Brooklyn-based Tarform originally announced its attractive Luna electric motorcycle back in 2018, with expected delivery dates starting in 2019. But engineering challenges with some of the bike’s more ambitious technology has pushed that timeframe back, and the company has decided to re-launch the Luna, this time with full specs and revised pricing and delivery dates.
At the heart of things is a 41-kW (55-hp) PMAC electric motor, fed by a 10-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an integrated 3.3-kW charger. Weight will be around 440 lb (200 kg), not far off what a typical fully fueled nakedbike weighs, and since it’s geared reasonably low for a top speed of just 95 mph (153 km/h), the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) sprint will take a fairly respectable 3.8 seconds, more than enough to get you out in front of most traffic from the lights.
With regenerative braking taken into account, range will be around 120 miles (200-odd km) if you ride it at low speeds around the city, and significantly lower if you take it on the highway. The range and aeros will not add up to a great tourer, but around town it’ll blitz the commute and be plenty of fun.
The bike design looks really nice – it’s a scrambler at heart, with a hand-formed aluminum body, a single “vegan leather” seat pad, chunky road/trail tires and a dirty big black battery box in the middle that’s designed nicely enough to draw the eye away and not look too ugly.
Tarform aims to set the Luna apart from the pack with some interesting technological enhancements. First up, it’s modular, so you can upgrade the battery down the track, or add or change bodywork as and when options become available. Then there’s the radar blind spot detection, which alerts you to vehicles behind and to the side through seat vibrations in a manner similar to what the Damon electric hypersport bike promises. And there’s a rear facing camera to let you quickly check what’s happening behind you with a broader field of view than those mirrors. A Tarform app lets you “view the statistics” of your rides and “get insights that can help to become a better and safer rider,” so that’ll be nice for people who like their two-wheeled badass freedom machine to nag them after a ride. Also only 54 will be made. So, be sure to check 10 smallest folding electric mini bikes for sale.
