The coolest thing about the electric motorcycle grand prix is anyone with a bit of skill and determination can make a run for the checkered flag. It doesn’t require a wad of money or bleeding-edge machinery, so even two guys working in their garage in Ohio have a shot at victory.

But they need a little help to get there.

John Wild and Sean Ewing are scrambling to finish their homebuilt electric motorcycle and get it shipped to California in time for the opening race of the TTXGP electric motorcycle grand prix season. The two guys, who call themselves Square Wave Racing, got together three months ago and they’ve built the SWR1 in record time.

Wild is a vintage motorcycle racer and a fabricator who’s built a few choppers. Ewing is an electrical engineer, entrepreneur and student at Ohio State University. They started with 1996 Honda CBR F3, which was a hot bike back in the day. It’s a bit long in the tooth now, but Wild says it was perfect for their application because it’s relatively nimble and it’s got a steel frame. That makes welding a snap.

“We’ve only been working on this for a few weeks, so we had to start with a rolling chassis,” he said. “We didn’t have time to start from the wheels up.”

The guys swapped the engine for a three-phase AC motor and an 8-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron phosphate battery. That’s huge for a motorcycle, but Ewing says they want to be sure they’ve got the juice to complete the 25-mile race. They’re shooting for a range of 80 miles — around town, not on the track — and a top speed somewhere north of 100 mph. Breaking the century mark will be no small feat. The winner of last year’s TTXGP on the Isle of Man averaged 87.43 mph.

“With all the accelerating and braking, accelerating and braking, it will take a lot of energy,” Ewing says. “We’re confident the battery will last. The bikes that ran at the Isle of Man last year had about 3.5 kilowatt-hours. Perhaps we might have a bit of overkill.”

The guys are keeping mum on the bike’s performance and specs. Wild said making the SWR1 handle like a conventional motorcycle was a top priority, so there’s no regenerative braking. Motorcycles do most of their braking at the front wheel and Wild felt regen on the back wheel would throw off the braking feel and balance.

Wild says swapping the gasoline drivetrain for an electric one didn’t bring too big a weight penalty. They haven’t put the SWR1 on a scale, but Ewing guesses the bike weighs about 450 pounds. The ’96 CBR weighed 405 without gas or fluids. Wild took the bike for its inaugural ride last weekend, then went for another spin Monday.

“It’s not much heavier than the gas motor,” he said of the electric drivetrain. “But it’s a little bit further forward. I’m working on a triple clamp to extend the fork and redistribute the weight a little better. It doesn’t feel any different under acceleration, but it feels a little top heavy under braking.”

All told, the guys have about $10,000 invested in the bike. They’re about to ship it to California for the inaugural race at Infineon Raceway May 15 and 16. They’re a little short of cash, so they’re seeking donations to raise $5,000 to finance the trip. The other races on the North American calendar are within driving distance of Ohio, but the guys couldn’t get the time off for a road trip to California. They’ve gotta fly everything to the race.

They’re pretty confident of their chances in the race once they get to Infineon, but they aren’t making any predictions.

“We’re definitely looking to finish the race,” Ewing said. “That’s the first priority. But we’re confident in our bike and we’ll do the best we can.”

Photos and video: Square Wave Racing. Want to contribute? Click here.



The SWR1 was built in a matter of weeks using a 1996 Honda CBR 600 F3 as the base. Although the bike is a bit long in the tooth, tech-wise, its steel frame made it a good candidate because it’s easy to weld.

The electric drivetrain wasn’t much heavier than the gasoline drivetrain, but it did move the weight forward a bit. The team is keeping mum on the bikes specs for now, so we can’t tell you much about the electric drivetrain.