2015 Energica Ego

2015 ENERGICA EGO

IGNITION

FIRST RIDE

An electric take on an Italian superbike

Don Canet

Touted as Italy’s first electric superbike, the Energica Ego certainly looks the part, boasting sporty styling cues you might associate with MV Agusta. But I’ve yet to fully embrace the electric motorcycle. Thus far, the price, performance, and practicality all fall significantly short of petrol-powered alternatives. Would riding a preproduction version of the 2015 Energica Ego in the mountains near Malibu change my mind?

Not really. Hoisting the 569-pound Ego off its sidestand is more work than it is for a Harley, largely due to the Energica’s higher center of gravity, which is directly attributable to its massive 11.7-kWh battery.

The sport-focused riding position has a lengthy reach to the low clip-on bars. Although the information and layout of the multiple pages available on the color TFT dash haven’t been finalized, we can expect a wealth of information, including a typical assortment of battery and charging displays, when the bike goes on sale next summer.

The Ego feels lighter in motion, but I was very aware of the bike’s mass when dipping into turns and working through side-to-side transitions. Even at this casual pace, I did not trust the Ego’s handling or grip. The softly calibrated Marzocchi fork collapsed under braking loads while the Öhlins rear felt oversprung and under-damped.

The Ego’s AC motor makes a claimed 144 pound-feet of peak torque. That’s good, for sure, but “throttle” response of this $35,000 machine is too smooth and too linear in its present tune (a rep said it was softened for safety on this demo tour). In the sportiest ride mode, a snap of the twistgrip and welltimed tug on the bars results in little more than an extended fork.

Range is listed as 93 miles at a constant 50 mph or 118 miles at 37 mph and 31 miles in racetrack use. Yes, the Ego is a work in progress (with TC and ABS in the plans), but I still find it hard to get excited about this electric superbike. ETU

2015 ENERGICAEGO

PRICE: $35,000 ENGINE: oil-cooled permanentmagnet AC CLAIMED OUTPUT: 100 kW from 4900 rpm to 10,500 rpm SEAT HEIGHT: 31.9 in. BATTERY: 11.7 kWh CLAIMED WEIGHT: 569 lb.