Buell Fuell Fllow marks Buell's electric return … almost

The pandemic forced Eric Buell’s plans to the side, same as everyone else’s. The American motorcycle designer is finally back — almost — with the electric two-wheeler we first met in 2019. The company is called Fuell and has sold an electric bicycle called the Flluid-1S since last year. The motorcycle is called the Fllow, packing a motor with a claimed 47 horsepower and ridiculous 553 pound-feet of peak torque to move its 400-pound weight in the highest Fllow-1S trim. The bike’s designed to serve urban commuters with a claimed real-world range of 150 miles from a 10-kWh battery, a 3.5-second acceleration to 62 miles per hour, and an 85-mph sustained top speed for highway stints. A 15-hp version allows European riders with restricted licenses to throw a leg over.

At a 50-kW CCS fast charger, the 400-volt architecture can juice the battery from 20% to 80% in less than 15 minutes, from empty to full in under 30 minutes. The LCD screen displays data and runs apps for features like GPS and tracking that can be updated over-the-air. Buell says nearly the entire bike can be upgraded just like those apps, with the modular battery, rear wheel motor, charging socket, and accent panels all swappable. For instance, European buyers who start with the 15-hp motor can swap for the 47-hp motor when their licenses allow. 

Placing the hub motor inside the rear wheel opens space in the magnesium frame for storage. Riders will find a 1.5-gallon void where the gas tank would normally be, enough to fit a small bag and a full-face helmet.

The Fllow’s made to accommodate two riders — note the rear handles and footpegs — but that pillion seat and ergonomics might be more slippery than one would hope. 

Fuell asks $11,995 for the Fllow. That’s nearly half the price of the Harley-Davdson LiveWire One, $1,000 more than the Zero S that offers 89 miles of urban range, and nearly double the price of the Sonders Metacycle that has a “real world range of 60 miles” from a 4-kWh battery.

There are two crowdfunding campaigns to get through before the Fllow can get to market, though. The first is being run on Prelaunch.com, described as a market validation platform used to judge whether there’s audience appetite for a product. Buell told Treehugger, “The only way to avoid wasting your time and resources on unexpected scenarios is to do market validation.” The company’s looking for 3,000 pre-orders, each with a refundable $200 deposit. Anyone who signs up at Prelaunch would get a $2,000 discount on the Fllow and a Fuell x Veldt carbon helmet that retails for $1,060, if the Fllow survives the next hurdle, which would be a campaign on Kickstarter or the like. You know where to register your interest.