Bill Dube with his KillaCycle better watch his back 'cause ThunderStruck Motors has been setting electric motorcycle drag racing records left and right the past few weeks. On March 7, the team set a new NEDRA record of 11.693 seconds at 104.53 mph in the quarter mile for the 96 volt class with their Tron bike (it was actually powered by 93 volts for that run). After bumping the power up to 102 volts, they were able to back up their first run with a time of 11.561 seconds. Both runs were completed at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California and followed their record-setting run back in February.

We've placed two videoes after the break. One shows the Tron bike performing a burnout on its way to setting the NEDRA record. That event only allows electric vehicles, but the second, faster run was performed at Infineon's Wednesday Night Drags event where any motorcycle was welcome to participate. The other is from ThunderStruck itself. The bike is powered and sponsored by Lithium Technology Corporation. Way to represent, ThunderStruck!

Source: NEDRA and Motorcycle.com]

Click on the image for a gallery of 29 images of the VentureOne concept and the Carver three-wheeler.

Venture Vehicles has announced that they will develop a two passenger, three-wheeled vehicle powered by either a pure plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid petrol-electric powertrain. Under the working name of VentureOne, the new vehicle is to be designed and built in California based on the existing Carver three-wheeler already available in Europe.

Even with its single front wheel and its narrow form, the VentureOne arguably has more in common with a conventional car than a motorcycle due to the fully enclosed cabin, upright seating position, steering wheel, foot pedals and gear stick. The vehicle is actually the same height and length as a MINI Cooper but the driver sits as high off the road as they would in a BMW 3-Seriers.

Despite the VentureOne's height and narrow body, it will be very stable while rounding bends due to its most astounding feature, the ability to tilt the driver and passenger over as it corners. Like a motorcycle, this means that there is no 'overturning torque' on the wheels and the resultant forces always pass through the centre-line of the vehicle. The Carver three-wheeler pioneered the unique tilting design which allows the front wheel and both in-line passengers tilt up to 45 degrees while cornering even as the rear two wheels, anchored by the motor, remain firmly on the ground.

Carver describes the corner tilting sensation as "You steer it like a car, but when cornering it banks like a motorcycle while you feel like you are flying a jetfighter. The thrill of this tilting capability combined with the handling of a sports car makes for an exhilarating driving experience unlike any other."

Read on for more about the VentureOne and our upcoming interview after the jump.

[Editor's note: In-depth interview with Venture Vehicle's co-founder Ian Bruce is now available here, and we've got some video of the vehicle in action here.]