Estonia doesn’t just have the most super-models per capita, it is also home to Verge Motorcycles and if the new Verge TS is anything to go by, the Estonians also know a thing or two about two wheel craziness.
The Verge TS is entirely electric and sports a 375 km range but this is not the Verge’s party trick – that is reserved for the headline grabbing, head banging torque. The Verge’s 1200Nm of torques, available instantly, promises to be more addictive than crack cocaine! The 0-100km/h sprint of just 2.5 seconds will also keep owners on their toes.
None of this, though, can be seen from the outside. Parked on the street, the Verge looks just like any other performance street bike… with the exception of the craziest back wheel you’re ever likely to see. Verge claims to have designed what will become the “future of motorcycle design”. The hub-less electric rim motor is at the core of the Verge TS’s design and sees the back wheel form the electric motor. This allows direct drive to the rear wheel and frees up space for the battery pack.
I have some concerns about the unsprung mass of the motor/wheel combo as well as the overall weight of the electric platform. Verge promises that the weight of the heavy battery is set low in the chassis, resulting in minimal impact on handling. This might be true, but at 245kg the Verge is 70kg heavier than a Ducati Panigale V4. Both are similarly priced premium motorcycles producing 200-odd horsepower. The Ducati might be lighter but the Italian stallion has no chance of competing with the almost instant 1200Nm offered by the Estonian upstart.
In order to address the additional unsprung weight of the Verge’s unique drivetrain, the company has employed super high quality suspension from both Ohlins and Wilbers (depending on which model you choose). Only a test ride will reveal if this is an issue.
Am I keen to try a 1200Nm motorcycle? Like you wouldn’t believe!
Adam – or Flipsy as he’s known to Trev – is one of Trev’s best mates going back to high-school. He knows more about cars than many would care to imagine so he’s the perfect fit to find the whacky, innovative and new stories about and around cars at CES in Las Vegas.
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