Energy efficient heat treatment meets environmentally friendly motorcycle

Designed and developed by engineers Brendan Rice and Matt Bagshawe, with rider/mechanic Russell Licence, the RGV-E bike's design includes a critical sprocket, mounted directly to the electric motor and manufactured from EN8 steel. Surface heat treatment was chosen, as a particularly energy efficient option to make the sprocket more durable, as only the teeth required hardening. Heat is applied only to the specific area that requires hardening, whereas other forms of heat treatment usually heat the total volume of the component. The technique gives wear resistant surfaces, which improves the fatigue strength. In addition, it permits the use of cheaper alloy steels, and produces less distortion than other forms of heat treatment, resulting in reduced finishing operations and shorter processing times. The RGV-E bike is being entered into the eGrandPrix, an international series of zero carbon, clean emission races for electric motorcycles. Says Mr Rice, "We're just three mates having a go, we all ride motorbikes and Matt is a bit of a technical boffin. What started as a passing remark has now turned into us, actually building a bike."