Straight out of the next ‘Mad Max’ movie or perhaps just tomorrow’s apocalyptic headlines comes the brutal style of the motorcycle you see here. Beyond the matt black colourway and go-anywhere balloon tyres is another handy feature for pursuing/fleeing from enemies: this Volcon Grunt, as reimagined in a collaboration with Droog Moto, is silent, courtesy its electric motor. Fast too.
Basis is an already tough machine from niche electric vehicle specialists Volcon ePowersports of Round Rock, Texas. To complement its range of perfectly sensible runaround electric motorcycles and four-wheeled off-road utility vehicles, Volcon went for electric motorcycle gold with the Grunt, an all-terrain bike designed to make semi-desert trekking in Texas pretty easy. But perhaps it wasn’t tough enough.
So Volcon assigned Droog Moto, US north-west coast cafe racer specialists, to add that little - or large - portion of motorcycling menace. Idea, Max and Erica Droog say, is to create a “terrain-dominating machine with an unmistakeable presence”. Just take a look at the headlight signature: two super-powerful LED slashes to illuminate the way forward. You’ll see the menace in your rearview mirror and know what’s about to overtake you.
Droog x Volcon Grunt: On-road/off-road
Where you are on the Droog Moto version of the Grunt doesn’t much matter. Knobbly off-road tyres on the standard Grunt have been swapped out for huge eight-inch wide on-road/off-road rubber, so that you’re ready to go from pothole strewn backstreets to that hillside trail you’ve always been wanting to tackle. We’re not saying it’s ready for a run to the supermarket, but imagine what stares you’d get …
What bodywork there is on the standard Grunt, is stripped back or deleted. New seat pan allows for fitment of Droog’s Hype Stitch saddle in perforated black with grey stitching. Darkness being the key here. Rear fender and sub-frame are shortened for a more aggressive stance and weight saving. New arched side panels are in carbon fibre. Under the skin improvements such as a 12-volt wiring harness add indicators and high/low beam facility to the off-road only standard Grunt.
Basics are left more of less alone and that means there’s plenty of power to go around, given all of that weight-saving. Beefy battery offers up to 62 miles of range. Instantly-there power offered by electric, together with ultra-lightweight construction means that 60 mph top speed will come surprisingly quickly. And feel so much faster than that.
Like us you’ll already be thinking of your next journey on your Droog x Volcon Grunt. Good news: this isn’t just a concept bike. Bad news: they’re only making two of which - better news - one is still available. Volcon don’t have dealer facilities outside of the continental United States so we’ll leave little details like shipping up to you. But base price of $15,000 or £11,140 has attracted our attention. It’s a lot - and given this is a film star in the making - also very little. See you in the Australian Outback.
Next up the best electric motorcycle brands right now.
