D-week..

Instead of one D-Day, this week will be D-week for VertiGO Motorcycles, since the outcome of our subsidy proposal will be announced. By the end of this week we will now if the first rolling prototypes of the VertiGO will hit the track next spring..

In the main while this business plan for VertiGO Motorcycles is rewritten for future activities. Future activities like arranging the suitable venue, investment capital, expanding the VertiGO team etc.

While waiting I have been at the "Luchtmachtdagen” (open days at the Royal Dutch Airforce) last Friday. Some exciting demonstration flights of a Saab Jas-39 Gripen, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and a demo show of the Red Arrows from the UK.

Some impressions below.

Top speed of electric racers

Today I have read a post on Hell for Leather Magazine, about the TT on Isle of Mann this year and the racers top speeds.

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/06/motoczysz-annihilates-competit.html#comments

MotoCzysz annihilates competition at TT Zero practice

The 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc recorded a 131.1mph trap speed on the Sulby straight and a 94.664mph lap at the Isle of Man today. Those figures compare very well to the competition, easily besting the second fastest team, Agni, on both top speed and lap times. Michael told us on Saturday night that his rider, Mark Miller, was achieving these kind of speeds using only 40 percent throttle on average. The TT Zero race takes place on Wednesday at 10:30 AM EST, we'll be bringing you plenty of coverage then and in the run up to the race.

Source; www.hellforleather.com Tuesday June 8^th 2010.

It is interesting to see that the top speed of MotoCzysz and the other bikes differ a lot, a gap of 28,5 mph (45,87 km/h)! That’s a huge gap! Even more surprising are the differences in the top five of these track top speeds 73 mph (117,48 km/h)..

This illustrates the possibilities for the VertiGO, a true electric motorcycle which can compete with the best. Developing

Although it is sad to see these large differences. On the other hand it also illustrates our philosophy on developing the VertiGO’s drivetrain as one coherent system, as a dedicates high-performance electric racer, our true goal!

Electrifying!

Last week an interesting weblog was posted on Motor.nl about the future in general, and in more detail electric motorcycles. It is great to read the kudos they give for the brave companies innovating the new generation of motorcycles.

http://www.motor.nl/nieuws/12822-weblog-de-echte-toekomst.html

However in this Dutch post they state that most of the fun of driving a motorcycle is the combustion engine.. “the smell, the sound and the character of the engine, an electric engine will never match this”

This is rather strange since the character of en electro engine is not mentioned here! Constant high toque, excellent accelerations at all time, the whispering evil scream of electro engines. When riding over the dikes in the Netherlands, one of the most favourite ‘tracks’ of the majority of us bikers, the people living there are less happy! In this post they quote that the people living around these dikes would love the silent motorcycles, but the write still expect that in 2020 there will still be combustion engines cruising over the dikes.. but they forget the increasing legislations on sound and emission!

Like on the TT-circuit of Assen there is a limit of 12 ‘sound-days’ a year (where soundlevels over the 102 db are allowed) and the cross-track in the forests are blocking the combustion two-strokes more and more. This is why electric crossers are sold by a few already. In the post they ascribe this to the “sensitive ears of the people living there”

Their last alinea states that the fuel prices will increase dramatically the coming years, and riding a motorcycle will be very expensive those day. Ok cleverly noticed!

But hey, aren’t we there yet? The circle is closed with these statements..

1. Bikes love to cruise around winding roads, enjoying freedom
2. Sound and emission legislations will increase
3. Fuel prices will increase dramatically

The solution for the future will be a high performance electric superbike!