Silent Thunder: An Electric Chopper That Actually Looks Cool. Yes, Really.
Image Credit: Sine Cycles.
An electric chopper, you say? I've seen a few odd contraptions over the years, straddling everything from bucking bronco superbikes to things that try to pass themselves off as boats, but this… this is something else. Electrifying a chopper? It's like putting a tea cozy on a Rottweiler… Or is it?
The idea of silent, fume-free cruising does have a certain appeal. Imagine gliding through the countryside, with the only sound being the gentle whir of electrons doing their thing, instead of the usual bellow that makes old ladies clutch their pearls. But a chopper? These things are supposed to be all about the rumble, the shake, the feeling that a small internal combustion apocalypse is happening between your legs. Can you really capture that outlaw spirit with a battery pack?
Image Credit: Sine Cycles.
A Swiss bloke named Bruno Forcella thinks you can. This "King Current," as he's dubbed his creation, certainly looks the part. Forget those sleek, futuristic electric steeds that seem to have escaped from a low-budget sci-fi production. This thing has got that classic, stretched-out, low-rider vibe. We have a Softail-style frame, a swingarm that looks like it's been bent by a particularly grumpy blacksmith, and a stance that just says, "Yeah, I take a long way around… silently."
This clever creation is running a Zero FX drivetrain, which means we've got ourselves a three-phase permanent magnet motor kicking out a respectable 44 horsepower and around 70 pound-feet of torque. For you petrolheads out there, that might not sound like enough to pull the skin off a rice pudding, but in the electric world, it's all about that instant shove. They say this thing "launches." I imagine it's less of a violent explosion and more of a swift, silent whoosh, like a particularly determined ghost.
Top speed? A claimed 78 miles per hour. Right then. That's… adequate. You won't be troubling any land speed records, or even outrunning a particularly enthusiastic lycra-clad cyclist on a downhill stretch. And the range? 62 miles from its 6.5 kWh battery. So, not exactly built for crossing continents, is it? More suited for posing outside the local ice cream parlor before nervously eyeing the distance back home. Still, Forcella clearly wasn't aiming for practicality. This creation is all about style. It's about proving that electric does not mean bland. Quite the opposite, in fact.
You've got to give it to the man, the attention to detail looks mighty impressive. He's definitely not using off-the-shelf parts and calling it a day. This monster comes with custom-designed battery housings, heat sinks, belt tensioners, and even brake adapters. The bloke's practically reinventing the electric wheel, one handcrafted part at a time. It's the kind of dedication you usually see in some bloke locked away in his shed, muttering to himself as he tries to fit a Merlin engine into a garden gnome.
The King Current made its grand debut at a custom bike show in Germany, unsurprisingly standing out like a teetotaler at a beer festival amidst all those bellowing, gasoline-guzzling machines. It didn't win any prizes, but it did make a point: electric bikes can have soul. They can have character. They don't have to be soulless white goods on two wheels.
For too long, electric motorcycles have been seen as the sensible shoes of the two-wheeled world – efficient, quiet, and about as exciting as watching paint dry. Sure, they can be quick off the line, but where's the drama? Where's the visceral thrill? Where's the feeling that you're wrestling a mechanical beast?
Image Credit: Sine Cycles.
If this electric chopper is anything to go by, things might be changing. If we follow the same path as the old-school gas bikes, we could be seeing all sorts of electric oddities hitting the streets soon. Electric baggers? Imagine a silent, luxurious land yacht gliding down the highway. Electric tourers? Covering vast distances without so much as a whisper. Electric cafe racers? A sleek, silent menace carving up the city streets.
Harley-Davidson has already dipped a toe in the electric pond with their LiveWire, but there are millions of possibilities. Electric bobbers, retro muscle bikes, even stripped-down scramblers – the only limit is our imagination, and perhaps the size of the battery you can cram into the frame. And that last bit will stay the sticking point for a while. Until the Chinese fix it, that is.
One thing is becoming clearer than a freshly polished chrome fender: the future of electric motorcycles is no longer just about being green or going fast. It is slowly, and finally, becoming about expressing yourself. It's about carving out your own identity on the electric frontier. And if that means building a silent, stylish chopper that turns heads and upsets the status quo, then I say more power to them. Even if it does feel a bit like ordering a decaf espresso – it's the thought that counts, right?
