“Make hay while the sun shines ‘cuz we’re on our way and we’re bringing some serious rain,” is the message Honda and Yamaha are sending to the new electric motorcycle companies that have been springing up like daisies. Only one of the two long-established Japanese brands has shown off battery-powered concepts in the recent past and neither has offered any for sale to the public. This has allowed new start-ups like Vectrix to begin establishing a strong presence. No more. Well, in a year or two, no more. Maybe.

Honda and Yamaha have reportedly both set launch dates for electric motorcycles. YaMoCo is looking at 2010 to offer a bike with 50cc-like performance with a 100km (62 mile) range. Not too impressive, but it’s a start. HoMoCo Honda, for their part, is targeting a model for a 2011 launch that is suited for the Japanese postal service who are said to be moving their 90,000-strong bike fleet to electric power. Lithium ion seems to be their battery chemistry of choice for the Japanese firms. While not seemingly overwhelming in the performance department, we suspect the two may be able to offer their wares at very competitive prices.

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BMW once came up with the idea to enclose a scooter and add some safety equipment to it. Crash tests showed surprisingly favorable results, but the idea never seemed to catch on and the C1 is no longer for sale. The fact that it already proved unsuccessful on the commercial market once hasn’t stopped others from considering the idea. One such group is the Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. A group of students at this high school has created an enclosed electric motorcycle which uses sixty volts worth of lithium phosphate batteries powering a Briggs and Stratton ETEK pancake-style permanent magnet electric motor.

The current configuration is said to be good for a top speed of sixty miles per hour and a range of forty miles. The chassis is constructed from chromoly tubing. The body is made from a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite and should therefore prove very strong. The full seat even features a seatbelt. We are not certain that anything quite like this will ever be available for purchase again, but its good to see it in concept form at least.

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