FTN announces more powerful Streetdog80
The Kiwi maker of the brilliant Streetdog moped has confirmed a faster version of its commuter bike is on its way. Nile Bijoux reports.
FTN Motion has announced its second electric two-wheeler, the uprated Streetdog80. Set to be available towards the end of 2024, the 80 takes the rather brilliant Streetdog base and ups the wick in the power department.
Things are pushed from 3kW to about 5kW of peak power, resulting in a top speed of 80kph – hence the name. That does mean you’ll need a motorbike licence to ride one, whereas the original Streetdog’s 50kph limit allowed anyone with a car licence to jump on.
Other elements carried over include 30 litres of storage, a touchscreen display, alarm-activated wheel lock, regenerative braking and up to 80km of riding range. Michel Roncara, FTN’s general manager, says there’s already strong interest from both sides of the Tasman in the next evolution of the Streetdog. “Since the beginning of FTN Motion, people have asked us if a faster Streetdog was on the cards. “Over the last 12 months, we’ve been developing the new Streetdog80 to meet customer demand. We were stoked to see buyers from Aotearoa and Australia lining up to secure the first Streetdog80s as soon as we opened the reservation list. “Our team has been putting the bike through its paces in Wellington – our original test zone given the city’s ruggedness – and it’s ticking all the boxes. We can’t wait for it to be on the road,” he says.
FTN Motion’s co-founder, Luke Sinclair, added that the Streetdog80 also marked other milestones for the company: the first production run from its new purposebuilt Hamilton base and the first for Australasian customers.
“We took the Streetdog to Sydney and Melbourne towards the end of 2023 and had an incredible response from our roadshow and test rides. Congestion and parking are massive problems in most main centres.
The typical daily commute is about 15km with a single person in a car. The rush of orders for the Streetdog80 that have come through since the launch shows people are keen for something different.
“Moving our manufacturing to Hamilton was an essential step in our journey to scale production, particularly as we enter Australia,’’ Sinclair says.
“I can’t wait to see our new factory humming as we build and deliver the Streetdog80 to riders on both sides of the Tasman.’’
The Streetdog80 has an estimated price of $14,500, is built to order in Hamilton and is fully customisable.