This electric cruiser motorcycle is as expensive as it is beautiful

Cruising bikes are the most popular type of motorcycle in America, but the electric market today is focused mainly on sport and naked bikes. Now there's finally an option on the way for those seeking both style and comfort... but it's not cheap. Curtiss Motorcycles has begun taking pre-orders for its first cruiser electric motorcycle, the Curtiss One, and the first production run of 15 motorcycles is priced at $115,000 each, with deliveries due to begin this summer.

Outrageous price — Curtiss says that following the first run, a second production run in 2022 will see 100 units produced at a cost of $78,000. For comparison, Tesla's Cybertruck is expected to cost between $40,000 and $78,000 based on the trim — and that thing will be capable of pulling a tiny house. And that's before the renewed $7,000 tax credit that Democrats in Congress have proposed for Tesla buyers. Electric motorcycles don't get tax credits.

Speaking of the Curtiss One itself, the design is a bit steampunk (read: gaudy), but the specs are something else. The company claims the bike will have, "the most power-dense motor in the world." The motor is supposed to be capable of delivering 217 horsepower, though it's electronically limited to 120 horsepower. Range and top speed aren't mentioned, but the bike weighs 425lb, which is pretty good in comparison to other motorcycles in its class and should help with speed and mileage.

The 399V, 16.8 kWh capacity battery is centrally mounted here, with the cells arranged cylindrically and a built-in crumple zone for protection during impact so that a dangerous battery fire doesn't break out. That won't help your body too much in a crash, though. But that's true of any motorcycle, electric or otherwise.

More affordable options — Curtiss has previously unveiled a more "affordable" $30,000 bike, but we use the word generously. That's still a lot of Benjamins for a two-wheeler. Harley Davidson's first electric bike, the LiveWire, was panned by fans over its similar price of just below $30,000.

Traditional gas-powered cruiser bikes by comparison can easily be bought for less than $10,000. And in the electric sector, there are plenty of bikes coming on the market today from the likes of Zero that are far more affordable than the Curtiss Ones... and, depending on your preferences, are similarly easy on the eye.