The M2 prototype by 4rged Bikes India – a full fairing motorcycle that packs a powerful axial flux motor, and long range battery capacity, for its size.
Another interesting company from India caught our eye with a great looking full fairing naked motorcycle. The M2 by 4rged Bikes is a prototype which could be a competitive offering in India, if all goes as planned for the Delhi start-up. With plans to continue and develop their prototype into a great riding machine, while securing investment and moving the company into production. The M2 is designed as a 250cc alternative, and from the looks of it may very well exceed it’s average performance.
With the work of three minds, Vikram Mishra, Arnab Banerji and Ganesh Mishra bringing together their version for exploring the environment without impacting it. But what do they bring when it comes to performance and speed? The early revealed specifications look promising, with the use of an axial-flux DC brushed DC motor – which can be a great increase in performance (due to the motors high power to weight ratio). In addition, the battery size allow quite a decent range considering the bike is still made in sheet metal for the prototype.
Mobility for us is the ability to explore, not only the cities we live in, but also the great outdoors, especially the great outdoors!
We are working on an electric motorbike that truly liberates you from the limitations of what you can explore, without creating an impact on the places that you visit.
The M2 motor produces 18kW nominal power with peak power of 24kW. That pushes a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h), and combined with a 10kWh battery pack, which is mid-sized and for the motor size gets a very good range of 110 miles (180 km) on paper. If we compare that to the average 250cc bike – with estimated 21-26 hp, the M2 gets a peak power of 32 hp or nominal 24hp. Not a surprise when comparing the efficiency of electric motors with ICE.
The M2 is built on a custom build featherbed frame, housing a front 43 mm upside down fork, 150 mm monoshock rear. The bike weighs in at 423 lbs (192kg) but since the current sheet metal will be replaced with more lightweight material we can expect this to change. It runs on 110/70-17, 150 / 70-17 tires (front and rear respectively) both wheels use hydraulic Disc Brakes 320 mm thick. So reviewing the basics, the guys at 4rged Bikes have a great offering.
The M2 is a very traditional design, faux tank with curvy fairings and sportive looks. It remains to be seen how the final design outcome would look, considering the change from sheet metal fairings to other lightweight materials.
So, what’s next for 4rged bikes and the M2?
The team at 4rged bikes plan to raise capital, and proceed to file for homologation. With a more ‘refined’ product as Vikram describes, with the ambitious goal of making a production bike that has a range of 186-220 miles (300-350km) and carry an extra battery pack. The road ahead is long, but the demand is ever increasing for electric mobility.
It is clear that 4rged bikes will only produce in limited numbers at first, and that will happen if they successfully secure funding. We hope to see positive news from them in the future!
Source: Electricvehicleweb.in, 4rged bikes