Electric Motorsport GPR-S Electric Motorcycle

All:
I took delivery of my new DOT approved GPR-S in November 2008. It's the AC version with 20, 50AH cells. I think it's the first registered in Texas and has the TAG "AC-001". I thought I would introduce it since there are no other owner reviews. The bike is about "250CC" size weighing in at 280 pounds. The frame is made by Tiger in Thailand (which also makes some Kawasaki frames). It comes with a backlited LCD dispay which shows speed, odometer, trip odometer and time. Mine also came with a Curtis Spyglass which also shows speed as well as BDI% (remaining battery), AMPS, Volts, controller temperature, and RPM. Mine has 20, 50AH HiPower LiFePO4 batteries, a Curtis 1236 controller and an AC-15 motor which I'm told can deliver about 30HP in this configuration. The bike has regen which provides very nice braking and gives a little energy back when stopping. Interestingly, the stop light is configured to activate when the regen is on. That's good as the regen provides good braking. Some other characteristics and performance points are listed below:

1. The craftsmanship, fit and finish of the bike is excellent. The only possible issue I have identified so far is the black cover on the access port on top of the tank which covers the cord storage area hinge that holds the electrical cord is weak. People will be breaking these off without much effort. The paint quality is excellent. The mechanical and electrical setup looks to be done with quality parts and workmanship. I wouldn't quite call it aircraft quality integration, but it's as good as my '08 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

2. The kickstand is great. It has a little handle that sticks out that makes it easy to kick it up. And it goes up and down a lot easier than the ones I rode in motorcycle school (which was a new bike with 600 miles). It is strong enough to rock the bike up on the kickstand and rotate the bike 180 degrees to get out of your parking spot. I have the lights on while riding and I can easily see the numbers on the main gauge which has MPH, Trip, Odo and clock.

3. The acceleration is relatively soft off the line but then comes on strong. This is typical of the AC version.  The SepEx version I'm told has more kick off the line, but I think the AC has a little more power and RPM on the top end.  The softness has it's advantages in that it makes for a very smooth and controlled take-off. This is programmed in the controller. There is good power after 20MPH and clearly acceleration per degree of throttle increase is much more at 35 MPH than it is at 5 MPH.  Top speed is said to be 80MPH, but I've only done 60 to date. There is still plenty of power left at that point. RPM at 55 is only 4300 of the 7500 authorized. The Spyglass indicates a max of 300AMPs at full throttle. A steady 30 MPH indicates a draw of about 30-32 AMPs. The regen is very strong. Under normal conditions in a housing area you don't use the brakes at all until you get below 3-5 MPH to get to the final rest. You can reduce power and not turn on the regen (or not hard), but when you turn the throttle all the way off it acts like a brake with about the same decel you would brake with under normal conditions.  In the AC version, the regen and brake lights are activated by either applying brakes or throttle off. The Spyglass indicates -14 AMPs when the regen goes on above 30MPH. I've ridden it in 20+ MPH winds gusting to 30 and could feel a little buffeting but it wasn't bad and tracked pretty straight. I have the optional windshield which is very nice.

4. When fully charged, the Spyglass indicates about 81 Volts. Range is from 35-50 miles for the "60 volt version".  The Spyglass was very accurate in describing watts remaining but I always set the odometer to 0 after each charge and if I'm going to be going more than 30 miles I keep an eye on the voltage level and ensure it stays above 60 resting. 

5. The seat is very comfortable and has a second seat and pegs for a passenger. There is no integrated storage for your helmet, but it does have an external lock with the same key as the main switch.

6. The noise generated by the motor / drive train is a little louder than I anticipated and has a turbine like sound. People in the housing area can hear me coming about 100-150 yards away. It's probably about the 75-78db level. It's a little louder when just taking off (5-15 MPH)and then quieter when cruising (25-40MPH).

7. The CG is low and it's very light and maneuverable so you feel like you can do anything on it.

 

On balance, a great bike!

 

ChuckJ

Full disclaimer, I don't actually own a GPR-S, I just took one for a test ride.

