Episode 53 - Ben Taylor
Beachman Motor Company makes one of the coolest electric motorcycles you’ve probably never heard of. In many states, this lightweight two-wheeler is considered a moped, but the ’64 is actually fast enough to ride safely on the road. It’s the brainchild of Ben Taylor, co-founder of the Canadian bike-maker, who has a soft spot for the 1960s and ’70s, be it fashion, cars, or motorcycles.
Taylor had a dream to combine the cutting-edge technology of the electric-vehicle world with the timeless styling of classic small-displacement motorcycles—think café’d Honda CB200 or Kawasaki KZ200, with a battery and hub-mounted motor replacing the internal-combustion engine. Once Taylor met co-founder Steve Payne, who was already building cafe-racers for fun, Beachman was born.
But Taylor’s target is higher than just cramming a battery into a warmed-over classic. He wants folks who would normally never throw a leg over a motorcycle to try a Beachman, to introduce a whole new crowd to how fun two wheels can be, and to prove to the world that small electric motorcycles are a convenient and viable form of modern-day transportation.