petrol Age Gets an Amazing New Superbike — wired.com

Finally, an electric motorcycle as slick as a Tesla, and even faster. But be careful, chief: Grab that throttle and you get instant and constant access to 120 pound-feet of torque—20 percent more than the quickest gas-burning motorcycle. There are no gears, just a linear relationship between how far you twist the handgrip and how fast you go (though a computer keeps you from topping 140 mph to manage the battery). And you don’t need to keep all that speed to yourself: Mount a camera in the nose and, using the Internet-enabled touchscreen dash, you can share your rides. Telemetry data, including speed and lean angle, are overlaid onto a Google map. With a range of up to 140 miles at combined speeds, the Mission R’s 17-kWh battery pack enables it to go farther than equivalent gas bikes. Recharge time is as little as one hour, provided you have a 220-volt outlet. But even that seems too long: You’ll want to head right back out.

Read More