Why Erik Buell’s New Fuell Flow Electric Motorcycle Will Win the Electric Motorcycle Game

There aren’t a lot of rockstar names or standout personas in the motorcycle industry, but Erik Buell is one of them. Responsible for giving the Harley-Davidson “a performance image“, founding his own brand (twice), and an accomplished racing career, the name Buell will forever go down in motorcycle history. And now the sixty-nine year old is up to something new and totally different. His new company creates electric motorcycles and bicycles and is called Fuell. If the pun mixed in with irony made you want to roll your eyes, you’re not alone, but don’t let a bad name fool you: Much like everything Erik Buell has done, there’s something cool happening here.

The company was founded by Buell, François-Xavier Terny (CEO of Vanguard Moto Inc. and briefly a Director of Confederate Motors, Inc.), and Fred Vasseur (Sauber Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team principal). The triumvirate set off to create a chic new means of urban transportation. These type of startups are launched all the time, and if it was anyone but Erik Buell behind it, I probably wouldn’t care. But this is Erik Buell we’re talking about. Rubber-mounted engines on Harley’s? Thank Erik Buell. Wrap-around fairings that gave Harley’s XR1000 less aeurodynamic drag than some 21st century supersports? Thank Erik Buell.

Buell’s designs used the engine as a fully stressed member of the frame. His horizontally mounted suspension had a shock operating backwards from the conventional compression-rebound design. He was doing all of this in the 1980s. So when Erik Buell’s name is on something, motorcyclists’ ears tend to perk up a little bit.

There are two things you should know about the Fuell Flow

The company’s electric motorcycle is called the Fuell Flow. Again, not crazy about the name, but bear with me. There are two things you should know about the Fuell Flow:

The first thing people blast electric motorcycles on is their range. The Fuell Flow electric motorcycle has a 125 mile range, very similar to that of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. The Flow comes with either of a 10kW or 35kW battery pack that allow you to connect to a fast-charger able to fully recharge your electric motorcycle in only 30 minutes. After a 125 mile sprint, who wouldn’t want to stretch their legs out for half an hour anyway?

The second thing people blast electric motorcycles on is their price. The Fuell Flow’s MSRP is $10,995. That’s roughly one third the cost of Harley’s LiveWire now in production (and seeing very weak sales) and only slightly more expensive than the average internal combustion engine motorcycle. I like to think of this not only as shots fired at Buell’s former employer, but also proof that electric motorcycles can be an affordable option.

It seems like Buell and his associates aren’t just paying lip service to wanting to help drive a change in the way people travel. The Fuell Flow seems genuinely capable of changing opinions on electric motorcycling.

Other cool features of the Fuell Flow electric motorcycle

In no particular order, some cool things I wanted to bring to your attention:

• The motor is in the rear wheel hub
• It promises to have “the acceleration of a superbike” – this is because of how electric engines work compared to internal combustion engines, think about the difference between turning on a light switch versus revving up your motorcycle engine
• Will be two-up friendly
• Has 50 litres of storage space built into the bike – no more carrying your helmet around
• Wild on board technology comes standard, including:
  • Blindspot Detection
  • Anti-collision system
  • Rear Camera
  • ABS & regenerating braking

Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of electric motorcycles when I started writing this article, but I’m starting to get a little jealous.

Video

For those of you who’d rather watch than read:

FUELL_FLOW in NYC from FUELL on Vimeo.

What about the Fuell’s electric bicycle?

Fuell’s electric bicycle is called the Fuell Fluid. I can’t underline enough how much these names make are making me groan, but so be it. From a visual perspective, the Fluid looks fairly typical of premium electric bikes. That’s where the similarities end and things stop being so damn cute. The Fuell Fluid has the same 125 mile range. Not only that, but it’s said to make 77 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel. Yes, that’s roughly a bit more torque than those 2019 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200s produce… coming from a bicycle. Lord have mercy.

Of course, with premium performance and range comes premium pricing, and at $3,395 the Fuell Fluid isn’t the cheapest bicycle you’ve ever bought. But it will probably be the best.

Other cool features of the Fuell Fluid electric bicycle

• 8 speed internal geared hub – no more bicycle chains coming off their sprockets
• Carbon belt drive – no more having to replace your bicycle chain
• Color display – because why not?
• Powerful mid-motor – probably to keep the weight in the center of the bicycle so that it will handle better, just a guess…
• Anti-theft options including
  • Pin code lock on the dashboard
  • Removable batteries
  • GPS tracker built into the frame (optional)
  • Foldable lock (optional)

Video

For those of you who’d rather watch than read:

FLUID – FUELL from FUELL on Vimeo.

How do I get one of these?

Check out Fuell.us for the latest info, but it looks like the Fuell Flow electric motorcycle will be available in early 2021, while the Fuell Fluid electric bicycle will be available for Q4 2019. So now you know what to put on your Christmas Wishlist.

COMMENTS: What’s your favorite Erik Buell creation ever? Which do you like better, the Flow electric motorcycle, or the Fluid electric bicycle?

PS: If two wheeled electric-powered vehicles aren’t your thing, here are four electric unicycles you can actually buy.