VOL. 51 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 11, 2014 P27
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
LARRY
LAWRENCE
SPARK EROSION
I
magine if someone purchased a desmo V-twin
motorcycle from Ducati, or a V-twin cruiser from
Harley-Davidson – both brand leaders in their re-
spective markets, each with trademark engineer-
ing – in order to re-dress it in slightly different
styling, then present the result at a major global
exhibition as all their own work, with exactly the
same performance claims as the original they'd
ripped off.
Unlikely, right? Yet that's the precise strategy
that's apparently been followed by Terra Motors, a
Japanese company founded in 2010 that purports
to "dominate the electric two-wheeler market in
Japan." At the Delhi Auto Expo that opened on
February 7, and is India's premier car, motorcycle
and scooter exhibition, the company's founder
and CEO Toru Tokushige unveiled a new Terra
Motors model known as the Kiwami, which claims
to be "hand made in Japan, where top-tier engi-
neers have invested many years in the design and
development of the Kiwami. The electric motorcy-
cle will be manufactured to the highest Japanese
standards of quality. We promise you an exciting,
unique and comfortable driving experience on the
highest quality electric motorcycle available."
However, with a wallet-crunching $28,700,
its unlikely to find many customers in India, and
certainly not as many as the electric scooter and
three-wheeler tuk-tuk models launched alongside
it on the company's stand.
"We are importing this from Japan as a fully
built-up model with amazing 160 kmh top speed
and same acceleration as 1000cc bike, so direct
competition is Ducati models in the segment,"
Tokushige said
So, all very exciting – except it's immediately
clear that beneath the Kiwami's sharp-looking
styling lies nothing more than the entire chassis,
battery pack and electric powertrain of a class-
leading Zero S electric sportbike manufactured in
Scotts Valley, California, by Zero Motorcycles.
So did Zero perhaps license its technology to
this younger Asian firm, which Tokushiga claims
plans to sell 10,000 examples a year of its e-
products made in India (http://indianautosblog.
of 1995.
Team legend Alex Crivillé and
others joined current Repsol
Honda riders Marc Marquez and
Dani Pedrosa in the celebration.
In addition, the stage was also
filled by six of the title-winning
bikes from the two decades:
Those of Mick Doohan (1997),
Alex Criville (1999), Valentino
Rossi (2003), Nicky Hayden
(2006), Casey Stoner (2011) and
Marc Marquez (2013).
"It's hard to explain what it
feels like to see my bike here
with other title-winning ma-
chines," Marquez said. "It is an
honor to be part of the Repsol
Honda team and to be part of
the team's history with my World
Championship. Seeing my bike
alongside those of Rossi, Criv-
ille, Doohan, Stoner and Hayden
fills me with pride and gives me
extra motivation for this season.
Joining this team last year was
a dream come true. All my idols
have come through the Repsol
Honda team. It was an opportu-
nity that I had to make the most
of, and that is what I am doing.
I enjoy every day to the fullest."
The Terra Motors Kiwami…
a Zero ripoff?
continued on page 28
