Polytheism is alive and well … if you’re into motorcycles.
Mere months after announcing their all-electric Zeus hot rod, Curtiss Motorcycles is adding to its growing pantheon with Hera, a luxury e-bike inspired by Glenn Curtiss’s 1907 V8 motorcycle. It’s a natural pairing, allowing Curtiss to deep-dive into the history of its new namesake (refresher: the brand used to be called “Confederate”) while mixing golden-age lines with some decidedly forward-looking tech.
For the uninitiated, Glenn Curtiss was one of those early 20th-century engineer extraordinaires. He flew the first long-distance flight between two major American cities (Albany to New York), regularly rubbed shoulders with Alexander Graham Bell and unofficially broke the world’s two-wheeled land-speed record in 1907 atop his V8 bike, zipping up to 136.3 MPH.
Specifics on Hera are light at the moment, but expect “V8 battery architecture” (meaning the bike’s lithium-ion batteries will mimic the original’s petrol V8), an E-Twin motor and that familiar stretched-out shape: the wheelbase will measure a whopping 66-inches. All told, it’s a hard look (and backstory) to compete with. We’ll have to wait and see how Harley Davidson’s own planned e-bike fleet keeps up.
Sign up for updates on the release here, and then hold tight. While Zeus should be available soon, Hera’s target date is slated for 2020.
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