Lightning has been releasing teasers of its upcoming Strike since January. We’ve reported four teasers so far. Some of them revealed the expected design of the bike, while the others told us about the motor. Now, the teaser game has ended because Lightning has pulled off the covers from its latest electric motorcycle, the Strike.
Ever since the first teaser of the Lightning Strike emerged, we got pretty curious about the bike. We know what the company is capable of achieving; remember the LS-218? However, the new Strike is not really like its fierce sibling. In fact, it’s been design and built to be an electric motorcycle which could be ridden on a daily basis.
Design
Lightning didn’t really waste too much time on designing the Strike from the ground up. It took inspiration from the LS-218, that’s why the Strike looks very similar to it. However, it’s nothing like that. As far as the aesthetic appeal goes, the Strike will surely manage to turn many heads. It looks very sharp and neat. It is also very aerodynamic in nature. It also has a much-relaxed riding position when compared to that of the LS-218. If you know about Lightning, then you cannot mistake the Strike for any other motorcycle.
Models
There are three models of the new Strike. They’re basically classified on the terms of battery capacity. There is the entry-level Strike Standard. Then we’ve got the Strike Mid-Range. And the last one is the Strike Carbon Edition.
Strike Standard
This model has a 10kWh battery with an estimated range of 70 miles (112 km) on the highway and 100 miles (160 km) in the city. The batteries are coupled to a liquid-cooled, AC induction motor that produces around 90 hp and an earth-shattering 240 Nm of torque! This model comes with a standard 3.3 kW charger. This package will set you back by USD 12,998 (AED 47,742 as per the current conversion rate).
Strike Mid-Range
It comes with a 15 kWh battery pack which provides a range of up to 105 miles (168 km) on the highway and 150 miles (241 km) in the city. It has a price tag of USD 16,998 (AED 62,435 as per the current conversion rate). As far as the motor is concerned, it is the same one that has been installed in the Strike Standard. It also comes with a 3.3 kW charger.
Strike Carbon Edition
Being the most expensive model of the three, the Strike Carbon Edition has the biggest battery pack of 20 kWh. This can offer up to 200 miles (321 km) of range in the city. It is also a bit more powerful than the other two. It has the same motor setup but has 30 hp more. Unlike the other two models, this comes standard with a 6.6 kW charger. Price for this model – USD 19,998 (AED 73,454 as per the current conversion rate). There’s even a performance package available which includes Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, and an AIM Strada racing dash.
Charger options
There are three types of chargers available with the new Lightning Strike. The first is the basic 3.3 kW unit which can be upgraded to the second type of charger – a 6.6 kW unit by paying an extra USD 1,500 (AED 5509 as per the current conversion rate). Both these chargers are designed to support level 1 and 2 charging speeds.
Level 1 charger would charge the Strike overnight when plugged into any 110V household outlet. Level 2 charger will need 2-3 hours of time to fully charge the batteries. You will also get access to a network of over 50,000 J1772 public charging stations located across the USA.
If you want to have a level 3 fast charging, then you need to shell out another USD 1,500. This charger will fully charge the bike in just 35 mins and can offer around 100 miles of range in just 20 minutes.
Availability
As of now, the first batch of Lightning Strike (Carbon Edition) is expected to roll out off production in July 2019 in the USA. There’s no information as to when the company would make this new electric bike available for the rest of the world. So, right now we don’t even know whether it’s coming to the UAE or not.
