An Electric Motorcycle With Wood-Veneer Cool – Bike Find of the Day

While it may not be, technically, a motorcycle, the M-1 ebike from Marrs Cycles looks old school and packs newfangled technology which might just make it a cool as a motorcycle.

The company which makes this thing, founded by Kacy Marrs and his business partner, Brad Fanshaw, has a lineage traceable through the custom motorcycle and hotrod worlds.

Fanshaw built the cars, and like those cars, the new company’s M-1s are built to spec. Featuring rechargeable lithium battery packs, a three-phase, 48 volt, 15 amp brushless rear hub motor and high-end parts from various sources, the smallest battery pack available on the M-1 can carry a 175-pound rider up to 20 miles on a single charge – and that’s without pedaling to recharge.

By law, the M-1’s top speed under motorized power is a modest 20 mph. If it went any faster it couldn’t legally be sold as an electric bicycle in the U.S., but if you need more top end, Marrs says he has built “personal test bikes” capable of more performance. Those “outlaw” bikes can travel approximately 30 mph.

The M-1s, at about 140 pounds, is available in a number of frame colors and wood veneer options.  The bike’s frame is fabricated from 4130 chromoly steel and other components are a mixture of motorcycle, bicycle, and custom-made parts.

Expect to pay a minimum of $7,000 if you want one for yourself.

Rockers James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica, and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and Chickenfoot, do want one, and Marrs says he has a cherry wood version in production for Hetfield.

“This price is due to the high quality authentic motorcycle components we use and the labor involved in building our components,” said Marrs. “There is no other company that builds anything as close to a motorcycle while still allowing the product to fall under the electric bicycle category.”