Lightning electric motorcycles, a little known manufacturer located in San Jose, California, has announced a new bike to be unveiled in March.

The company has just revealed specs for the Strike, the second electric motorcycle offered by the company. And you’re going to want to see this…

Lightning Motorcycles releases upcoming Strike specs

We don’t yet know how Lightning Strike will look, but we know how it will perform.

The company has announced an impressive array of specs for the upcoming electric motorcycle.

The Lightning Strike will be capable of hitting a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h). The Strike should also feature a range of 150 miles (241 km).

While it has yet to be clarified, don’t expect that range to be at the bike’s top speed, or perhaps even highway speeds. Most manufacturers of electric motorcycles quote either an urban or mixed urban/highway range. Any way you slice it though, 150 miles of range and 150 mph top speed indicate that the Lightning Strike is definitely more than an urban commuter motorcycle. The bike is likely going to be able to hold its own against gas-powered sport bikes.

Teaser image of the upcoming Lightning Strike electric motorcycle

One of the biggest complaints about other electric motorcycles is that their reduced range and long charging times ruling out longer road trips and motorcycle touring. The Lightning Strike electric motorcycle seems to address this concern head on, offering 35 minute DC fast charging. Again, details are still sparse. Is this a full charge? 80% charge? Who knows at this point. We’ll have to wait for the official Strike unveiling in March to get the full details.

The last thing we know for sure is the price: $12,998.

That’s impressive from just about any angle. For comparison to other US-made electric motorcycles, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire costs nearly $30,000, yet has approximately 30% lower top speed and range than the Strike.

Zero Motorcycles, the largest US electric motorcycle manufacturer, offers an SR model with a Charge Tank and similar range to the Strike for nearly $20,000, yet also has a third lower top speed. And while other US electric motorcycle manufacturers are getting into the mix, none have so far offered anything to challenge the price and specs of the Strike.

New Lightning Strike set to directly challenge Zero Motorcycles

That places the upcoming Strike as likely the best value in terms of bang for your buck.

So far Lightning has teased us with only a single image of the Strike, revealing a pair of sharply angled and sporty LED headlights. Stay tuned though, because we’ll be back with more details on the Strike and report on the official launch in March.

Electrek’s Take

It is hard to overstate the impact that this could have on the US electric motorcycle industry.

While Lightning doesn’t have the same name recognition as Zero or Harley-Davidson, they’ve been working for years on their own high-end electric motorcycle. Their LS218 electric superbike has set land speed records and holds a number of international racing titles.

The LS218 has been available for purchase for some time now (current timing and delivery is around 3-4 months), though the market for a 218 mph and $40,000 electric superbike is understandably limited.

Now the company is taking their experience developing and manufacturing the LS218 electric superbike and applying it to a consumer level electric sport bike. With a presumably larger market, this is likely to be a big step for Lightning as they challenge incumbent Zero and undercut Harley-Davidson’s much hyped LiveWire electric motorcycle.

And I don’t think the Strike is the only bike already in development at the Lightning headquarters, either. In an email to Electrek last month, when asked about the company’s past practice of flying under the radar, Lightning’s Vice President of Communications Matt Schulwitz said:

“The Lightning team has been heads-down focused on developing what we believe to be the most advanced electric motorcycle technology in the world – validated by our numerous racing victories and world records. While Lightning will continue to push the boundaries of performance, in-line with the mission to create two-wheel electric transportation with superior efficiency, performance and affordability than current gasoline alternatives, Lightning is leveraging its own technology to expand its product lineup into multiple motorcycle segments targeting mainstream riders. Announcements of new Lightning products will begin in early 2019.”

To me that indicates that we’ll likely be seeing at least one more model coming after the Strike, potentially targeting a more urban audience. While the Strike looks like it will be a sport bike for combined urban/highway use, an urban-focused electric motorcycle from Lightning could be even more affordable than the already reasonable $13k high-performance Strike.

These are exciting times for electric motorcycle enthusiasts. I can’t wait to see what is coming around the corner!

What do you think about the Lightning Strike? Let us know in the comments below.

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