VIDEO: Mugen looking to up the voltage for 2015 TT zero

Author: Oli Rushby Posted: 01 Jun 2015

Mugen are looking to up the voltage for this year’s Isle of Man TT zero race with the target set at a 120mph lap for the Shinden 4 electric motorcycle.

Retaining 21-times TT winner John McGuinness and mountain course outright lap record holder Bruce Anstey for 2015, the Mugen team are gunning for victory once again and the Japanese engineers behind the project reckon they can crack 120mph in this year’s one lap race.

McGuinness took victory in last year smashing the lap record with a 117.366mph, which was more than two miles an hour over the Japanese tuning firm’s target of a 115mph lap, and the TT legend reckons 120 should easily be possible this time round.

“It’s a MotoGP bike with an electric engine in it,” said McGuinness. “It’s probably the most exotic, trickest electric bike in the world. It’s something to be dead proud of over the last couple of years, we’ve cried with sadness when Rutter beat us and cried of happiness last year when we won.

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“The fellas from Japan are claiming 120mph. I remember sitting on the bank and watching Steve Hislop get the first 120mph on a superbike and now we’re doing them on a battery! The progress from under 100, to 102, to 109 to 117 is phenomenal and there’s no reason we can’t add to that this year.”

80% of the fourth generation Shinden is new, including state-of-the-art single function air forks from Showa which have never been used in road-racing before.

We went behind the scenes with Mugen during their recent test at Castle Combe to find out more!