Watch a Lightning LS-218 Accelerate to 160 km/h in 5.5 Seconds

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Watch a Lightning LS-218 Accelerate to 160 km/h in 5.5 Seconds

We know the Lightning LS-218 is currently the fastest road legal bike.
But how quickly does it get “there”?
Watch this video as Lightning Motorcycles strap an LS-218 to a dyno.

We’ve said it before and say it again: Modern electric motorcycles are fast! They put down so much instantaneous torque that would MotoGP riders grin from ear to ear. Such is true especially with the Lightning LS-218.

We’ve written about the amazing bike before (please click here for the full article). To jog your memory, it is currently the fastest road-legal production motorcycle. The “218” in its name attests to the speed it hit on the Bonneville Salt Flats i.e. 218 mph (350.8 km/h).

It also held the Pike Peak International Hill Climb record since 2012 and was only broken last year by a KTM 1290 Super Duke R. However, the Lightning’s record still holds as the fastest electric motorcycle up that treacherous hill.

The speed is attributable to the bike’s electric motor’s torque. And it’s exactly what Lightning Motorcycles wants to show in this video.

Lightning LS-218 pre-delivery dyno tuning at 160+ mph #LightningMotorcycles #Lightning #LS218 #ElectricMotorcycle #Superbike #Dyno pic.twitter.com/STREf7T9Na

— Lightning Motorcycle (@LightningMotorc) February 2, 2019

The LS-218 is strapped down on a dyno. The roller is spun up before the bike’s motor took over, punching it to 257 km/h (160 mph) in a matter of seconds. But that’s not all, the real kicker here is how the bike pulled from 160 to 241 km/h (100 to 150 mph) in 2 seconds!

Yet, the manufacturer didn’t give the bike full throttle all the way. Lighting Motorcycles’ Matt Schulwitz told Electrek that the LS-218’s tyre would just keep spinning on top of the dyno’s roller if they gunned the throttle from standstill. That’s what 228 Nm of does. So, that’s the reason they spun up the dyno first rather than let the bike’s power spin it up.

This means the motor pulls and pulls without hiccups through the rev range. Shall we change the cliché pulls like a freight train to mean electric motors?

Lightning Motorcycles are slated to release a low-price model in March 2019.

Editor Info

Wahid Ooi

Wahid's lust for motorcycles was spurred on by his late-Dad's love for his Lambretta on which he courted, married his mother, and took baby Wahid riding on it. He has since worked in the motorcycle and automotive industry for many years, before taking up riding courses and testing many, many motorcycles since becoming a motojournalist. Wahid likes to see things differently. What can you say about a guy who sees a road safety message in AC/DC's "Highway to Hell."