Curtiss Motorcycle CEO, Matt Chambers has never been shy about the company’s mission to topple industry giants, Harley Davidson; right from the days of Confederate Motorcycles. Although the dream hasn’t exactly come true, the Curtiss Company has served bike lovers with some of the most daring, insane, and amazing motorcycle designs around. Curtiss Psyche “the lover” will be the latest installment in what’s already a long line of these atypical bike designs. For Matt Chambers, the new electric motorcycle represents Curtis’ best opportunity to go for Harley’s jugular. And he strongly believes Psyche has all it takes to flood Livewire, Harley’s EV equivalent, out of the market.
Design and Features
Psyche is a premium battery-electric motorcycle that represents everything Curtiss is known for, and much more. The skeletal design, the distinctly bold girder front end, the tiny saddle, and low proportions are all hallmarks of Curtiss but the breathtaking aesthetics is what makes this bike the complete package. Although the proposed launch date is still about two years away, the model revealed at the unveiling looked like something from the future.
A strong design statement
Virtually every part of a bike is visible and the most successful luxury bike manufacturing companies optimize this fact to their advantage. The best luxury bikes are those that make a strong design statement and if the prototype is anything to go by, Psyche hopes to be up there among the best. The total lack of bodywork makes exposes the bike as an architectural masterpiece. Furthermore, the intricately-woven structural parts confer a skeleton-like appearance on the bike. All in all, Psyche looks like the bike you’ll either love or love to hate. Either way, you can’t fail to notice its presence.
Optimized for performance
Alongside the breathtaking aesthetics, Psyche promises top-notch performance. According to New Atlas, the battery boasts a range of 160 miles per charge. A 48 or 96 hp motor would be responsible for firing the rear wheel into motion, depending on the version you opt for. Needless to say, the higher power version would cost more. Even with all the features the bike promises, it would weigh only 375 Ib. This makes it relatively lightweight for a bike of its specifications and size.
Pricing info
It is no news that Curtiss is not known for making affordable bikes. However, Psyche is relatively affordable by their standards. When the bike finally goes on sale, the selling price would be in the $30,000 range. It would be in direct competition with Harley’s Livewire, exactly what Chambers wants. In his words “We have out planned them, out designed them, out engineered them, out branded them and out promoted them. The market is very small, ideally suited to our core competencies, skillsets, and bandwidth. We have the experience and collaborative relationships to ideally grow with this market. Harley does not.” If Psyche would be just as good as the prototype, there’s very little to suggest Chambers could be wrong.
