Power To The Pedal

Forget the Fizzie – these days you could pedal, cycle-style, in the outside lane of the M25. But it’s going to cost you lots of cash...

- Peter Henshaw

Electric motorcycles are all very well, but Stefan Gulas, an ex-mining engineer from Austria, thinks all of them miss the point.

“Basically,” he says, “they have just replaced the petrol motor with an electric and not changed anything else, so I thought, why not build something completely different?”

His answer is the Gulas Pi1S, a sort of cross between a supermoto and an electric bicycle. On one hand, it has pedals, which control the power, and an electric motor, but no twistgrip. On the other, the motor puts out 38bhp and the rolling chassis – strong looking alloy frame, suspension, brakes and wheels/ tyres – consists of proper motorcycle items, with Marzocchi forks, Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and Excel rims. The result is something with the weight of a 125, the power of a Kawasaki Z300 and 74lb-ft of torque, the latter delivered in the usual instant electric fashion.

RIDING THE GULAS