Aussie-designed and manufactured C-Series hits the track with a TT star for the ultimate test!
So there I was sitting at the gate ready to ride an electric motorcycle for the first time on one of the world’s most famous old F1 circuits in front of a massive crowd of petrol heads.
In fact I’d only seen the Savic Motorcycles C-Series a short while before and I knew very little about it, except that it had had a total suspension and inverter upgrade since AMCN last rode a prototype in 2023 (AMCN Vol 72 No 17).
Savic’s C-Series is almost ready for an official launch and I had been invited to spin a few laps at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, which is Australia’s mini-version of the UK’s Goodwood Festival, featuring everything from F1 cars to drift cars.
Last year the organisers brought out Ford’s electric SuperVan 4.2 packing 2000hp. A hard act to follow?
The C-Series isn’t some show pony like the SuperVan 4.2 but a production-ready road model. Although it was never intended as a trackday bike, the Savic team thought it had the performance to put on a good show.
I didn’t need much persuading to give it a go. I love the whole culture of prototypes and outside-the-mainstream engineering. When I’m not racing at the Isle of Man TT, Macau and selected BSB events, I love doing engineering projects of my own. I’ve built up several Moto2-spec trackday bikes and am halfway through putting a jetski engine into a motorcycle chassis for the ultimate trackday bike!
So I know what I’m looking at when I see a bike like the Savic C-Series. Initially it looks like a custom build but look closer and it’s obvious it’s been made to the highest level.
The first thing I noticed was the parts making up its trick-looking wheels. Those rims are from the same crowd that supply Ducati. After building prototypes from machined parts, the Savic C-Series now features all major components cast, and the Melbourne-based company has tapped into the international supply chain for other parts while also developing and manufacturing their own suspension.
My track test would start hard and fast. With a quick burnout to test how quickly the drivetrain spins up, it was straight onto Adelaide’s Start-Finish straight. This famous piece of road is 500m long and you have to knock it off pretty quick to get through the Senna Chicane (Aryton Senna was an F1 legend to Adelaide race fans, taking pole six times in nine races, winning in 1991). It didn’t matter if I got the entry to it right or wrong, I was hitting 170km/h as I braked for the chicane.
Savic claims the C-Series accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.5secs, which is a big statement as that would mean it nearly matches a Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade. However, hitting 170km/h in 500m from a hairpin corner is pretty impressive for a 280kg bike.
The course after this is a bit of a challenge, with two super-sharp hairpins on and off part of the Wakefield Road section of the old F1 circuit. Track vision can get a bit tricky here as it’s under trees in shade and light and the surface was coated with dust and rubber from the drift car sessions, which had around 30 nutters pounding around sideways. If the Savic was going to feel top-heavy it would be through here – but it felt amazingly light on the change of direction.
Remember, this is a 280kg bike, about the same weight as the Indian Bagger Troy Herfoss took to second place the same weekend at Daytona!
After exiting the Wakefield Road section there was an almost 90-degree corner to swing through, then it was full throttle into the Victoria Park section through a fast righthand sweeper.
The C-Series tracked beautifully. I was expecting a bit of wallow with such a heavy bike, or maybe even the rear tyre sliding under power, but nothing happened. The rear was mint.
As I came into the final corner, Racetrack Hairpin, before the Start-Finish Straight I guess I was at 90 per cent braking effort on a 10-degree lean angle. When I pulled it upright into the apex, I was at 100 per cent effort. Here’s where the big changes the Savic team had made became obvious. The progressively-sprung suspension took up travel quickly but even at its lowest point the springs were still supported by the damping and there was no hint of it bottoming out. Ace. The team has worked closely with ex-ASBK racer Jed Metcher on the suspension and it shows.
How easy was the Savic to ride hard? After the out lap on my second 15-minute session, I was able to get my knee down on my first flying lap. Ground clearance wasn’t an issue, power was controllable, and braking and handling were excellent.
The 34°C air temperature, which meant the track surface was probably cooking at 50°C-plus, eventually took the sting out of the C-Series as I guess the inverter was getting hot. I found out later that it was a new version built in-house that hadn’t been tested north of 120km/h. Oops. When it’s properly tuned it’s expected to take the C-Series to around 190km/h.
A signal came up on the dash warning it was going into a softer tune and my top speed became limited to 130km/h. However, this didn’t detract from the fun and I was still able to whistle through the Victoria Park sweeper cranked right over.
At the end of my 15-minute session the battery range still showed I had 96 per cent available, which I have to admit was a bit of a surprise.
Make no mistake, this might look like a retro-custom but there is no doubt in my mind that it is as much a performance machine as it is a city fun bike, or even a bar hopper-cruiser.
I reckon if I took the C-Series to a trackday I could beat a lot of performance petrol bikes. It’s that good.
Can’t wait to see how it goes on the street – and when I said that to Dennis Savic trackside, he told me to come back in half an hour.
When I returned, a road-registered C-Series was waiting for me to ride home from the event. But that will be another story to share with you.
PROS – A quality build, well-engineered, handles superbly and it’s designed and built in Australia!
CONS – You might need a crane to pick it up if you drop it and earplugs to ignore boofheads who tell you it’s too quiet.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type Internal permanent magnet synchronous motor
Controller Not given
Cooling Water jacket
Transmission Single speed
Clutch Not applicable
Final drive Belt
BATTERY
Type Lithium-ion
Capacity 16.2kWh total,
14.5kWh minimum usable
RECHARGE TIME
Wall charge: Full 6 hours,
80% 4 hours
DC fast charger: Not applicable
PERFORMANCE
Power 60kW (claimed)
Torque 200Nm (claimed)
Top speed 180km/h (est)
Range City: Not given. Highway: Not given. Combined: over 200km (claimed)
ELECTRONICS
Type Bosch/ Savic
Rider aids ABS, throttle response control and reverse mode
Modes Normal, Rain, Eco, Sport
and three user-defined
CHASSIS
Frame material Aluminium
Frame Backbone
Rake 24˚
Trail 103.5mm
SUSPENSION
In-house design for 280kg
Front: 43mm USD fork
Rear: Monoshock, adjustable preload
WHEELS & BRAKES
Wheels Cast aluminium, three-spoke
Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 5.5
Tyres Pirelli Diablo Rosso III
Front: 120/70ZR17 Rear: 180/55ZR17
Brakes Brembo
Front: Twin 320mm discs,
M4 Monobloc four-piston calipers, ABS
Rear: Single 260mm disc,
two-piston caliper, ABS
DIMENSIONS
Weight 280kg (claimed)
Seat height 780mm
Width 850mm
Height 1020mm
Length 2060mm
Wheelbase 1440mm
SERVICE & WARRANTY
First service: 1000km
Minor: 6000km
Major: 12,000km
Warranty
Motorcycle: Two years
Battery: TBC
BUSINESS END
Price From $26,990
Colour options Atomic Silver, Dark Matter Black or Carbon Fibre
CONTACT
savicmotorcycles.com
