Primarily known for its gas-powered scooters and ATVs, KYMCO shocked the motorcycle world with an electric sportbike concept at EICMA. KYMCO claims the SuperNEX a fusion of “supersport” and “electric” that represents the motorcycle of the future. “While people have no doubt that the next era of personal transportation is electric, many are still pondering over the profound implications of electric in the world of supersport motorcycles,” said KYMCO Chairman Allen Ko at the unveiling in Italy.
Somewhat shockingly for a company that has made its name on CVT twist ’n go automatics, the NEX comes with a 6-speed! “First and foremost, SuperNEX was designed around the philosophy that shifting is the art of motorbike riding,” added Ko. “Hence, the electric supersport bike has the most advanced 6-speed transmission that allows riders to enjoy every minute of their skill-honing endeavors...”
“Without the gratification of gear shifting, the simple twist-and-go interaction feels more utility-oriented, and sometimes even toy-like. Also, most electric motorcycles today lack the sustaining thrill of acceleration to the top-end after the initial rush. As a result, many sportbike lovers fear that supersport might lose its charm in the impending new electric era.”
According to Ko, the gears help improve not only the efficiency and responsiveness, but also the acceleration and top speed. As a result, SuperNEX can go from 0 to 100km/hr in 2.9 seconds, from 0 to 200km/hr in 7.5 seconds and from 0 to 250km/hr in 10.9 seconds.
“An unfortunate shortcoming of today’s electric motorcycles is that the inherent characteristic of the electric motor has a power curve that reaches maximum horsepower at midrange and then declines thereafter. As a result, on a single gear electric motorcycle, once it reaches a certain speed the surge of acceleration starts to fade noticeably. Moreover, this lack of power is most often felt at high-speed riding, which supersport riders enjoy the most,” claims Ko.
No word on probable range and recharge times was announced at EICMA… or a delivery date to dealers in North America.