Curtiss Motorcycle Unveils Three Radical Electric Bike Designs, CEO Says He Wants To Challenge Harley-Davidson's Livewire

Almost three decades ago, Matt Chambers launched a motorcycle company he hoped would be able to snatch away market share from Harley-Davidson by building V-Twin-based bikes that were far beyond the style, power and specifications The Motor Company were currently offering.

It was called Confederate Motorcycles, and while the company never scaled up to take on Harley, the bikes that did eventually come out of Chamber's shop were some of the most outrageous, daring and polarizing machines to ever hit the road.

They were also insanely expensive. Hand-built and sporting designs either loved or loathed, bikes like the P-51 Fighter, X-132 Hellcat, the B-120 Wraith and others remain neck-snappers in terms of horsepower and style. Even today, there really isn't anything like them out on the road.

But while naming a company "Confederate" in the 1990s was workable without significant social blowback (Chambers has said the name was chosen for its connotations of rebellion, not for any socio political viewpoint), the moniker eventually became untenable and in 2017, Chambers made a massive pivot. He offloaded Confederate (which is still in operation to some degree) and started a new company, Curtiss Motorcycles, with an exclusive focus on electric motorcycles.

The name is an homage to the American godfather of velocity, Glenn Curtiss. Curtiss, a prolific inventor, daredevil and business tycoon, spooned a massive 4.4-liter V8 aircraft engine into a spindly motorcycle frame and dialed it up to maximum velocity - a record 136 miles an hour - back in 1907. That was faster than anything on land, sea or in the air had gone to date. That bike (below) is now in the Smithsonian.

Now, Chambers and his Curtiss Motorcycles team have debuted three typically atypical electric motorcycle designs, and the Confederate themes continue in terms of lofty prices and out-there design - with one price (but not design) exception: The new Psyche motorcycle. That machine, says Chambers, will sell for $30,000, the same price as a certain bike from a certain other "new" electric bike maker: Harley-Davidson and their Livewire machine.

More on the Psyche in a moment, as there are more pressing matters for Chambers and his small team. They are currently assembling a pair of the new "Zeus" bikes (pre-production render below), which are an obvious modern-retro nod towards the original Curtiss V8 land speed record machine. But instead of eight cylinders of internal combustion pumping power to the rear wheel, the Zeus machines feature eight canted banks of batteries feeding electrons to a 201 horsepower electric motor sitting beneath the bespoke seat of the $75,000 chariot.

Chambers says the team is working hard to have the Zeus bikes ready to show August 16th at The Quail Gathering, one of the highest-profile automobile shows in the world. The Quail has requested Chambers bring his creations to the show, even though he makes motorcycles. That's respect. Chambers told the Zeus machines will be ready in time.

The other high-end machine Curtiss has in the works is the Hades bike (below), which has clear echoes of past Confederate designs but instead of a monstrous V-Twin, it features a prominent (ahem) proboscis that houses the batteries needed for its 200+ horsepower electric power plant. Chambers said the $75,000 Hades machines will debut on Halloween of this year, appropriately, with the Psyche bike set to arrive 18 to 24 months from now.

The Psyche motorcycle, as priced, is not designed to be another high-end halo machine in a three-bike quiver. Instead, Chambers says he wants the Psyche (below) to take on Harley's new Livewire in the marketplace, a tall order for a small shop, even if Goliath's fortunes are in decline. But Chambers in undeterred. "I've wanted to do this for 30 years," he said, adding that Curtiss is "a different animal" business-wise from Confederate.

"We're going to be looking at everyone that's test-riding that Harley. We're going to tell them, 'wait a couple of years and get a Psyche, it's a Curtiss!'" Chambers says his approach to the electric bike market - and his designs make this quite clear - is to not make the bikes look like familiar motorcycles, something he views as a mistake by Harley and ebike leader Zero, with whom he had a short but unproductive relationship. He said the two companies had very different ideas about design and materials.

The Psyche machine features an architecture reminiscent of the Confederate Wraith, but with two large lobes that hold the batteries in a position that vaguely recalls BMW's iconic flat-twin engine's cooling fins. The bike is devoid of bodywork, exposing its curved architecture to the rider. A large multi-link front suspension system - a Confederate and Curtiss signature - holds the front wheel instead of traditional tubular forks.

Chambers says he wants Curtiss bikes to be like heirlooms, a precious and sacred possession that may get passed down for generations. And because the bikes are electric, batteries and motors can essentially be upgraded continuously while retaining their original form factors. Chambers says he wants his bikes to last 500 years and allow riders in that distant future to experience essentially the same riding experience Curtiss riders today will enjoy. "This has been a dream for all of us for a long time," Chambers said. "The space we want to occupy is the best and finest battery-electric motorcycle you can buy."

Looking toward a nearer future, Chambers sees Curtiss as eventually offering different lines of motorcycles, such as an entire Psyche line of machines, with different form factors. Chambers cites legendary GM designer and president Harley Earl as an inspiration for organization and design operations by essentially pitting his designers against each other. Neither one knows what the other is doing, but Chambers does. The result is a disparate collection of design ideas to work with and pursue. "There will numerous Psyche" models, Chambers says, comparing the Psyche to a Chevy while a bike like the Zeus is more of a Cadillac.

Indeed, the Psyche motorcycle as spec'd is down on power to the Harley, but it's also much lighter, which can help make up the power gap and also extend range. Chambers also said the lower power output would be more beginner-friendly, and after riders get some miles under their belt, more power could be unlocked. In one important metric - range - Chambers is claiming the Psyche could achieve about 160 miles on a charge, while the Harley currently struggles to clear 100 miles.

Chambers knows the performance potential of electric motorcycles but he's also on board for the sustainability. Curtiss is making their own battery packs and he says the plan is to offer low-cost replacement and recycling of batteries over time. He calls the upcoming era of transportation "a new golden age." However, he says Curtiss bikes will be about a more singular focus on the ride, not on gadgets, complicated sensing equipment or enabling rider distraction. "We want to focus on solitude" while riding, he said. "I want the Curtiss ride to be about unplugging and disconnecting" from our many distractions, a sentiment that will certainly echo with many riders who increasingly have to dodge close calls with distracted drivers. "We're creating something for people that have never thought of themselves as wanting a motorcycle," Chambers said, "and have them say 'I do want that.'"

Chambers and his team have their work cut out for them. With no physical production bikes yet in hand, time will tell if they can bring their bold visions to fruition and then sell them to a riding public still getting used to the idea of motorcycles that run on batteries. But if they can get production started, Chamber's vision of electric bikes being handed down with pride and care from generation to generation could come true, if his past creations are any indication.

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