Maybe we're soothsayers? Maybe RideApart has opened up our mind's eye and seen into the future through the 5th dimension? Or maybe we willed this into existence, as after we published our story about how General Motors' new electric vehicle battery could be the key to making EV motorcycles more of a reality, our friends at Visordown discovered a patent that the brand filed itself for just that.
No, really, according to the patents discovered by the outlet, GM is looking at building its own electric motorcycle that looks, surprisingly, really solid. And very much in the line of what I would hope Harley-Davidson would be looking into building right now, i.e., a small electric dirt-bike-esque machine that's perfect for capturing the youth.
Come on, GM, do a Honda and build it.
Based on the patent drawings, the GM-designed electric motorcycle is very scrambler in form, with knobby tires, a remote reservoir rear shock, and a front mud guard. Likewise, the frame looks pretty basic and streamlined, as the main "tank" of the bike is almost nonexistent and flows directly into the seat.
Furthermore, while beneath the "tank" holds the battery pack, which looks swappable, the motor is housed in the rear hub. But the whole thing looks like a GM version of a Sur-Ron, Niu, or any other small electric dirt bike. And that's not a knock, as I've previously stated that these electric motorcycles are absolutely the way forward in capturing more and more youth riders.
Seriously, more kids are riding these compared to their gas counterparts these days, and it's high time that the industry pays more attention to them instead of "crying about how the youths don't ride anymore!" I saw another post by an "industry insider" on LinkedIn yesterday doing just that and it took every ounce of willpower not to call them an idiot.
Little outside what's above is known about GM's EV motorcycle patent, though it was filed a few years ago and only made public recently. Hopefully, that means GM will be bringing it out sooner rather than later. But the question remains, what'll it be branded as? Are we going to have a Chevy motorcycle? Or use the brand's "AT" marketing for its off-road trucks given this bike seems to want to play in dirt? And how much is it going to cost?
I'm already excited to try out GM's new AT EV trucks. But I'd be way more stoked to see this in the bed, too.
