An electric motorbike with two gears? E-Motiv and BSA will show one at EICMA
Motorcycle News ·
Most electric motorcycles have just one gear. British company E-Motiv Shift Systems thinks two could be better, and it will show a retro-styled electric demonstrator with a two-speed gearbox at EICMA in Milan, 3–8 November 2026.
Why two gears?
Electric motors make strong torque across a wide rev range, which is why most electric bikes skip a gearbox. E-Motiv argues that two ratios offer the best of both:
- a low first gear for stronger acceleration
- a taller second gear so the motor runs more efficiently at highway speeds, which could help range
E-Motiv calls it a “seamless powershift transmission”, designed to keep torque flowing through the shift, with no gap in drive. The technology goes back about 25 years to the Zeroshift system, which Aprilia used in MotoGP in 2015.
Who’s involved
The bike, called Demo 1, came out of a £1 million project funded by the UK government. The partners are:
- BSA, the motorcycle maker
- the University of Bath
- the Institute of Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS), which is building it
- the British design consultancy Envisage, which designed it
Can you buy one?
Not yet. It’s a development project, not a bike headed for showrooms. Real-world testing starts in early 2027, and no production plans, motor or battery specifications have been announced.
For riders in Australia and New Zealand, where long distances between towns make range the big worry with electric bikes, a gearbox that improves highway efficiency is an idea worth following.
Sources
Details checked 30 October 2026.
