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Saroléa reveals electric SP7
Historic Belgian motorcycle marque Saroléa has unveiled its very modern electric superbike, the SP7, which has a top speed of 250km/hReborn Belgian motorcycle manufacturer Saroléa has revealed its new SP7 electric superbike for the very first time, with the model breaking over at the Speed Trophy historic car and bike event at Belgium’s Mettet circuit on April 26, 2014.
While the historic brand – one of the very first producers of motorcycles – produced its last production bike over half a century ago, it’s now making a dramatic comeback with a truly cutting-edge machine: an electric superbike capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.
The SP7 features a monotube carbon-fibre chassis and a 130kW/400Nm axial flux electric motor, the latter pushing a retro café-racer-styled package said to weigh in at a claimed 200kg. The single-speed bike has no clutch and features regenerative braking, while the powered is laid down to the ground via a chain final drive.
The interesting pastiche of old and new is set to contest the TT Zero Challenge at the 2014 Isle of Man TT, where Stoddart Racing superbike rider Robert Wilson will push the Saroléa name back into the limelight with the guidance of Saroléa Racing Project Manager, Torsten Robbens.
Robbens designed the SP7 while the drivetrain was developed by Thijs De Ridder, also building of Belgium’s first electric bike. The fourth member of the Saroléa team is Bram Vergote, who is in charge of the project’s mechanical components and tooling.
The SP7 will also be campaigned in the eRoad Racing FIM World Cup.
The team recently secured the backing of Bridgestone, which will provide the team with both its technical expertise and its Battlax V02 racing slicks.
Wilson is a rookie contender at the Isle of Man, having contested the punishing Mountain circuit for the first time in 2011, but that year also saw him achieve a 120.988mph lap average in the Senior TT aboard the Stoddart Racing Kawasaki.
Saroléa was founded in Belgium by Joseph Saroléa in 1850 as a weapons factory. Bicycle production began in 1892 and motorcycles not long after, making it one of the very first motorcycle manufacturers. Under the management of his sons, production grew to 75 bikes a day in 1929, but after a tumultuous few decades the company closed its doors in 1963.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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