Illinois-based motorcycle builders Roehr have unveiled their 2011 eSuperSport. Like their previous battery bikes, this one is once again based on a Hyosung – this time, the GT650R.
You might not have heard about them, but Roehr’s been around for a while; founder Walter Roehrich started building his first bike, a two-stroke V-twin based on YZ250 parts, back in 1995. His company has developed a couple different machines since then, including one based on an engine from Swedish manufacturer Highland, but none of his bikes has achieved widespread success yet.
That may change now, though, as Roehr’s latest machine may be just what the company needs to take a bigger market share in the quickly growing electric scene. It’s pretty sharp-looking – except for a few labels on the machine, you wouldn’t guess it was an electric bike.
The machine’s got about 67 horsepower at the single AC induction electric motor’s peak, and about 80lb/ft of torque, good for a top speed around 160 kmh. It’s powered by a LiFePO4 high discharge battery with a 7.7 kwh capacity, which has an onboard 15-amp charger that can juice the bike back up in 7 hours; charges typically last around 120 km.
There’s no fancy gearbox on this bike; the motor powers the wheel through a single speed direct drive.
Since the eSuperSport is built on a GT650R chassis, it’s got the same steel twin spar frame as the Hyosung. It weighs in at 470 lbs, a bit more than the claimed 441 lbs claimed dry weight of the Hyosung GT650R we tested last year.
Roehr’s latest bike has an MSRP of $17,995 – considerably less than their previous Hyosung-based machine, the eSuperBike. That one carried a $29,995 price tag. There was a version of that bike dubbed the eSuperSport as well, but it bears little resemblance to the 2011 eSuperSport.
If you want to learn more about either model, or even check out Roehr’s gas-powered SuperBike, check out their website.
Look at the size of that rear sprocket!
I’m wondering how sales of Roehr’s V-Rod engined sportbike are going?