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World’s fastest production bike lightened with new suspension

Lightning LS-218 gets carbon swingarm

Written by Ben Purvis , Date 2:28 PM
Lightning LS-218

The Lightning LS-218 electric superbike is gaining a carbon-fibre swingarm as an optional extra.

The update was revealed at the exclusive Quail Motorcycle Gathering last weekend. It adds even more exclusivity to a bike that’s already promising to be a rare beast.

At the moment, while prototypes have been made and tested – including independent tests that have found it to be an impressive machine – the LS-218 is still at the stage where customers are being asked to make reservations rather than simply being able to walk into a dealer and buy one. The carbon swingarm will be an additional extra that can be ordered at the same time.

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The firm has set electric speed records on the prototype machine, and says that in the right trim the LS-218 will be able to reach 218mph, hence its name. To do it, a special fairing is needed as well as different gearing.

Even without those bits the specification is impressive. There’s a 200bhp electric motor and a choice of three 380v battery packs. The cheapest, 12kwh version gives a 100-120 mile range. The mid-range 15kwh version manages 120-150 miles and the 20kwh model does 160-180 miles.

Richard Hatfield, Lightning CEO, said: “Our mission is to make leading edge technology accessible to our customers. We believe that carbon components are an excellent method to reduce weight while improving the strength. The Lightning team is very excited to introduce our OEM Carbon Swingarms to our customers.

“The Quail event is incredible. Gordon McCall’s Quail Gathering provides Lightning an unparalleled opportunity to meet with the most knowledgeable and passionate motorcycle enthusiasts in the world. This is the best places to introduce new technology and get customer’s feedback.”

At the moment, the base model starts at $38,888, rising to $42,888 for the 15kwh version and $46,888 for the 20kwh model. No price for the additional carbon swingarm has been announced yet.

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