The Electric Slide

THE ELECTRIC SLIDE

AT A TIME WHEN OFFroad riding areas are i disappearing at an alarming rate and the environment is becoming more battleground than playground, it makes sense that the country that plays well with everyone introduced a bike that could bridge the gap between Green and Mean. Meet the electric motocross bike called the Quantya FMX. The Swiss company that produces the e-bike was started in 2005 by inventor and moto-enthusiast Max Modena, who wanted to build an enviro-friendly machine in response to the lack of riding areas and the banning of two-stroke motors by the Swiss government. This is Modena’s latest effort and it features the clean Euro look you might expect to match its clean zero (at least from the non-existent tailpipe) emissions.

The 195-pound FMX is packed with innovative features. Suspension components are premium long-travel Sachs and Marzocchi units, and it rolls on 18-inch trials tires to reduce environmental impact (and improve grip). But it’s the motive power-a DC electric motor-that sets these silent dirtbikes apart. The 48-volt unit is juiced by a lithium-polymer bat-

tery pack that Modena says will give 30-180 minutes of run time, depending on usage. Output is equivalent to around 20 horsepower. More impressive, however, is the prodigious torque, 23 foot-pounds, which is close to that of a Honda CRF250X. Better still is the fact that the electric motor makes this torque instantly. Speed is governed to 40 mph. The MSRP for the FMX is $9975 and you can contact the importer at www.quantya.us.

This is the new Swiss frïöVèmeht!

j -Gregor Halenda