The Arc Vector is a $111,000 electric work of art that you can ride

0 0 Editorial Team June 17, 2019 Edit this post

By Kyle Hyatt, Roadshow

Remember when the Harley-Davidson Livewire's pricing was announced, and people were livid that it was going to cost over $30,000? Well, those same people are likely to burst a blood vessel when they see the Arc Vector's price tag.

Now, to be totally fair, Livewire is meant to be a volume production motorcycle, and the Arc Vector -- announced earlier this month -- is a super-limited functional design study, so the fact that it's going to set its 399 potential buyers back $111,000 is less of a surprise. Still, that's a boatload of greenbacks, so what do you get for all that money?

What you're getting the most of is style, and for a "this doesn't look like anything else"-to-dollars ratio, it's not such a bad deal. Still, it's not going to be for everyone, and personally, I think it's a little "much," but taste is subjective.

Next, you get a ton of carbon fiber. Most of the bike is made of the stuff. That includes the bike's monocoque frame and both of its swing arms. Yes, that's right, I said both. It's got a swing arm up front, too, because it uses hub-center steering. All that carbon helps keep weight down to a respectable 485 pounds, which is comparable to most ICE-powered sportbikes.

You're also getting a surprising amount of claimed range for your motorcycle dollar. The makers of the Vector suggest that it's capable of 270 miles combined. That outpaces just about every other electric moto on the market if it's legit, even if that's measured on the slightly more generous WLTP cycle rather than our EPA cycle.

As far as power goes, with 133 horsepower on tap, you're not going to set the world on fire. But it's always torque that shines with electric motors and strangely, the Vector only produces 109 pound-feet of the stuff. By comparison, the Vespa Elettrica scooter puts down 148 lb-ft despite making just 5.36 hp.

Is the Arc Vector worth its wild asking price? We haven't ridden it so we can't say for sure, but based solely on the numbers and aesthetics, we'd say no. We'd probably go and buy three Livewires and find two friends instead.