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Racing

2011 MotoCzysz E1pc Tests at Jurby

By Jensen Beeler 06/03/2011 11 Comments

We spent the today at the Jurby course, as teams for the Isle of Man TT came out to the short airfield race track to test their machines before the TT starts in earnest tomorrow with its first races. Among those teams in attendance was MotoCzysz, and the team debuted its 200+ hp 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc for the first time to the public (we brought you a sneak peek yesterday). With Michael Czysz and Michael Rutter both taking laps on the new electric superbike, today was the first time the new E1pc had ever turned a wheel. Photos and more after the jump.

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First Shot: 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc

By Jensen Beeler 06/02/2011 14 Comments

We’ll have to wait just a bit longer to get a better glimpse of MotoCzysz‘s new bike, but we do have a teaser photo of the 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc. Spending an hour or so in the MotoCzysz pit, we’ve gotten a good look at the electric motorcycle, though we’ve been sworn to secrecy about revealing the bike’s details.

We’ll have to wait a while longer before we can spill all the 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc’s secrets, but we can say that the is all new and made out of , and is going to make the whole thing as hell. The has also been revised, and the is damn sexy, though what’s really going to blow your mind is the you know what…you’ll see.

Source: MotoCzysz (Twitter)

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2011 MotoCzysz E1pc Features 200+hp Motor

By Jensen Beeler 05/31/2011 17 Comments

Bikes are starting to come out of the woodwork, as the TT Zero at the Isle of Man TT gets closer and closer. Now up is the 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc that will be piloted by Michael Rutter (Mark Miller will be on a modified version of the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc at the Isle of Man as well), which features the MotoCzysz D1-11 VDR D1g1tal Dr1ve. According to the Portland-based company, the 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc will be capable of over 200hp, from what looks like a 3-phase AC motor.

If our sources are right, the motor was built with help from Remy, and should be the real-deal come race time as it spins to over 10,000 rpm (electric racing fans, get ready for a power grudge-match between MotoCzysz and Lightning Motors). Of course, what you really came to this post looking for is a video of the motor and 2011 MotoCzysz E1pc testing on the company’s dyno. Find that goodness after the jump, though it should be noted the identities of the criminally fast have been concealed.

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Racing

What Does a Record TTXGP Lap at Infineon Look Like?

By Jensen Beeler 05/23/2011 19 Comments

The 2011 TTXGP season-opener at Infineon Raceway got off to a less than enthralling start, with only four bikes showing up for racing on Saturday, and three bikes remaining for Sunday’s race. Nevertheless, the event was the first time we’ve gotten to see the Brammo Empulse RR in its race livery, and taking some laps in public. Though the racing wasn’t close, the shining star during the weekend was Steve Atlas taking the Brammo Empulse RR on an outright lap record for electrics at the Sonoma, California based track.

With a time of 1:55.15, Brammo is the team to beat currently, and there’s hope that Lightning, Mission Motors, and MotoCzysz will give the Oregonian company a run for its money later on in the season. Until those teams unveil their bikes in a race, Brammo retains the bragging rights to being the fastest on the track. Check out Brammo’s record run after the jump.

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Racing

Segway Sponsoring MotoCzysz 2011 Racing Season

By Jensen Beeler 05/20/2011 17 Comments

We heard rumors that Segway was sponsoring the MotoCzysz Isle of Man TT effort, but passed them off as too crazy to be true, as the rumors also suggested a three-bike team at the Isle, which we knew not to be true. Now we get official word that Segway is indeed sponsoring the Portland-based company, but not just at the Isle of Man TT, but throughout the 2011 racing season. We’re not sure which races that will be exactly for MotoCzysz, but you can count on an appearance at the FIM/TTXGP Laguna Seca round at the very least.

The press release goes on to say that “this combination results in a world class team of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers whose years of experience and knowledge will lead both companies to successes not only at the track but also with new vehicles in the marketplace,” which to us sounds like MotoCzysz has been busy hot-rodding a different kind of two-wheeled electric vehicle up in Portland. I can’t speak for the whole A&R crew, but personally I’d pay good money to see Michael Czysz on a Segway.

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Recall

Recall: 2009-2010 Zero DS & Zero S

By Jensen Beeler 05/19/2011 8 Comments

Zero Motorcycles is recalling 160 of its electric DS & S motorcycles for an issue with the front brake caliper. Because of the defect, owners may experience permanent deformation of their brake discs when subjected to high braking loads, which induce misalignment of the front brake pads with respect to the front brake rotor. Accordingly, misalignment of the brake pads in relation to the rotor may cause reduced front braking performance, which could lead to a possible crash and potential injury or death of the rider.

