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LIGHTING STRIKE FIRST REVIEW P106 That's thanks to the cleverly sanitized way that Hatfield & Co. have mapped the RBW (ride by wire) throttle. While there's quite a thrill to be had by winding the throttle wide open as soon as you get the Lightning moving, in normal riding the initial accel- eration isn't as fierce and vivid as on some other E-bikes, only coming on strong one you've got the Strike rolling, and speed up to around 30mph. "We've made the throttle response very progressive because we want the bike to be comfort- able to ride on the street," says Hatfield. "So the first 50% of throttle movement accesses less than 30% of the torque, but then when you want to push it harder, as you go up from the other 50% of throttle rotation as measured by a potentiometer inside the handlebar, it progres- sively delivers more and more torque. The software we use to program the motor controller allows us to dial in the torque curve in this way, as well as to alter the regen." Oh, yes, the regen. This dual- function regenerative braking from an E-bike is comparable to engine braking on an ICE motorcycle, quite apart from recharging the batteries and thus extending range. This was, however, set much too high on the Strike as I rode it, so main- taining turn speed was hard without consciously accelerating into and round the bend, and at low speeds, I had to be cau- tious, because the bike reduced momentum so abruptly it risked becoming unstable. At present, the regen could only be adjusted via Hatfield's laptop, but this is a must-have feature on the bike, just as BMW will let you do on its C-evolution scooter, and indeed Lightning on its LS-218. Still, this meant I could attack Glendora's twists and turns in something ap- proaching anger while hardly us- ing the brakes going uphill, just backing on and off the throttle. But the Brembo brakes did their usual excellent job in slowing the Strike from high speed in con- junction with the regen, although it'll be necessary to have ABS fitted, for European sales. It's coming, says Hatfield. So too, I hope, will be a range of riding mode options for the Strike, with an RBW throttle package there must at least be a Rain mode as well as a Street, and hopefully also a Sport map. The Lightning Strike has the potential to be a game-changer in the E-bike marketplace. More performance for fewer dollars is a potentially winning formula, and Richard Hatfield deserves enormous credit for creating it, but this time for his business acumen and far-sightedness, as much as for his groundbreaking engineering that's already been rewarded on the racetrack. I'm looking forward to sampling the finished version of the Lightning Strike in customer-ready form— the next generation E-bike, where performance and allure are combined in a single price- conscious package. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTOTYPE ($12,988) ENGINE: ...... 150V liquid-cooled three-phase AC induction motor with liquid-cooled inverter/controller BATTERIES: ......Lightning high-power 18kWh battery packs with integrated thermal management system OUTPUT: .......... 70kw/96 bhp at 15,000 rpm at output shaft (90kW/120 bhp at 15,000 rpm) MAXIMUM TORQUE: ............. Constant 95Nm/ 69 lb-ft from 1 rpm upward RANGE: ...Maximum 120 miles at road-legal speeds with 18kWh battery pack RECHARGE FROM ZERO: ... Under 40 min. with DC charger (3.3kWh charger as standard) TRANSMISSION: .......Direct single-speed with belt final drive CHASSIS: ................... Integrated battery shell aluminum monocoque frame FRONT SUSPENSION: ......... 43mm Ohlins fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: ...............Ohlins cantilever monoshock, machined billet aluminum swingarm, no linkage, fully adjustable HEAD ANGLE/TRAIL: .............. 24º/4.15 in. trail (adjustable) WHEELBASE: ...........................................56 in. FRONT BRAKE: ......2 x 320mm Brembo steel discs with 4-piston 2-pad radially mounted Brembo Monoblock calipers REAR BRAKE: ... 1 x 245mm Brembo steel disc with 2-piston Brembo caliper, and supple- mentary adjustable regenerative braking FRONT TIRE: ...........120/70ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC1 REAR TIRE: ............200/50ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC2 FRONT WHEEL: ........3.50-in. Lightning forged aluminum wheel REAR WHEEL: ......... 6.00-in. Lightning forged aluminum wheel SEAT HEIGHT: .......................................... 32 in. WEIGHT (WET): ................................... 455 lbs. TOP SPEED: ... 150 mph (with track gearing)

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