Here’s the punnily-named Lightning Strike

The Lightning Strike has been unveiled, after weeks of puns and spy shots.

In an day where the Age of the Electric Superbike seems almost upon us, the Lightning Strike is a valiant effort by one of the original indie battery bike manufacturers to stay in the game. Brammo’s gone, BRD/Alta’s gone, Mission’s gone. Now, KTM, Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda are all either selling electric motorcycles, or expected to do so soon. Zero is the only member of the original independent manufacturers that’s still selling a wide-ish lineup. And, Harley-Davidson is expected to blow the market wide open when it brings the LiveWire electric bike to market this summer.

The Livewire is the machine that the Lightning Strike is most likely to be compared against, and judging by the specs we’ve seen so far, the Strike is looking pretty good.

There will be three versions of the new bike; the standard comes with a 10 kWh battery, and buyers can also opt for a 15 kWh battery or 20 kWh battery. All versions use an AC induction motor. Output is supposed to be in the 90 hp range for the 10 kWh and 15 kWh bikes, with the 20 kWh making 120 hp. All three bikes make 180 lb-ft of torque. That adds up to a top speed just over 215 km/h, supposedly.

Range for the 10 kWh bike is about 105 km of highway riding, 160 km of city riding. Range for the 15 kWh bike is approximately 165 km of highway riding, 240 km of city riding. Range for the 20 kWh bike is supposed to be 240 km of highway, 320 km of city riding.

The 10 kWh version of the bike and the 15 kWh model have a Level 1 (plug into a 110v wall socket, recharge overnight) and Level 2 (plug into a J1772 EV charging station, recharge in 2-3 hours) charging system. Both of the lower-priced bikes can add on Level 3 charging capability for $1,500 US (fast-charger, recharge in 30 minutes, recharge enough for 100 miles in 20 minutes. The Level 3 charging system (which will recharge at 6.6 kW, instead of 3.3 kW) is standard on the 20 kWh bike. It’s optional on the other bikes, for an extra $1,500 US.

The 20 kWh version of the bike will be known as the Carbon Strike, and comes with carbon-fibre bodywork as well, along with Brembo monobloc brakes, Ohlins suspennsion, and an AIM Strada racing dash, with data logging, lap timer and other track-friendly options. Weight is 220 kg, heftier than the other two versions.

And of course, this will be the most expensive version of the bike, selling in the States for $19,998 USD. And, it’s going to be the first version of the bike put into production. The standard (206 kg) and mid-range (211 kg) versions will sell for $12,998 and $16,998 respectively, and will come into production sometime after the Carbon Strike hits the market in July.  Supposedly, the machines will see out-of-US availability at some point in the future, but if you want one of these in Canada, get ready for a wait.