All Tests – Electric motorcycle test: H-KER Electric Racer – Factory at watts!

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Electric motorcycle test: H-KER Electric Racer

All Tests - Electric motorcycle test: H-KER Electric Racer - Factory at watts!

Never short of electrifying ideas, the friendly French team H-KER is riding the vintage wave with its Cafe Racer type motorcycle produced in only three copies. Special feature of the Electric Racer: its electric motor ! First contact.

Watt factory !

In town, this extremely fine management of "gas" is a real asset, especially as it is combined with the ease offered by the absence of gears to change: like on a scooter, the user manual is easy to use. assimilate.

Despite its lack of warning and its mirror placed too low to be effective, the French Cafe Racer fits gracefully between the lines. But navigating there gets complicated very quickly, as the turning radius is high (7 meters according to H-KER) !

In terms of performance, the Electric Racer blows hot and cold … Several standing starts made by MNC alongside a Honda SH125 confirm our first impression: despite its advertised 35 hp, the bike is not very lively. when the engine starts. From 0 to 20 km / h, the Honda scooter for example compares to acceleration, despite its deficit of 23 hp !

The H-KER suffers in this phase (!) From its high weight compared to its engine performance, with 160 kg declared "all loads done". But if the 135 kg all full made of the SH125 give it the advantage at the start, the substantial torque (61 Nm) of the electric motorcycle allows it to quickly regain – and maintain – the ascendancy..

From 30 km / h, the thrust is equivalent to that of a good 300 – even 400 cc – and knows no dead time up to 90 km / h. Linear but damn tough, this rise in power provides lightning revivals (!) At usual speeds.

On a surface made slippery by the cold and winter humidity, this good dose of torque is even able to overcome the grip of the 130 mm wide rear tire. In fact, the fitment in Michelin Sporty (rather recommended for small displacement) appears a little overwhelmed by events !

From 100 km / h, the power curve slows down noticeably: the acceleration loses its force and the readable needle of the meter grabs the following graduations with less speed. This is enough to take a fast lane and overtake it without being afraid, but hardly more.

Thrust "full watts" by MNC, the Electric Racer reached an honest top speed of 146 km / h meter … which must nevertheless be subtracted 10 to 12 km / h "of optimism" from the tachometer. At this pace, the stability seemed good to us, as did the ability to dive in curves: the geometric values ​​retained by Yves Kerlo (24 ° caster angle and 1370 mm of wheelbase, in particular) therefore seem relevant..

On the other hand, the heavy battery positioned high up fatally affects handling, as well as maneuvering with the engine "unplugged". The center of gravity placed too high is felt during changes of direction at low speed, forcing an effort that the general dimensions of the bike did not suggest. At this time, the half-handlebars would exchange well against a straight and wider handlebars to improve the lever arm. !

In curves, this phenomenon is reflected by a tendency to "engage" and by a certain heaviness from the front to the point of chord. This phenomenon is reduced by gaining speed but never completely disappears.

Finally, in terms of braking, the Electric Racer has devices as powerful as they can be dosed (at the front as well as at the rear), which turns out to be an excellent thing in the absence of engine braking! Note that for cost reasons in particular, the motorcycle is not equipped with a braking energy recovery system for the benefit of autonomy.

Three copies only !

Regarding autonomy precisely, it would be possible to perform between "120 and 130 km"in mixed urban use with the battery fully charged according to Yves Kerlo. An" eco "mode (which can be operated when stationary via a switch located on the left of the cockpit) makes it possible to extend this distance, but operation then becomes unpleasant (weather latency during acceleration and engine limited).

Unfortunately, despite our desire to concretely verify these important data relating to autonomy – the weak point of practically all electric vehicles – MNC did not have the opportunity to do so because this rapid contact was limited. 60 km away, mainly in the city !

The gauge indicating the remaining autonomy on the right of the LCD screen dropped four bars out of eleven at the end of this first test. The designer of this amazing Electric Racer will tell us that the mileage drops rapidly when the engine is kept at full speed: up to 90/100 km / h, electricity consumption remains reasonable, beyond "she explodes", admits Yves Kerlo.

Once flat, the "E-Cafe Racer" battery can be recharged directly from a domestic socket (220 V / 16 A) using a cable provided for this purpose stored under the saddle. The opportunity to note that this "extension" takes up practically all the space available under the saddle, and that it is especially installed "va-comme-je-te-push": on a motorcycle invoiced 16,900 euros, a cable reel would have been welcome !

The fact remains that this system simplifies the recharging operation, unlike others which require removing the battery and plugging it in at home: practical when living in the fifth floor without an elevator! But conversely, this "wire" motorcycle requires to have a plug near his garage – which is prohibited by many trustees in apartment buildings – or his workplace….

Once the connection is made, the battery can be charged via small diodes visible through a window on the left side of the tank. No need, however, to hope for miracles on this point: it takes nine hours for a full recharge, knowing that it is possible to recharge at any time because the battery has no "memory effect".

This consequent charging time can be halved by opting for an additional charger, on condition of having two sockets and adding an additional 500 euros to the purchase price..

However, if the price and the constraints seem dissuasive, let us remember that this motorcycle is the fruit of the work of passionate French craftsmen who try to bring their contribution to the building with a lot of goodwill and limited means..

The Electric Racer is an electric motorcycle not only rather powerful but also very rare: only three examples were built before the battery supplier failed H-KER, which means that it is no longer possible to build a strictly similar model. This is from the "trendy" limited series !

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