In 2017, Confederate Motorcycles made the dramatic change of renaming themselves to Curtiss. Then they made an even bigger change: they announced that they were switching from gigantic V-Twin engines to electric motorcycles. Their prototype to show the world what they had in store was the Zeus, a concept that was awarded the “Innovation Award” at the 2018 Quail Motorcycle Gathering.
A Curtiss Zeus Prototype at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering. Photo by Paulo Rosas.
Curtiss built three prototypes, one of which was also featured at the “Electric Revolution” exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The Curtis Zeus prototype at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The prototypes were created to launch the brand and help build excitement for their initial fundraising efforts to build “a unique electric packaging platform of the future.” The platform has since evolved into a model called the “ONE“, however this prototype marks an interesting transitional point in the brand’s history as it blends some new features with certain design elements from their Confederate days.
This example is a non-running prototype built for display purposes only. The internals of the battery pack and motor are empty as specifications had not been finalized at that time.
With that said, the prototype still shows off several high-end components that were in the plan, such as a 6061-T6 aluminum chassis, fully adjustable girder front suspension with Race Tech shock, Kineo wheels, and Beringer 4D floating cast iron brakes with radially mounted calipers.
It has been on display since it was at the Petersen, and it remains in excellent cosmetic condition except for surface rust on the chain.
So – what would you do with it? Use it as a display piece, shove a few batteries in it and try to make it a runner…or go real crazy and put a 500cc two-stroke motor in it? Find this Curtiss for sale in Santa Monica, California with an unmet opening bid of $1,000 here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic Motorbike Auctions.