 

I went over to Electric Motorsports and had the chance to ride an upgraded GPR-S.  The model I took for a spin had an upgraded sepex system with regenerative braking.  It has a bit more performance than the standard model with a bit of a decrease in range.  The great thing about the GPR-S is that they can configure the bike easily for many different tastes.  More performance...no problem.

 

The most incredible thing about the GPR-S is how rider friendly it is.  Since it doesn't have a gearbox or a clutch, there is so little to worry about when riding it.  Basically you just operate a throttle and the brakes.  It's also surprisingly light (considering it's carrying 80 pounds in batteries) and has a low saddle height, so it should be comfortable for riders of all sizes.  I can't think of a better motorcycle to learn to ride on.  It also offers enough performance that riders with many years of experience would never be bored with it.

 

Basically, if you're looking for an all-electric motorcycle and want something with some performance and would prefer something without the "scooter look," you should check it out.

 

For detailed specs, check out Electric Motorsports GPR-S page.

I first came across the Tiger GPR-S on my search for a electric motorcycle online , the bike looked appealing  and the specs seemed very interesting , just what I was looking for .
However due to the hefty sticker price I decided to fly across the Country to see the product for myself.
I contacted the people at Electric Motorsport Inc. prior to my trip and let them know , what day I was arriving , that I was interested in purchasing one of their bikes but that I wanted to test drive it first before committing to a $ 10'950.-- dollar purchase .
My first experience was already worry some. I showed up at their offices and there was no one there . Everything was locked , no one answered the phones and it seemed to be virtually impossible to figure out when their actual hours of operations seemed to be .
With the help of the alarm company I was able to get a hold of Todd Anderson the office manager , who after I waited for almost 2 hours , finally showed up .

I did get to test drive the bike and was very pleased with the performance as well as it's appearance .

Against my better judgement , I went ahead and gave them a deposit and ordered my Tiger GPR-S.

It took nearly 6 months until my bike was delivered , it finally showed up in March - 2009 .

The first thing I came to notice when unpacking my new bike was the large amount of assembly that had to be done and the absence of proper assembly instructions. However between what i was given and 3 to 4 phone calls to Electric Motorsport Inc. , I was able to get it assembled . After I got my tags and insurance I took it for the first ride , which was everything I had expected and I was quiet excited and satisfied .
However after my third ride I noticed all of a sudden a loss of power and range . The condition started getting worse and it got to the point , where the bike started to jerk and accelerate very hesitantly .
I got on the phone with Todd Anderson from  Electric Motorsport Inc.. We first went through a slew of possible ,simple trouble shooting procedures , like loose battery wires and connectors etc., after all that failed to resolve the Issue , Todd Anderson mentioned he and one of their technicians would come to Florida and solve my issues with the bike.
That never happened , then I was told , that they had assigned a Golf cart repair company to trouble shoot my bike.
That also never happened . I ended up fining someone with the technical know how to perform the trouble shooting procedure Electric Motorsports Inc. recomended.The technician spend over 6 hours on the phone with Electric Motorsports Inc. , tech support staff , without success .

From the day I first encountered the problem with my bike , 4 months had gone by . I had spend over
$ 10'000.-- on a bike that did not work and Electric Motorsport Inc. did not seem to take it very serious and pay much attention to it.
Finally Todd Anderson from Electric Motorsports Inc.told me to crate up the bike and to return it for repair . I followed his instructions , disassembled the bike the same way it was and crated it up for shipping .

Once ready for transport I called Todd Anderson from Electric Motorsports Inc. and told him that he could advise his shipping company to pick up the crate , he then called me back the next day and advised me , that it was my responsibility to pay for the shipping cost to return a product that never worked .

I was quiet upset but felt myself cornered and ended up footing the bill.
To make a story short Electric Motorsports Inc.has had my bike and my money since July 2009 and refuses to refund my money and ignore any communication.
Now I have to sue Electric Motorsports Inc.to recuperate my hard earned money and with this story you can pretty much form your own opinion.
Their offices are mostly unoccupied and it is extremely difficult to make any contact with anyone in charge .
The owner Todd Collins appears to be very elusive and disconnected from his business and seems to have no interest in providing any kind of customer support and satisfaction.

My advise : STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE - THEY ARE IRRESPONSIBLE AND WITHOUT INTEGRITY !