FTN Motion - Luke Sinclair
This week, we were thrilled to have Asuwere Member Luke Sinclair, the Founder and Co-CEO of FTN Motion, visit our store. Giving us the full run down on their "Street Dog" electric bikes, proudly made in New Zealand. Don't miss the chance to see one of these extraordinary bikes on display in our flagship store for the next month.
What made you guys decide on such an iconic design?
We were inspired by classical motorcycles. We saw electric as an opportunity to revisit these timeless designs and make them relevant to modern day commuting. It was about finding the perfect balance between the familiar and the new.
Tell us about the production of the bikes and how you went about creating the first automotive assembly line New Zealand has seen since the 90s.
We went from a single prototype, to 10 beta customer bikes to a production run of 100. We decided on 100 because it sounded like a good number. In hindsight, it was probably a bit crazy, but we've stuck to our guns and the progress has been amazing. While there have been delays, keeping the final assembly and manufacturing in house has allowed us to accelerate through the development phase from a prototype to a customer-ready product that we're really proud of. A lot of optimism, mixed with a bit of naivety, went a long way to tackling this massive project.
What does the future hold for FTN? How long until we see the street dog taking over streets globally?
We're planning a jump across the ditch to launch sales in Australia in the next 12 months, with an eye on the European market after that.
How can people test ride the bike and what is the current wait to get their hands on one?
You can book a test ride anytime at our Wellington workshop. We also do test ride events up and down the country so sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date on where we're heading next. We have sold out our winter and spring production runs but there are still spots in the summer production run with deliveries expected in December.
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