Paris custom bike shop Mototherapy has developed a kit to convert a BMW Boxer bike to run on electricity.
Removing the engine, gearbox and airbox leaves plenty of space for batteries and a motor, while Mototherapy has cleverly packaged the bike’s cells to mimic the Boxer’s twin cylinder heads and provide the low centre of gravity that Boxer riders are so used to.
A 20 kW motor sits where the gearbox used to and uses the bike’s original driveshaft to deliver up to 250 lbft of torque to the rear wheel. The batteries provide a 93-mile range and take six hours to recharge, although the company is working on a rapid charger.
Mototherapy calls its conversion project Ride Mercury and the first bike to receive the treatment is an R75, which was fully restored before the electrification process. “Our primary goal is to breathe new life into motorcycles with character,” company founder Jean-Marie Raymon told Bike Exif. “This focus has led us to place functionality at the center of our considerations. We’re not interested in creating a showroom curiosity; we aim for a conscious and useful enhancement.”
The bike costs €29,500 and deliveries will begin in 2024, while a DIY kit is also on the cards for the further down the line.
There are plenty of people converting classic cars to EV power, but this is the first time we’ve seen a bike get the electro-mod treatment. Would you swap the off-beat thrum of a Boxer engine for electric oomph?
