As electric motorcycles escalate in interest and price, Marlio Escobar decided that he wanted an electric motorcycle of his own. But he didn’t want the big price tag associated with some of the current electric bikes. He also didn’t like the look of current electric motorcycle designs.

So Marlio decided to take things into his own hands and build one. One that could meet his commuting requirements and look good while doing it. And now, after lots of hard work (and money) Marlio says that he can build an electric motorcycle for around $5,000.

As reported byCleantechnica, Marlio makes kits for many different “vintage” motorcycle frames. One example is Marlio’s Kawasaki Ninja 250. Now converted to electric power, Marlio says that the machine has a range of up to 200 miles per charge at 75-80 mph.

That seems to be quite an incredible range so you have to ask how Marlio’s Ninja is able to go so far on a single charge. Marlio says that he retained the bike’s gearbox and that he can get 40-50 ft-lbs of torque per gear. He says it’s this setup along with a small 3 kW motor that helps the bike achieve its very significant range.

As mentioned earlier, Marlio has kits for several different donor bikes. For example, his kit for Honda’s CB 200 is different than the Ninja. The little Honda uses an 8 kW hub motor, which helps match the look of the Honda’s original rear drum brake.

Escobar says that the CB 200 can cover the 1/8th mile in just four seconds. And, to make it home after making such a run, all he has to do is dial down the torque with an app he developed. He claims he can then get an additional 80-90 miles range.

If you’d like to see more about Marlio’s creations, you can go to hisYouTubeandInstagramsites.

All photo credit: Marlio Escobar