The pertinent models and build dates are as follows:

2009 Zero S – September 2, 2009 through December 22, 2009
2009 Zero DS – July 27, 2009 through December 28, 2009
2010 Zero S – February 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011
2010 Zero DS – January 20, 2010 through March 31, 2011

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Racing

MotoCzysz Fielding Two Bikes at the Isle of Man TT

By Jensen Beeler 05/18/2011 19 Comments

Sources have been hinting that MotoCzysz had two bikes in the works for the upcoming TT Zero, and now we’ve gotten confirmation from the Portland, Oregon company that it will indeed be fielding two bikes at the Isle of Man TT. As with the past two years, Mark Miller will be at the helm of the MotoCzysz machine, but this year he will be joined by Michael Rutter on the second Czysz bike.

Mark Miller rode the MotoCzysz E1pc to victory last year during the TT Zero, while Rutter was a solid Top 10 contender in the Superbike, Superstock, and Senior TT classes. Though the Englishman has won 27 BSB Championship races, and competed in both MotoGP and World Superbike, this will be Rutter’s first foray into electric motorcycle racing.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Mission R at Infineon Raceway

By Jensen Beeler 05/16/2011 11 Comments

It’s a good thing for Mission Motors that the Mission R looks fast standing still, as the electric superbike was unable to race in this weekend’s TTXGP series opener at Infineon Raceway. The Mission crew did bring the bike out for fans to see though, which gave us a chance to get up-close and personal with the machine with a camera in-hand. Electricity aside, the Mission R is one of the most attractive motorcycles we’ve seen in a while (even without its clothes on), and the fit & finish on the bike is superb…now if only it actually ran.

We can’t wait to see how the Mission R fares on the track, especially with Steve Rapp on-board. Mission tells us it will be at some of the upcoming TTXGP events, which would be an unfortunate place to launch the Mission R, considering A&R has a strict rule about blogging from New Hampshire. We’ll see what our Bothans can do about sneaking a peak of the bike testing before the next TTXGP round; until then, here are 25 photos to ruin your Monday productivity.

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Racing

TTXGP: Brammo Sets Track Record at Infineon

By Jensen Beeler 05/15/2011 15 Comments

The California sun gods were in our favor this morning, as the rainy heavens over Infineon Raceway parted long enough to dry out the Sonoma track, and allow racing to commence under cloudy skies. After a thrilling ambulance race (Infineon Raceway had all its four-wheelers out drying the tarmac and racing line), Race Direction deemed the course fit for racing, and the slower-paced electrics were first on the card to try out the dryness of the track. Fielding three bikes for Race 2, we saw a return of Brammo, Moto Electra, and VOLT to the starting grid, as Ely Schless and his Proto Moto was a scratch for today’s event.

With such a large spread in the field, things sorted their way out much like on Saturday, with Brammo taking the early lead and never looking back. Thad Wolff made an impressive showing, but was no match for the faster Brammo Empulse RR. Meanwhile in the Formula TTX75 class, Kenyon Kluge rode to a solo victory with no other competitor fielding a 7.5 kWh machine.

Perhaps in response to some remarks by an unscrupulous blogger, Brammo put to rest any doubts about its efforts, as Steve Atlas set a track record for electric motorcycles on the Empulse RR. With a 1:55.150 race lap time, the Brammo team shaved nearly 19 seconds off his overall race time from yesterday. Breaking the record for electric motorcycles at Infineon with authority, Atlas posted 1:55 and 1:56 lap times throughout the race, setting a new bar in the TTXGP series.

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TTXGP: Brammo Wins at Infineon

By Jensen Beeler 05/14/2011 11 Comments

With rain threatening to put the kibosh on the West Coast Moto Jam’s Sunday events, the first of two scheduled TTXGP races was moved up to Saturday afternoon under the cooling wine country skies of Sonoma. With only four bikes taking to the starting grid (Lightning Motors’ two bikes were scratches, as was the Mission R by Mission Motors), it was a sparse showing for the first electric race of the 2011 season, which was disappointing considering Infineon’s proximity to a number of strong electric motorcycle entities.

Taking the overall win was Brammo Racing, which had motorcycle-racer-turned-motorcycle-journalist Steve Atlas at the helm of the Brammo Empulse RR. Brammo competed with Moto Electra’s Thad Wolff for the overall unlimited TTXGP class, while Kenyon Kluge on the VOLT bike finished third overall, besting Ely Schless and his Proto Moto bike in the Formula TTX75 class. Completing eight laps, Atlas took the Brammo Empulse RR to the winner’s circle with a 25 second gap and a best lap time of 1:57.875.

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Up-Close with the Brammo Empulse RR at Infineon Raceway

By Jensen Beeler 05/13/2011 5 Comments

Getting ready for the first practice session of the 2011 TTXGP season, the Brammo Empulse RR is on hand at Infineon now we got a chance to take some photos and talk to Director of Product Development Brian Wismann. We already brought you the first photo of the revised Empulse RR, standing in front of the Brammo offices in Ashland, Oregon, where we saw the newly revised race livery (now in Brammo Racing Green). Photos and details of the Brammo Empulse RR after the jump.

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