If you were one of the unlucky few who plopped down close to $125,000 in deposits for a Mission R or Mission RS electric motorcycle by Mission Motorcycles, we hate to inform you that you are certainly not going to receive the bike you hoped to purchase, and you are likely not going to see your deposit back either.
This is because Mission Motorcycles, commanded by Mark Seeger, is set to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would see the company’s few assets liquidated in order to repay creditors.
The news is not surprising to anyone close to the Mission Motorcycles operation, which seemed doomed from the start when Seeger made grandiose claims of developing the Mission R one day in the shower, even though he was not a part of the Mission Motors team that created the machine several years prior.
Sources have to told Asphalt & Rubber that the company was some distance away from making a commercial viable machine for the consumer market. The drivetrain, while suitable for racing use, would not have lasted in the hands of consumers, and needed to be completely re-developed.
The rest of the company was mostly smoke and mirrors, and entirely dependent on the work of the now defunct Mission Motors, which has also closed its doors.
This is of course bad news for the motorcycle enthusiasts who put down deposits on the Mission R or Mission RS electric motorcycles, but even worse news for the industry that latched onto Mission Motorcycles with a fervor, perhaps because of the company’s attractive hardware, though without actually vetting the company or its members.
For those close to the project, this was the inevitable end to the Mission Motorcycles experiment, for enthusiasts we are sure this news comes as a mild shock, no pun intended.
What will remain to be seen is whether an attractive, viable, and economical motorcycle company can now come forward. As always though, caveat emptor.
Source: North Jersey & Bothan Spies
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