Electric Motorcycles For Sale In 2019

I'm not sure when we're going to stop referring to electric motorcycles as the future of motorcycling because it seems that 2019's crop of electric bikes suggest we're already here.

When I look at the variety of electric bikes that are (or will very shortly be) available in 2019, I get excited. I may not be ready to put down the gas pump, but there’s some serious right-thinking happening in the electric motorcycle space right now.

From implementing new materials and technologies‚ like AI and 3-D printing to pursuing the electric path for the sake of speed and torque, electric motorcycles give designers a fresh platform to rethink what makes a motorcycle. No wonder some of the most exciting bikes in 2019 are from new brands looking to etch their names in motorcycling history.

Here are our picks for the electric motorcycles we’d buy in 2019.

The 2020 LiveWire is Harley-Davidson's $30,000 answer to the electric motorcycle question. It's the first of Milwaukee's comprehensive electric plan. In our first ride review of the 2020 LiveWire, we found the ride comfortable, but thought the lack of Level 2 fast charging, present in other popular electric bikes, was an oversight. We hope The Motor Company continues producing electric motorcycles, because if H-D left Alta high and dry for nothing, we'd be bummed—Alta made some killer bikes. Although H-D's market share is dwindling, don't believe it's about to abandon 115 years of 45-degree pushrod glory for batteries and copper wire.

2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire price: $29,799
2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire range: 146 miles, city

Sure, $14,000 is a lot for an electric motorcycle, but the Swedish bike has a lot to offer in its 174-pound package. Think of it as a gateway drug. Because it straddles the bicycle and motorcycle worlds, it seems like just the thing to convert the unwashed masses to two-wheeled motorized fun. And with typical Swedish minimalism, it conveys just how much it isn't your dad's gas-guzzling, needs-regular-maintenance machine. The Kalk&'s price tag makes it more blogosphere darling than a legitimate contender, but as a model of things to come, it's intriguing. This street-legal version was unveiled at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver.

2019 Cake Kalk& price: $14,000
2019 Cake Kalk& range: 54 miles

While Cake, Tarform, and other electric motorcycle builders are distinguishing their machines from archetypal motorcycle forms, Vespa is going the opposite direction with the 2019 Elettrica. The electric scooter has the same charm and casualness that made the world fall in love with the original gas-powered style/motoring icon. Scooters are convenient. It makes perfect sense to put an electric motor in one if you ask us.

2019 Vespa Elettrica price: $7,499
2019 Vespa Elettrica range: 62 miles

The Saroléa name is one of the oldest in motorcycling. In 2010, twin brothers Torsten and Bjorn Robbens revived the Belgian marque and have been making electric racing motorcycles since. The Manx7 is based on the SP7 which Dean Harrison campaigned in the 2017 TT Zero race, finishing in a respectable fourth place. The Manx7 features a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis and swingarm and other high-end components. It produces 163 hp, 332 pound-feet of torque, and has a 205-mile range. Saroléa is building only 49 examples, so act fast.

2019 Saroléa Manx7 price: $5,540 (€5,000) deposit to reserve
2019 Saroléa Manx7 range: 205 miles

While many of the bikes here represent what's possible with electric motorcycles, the Zero FXS represents what's financially attainable. Zero's FXS supermoto starts at $8,495. With baked-in modularity, riders can tailor the machine to their needs and pocketbooks. You've got to hand it to Zero for having its feet on solid ground. In a space where designers and builders can get carried away with the hypothetical and the idealistic, Zero's been churning out competent, affordable motorcycles at its home in California for the past decade.

2019 Zero FXS price: $8,495 ZF3.6 Modular | $10,495 ZF7.2
2019 Zero FXS range: 50 miles city, 20 miles highway, 29 miles combined | 100 miles city, 40 miles city, 57 miles combined

In case you missed it, Confederate Motorcycles ditched its connotative name, revived the famous Curtiss moniker, and prioritized building new high-end electric motorcycles. As with machines built under the Confederate banner, the new Curtiss machines stand out for their thought-provoking aesthetics and robust motors. While the ICE-powered Confederates emphasize the mechanical members of the machine, the Curtiss de-emphasizes the same, for a design that takes as many cues from McIntosh audio components and utopian futurism as it does from conventional motorcycle design. The Zeus Radial V8, Curtiss’s first electric motorcycle offering, is available as a café “not-racer,” and has a claimed 217 hp and 147 pound-feet of torque.

2019 Curtiss Zeus Radial V8 price: $75,000
Curtiss Zeus Radial V8 range: untested (16.8 kWh battery capacity)

This year is a big one for electric motorcycles. The FIM is sanctioning the first all-electric world championship series: MotoE. The sole manufacturer is the Italian firm Energica and teams will campaign bikes derived from the Ego sportbike, a machine that produces 145 hp and 144 pound-feet of torque in standard trim. It should be fun. The series will be cooler when it's open to other manufacturers, but it's a great place to start. And the rider lineup has some real talent. Ex-Rossi rival Sete Gibernau is even lining up on the grid to add some real star power. It makes the Energica Ego an enticing prospect.

2019 Energica Ego price: $22,565
2019 Energica Ego range: 93 miles at a constant 50 mph, 118 miles at 37 mph, or 31 miles at track pace.

KTM’s ICE-powered Freeride was always a tempting and beautiful machine—that cast aluminum subframe!—and the electric version promises to be pretty awesome too. KTM is smart to make its first electric bike in a form-factor that’s all about fun. Somewhere between an enduro bike and a trials bike, the 2018 Freeride E-XC makes pulling wheelies, bouncing off rocks, and other feats of electric dirt bike tomfoolery seem irresistible.

2018 KTM Freeride E-XC price: $8,299
2018 KTM Freeride E-XC range: one to two-hour range (3.9 kWh battery capacity)

Manufactured in Brooklyn and designed in Stockholm, Tarform is currently taking preorders for its first motorcycle: a machine that marries cutting-edge tech like artificial intelligence with small-batch craftsmanship. Tarform’s commitment to sustainability means it’s using 3-D printing and biomaterials to build its bikes. Eco-trendiness has made “sustainability” a bit of an eye-rolly word these days, but if it’s the impetus for developing a unique vision of motorcycling, so be it. The Collector Edition machine will cost $30,000; no word yet on pricing for production-run machines.

2019 Tarform Scrambler price: no deposit required to reserve | $30,000 for the Collector’s Edition 2019 Tarform Scrambler range: 110 miles

Lightning is best known for its LS-218 sportbike, the 200-hp beast that made performance lovers take notice when it was introduced in 2014. Starting at just under $40,000, the LS-218 is as premium as premium gets. For 2019, Lightning is unveiling the Strike, a $13,000 machine capable of reaching 150 mph and with a 150-mile range. The Strike also boasts a 35-minute DC charge time. At the moment, that's all we know. Sounds promising though.

2019 Lightning Strike price: $12,998 | Strike Carbon Edition: $10,000 refundable deposit 2019 Lightning Strike range: 150 miles

What's the most intriguing bike for you? Anything tempts you to trade in your ICE bike?