"Why are so many custom builders choosing to use electrics as a platform?" a friend asked me as we walked through the Petersen Museum, inspecting the custom electric motorcycles displayed at its latest exhibit: Electric Revolution.
The answer is simple: If you start with a tried-and-true platform, one that works, you essentially just have to set up ergos, a throttle, brakes, and some sort of final drive to get power to the rear wheel. Well that, and the fact that this is the most major technological shift in motorcycling since its inception. Probably best to get on board now.
Electric customs are clean. There’s not carbon buildup from your exhaust pipes, no leaky oil coming from your engine cases, and no gas spilling out of your gas tank—just a nice, clean battery and some wiring.
The Electric Revolution show at the Petersen Museum hosted some of the best custom electric motorcycles in the world, both old and new. Curated by Paul d'Orléans, nearly every category of bike was touched upon, from streetbikes to fully faired land-speed racers, trackers, café racers, and more—most designed to be highly functional in their own regard.
Two specific bikes, however, were more sculptural than the rest—choosing to not only challenge the concept of what should power our motorcycles, but how they should look. “Moto Undone” by Joey Ruiter and “Racer X” by Mark Atkinson both have wildly eccentric bodywork, but still function the way we expect motorcycles to (for the most part).
It's exciting for us to see a whole exhibit dedicated to this forward-thinking category of custom work and hope to see more like it popping up soon. Check out the Petersen Museum's website to see more information on the Electric Revolution.
