The electric motorcycle market is a rapidly growing one, thanks to brands like Zero and Damon. Electric bicycle (e-bike) technology is also becoming increasingly popular, with suppliers such as Valeo and makers like VanMoof bringing new e-bike offerings to market every year. But there’s also a push to fill the gap in the market between full-sized e-motorcycles and e-bicycles.

LAND, a startup EV manufacturer headquartered in Cleveland, is one company looking to fill that void. It recently announced it has started U.S. production of its new District E Moto, a two-wheeled vehicle that performs as an e-bicycle, e-moped, and e-motorcycle through a ride mode selection interface. Mode 1 is for E-Bike – Class 2 with a 27-mph (43-km/h) limit, Mode 2 is E Moped (limits differ by state), Mode 3 is Motorcycle (range x power), and Mode 4 is Motorcycle (power) with a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h).

“The District is unique to the electric vehicle space in that it bridges the gap between two markets: the e-bike and the e-motorcycle,” said LAND Founder and CEO Scott Colosimo. “The four ride modes accommodate a wide range of experience and comfort levels, and the removable battery platform allows the rider to power up and stay connected on the go. We are excited to be entering U.S. production and look forward to shipping our first orders.”

LAND offers an E Moto ecosystem with a single, hot-swap power platform called CORE, which can power devices anywhere, allowing a user to untether from the grid to improve user experience and efficiency. The distributed power bank is smart, connected, and intended to work across all LAND products—powering the user’s devices and providing a small-scale, home-backup system.

The company chose a minimalist design language for its products as a reflection of its desire to simplify the product and tech. Its first product, the District, uses CNC sheet bending and laser-cut DOM tubing, with hand welding in its factory in Cleveland, OH—all to eliminate tooling and reduce time to market.

The bike’s geometry has a neutral rake and trail to build the rider’s confidence by making the bike stable, yet nimble. The company designed a chassis that is agnostic to technology. When its tech gets old, an owner can swap in newer tech without scrapping the vehicle. By going electric, the company says it has reduced hundreds of moving parts to a single rotating stator, reducing the complexity and parts count radically.

The District’s initial design is powered by a single, hot-swap, 1.8-kW·h battery providing 40 mi (64 km) of range. An optional second battery is available that doubles that to 80 mi (128 km). The District’s 8-15 amp battery charging system is compatible with standard household outlets and features a standard USB-C and USB-A accessory (phone) charger.

LAND builds each District with Magura DOT dual-piston front and rear brakes, Pirelli Angel City DOT tires, and full air rear suspension with EVOL valve from Fox.

The company announced a starting price for the District of $7020 after a 10% Federal EV tax credit. The first production run will consist of 120 units.

 

Kevin Jost contributed to this article.