CFMoto’s Electric Sportbike

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Instead of building a dedicated chassis for the new CFMoto electric sportbike, it utilizes the chassis of its 450SR/NK. (CFMoto/)

Most of the dedicated electric motorcycles, either on sale at the moment or under development, are purpose-made designs—with many adopting the idea of using the battery case as the main structure to cut down on size and weight. But the latest idea from CFMoto is a sportbike that’s based directly on the existing 450SR but with a bolt-in electric power pack that replaces the combustion engine.

Although the idea is inevitably likely to sacrifice the edge in terms of battery capacity to dedicated, clean-sheet electric bike designs—CFMoto also has those, as we wrote about here—it could have substantial cost savings by sharing most of its components with a gas-powered model.

Related: BMW Patent Shows Glimpse Electric Future

The tubular-steel frame is borrowed from other models in CFMoto’s lineup. (CFMoto/)

The new patent shows a tubular-steel trellis frame that’s visually identical to that of the 450SR and 450NK models, with the same seat, subframe, swingarm, and suspension, but with a battery pack and electric motor nestling underneath it. It uses the same mounting brackets as the combustion engine that would normally be there, albeit with an additional pair of bolt-on lower frame tubes wrapping beneath it for more strength and battery protection. As such, both the electric bike and the ICE version could be built side by side on the same production line.

CFMoto’s 450SR sportbike is powered by an internal combustion engine, but will lend its chassis to the new electric. (CFMoto/)

It’s a similar idea that many car makers have adopted. While many of the best electric cars are clean-sheet designs, often with the batteries built into a “skateboard” chassis underneath them, there’s an entire stratum of more affordable EVs that borrow their structures from existing mass-made ICE models. Economies of scale inevitably come into play, and during this transitional era, where there’s little consensus on the direction that future models will take, it’s a valuable tool for manufacturers. Notably, Kawasaki’s new pure EV bikes also borrow many of their components from existing ICE models.

CFMoto’s design is aimed at solving some of the problems of using both electric and ICE powertrains in different variants of the same chassis. Notably, it includes a metal battery case, shaped to wrap over the motor and the control electronics that sit below and behind it. The battery case doesn’t just provide a strong protective housing for the batteries within, it also acts as a structural part of the bike’s chassis. That’s because the engine is partly structural in the ICE version, so the replacement powertrain needs to do that job as well.

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CFMoto will also utilize the bodywork and styling from the 450SR. (CFMoto/)

Although the frame is borrowed from the 450SR, the size of the battery case and motor suggest that this electric version will have performance more akin to a 125cc bike, and probably a relatively limited range. However, the wheels, brakes, and suspension all appear to be identical to the 450cc machine, and even the bodywork is borrowed from the 450SR, at least in these illustrations.

One key difference, of course, is that there’s no gear shifter or clutch lever. Like most electric bikes, the CFMoto design is a single-speed machine with a simple reduction gearbox between the motor and the front sprocket. Like many EV motorcycles, there’s a very large rear sprocket as a further reduction ratio to convert the power of the high-revving electric motor to more realistic road speeds and multiply torque. There’s no need for a fuel tank, of course, and the drawings show that the batteries and electronics don’t extend into that area, suggesting that the space will instead be used for storage. The hole where the fuel filler would normally be is, presumably, to be used for the charging socket.

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