These Radical Motorcycles Will Tempt You To Go Electric

Purists stay away from electric motorcycles for they lack the visceral experience of riding, including the pleasure of shifting gears. But that could soon change.

Soriano Motori, an Italian brand with French roots, has revived its three motorcycles in a modern avatar. Called the Giaguaro V1S, V1R, and V1 Gara, these outlandish electric bikes are everything you’d expect from a premium e-motorcycle and then some.

The highlight of the Giaguaro bike is its unique powertrain. Instead of employing a hub motor or even a traditional BLDC motor, the bikes come with a twin-motor configuration placed transversely in the chassis, just like BMW Motorrad’s boxer engine. This motor belts out 72kW (97PS) in the V1S model and 60kW (81.5PS) in the base-spec V1R. At 155Nm, the torque output is the same for both. Soriano has paired this engine with a 5-speed gearbox and a reverse gear. Yes, these Italian bikes feature a gearbox with a hydraulic clutch.

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Soriano has designed a complex liquid-cooling system to keep the motors running at an optimum temperature. It comprises four radiators -- one each for the two motors and the other two for the corresponding inverters. These inverters additionally have cooling fins to further aid cooling. Lastly, an electric pump pushes the coolant to another external heat sink placed under the seat.

The Giaguaro’s motor is paired with a new-generation high-density lithium-ion cell and capacitor, with a claimed real-world range of upto 289km. Soriano’s 3.5kW power charger takes five hours to charge the battery, but with the 20kW charger, the charging time can be reduced to under an hour.

There’s an equally sophisticated control unit to complement the powerhouse. The management system controls the motors independently, and even if one motor breaks down, the bike can run on a single motor. Any malfunction, including an individual cell, can be detected and then displayed on the unique 8-inch touchscreen instrument console.

Soriano has packed all this tech in an equally enticing (or outlandish) package. The Giaguaro electric motorcycles feature a distinct aluminum frame suspended on an aluminum girder suspension at the front with 110mm travel and a link-type monoshock with 125mm travel. For braking, Soriano has provided twin 320mm disc brakes up front with four-pot calipers and a 260mm disc with a twin-pot caliper at the rear. This is paired with lightweight alloy wheels from OZ Racing.

The Soriano Giaguaro V1R is priced at EUR 25,500 (Rs 21.56 lakh), while the V1S will set you back by EUR 30,500 (Rs 25.78 lakh). Then, there’s the V1 Gara that costs a whopping (Rs 27.48 lakh).

Needless to say, these bikes won’t grace India. But the closest thing to an electric superbike is the Ultraviolette F77, which will likely debut by March 2022.