Canadian startup Damon Motors has taken to CES 2022 to show off plans for a second electric motorcycle line known as the HyperFighter Colossus.
Damon Motors first drew attention when it unveiled a prototype for its first electric motorcycle back in the summer of 2019.
The company began taking pre-orders for its US $40,000 Hypersport motorcycles nearly two years ago and has claimed to receive significant millennial interest for the bikes.
The original estimated delivery dates for those bikes have so far come and gone with no customers yet to receive their new rides. But that hasn’t stopped Damon from unveiling a new model at CES 2022, the Damon HyperFighter Colossus. Priced at US $35,000, HyperFighter Colossus will eventually be followed by two other models in the new HyperFighter line.
The HyperFighter will be built on the same HyperDrive foundation as Damon’s previously unveiled motorcycles.
The HyperDrive powertrain includes a structural battery case designed to support multiple electric motorcycles on the same platform, similar in concept to Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire Arrow platform.
Damon Motors’ cofounder and CEO Jay Giraud expects the new HyperFighter to turn the streetfighter category of motorcycles on its head:
“Forget what you know about traditional streetfighters. Just as HyperSport has done to the sportbike segment, the HyperFighter stands to disrupt the streetfighter category with groundbreaking technology not found on any other bikes. The HyperFighter is a stripped-down demon of a bike that is not for the faint of heart. We’re excited to give the naked sports bike fanatic everything they want, and with HyperDrive serving as the nucleus, Damon can continue to innovate and rapidly scale to bring the world’s most electrifying motorcycles to market.”
Just like Damon’s previously unveiled models, the HyperFighter is expected to include the company’s CoPilot system that provides a 360º advanced warning system using radar, cameras, and other sensors.
It will also incorporate the company’s Shift technology that allows the bikes’ ergonomics to adjust in real time, changing the riding position on the fly.
The HyperFighter Colossus, which Damon says will be the first version of the new model line available, will sport a 20 kWh battery offering 146 miles (235 km) of range and feature 200 hp (150 kW) of power. The company claims it will reach a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h) and hit a 0-60 mph time of three seconds.
Pre-orders are open today with a refundable deposit of $250.
Future versions of the bike lacking some of the premium body kit and with reduced performance specs will be available for between US $19,000 to US $25,000.
According to Damon Motorcycles CTO Derek Dorresteyn:
“HyperFighter pays homage to the streetfighters of yesterday while looking to the future with unparalleled safety and performance that Damon is known around the world for. We’ve built an incredible, technologically-advanced motorcycle that will appeal to both long-time streetfighter enthusiasts and new riders.”
Electrek’s Take
It’s a beautifully designed bike, there’s no doubt about that. Props to Damon’s design team.
And the technology certainly sounds exciting too.
But where are all these bikes? It’s great to hear about new things coming down the pike, but I’d rather see the company demonstrate it can produce its first model and get it into customers’ driveways before too much more effort is placed in developing future models. Or at least put a few bikes under some journalists so the world can determine if this startup is the real deal.
The design looks great and the engineering sounds great, but there’s a lot of taking them at their word going on right now.
The SONDORS Metacycle electric motorcycle is only a few months delayed at this point and many pre-order customers are ready to tar and feather the company. Imagine the response if SONDORS started showing off a new concept bike before delivering its first?
So while I initially like what I see, I’m going to withhold more complete judgment until Damon is ready to put its bikes where its PR is.
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