vertiGO - Timmer electric motorcycle concept

ELECTRIC bikes have been on the horizon for years, with all sorts of weird concepts appearing, from RS50-framed models to drag-bikes like Killacycle.

But none of them have ever floated my boat or made me think that one day I'd enjoy owning and riding one. That is, until I saw the vertiGO electric motorcycle, designed by the extremely talented Transport Design student, Maarten Timmer. vertiGO is Timmer's graduation project; The design of an electrical powered super-sport motorcycle.

It stands out from other concepts as it's not just a massive battery wedged into an existing frame; the ground-up design of this bike reflects aesthetic benefits you have from not having to route an exhaust or run ECUs and associated gubbins under the seat.

Timmer comments: "The subject of this graduation project is the design of a super-sport motorcycle powered by an electric engine, and in more detail the analysis of the influence of the drive train (engine, battery, and computer) on the archetype of a sports motorcycle.

The main challenge in this graduation project was to design a true electrical powered super-sport motorcycle, starting with the drive train. The design did focus on the synthesis between this drive train and the styling, showing off with its electric drive train.

A sportive motorcycle is fast, very fast! The idea people have about electric powered vehicles is that these behave stupid, slow and clumsy. The opposite is true! Electric powered vehicles have relatively small engines but have a lot of torque available instantly, which ensures a very swift acceleration, beating most current motorcycles.

The drivability of a sport motorcycle is defined by more than pure acceleration, how it handles and takes corners might be even more important. To design a motorcycle that handles light and agile; the position of the centre of gravity is one important factor."

Personally, I love the sideways mounted WP rear shock, the clean and simple drive belt and the achingly beautiful seat unit. The irony is that elements of this design will probably be used in future petrol powered motorcycles way before we walk in to a showroom to buy an electric bike. And when we do go to buy an electric bike, this concept will be a design relic. But as a vision of the future, a future where petrol-powered bikes mix it with electric ones, it's a huge leap of progress for electricity powered motorcycles.

Kudos to Maarten Timmer for such a well-thought out design. Hopefully he'll be designing the bikes we ride in the future.