From Bantam to Bobber, the Veitis Electric Motorbike was born
I was totally impressed with the bobber styling of the Veitis electric motorcycle when I saw it at the Staffordshire Bike Show. So, I had the great pleasure of meeting Managing Director, Steve Smith at MotorCycle Live to find out more about this fascinating machine.
Many electric bikes up until now have either been bland, quirky or followed a futuristic theme, so to find this classic looking gem sparked my imagination. There is something quite special about the look and feel of this bike that would appeal to not just eco-bikers that are environmentally friendly, but also traditional bikers that are looking for style and familiarity.
Although Steve completed his Mechanical Engineering Degree at Exeter University, he decided not to pursue this career and followed his passion for sailing, extensively travelling for several years on a zero emissions boat. He had no real interest in motorbikes, so how his story unfolded was intriguing.
About three years ago one of his friends encouraged him to buy an old BSA Bantam as a means of transport. It was light enough to lift on and off his sailboat, but it had to be inconveniently drained of fuel and covered with rags to stop oil drips. One day he was stopped at a pedestrian crossing in Nice, revving his smoky two-stroke just to keep it ticking over; an elegant lady gave him a disguising look as she coughed on his exhaust fumes which ignited his imagination.
He bought another BSA Bantam and fitted an electric motor onto the frame to not only be true to his environmental values, but also the ease of transporting this machine. He gained quite a following on social media and was encouraged to develop a production model. Originally his intention was to upgrade the Bantam frame, but practically it was too small. He wanted to keep the classical feel about his project and was inspired by a picture of a bobber that he really liked. This became his referencing lighthouse, keeping him on track.
This is an exciting story unfolding from a true British project, with a clear focus and market. These individually hand-built bikes are due for production in 2019 and it would be great if everyone could get behind this amazing vision from an inspiring guy.
Steve is self-funding his venture, but I’m sure he would welcome any investment to speed the project along, so feel free to get in touch with him.
Steve Smith at www.veitis.com