Blue Grass resident builds first Norton electric motorcycle

Brian Richardson tested his electric, zero-emissions Norton motorcycle on the lane in Blue Grass near his farm. "The bike accelerated very quickly, and was totally silent," he said. BLUE GRASS — If you're driving in the Blue Grass area and meet a machine that looks like a small airplane without wings, you might be getting a glance of Brian Richardson's latest motorcycle creation.

You can be certain it's Richardson if the machine makes no sound as it passes by.

Using pieces and parts bought mostly over the Internet, Richardson designed and built the first all electric, zero emissions motorcycle ever produced in the village of Blue Grass.

Those with some knowledge of motorcycle history will be interested to learn this is also the first ever Norton electric bike.

Richardson, one of two practicing attorneys in Highland County, has a longstanding fascination with machinery. He has been tinkering this way since he was a child, making changes to everything from his first bicycles to later mini-bikes, and motorcycles.

Highland County's Brian Richardson, 49, is a mild-mannered attorney by day, but spends much of his downtime tinkering with machines on the Blue Grass farm he shares with his wife, Betty Mitchell. His love of motorcycles goes back to childhood days, when he used to retool bicycles and his first dirt bikes. Here, he poses on his newest creation, an electric motorcycle he built this winter. (Photos courtesy Linda Holman) One of his greatest joys is restoring, modifying and improving older street and off-road motorcycles. A few years back, he acquired a number of Honda Trail 90 bikes that had been used extensively on farms before four-wheeler ATVs became a better choice for farm work.

After restoring a barn-fresh Trail 90 for his wife, Betty Mitchell, he began to think of other possibilities for this little workhorse machine.

Using the Trail 90 engine, transmission, frame, and parts purchased from around the country, Richardson fabricated, added, subtracted, and modified until he had built a bike for trials competition. After a little practice on his farm, he hauled the bike to the American Motorcyclist Association's Vintage Days in Ohio and entered the bike and himself as rider in the event. He did well as a rider, and he and his odd little machine became something of a crowd favorite. Using what he had learned that summer, he built a second bike, and competed with good results again at AMA Vintage Days the following year.

Always on the lookout for his next project, Richardson was then inspired by 2008 gas prices hitting $4 a gallon, and a documentary film called, "Who Killed the Electric Car." Richardson began brainstorming about building an electric vehicle. There was never any doubt it would have to be a motorcycle, and one with real performance and handling capabilities. The goal was a practical machine but one that also had a good measure of an ingredient important to every motorcyclist — the fun factor.

"I was fascinated by the possibility of a totally silent, performance oriented vehicle that could achieve the equivalent of 500 miles to the gallon (based on the price of gas)," he explained. "I was also interested in blending the old with the new. The frame is from the '66 Norton and the bodywork from the 1957 MV Augusta GP bike. A friend of mine said it's like a sailboat for motorcyclists. I really appreciated the comparison —that was the point."

His longtime love of Norton motorcycles, with a meticulously restored 1971 Commando in his bike room, meant the new bike would have to bear that name.

Norton had once produced a model called the Electra, and though it was gasoline powered, it provided further incentive to "go Norton." A famous Norton innovation from the 1960s, the Norton Featherbed Frame, prized for its road-holding characteristics, was chosen as a platform on which to build this new/old electric motorcycle. Shopping mostly online, Richardson soon had a frame and other parts for the chassis on the way to his Blue Grass farm.

As the chassis and bodywork began to take shape, local businesses Highland Welding and Wilt's Body Shop were enlisted to help with design, fabrication, welding and painting.

Welder Steve Good provided expertise on structural rigidity and mounting points for the motor, batteries, and controls. Wilt Simmons applied a coating of nice silver paint to the bodywork. The involvement of local artists and craftsmen in the project was an important aspect in the project for Richardson.

"It was an honor to be able to work on that project," Good said. "This is an example of small-town America that may help to put us on the map as far as cooperation among local businesses. When this project came in to our shop, it was clear that the homework had been done to make it a success. I'm very excited about it and think it will work, as it has already worked. Brian rode the bike to our shop the other day and I was not surprised to see it operational. I look forward to collaborating with him on future projects."

Meanwhile, components to power the bike were also on order. Probably the most important and last to arrive were batteries to form the battery pack. These are lithium ion batteries, central to advances in the design and performance of electric vehicles.

The bike is powered by a brushless AC motor and a 550 amp Curtis controller. This combination provides 50 hp and more than 100 foot-pounds of torque. This makes the bike slightly more powerful and no heavier than the original 1966 motorcycle from which it took its frame.

Most of the assembly was taking place in the Richardson farmhouse kitchen, on a section covered in white carpet. That part of the house, Richardson explained, often houses lambs in the winter, so building a motorcycle there did not seem out of the ordinary. "In winter, lambs and motorcycles," he said. And since this was an electric bike, there was no danger of dripping oil on the carpet, either.

By early February, as the bike was nearing completion, Richardson contacted the new owner of the Norton Motorcycle Co. and told him of his efforts. Stuart Garner is a British businessman who purchased all the trademarks and development work related to the Norton, Manx, Atlas, Commando, and Dominator brands, thus returning the brand to the U.K. This happened after nearly 15 years of U.S. ownership and a final failed attempt to restart the brand here in the states.

In a Norton press release, Garner said, "We are proud to have brought the brands back home and we now intend to focus on reestablishing Norton as a premier motorcycling brand across the world."

Garner responded with enthusiasm to Richardson's efforts to produce an electric bike and the two have remained in frequent contact.

One of the central goals for Richardson's project is to promote awareness of electric vehicles, particularly in high schools, colleges and universities around Virginia. With that in mind, he visited the engineering department at James Madison University in Harrisonburg and presented information on his progress. Dr. Robert Prins, mechanical engineer and assistant professor in that department, expressed great interest in involving JMU's alternative fuel vehicle lab in an advisory and support capacity.

Prins, too, is a motorcycle enthusiast with experience restoring vintage machines. His interest and expertise, along with that of the JMU engineering department, has provided a welcome boost to the project.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, the new machine rolled out the door of the farmhouse kitchen for its first operational test. A couple of short rides later, Richardson had confirmed that the power-pack, as set up for street use, makes the bike capable of easily maintaining highway speeds and, with reprogramming for the track, would go much faster.

He went back to work to wrap up final items that would ready it for testing with Prins.

With Prins due in Blue Grass the next day, Richardson took the bike for a good workout on the roads around Blue Grass on March 6. His impressions of good performance and better potential were supported by those who saw it on the road. Reports are that its unique appearance and silent running are remarkable, at least for those who happened to look up in time to see it pass.

March 7, Prins took his turn at some test rides and agreed with the early assessments of performance and handling, saying the bike offered a fun and exciting experience. He and Richardson continue fine-tuning, and deciding how best to involve JMU with future plans and demonstrations.

Richardson's Norton Electra, while already a success by many measures, is a work in progress. Further testing will ensure the machine will perform with reliable consistency as it is shown to various audiences around the state. Special care will be given to see that it retains the fun factors of powerful performance and good handling. Stay tuned for more news from Blue Grass.

Editor's note: Rich Holman of Monterey is serving his fourth year as a member of the Governor's Motorcycle Advisory Council, on which he chairs the Tourism Committee. The mission of the council is to promote motorcycle safety, business development, and tourism throughout Virginia. For more information, see: www.motorcycleva. com.