During our test of the Verge TS we interviewed Spencer Cutlan, marketing manager of the Finnish company, who told us about this curious electric motorcycle characterized by the rear wheel without a hub, which integrates the electric motor with 1,000 Nm of torque inside. This interview, which we reproduce below, was the most read of 2022, thus deserving a place among our “Top of the years 2022” articles.
When was Verge Motorcycle born?
“It made its official debut at Eicma 2019, before the company was called RMK”.
What caused the name change?
“We think Verge Motorcycles is a more attractive name.”
How long did the development of TS take?
“If we start from the first sketches, it took 4 years to get to this prototype”.
Do you follow all the development of the bike internally?
“Absolutely yes. The design, the frame, the chassis, the engine, the electronics… it’s all developed internally by us. We only relied on an external company that helped us develop the physics of the vehicle and on some suppliers for spare parts, such as Öhlins suspensions, Brembo calipers and Galfer discs. The latter products specifically for our bike”.
What guided you in the creation of this design?
“We wanted to create something different, new. Currently in the electric field, many of the manufacturers take the engine and the battery and then build a motorcycle around it. Instead, we have put the engine in the wheel at the center of everything, to which we have combined all the characteristics we wanted on a motorcycle. In addition, ours is a “modular” solution. In addition to the single-seater layout that you see here, we are already thinking about a two-seater version, one with side bags designed for travel… Anything is possible”.
Why did you choose this unconventional engine solution?
“This solution is the pinnacle of design and our engineers believe it is also the only way to transmit all available power to the wheel. It is therefore a hubless wheel, a design object but also very functional at the same time. We don’t need drive chains, belts, gearboxes, oil… Here’s the engine and that’s it. This also makes maintenance much easier. But above all it is a more efficient propeller than traditional electric motors”.
Is the friction less compared to a traditional motorbike?
“Yes, exactly, having no chains or belts we have no loss of power from the engine to the wheel. The weight of the wheel/engine block also helps us improve the grip of the tire on the ground”.
What kind of maintenance does the motor in the wheel require?
“It’s really very small. The only thing that needs to be done is to check the tyre, as you would on any motorcycle. Then every year we recommend checking that everything is perfectly coupled, but we are more than calm about this: we have never encountered any problems during our tests”.
Doesn’t this layout complicate changing the rear tire?
“No, changing tires is really very simple, it takes no more than ten minutes. You have to put the bike on a central stand and then unscrew the 5 large nuts located on the left side of the swingarm, those near the footpeg. Then all the nuts on the edge of the circle are unscrewed. This frees the rim with the rubber from the engine, which remains integral with the right side of the swingarm. After that it is replaced like a normal rubber. To reassemble everything, simply reverse the procedure. The engine is not touched at all during the tire change”.
So can a normal tire specialist also change the tyre?
“Absolutely yes. We also used a 240 rear tire also because this size is easy to find on the market”.
How do you manage the heating of the electric motor?
“The engine is cooled via those big aluminum fins inside the rim. The stator itself is integrated inside the fins, thus ensuring cooling”.
Does engine warming have no effect on the rear tyre?
“No, from all the tests we’ve done, even stressing the bike, we’ve never had any problems of this kind.”
Why didn’t you adopt a hubless wheel on the front as well?
“We thought about it, also having a front wheel without a hub was a possible solution. But we wanted our first product to be something innovative, but immediately recognizable as a “normal” motorcycle. We didn’t want to overturn the classic idea of a motorcycle”.
How many motorcycles do you think you can produce in a year?
“We have a production capacity of about 150 motorcycles a year”.
What will the future of Verge Motorcycles hold?
“I can’t tell you much, I can only tell you that we have something very exciting in the works. We are a young company with a lot of phenomenal ideas. We are flexible, open to the future. You will see some beautiful ones. Something different from everything you’ve been used to seeing so far will come.”
