Gallarate, Varese – This is the Lacama electric roadster by start-up bespoke bikemaker Italian Volt. But it’s not your Lacama. That’s because your Lacama will look completely different. Each one will be unique, designed by its owner on a computer screen.
The frame, swing-arm and one-piece tank/seat unit are all 3D-printed, so you start by choosing whether your Lacama is going to be a cafe racer, a roadster or a scrambler. Then you mix and match from a range of different shapes and colours for the 12 major components – from handlebars to tyres – that make up the motorcycle, to create your own personal design.
Italian Volt is headed by motor industry veterans Nicola Colombo, Valerio Fumagalli and Adriano Stellino, the latter a former designer for both Lamborghini and Bertone, and its project manager is Pierluigi Marconi, who designed the radical Bimota Tesi as his undergraduate thesis.
The Lacama is built around a 69kW/208Nm electric motor and a 15kWh lithium-ion battery; Italian Volt quotes 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds, 180km/h (electronically limited) flat out, and a range of up to 180km – although not, we presume, at the same time.
Suspension is by Ohlins, braking by Brembo, and the Lacama rolls on 17 inch wheels in your choice of aluminium alloy or carbon fibre; weight is quoted at a hefty 245kg.
A full charge from a standard 220 volt supply takes about three hours; using the maker’s Combo DC charger, you can boost the Lacama from 20 to 80 percent charge in 40 minutes.
Italian Volt has also obviated the need for complicated workshops and service centres by making the motor and battery pack quickly and easily replaceable – and if you crash it, the company will simply print you new body parts that fit and match perfectly.
The Lacama takes the concept of drive modes a big step further with an onboard touchscreen and built-in GPS that lets you rewrite the power and torque curves to suit your personal riding style, while an app available for both Apple and Android phones allows you to set power levels, check where your bike is and monitor charge levels remotely.
Italian Volt
plans to begin taking
for pre-production models during the second quarter of 2017; the price, of course will depend on the specifications of your unique Lacama.