Lightning developing electric ADV motorcycle to join record-breaking sportsbike

Designs for a new electric adventure model being developed by US firm Lightning Motorcycles have emerged in what appears to be the long-awaited follow-up to the niche Strike sportsbike.

The Califormian company was founded back in 2006 but would go on to make a big impact in the burgeoning electric motorcycle segment with the launch of the LS-218 in 2012.

Boasting a top speed of 218mph, the LS-218 is credited as the world’s fastest electric motorcycle and one of the fastest production models outright, including ICE models.

Now, after a decade on sale the launch of only one other new model in the Strike - a more affordable, less powerful sportsbike - it appears Lightning is moving onto the next phase of a range expansion with a new adventure tourer, according to these images.

Surfacing in China’s National Intellectual Property Administration, the ‘drawings’ are instead graphic designs submitted for patent, thus making it difficult to assess how far down the road of development this new untitled model is.

Either way, even beyond the length of time elapsed between the Strike and this new model, it is a bold move to target the adventure market with an electric powertrain. 

Indeed, while Energica has shown recently that electric and long-distance covering sports tourers can blend, there are no dedicated full-size electrically-powered adventure motorcycles on the market.

While the slightly grainy images as featured on Motorcycle.com don’t give too much away in terms of its size and segment target, the design with its chunky bodywork and beaked front-end suggests it will be developed for fairly serious off-road use. 

A higher seat, longer fork tubes and tall-set handlebars can also be seen, while the battery pack replaces the familiar large capacity fuel hump of petrol counterparts.

While decals showing ‘Dakar’ hint at a potential name for this mystery model, it is unclear when the US firm is hoping to get it out on sale.