Shandoka Built an Electric V-Twin from a 20-Year-Old Ultima
Shandoka has built an electric V-Twin chopper around a 2004 Ultima Hardtail frame, and the result is one seriously badass bit of kit.
That's what Shandoka Electric Motorcycles is all about. Taking bikes that already exist and giving them an electric heart. At Sturgis 2026, the Detroit company took a roughly 20-year-old Ultima frame and turned it into a full-blown electric custom.
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Get to The Chopper
The whole bike went from concept to show bike in just 30 days. And Shandoka didn't exactly hold back on the hardware.
Sitting where the V-Twin would normally live is Shandoka's electric V-Twin system, with two stacked battery housings rising like skyscrapers where you'd expect to see the cylinders.
Shandoka founder Ernest P. Eich IV says the point wasn't to disguise the electric drivetrain:
“Our goal was to provoke conversation and thought, and to break some of the typical conventions while still respecting the form of a big V-Twin-powered motorcycle.”
Some purists might argue that an electric motorcycle should look electric. Fair enough. But sometimes a V-Twin silhouette just makes sense, not to mention looks freaking cool. Shandoka isn't trying to fool anyone into thinking this is a petrol bike. It's trying to make an electric one that looks good.
The Sturgis bike is the development mule for Shandoka's new V-Twin Multi-Fit setup. The company claims it can be configured from around 55 hp to more than 200 hp at the driveshaft, depending on the motor and battery setup.
This wasn't built to sit in a workshop. Shandoka took it to Sturgis, where it was shown at the Motorcycles as Art exhibition, then entered it into the Rat Hole ride-in show, finishing third in its division.
And that's where Shandoka's bigger idea comes into play. If it can make the V-Twin work across a range of existing frames, you could take a bike you already own and love, rip out the old powertrain, drop in the electric one, and still end up with a bike that looks like the one you started with.
We've already seen Beachman's approach to broken motorcycles, but Shandoka is coming at it from a different angle. A repeatable conversion platform designed to work across multiple models.
Shandoka’s Plan: Electrify the Bikes We Already Own
Shandoka has been developing its retrofit platform since 2011, with conversions including the Yamaha XS400, Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Yamaha Virago. Alongside the V-Twin, the company now has different motor, battery and adapter configurations depending on the bike and the build.
The Multi-Fit uses a set of adapter hardware that lets Shandoka drop its electric drivetrain into different motorcycle frames. On the XS400, for example, there are two motor sizes and three battery options, and the battery, controller and cooling setup can all be upgraded as the bike evolves.
Ernest says the original idea was different from the typical electric conversion:
“I was the only one who built out this structural retrofit idea. I’ve never seen anybody else online doing anything other than cram batteries into a motorcycle frame.”
It all started with one of Eich's own old bikes, which had become a nightmare to get running. Rather than throw it in the scrap pile, he started working out how to stuff a big battery pack into the frame. Those early experiments eventually became Shandoka's patented Multi-Fit system.
And Shandoka isn't keeping the knowledge to itself. Its Build Your Own programme allows owners to work with the team in Detroit, become certified to carry out repairs and upgrades on their bikes, and even train to build Shandoka electric motorcycles for other people.
The BCB Take
If you're going to build motorcycles, where better to do it than Detroit?
For riders with an old Yamaha, Kawasaki, Harley or custom build gathering dust in the garage, Shandoka offers a very different deal to buying a completely new motorcycle.
And maybe that's the best bit of the whole idea. You don't have to say goodbye to a bike just because its petrol lump has finally given up the ghost. If it's the bike you fell in love with, the one that's been with you for years, why not keep the frame, the look and the memories, and give it a new lease of life?
There are still plenty of questions around cost, range, weight and what these conversions are like when you're putting serious seat time on them. But for Ernest, Shandoka isn't about reinventing the motorcycle. It's about taking the bike you love, ripping out what's killing it, and putting it back on the road.
Ride safe, folks.
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