After more-than-a-quarter-of-a-century doing business under the banner of Confederate Motorcycles, the boutique American manufacturer revealed in 2018 that it would be rebranding itself to Curtiss Motors and pivoting to an all-electric powertrain operation. A few months after the news broke, Curtiss would pull the cover off of a trio of unique, highly-stylized electric motorcycles, including the Zeus Radial V8 and the Hades. And while these elite two-wheeled EVs near production, Curtiss has now revealed its latest design with the Hades 1 Pure.
The new bare-metal 1 Pure-spec retains its predecessor’s proprietary RaceTech-shocked suspension and swing-arm, 19” carbon fiber wheels, and powertrain — which still generates an impressive 217hp and 147ft-lbs of torque — though a number of structural and cosmetic changes have been bestowed upon the Nesbitt-designed masterpiece. The CNC’d aluminum chassis has been reworked and is now comprised of a pair of side-plates that bookend a backbone down-tube and now connect to the front of the Hades’ previously cantilevered, bullet-shaped battery pack. The Warhawk-style circular cutout just behind the original Hades’ headstock is no more, and the seat and leather knee pads were also redone for the Pure version, as were the foot-controls’ mounting plates, front and rear fenders, and lower suspension leg (which is now offered in carbon fiber), among a smattering of other smaller tweaks. Scheduled to enter production in the Spring of 2020, the revised Hades 1 Pure has been priced at $60,000.
