This Quirky Electric Motorcycle Claims To Be As Fast As The Kawasaki H2R!

Land speed record attempts are usually dominated by turbo-charged petrol-powered vehicles. However, an interesting electric motorcycle from White Motorcycles, a British bikemaker, is looking to change that. Called the WMC250EV, it aims to fly past the 400kmph mark to become the fastest electric two-wheeler in the world. But, how does it plan to do so? 

Well, mainly physics. Aerodynamics is a key factor in establishing land speed records and White Motorcycles have exploited every bit of it. The initial inspiration of the bodywork comes from the second-gen Suzuki Hayabusa, which is usually seen pushing the envelope on salt flats. With the ‘Busa as the base line, the bikemaker went on to push the boundaries, finally resulting in a unique ‘hollow’ motorcycle. 

This hole, called V-Air, is patented by the bikemaker and is said to reduce the coefficient of drag by a massive 70 percent. To give you a clear idea, the Hayabusa has a drag coefficient of 0.35-0.36 while the WMC250EV boasts of a coefficient as low as 0.11. Moreover, this design eliminates the need for winglets, usually added to increase downforce, since White Motorcycles claims that the WMC250EV has five times the front load of a normal bike.

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Surprisingly, unlike the design, the power figures of the WMC250EV are pretty unimpressive. It uses two 30kW motors for the rear wheel while the front wheel employs two 20kW motors, resulting in a total power output of 100kw or 135PS. Even though this isn’t even a half of what petrol-powered land speed record holders produce, the bikemaker claims this two-wheel drive system would be enough for the speed run. 

For an effective transmission of power, White Motorcycles is using a machined alloy swingarm which stays free of dirt and constantly lubricates both the drive and the driven sprocket. 

Anchoring this 300kg mammoth are twin 340mm discs up front and a 310mm rear disc, sourced from EBC coupled with HEL brake lines. It runs on Dymag aluminium 17-inch alloys shod with Pirelli slicks to keep wheelspin at a minimum. 

Piloting the bike will be Robert White, founder of White Motorcycles and he’ll attempt to achieve the British land speed record this year, followed by a world land speed record attempt in 2022. The latter is currently held by famous MotoGP star Max Biaggi who reached 366kmph aboard the Voxan Wattman.