I love this part of my job—seeing something gorgeous and saying, ‘I should write about it.’ Today, that something is the FTN Motion Streetdog, an electric motorcycle coming to Australia soon.
FTN Motion is a New Zealand-based company founded in 2015 in Wellington, when its founders began developing the original Streedog prototype. Since then, it has raised $6 million from private investors and has 15 employees. The company is now looking to cross the ditch.
The company announced on Instagram that the Streetdog has been ADR-approved. The company claims that it currently has one bike in the country clocking up kilometres.
Today, there are 160 examples of the Streetdog cruising around New Zealand—though it’s not explicitly an all-purpose motorcycle and is more meant to be a cute, emissions-free inner-city commuter. It’s styled as a cafe racer, with FTN Motion claiming that it’s capable of about 80km on a full battery (and a maximum speed of 50km/h). It’s classified as a motorbike, so you’ll need to be registered to ride such a vehicle in your state.
The battery is also removable. It has 30 litres of storage in a front storage box and can be charged either AC in public or at home (no DC charging is available).
Compared to an Australian-made electric bike that it’d be competing against, the Fonz Arthur (which has a moped-style), it has much less range, with the Arthur capable of 130km on a single charge and a maximum speed of 90km/h. A rider would pay $5,790 for the entry-level Arthur. Prices go up to $7,990 for the Arthur’s high-end version.
At the higher end, electric bike maker Savic offers two different options, with the cheapest costing $19,990. Harley-Davidson also offers the Livewire in Australia, with an MSRP of $49,995, though second-hand models can be found for as little as $27,990.
Meanwhile, the Streetdog will cost $12,000 in Australia, though customers will also be able to pick up the upgraded Streetdog80 if they want a little extra kick.
That pricing is going to make it difficult for the Streetdog to compete with the Fonz in the EV-focused market, but I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t look better. This thing is gorgeous, and if I had my motorcycle licence, I’d seriously be thinking about buying one of these bad boys.
Anyway – FTN Motion is expecting the Streetdog to arrive in Australia early next year.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia