Ever dreamed of owning one of the world’s most exclusive motorcycles? Then cobble together some serious cash and stand in line. Just 20 production versions of the long-awaited Sarolea Manx7 electric café racer will be built this year.
Proven since 2014 in the annual Zero TT race at the Isle of Man, and under development since 2010, Belgian brand Sarolea finally has a road-going racer ready for customers.
A prototype was first seen in 2015, but it’s been reworked since then with a neater fairing and more production-ready components. Now, for a $7900 deposit, you can get one in your garage.
The final price depends on what battery size you order, but the cheapest 14kWh version is a hefty $67,900, rising to $77,000 for the biggest, 22kWh battery pack. Plus all the other on-road costs, of course, once you get it to Oz.
That’s a hefty handful of cash, so what does it buy you? Below are the vital statistics.
At a glance
- The giant air-cooled brushless DC motor makes a reasonable 120kW and a stomping 450Nm of torque. With so much forward thrust there’s no need for gears, so it drives the rear wheel directly via a conventional chain. Top speed is 249km/h.
- If you don’t fang it at full-speed too long, Sarolea says you’ll get 230km of range from the 14kWh battery, 280km from the 18kWh version and 330km from the 22kWh model. A quick-charging system gets the small battery 80 per cent full in 20 minutes.
- Sleek carbon-fibre bodywork conceals a carbon monocoque chassis that wraps around the motor and battery. The seat unit and swingarm are carbon. Footpegs poke through curved slots on either side, looking uncomfortably close to the front sprocket and chain.
- Top-spec Öhlins suspension (FGRT-200 forks and a TTX36 shock) combine with Beringer brakes; four-pot fronts, two-pot rears.
- Surprisingly, wheels are forged alloy rather than carbon; 17-inch OZs wear conventional superbike-size rubber; 120/70 front and 190/55 rear.
By Ben Purvis
