THE TECH SAID: IF I RUN OVER A DIME
I can tell you what year it was minted.
With the new suspension I hunt down manhole covers for fun.
Readers of these pages will know Rob Swartz from his 67 land-speed records at The Loring Timing Association at Loring AFB in Maine (Rider-E Nov. 2023) and the two-way Electric Cannonball Run he organized with Steven Day a couple of years ago (Rider-E April 2022) which resulted in a 115-hour L.A. to NYC record that still stands to this day.
Rob’s goal at Energica of New England was not only to sell and work on the highest-performing electric motorcycles but also to develop and offer a host of aftermarket accessories for the growing body of Energica riders. Initially these were all designed by Rob and his team and sourced from U.S. suppliers but now Rob is also importing accessories from Electric Motorcycle Netherlands, created by another well-known pioneer in the global Energica community, Marchel Bulthius aka “Electric Addict #111”.
Like any innovator, Rob’s racing isn’t just motivated by a need for speed, but to test new components in figuring out ways to improve on what came out of the crate. While we often fixate on horsepower and torque, suspension is also vital to performance, and that’s where Rob’s new offering comes in.
Rob worked closely with Andreani USA for an aftermarket improvement of our standard forks and absorbers which have transformed the stock setup for street and track riders alike. The kit features a sophisticated Andreani Monotube front fork internals upgrade for your Marzocchi front forks, and an Ohlins rear shock which has been updated to our specifications, providing Energica riders with a level of adjustability previously unattainable. Each click makes a perceptible difference in handling with 40 mm more travel vs. the standard bike. For enhanced versatility, a one-inch lowering kit option caters to riders who want a different stance and center of gravity without sacrificing cornering clearance or handling.
The test bike was the personal EsseEsse9+ that Rob ran at Loring, and although that model is no one’s idea of a track bike, everyone reports that the handling has been totally transformed. Sounds hard to believe but consider that this crew did the suspension work on Stefano Mesa’s EVA Ribelle RS Super Hooligan bike, so they surely know what they are doing.
