Lightning LS218, 200hp, 168ftlbs

C

CafeRay

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
Lightning-LS-218.jpg


218mph top speed, 160km range. Put some pedals on it, free insurance!

In case you’ve missed the LS-218, it’s the street version of the Lightning superbike that first set the electric land speed record (hitting 218mph in one direction, hence the LS-218 name, and achieving a two-way average of 215mph) and then went on to win the 2013 Pikes Peak hillclimb, beating all the petrol-powered bikes in the process.

US$38,888..substantially cheaper and more powerful than the H2R.
​
 
Does it go vroom vroom?
 
One aspect of these bikes I don't understand is how they avoid spinning the rear tire all the time, or constant wheelie. Right off the line, you have much more torque than any motogp bike. I noticed the bigger bum stop, but this bike would stretch your arms a couple of inches.
 
CafeRay said:
I noticed the bigger bum stop, but this bike would stretch your arms a couple of inches.
Click to expand...

Some recent developments in the hyperbike world should mitigate that concern. I believe Kawasaki H2 is at the forefront of this emerging technology. Apparently it's a laminar solution covering both rearward thrust issues and buttock size. There's a video floating around where some clown details this very viable modality.
 
CafeRay said:
One aspect of these bikes I don't understand is how they avoid spinning the rear tire all the time, or constant wheelie. Right off the line, you have much more torque than any motogp bike. I noticed the bigger bum stop, but this bike would stretch your arms a couple of inches.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that any modern electric with sufficiently advanced control electronics will have traction control and anti-wheelie code written into the firmware. Otherwise, yeah, they'd all be like Ghostrider's turbo Busa :)
 
CafeRay said:
One aspect of these bikes I don't understand is how they avoid spinning the rear tire all the time, or constant wheelie. Right off the line, you have much more torque than any motogp bike. I noticed the bigger bum stop, but this bike would stretch your arms a couple of inches.
Click to expand...

Being electric through and through, there is complete control over the linear power at every instance. Having that predictable power curve makes it that much simpler to tailor the output.
 
I'm sure ppl will install spark units onto these things. Without an obnoxious pipe to rev (from stalling apparently) at lights/in parkinglots, they'll need something...
 
JFD said:
I'm sure ppl will install spark units onto these things. Without an obnoxious pipe to rev (from stalling apparently) at lights/in parkinglots, they'll need something...
Click to expand...

That's entirely possible but trends and fashions change in mysterious ways. It wouldn't surprised me if somebody came up with a belt buckle air horn. Very handy for that segment of the riding culture that likes to toot their own horn. That part never changes.
 
It appeals. But not enough to spend my own money, at this point. If someone can bring me a bike that weighs ~400lbs and go 25 minutes at full throttle on a charge, with easily removable battery packs - that would be kick-***. Perfect for track days... just have a few battery packs on the boil all the time, come in from a session, change it up and go out again, no worries about the hours on your valvetrain etc.
 
Shaman said:
It appeals. But not enough to spend my own money, at this point. If someone can bring me a bike that weighs ~400lbs and go 25 minutes at full throttle on a charge, with easily removable battery packs - that would be kick-***. Perfect for track days... just have a few battery packs on the boil all the time, come in from a session, change it up and go out again, no worries about the hours on your valvetrain etc.
Click to expand...

How about a battery pack that can charge 70% in two minutes, and last 20 years?

http://media.ntu.edu.sg/NewsReleases/Pages/newsdetail.aspx?news=809fbb2f-95f0-4995-b5c0-10ae4c50c934

The rate of development here is insane, by the time Musk gets his mega battery plant running, prices will be below half what they are now.

The other aspect is good for the sport: you can now build tracks closer to cities without having to fight noise complaints.

The current (pun) weight is 495lbs, but that will only be dropping from now forward.
 
Last edited:
Shaman said:
It appeals no worries about the hours on your etc.
Click to expand...

The etc. is probably what keeps a lot of good riders off the track. What's the bike got, like 5 moving parts?
 
CafeRay said:
The current (pun) weight is 495lbs, but that will only be dropping from now forward.
Click to expand...

That seems to be the trajectory in these matters. It's all good news as far as I'm concerned. No pun intended.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom