2021 Curtiss “the One” electric motorcycle, RM333,302

After showing the Curtiss Zeus and Hera in 2019 and the Curtiss Hades in 2020, the US motorcycle maker has made full transition to electric motorcycles (e-bike) with the 2021 Curtiss “the One”. The Curtiss One follows Alabama, US, firm’s previous design language, a bobber design with massive machined aluminium frame plates holding a girder fork and battery pack located where the engine would be on a conventional motorcycle.

Functioning much as a boutique motorcycle maker, Curtiss is currently inviting orders on its website to reserve and build the One, with pricing beginning at 81,000 USD (RM333,302). With a 9,000 USD (RM37,034) deposit, customers begin a 90-day design and customisation process, after which the 60-day build begins.

Each Curtiss One is completely bespoke, and the customer can choose from a selection of materials and finishes to create the exact motorcycle he or she desires. With deliveries of customer bikes scheduled to begin at the end of 2021, only 100 hand-built Curtiss One’s will be produced.

Power for the One comes from a 399-volt battery pack which is immersion-cooled to regulate heat. Featuring cooling fins on the aluminium alloy housing the battery pack casing is design as a crumple zone for impact absorption.

Curtiss rates the One at the equivalent of 120 hp peak horsepower, with a steady state power figure of 87 hp, while torque is 199 Nm at peak and 162 Nm steady state. Curtiss says power management for the One is fully adjustable using Cloud-based software updates and control systems use a Cascadia Motion PM100 propulsion inverter with proprietary VCU with Bluetooth and remote diagnostics.

The battery and motor are held in a modular, billet machined chassis with the suspension structural members made from carbon-fibre and aluminium tying the front and rear 19-inch wheels together. Steering head angle on the One is adjustable to two position, with 27-degree head angle giving a short wheelbase, or 31-degrees a long wheelbase.

This also has the effect of altering the seat height between 736.6 mm (short wheelbase) and 685.8 mm (long wheelbase), complemented by location adjustable footpegs, with weight claimed to be 192 kg. For customers requiring different seat heights, Curtiss is able to accommodate reasonable requests.