Two of the fastest electric motorcycles on the market could have a major rivalry in being crowned the king of sports electric motorcycles. This would be between the LS-218 from Lightning and the Hypersport HS from Damon as both are incredibly fast, reaching a top speed of over 200 mph.
Overview
In this article, we compare the two production models, the Lightning LS-218 and the Damon Hypersport HS in 7 different categories to see how they match up against each other. At the end of the article, we will put the results into a table so you can easily see how they scored in the categories.
We will compare them in these categories:
- Top speed
- 0-60 mph
- Weight
- Range
- Charge time
- Price
- Aesthetics
General discussion
If you are not familiar with these two electric motorcycle manufacturers, you can read the brief bio on each one of them below.
Lightning Motorcycles
Back in 2011 Lightning Motorcycles set the land speed record with a top speed of 218.637 mph. Since 2015 their top model has been the LS-218 with other models that came out in 2019, namely, the Strike Standard, the Strike Mid-Range and the Strike Carbon. That is a total of four models with prices ranging from $12,998 up to $38,888 for the high-end model.
Promo video
Damon Motorcycles
Damon Motorcycles was founded on 5 April 2017. Since then they have only released two models, one of which was a limited edition called the Hypersport Premier. The full production model, called the Hypersport HS, is the only model that is currently being sold (as of March 2020). Prices for the Hypersport Premier was at $39,995 and for the production model, the Hypersport HS is at $24,995.
Promo video
Top speed
For the top speed category, we have a verified top speed for the LS-218 and an unverified top speed for the Hypersport HS. This doesn’t complicate things that much as it would only really matter if the consumer were able to reach those speeds, which they legally can’t.
Logic reasoning suggests that if the Damon Hypersport HS was capable of surpassing the current land speed record set by Lightning, they would have had something to say about it. The fact that they don’t suggests that it hasn’t proven to be capable of doing it so far.
With that said, there is still a probability that Damon could beat the current record.
Top speed comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 218 mph / 350 kph | 200+ mph / 322+ kph* |
*not verified
Since there is currently no concrete data suggesting that the Hypersport HS is able to surpass the top speed of the LS-218, this category is dominated by the LS-218.
0-60 mph
One of the best ways to compare performance on vehicles is the 0-60 mph specs. This is quantified in seconds, the time it takes to obtain 60 mph from a standstill.
0-60 mph comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 2.2 Seconds | < 3 Seconds* |
*not verified
The Lightning LS-218 dominates this category even though there isn’t a solid figure on the Hypersport HS. Still, it is very likely that the Hypersport HS will trample most gas-powered sportbikes in this category, including the YZF R1 and Ninja H2.
Weight
Electric motorcycles are known to be quite heavy machines but both these models are comparable in weight to gas-powered motorcycles of similar performance and size. For comparison, a YZF-R1 with all its goodies weighs around 439 lb / 199kg.
Weight comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 496 lb / 225 kg | 440lb / 200kg |
In this category, the Damon Hypersport HS dominates with a good 56lb under the Lightning LS-218.
Range
When it comes to electric motorcycles or electric vehicles for that matter, the range is one of the main concerns that people have. No one want’s to be stranded next to the road without juice.
Average range comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 100 mi / 161 km | 200 mi / 322 km |
| 180 mi / 274 km* |
* with 20 kWh battery pack
This category is dominated by the Damon Hypersport HS with around twice the range of the Lightning LS-218 with a standard battery pack. Although the LS-218 offers a larger battery pack, it still doesn’t quite reach the range of the Hypersport HS (but almost).
Charge time
These days there are level 2 charging stations all over the US and in most developed countries of the world. The fact that you can charge your bike on the road makes a huge difference when riding.
Level 2 charge time comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 120 minutes* | 180 minutes |
*standard battery pack
It would still be worth noting that if you take the miles you can travel and divide it by the time it takes to charge, it would be less than that of the Hypersport HS.
Miles per minute charge comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| 100/120 = 0.83 | 200/180 = 1.11 |
We are measuring charge time, and it would be fair to conclude the LS-218 as the dominator in this category. But if we look at it from another perspective, the Hypersport HS is gaining more miles if they are charged for the same amount of time. So I would conclude that the Hypersport HS dominates this category.
Price
For most people, including myself, the price is the big dealbreaker when it comes to purchasing any motorcycle. The fact is, if you can’t afford it, you just can’t afford it.
price comparison
| Lightning LS-218 | Damon Hypersport HS |
|---|---|
| $38,888 (12 kWh) | $24,955 (21.5 kWh) |
| $42,888 (16 kWh) | |
| $46,888 (20 kWh) |
It is also worth noting that Lightning has some other models that can equal the Hypersport HS in price but not with the same performance. Regarding the purchase price, this category is dominated by the Damon Hypersport HS.
Aesthetics
Not everyone has the same taste for aesthetics and it would be wise for me to keep myself out of this one. Why? I don’t want to make one or the other seem more appealing when delivering my own opinion. If you are interested in my opinion, I have made my judgment in a separate article.
For this category, you can be the judge and add up the final score at the end of this article. I will, however, add what I thought was the best photo of each model below.
LS-218 
Hypersport HS
Conclusion
It’s really simple. You just need to decide how important each category is to you personally (as this may differ from person to person) and then conclude a score based on how each category weighs in.
| Category: | Dominator: |
|---|---|
| Top speed | LS-218 |
| 0-60 mph | LS-218 |
| Weight | Hypersport HS |
| Range | Hypersport HS |
| Charge time | Hypersport HS |
| Price | Hypersport HS |
| Aesthetics | varies* |
*you be the judge
Final words
It seems like the LS-218 is the bike to go with if you want the fastest production electric bike in the world. But will that be enough to keep it in its place as king, and for how much longer?
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