Let's be honest. Electric motorcycles have so far fallen into two categories. The first is those that look like kitchen appliances on steroids and have the charisma of a toaster. The second is those that cost as much as a studio apartment in Ljubljana, but you can't even get to the sea on them without reading War and Peace while waiting at a charging station. But it seems that the Barras brothers from Hong Kong have finally found the holy grail with their new project BBM Hiro Streetfighter. Or at least a very good approximation.
In the world of motoring and motorcycling, we are used to promises. “Revolutionary”, “groundbreaking”, “incredible”. Usually these words just mean that they have added a new touchscreen. But the story of the company BBM (Better By Mistake? No, I'm kidding, it's a serious matter) is different. Behind it are Guillaume and Benoît Barras, two guys who have spent the last 20 years in their workshop Angry Lane in Hong Kong. They weren't drawing consumption graphs in Excel, but rather, with their hands in oil, they transformed classic engines into works of art. And when the guys who understand the soul of the machine switch to electric, we all have to shut up for a moment and listen. Their debut, BBM Hiro Streetfighter, is not just another electric toy. It is a serious attempt to solve the “holy trinity” of electric vehicle problems: weight, range, and charging speed. Most manufacturers force you to choose two. BBM claims to give you all three.
Technology that smells like the racetrack
The heart of the BBM Hiro Streetfighter wasn't born in a garage. BBM has cleverly partnered with Belgian EV specialists Saroléa. If the name doesn't ring a bell, let me give you a hint: these guys know how to make fast stuff for the Isle of Man TT Zero.
The result of this collaboration is a battery pack with a capacity of 12.96 kWh. Sounds small? Maybe for a car. For a motor that weighs just 200 kg (441 lbs), it's just right. The key advantage, however, is not in size, but in the cooling technology. The pack uses passive cooling for the cells and liquid cooling for the motor and inverter. Simply put: the thing doesn't overheat when you drive it or when you plug it into a fast charger.
“This is not a bike for those who like to wait. This is a bike for those who are in a hurry to live.”
Photo: BBMPhoto: BBM
Numbers that don't lie (and some are scary)
Let's leave the BBM Hiro Streetfighter philosophy aside and look at the numbers that interest us most. The radial electric motor sends 70 kW (94 hp) of power to the rear wheel. That's a number that every motorcyclist respects. But when it comes to electrics, torque is king. The Hiro offers 150 Nm (111 lb-ft) of torque, which is available instantly. Not at 5,000 rpm. Instantly.
What does this mean in practice?
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (0-60 mph): 3.5 seconds. That's faster than most people need to find the turn signal button.
Final speed: Electronically limited to 190 km/h (118 mph). Enough to lose your driving license in any country in the world.
The most impressive data, however, is not the driving speed, but the charging speed. BBM promises that at a DC fast charger you can add 100 kilometers (62 miles) of range in just 9 minutes. You can charge the battery to 80 % in 15 minutes. That’s the time you need to have a coffee and check Instagram. We’ve finally reached the point where “range anxiety” (fear of a dead battery) is becoming a thing of the past.
Design: When functionality meets art... the engine is happy
Coming from the world of custom builders, the Barras brothers couldn't make an ugly bike. The Hiro Streetfighter looks fantastic. The frame is made of chrome-molybdenum steel (a classic that works), the subframe is made of aluminum, and the body is made of - get this - bio-composites. Not only are they lighter and more durable, they're also completely recycled. Sustainable, yet sexy.
The suspension and brakes were not left to chance. Up front we find 43mm inverted forks with 120mm of travel, a fully adjustable monoshock at the rear, and stopping is handled by Brembo radial calipers biting into 320mm discs. This is no toy, this is hardware for serious cornering.
What about the BBM Hiro Streetfighter's range? The manufacturer claims a range of over 220 km (137+ miles) in city driving. On the highway, where air resistance becomes your worst enemy, that number will likely drop to somewhere between 160 and 180 km (100–112 miles). But with the ability to charge quickly, that's no longer a fatal flaw.
The motor offers multiple riding modes and a companion app that lets you fine-tune power delivery and regenerative braking. Since we're living in 2025, this is of course to be expected.
Conclusion: Dream or reality?
BBM Hiro Streetfighter On paper, it sounds like a dream package. It combines the aesthetics of a custom shop, the technology of racing engineers, and the usability that electric bikes desperately need. Price? Estimated at around €16,900 (around €18,400 $). It's not cheap, but when you look at the prices of the competition (khm, LiveWire, khm), it's surprisingly competitive.
The only problem? The wait. The first pre-production prototypes will be available in mid-2026, with Europe getting it soon after, and the US and Asia not until 2027. A lot can happen in the market until then. But if the Barras brothers can translate their obsession with detail from one-off conversions into mass production, then the Hiro won't be just another electric bike. It'll be a bike we'll actually want to ride. And that, dear readers, is the ultimate compliment in the world of batteries.
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