Photo: White Motorcycle Concepts
Not long ago British Formula One engineer Rob White created a motorcycle company called White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC). The stated goal for its existence is to set the land speed record for electric motorcycles, using a two-wheeled contraption unlike any other out there: the WMC250EV.
By that I don't mean the bike features some quantum leap in the way of battery or electric motors, but it does come with a new aerodynamic technology that should make better use of existing drivetrains. And by new aerodynamic technology I mostly mean a big hole running from the front of the bike to its rear.
Back when WMC presented its idea that big hole was called V-Air. Built with lessons learned from cars raced in Formula 1 and Le Mans, it is essentially a large duct that runs right through the bike, forcing incoming air through it instead of around.
This approach is supposed to reduce the ride's aerodynamic resistance by as much as 70 percent compared to high-performance road bikes. We should have seen the WMC250EV in action, proving that statement and chasing the speed record, back in 2022, but for one reason or another that didn't happen. What happened was that last year WMC met up with the guys from Zero Motorcycles at the EICMA show, and a funky new idea was born: to create a Zero electric motorcycle that uses the WMC V-Air.
The tangible result of that idea is what you're looking at in the attached gallery: a modified Zero SR/S, the "world's first electric sports bike" to feature the aerodynamic duct, or the WMCSRS concept.
The ride seems to have remained unmodified as far as its powertrain is concerned, but its frame did receive a vertically bifurcated duct that runs directly through its center. Its purpose is to channel the air picked up from behind the front wheel and release it through the rear of the bike, above the rear wheel.
This modification is said to reduce the aerodynamic drag the bike experiences by some ten percent, but it is not the only changee made. To make sure as much air as possible enter the duct, Zero and WMC came up with a new front fender design, and an improved fork shroud package.
The effects of such a mod go beyond decreasing drag. This improvement also translates into better range without altering the drivetrain, especially when the bike is traveling at high speeds. It also means bikes with better could be cheaper, or at least stay the same in terms of price, as the same battery and motor can be used, only with better results.
As far as I can tell there are presently no plans to make the air duct a constant feature of Zero motorcycles. The two companies say the WMCSRS concept is only a "demonstration of what is possible when two innovative companies work together."
The WMCSRS concept will be displayed in public next week, during the Motorcycle Live show taking place in Birmingham, the UK.
Back when WMC presented its idea that big hole was called V-Air. Built with lessons learned from cars raced in Formula 1 and Le Mans, it is essentially a large duct that runs right through the bike, forcing incoming air through it instead of around.
This approach is supposed to reduce the ride's aerodynamic resistance by as much as 70 percent compared to high-performance road bikes. We should have seen the WMC250EV in action, proving that statement and chasing the speed record, back in 2022, but for one reason or another that didn't happen. What happened was that last year WMC met up with the guys from Zero Motorcycles at the EICMA show, and a funky new idea was born: to create a Zero electric motorcycle that uses the WMC V-Air.
The tangible result of that idea is what you're looking at in the attached gallery: a modified Zero SR/S, the "world's first electric sports bike" to feature the aerodynamic duct, or the WMCSRS concept.
The ride seems to have remained unmodified as far as its powertrain is concerned, but its frame did receive a vertically bifurcated duct that runs directly through its center. Its purpose is to channel the air picked up from behind the front wheel and release it through the rear of the bike, above the rear wheel.
This modification is said to reduce the aerodynamic drag the bike experiences by some ten percent, but it is not the only changee made. To make sure as much air as possible enter the duct, Zero and WMC came up with a new front fender design, and an improved fork shroud package.
The effects of such a mod go beyond decreasing drag. This improvement also translates into better range without altering the drivetrain, especially when the bike is traveling at high speeds. It also means bikes with better could be cheaper, or at least stay the same in terms of price, as the same battery and motor can be used, only with better results.
As far as I can tell there are presently no plans to make the air duct a constant feature of Zero motorcycles. The two companies say the WMCSRS concept is only a "demonstration of what is possible when two innovative companies work together."
The WMCSRS concept will be displayed in public next week, during the Motorcycle Live show taking place in Birmingham, the UK.
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