For anyone curious about Sondors’ first-ever electric motorcycle, the wait is now officially over. On January 14, the Los Angeles, California company launched its very minimal, extremely striking Metacycle. As with anything design-related, opinions will undoubtedly be wide-ranging. For me, though, I have to say you had me at “brushed aluminum everything.”
Sondors says the Metacycle’s hub-mounted motor produces 8kWh of nominal power and 14.5 kWh of peak power. It gives torque figures of 80 ft-lbs. nominal and 200 ft-lbs. at peak. Top speed is quoted as 80 mph, and range is likewise quoted at being around 80 miles on a full charge. As with other electric bikes, that a) could be a wee bit optimistic, and more importantly, b) depends on how spiritedly you ride the thing.
The battery is removable, and reportedly charges in about four hours. Public charging stations, Sondors says, can charge their batteries more quickly—although the company gives no further details about quick-charging, or indeed what type of charging standard it uses. All told, the entire bike weighs just 200 pounds, due to the fact that the entire structure (including the swingarm) is made of aluminum.
In some of the images, you’ll notice a small compartment with a display located in what would be the tank area of most piston-powered motorbikes. This is, apparently, a wireless charger compartment for your phone. Simply open the lid, tuck your phone in, and arrive wherever you’re going with a little more charge in your pocket computer. Nice!
If you’re familiar with Sondors’ e-bikes, you already know the company prides itself on bringing affordable electric bicycles to market. While the concept of affordability is always relative, Sondors’ MSRP for the Metacycle seems to fit that brief pretty well. While the company hasn’t officially announced availability as yet, it says the Metacycle will cost just $5,000 at launch.
Gallery: Sondors Metacycle
Photos show a WP USD fork, as well as ByBre disc brakes. One accessory that would be extremely nice to see would be a little storage box, tucked into that open space in the frame where a lot of piston bike riders usually grip a tank with their knees. It’s also not clear how comfortable and/or usable that saddle is to live with as a daily rider, but that’s what the inevitable future reviews will be for!
Clearly, you can’t tell much about fit and finish on any bike just from manufacturer photos. However, if fit, finish, and reliability are there, and the real-world specs are anywhere close to what Sondors is claiming, this thing looks like a pretty fantastic package for electric moto commuting. For more info, Sondors set up a separate website for the Metacycle.
Source: Sondors