Former LiveWire CTO Vance Strader takes ARES electric café racer into production
B2B News | Source: press release Real Motors | Greenville, South Carolina-based start-up Real Motors has appointed Vance Strader as its chief technology officer. Strader, who previously held the same role at LiveWire, will be responsible for moving the company’s first motorcycle, the Project : ARES electric café racer, from prototype stage to series production.
From Buell to LiveWire to Real Motors
Strader is one of the more experienced engineers in the electric motorcycle sector. He began his career with engineering roles at Buell Motorcycles, then joined Harley-Davidson’s electric programme, where he was involved from the early development phase through to the market launch of the first LiveWire motorcycle in 2019. He later became CTO of LiveWire.
“Our mission goes beyond crafting an exceptional motorbike; we are assembling a dedicated group united by engineering excellence and an intuitive grasp of rider desires,” stated Trent Dingman, co-founder and head of operations and communications at Real Motors. “Vance adds deep motorcycle development expertise to our lineup. We are thrilled to welcome him as we transition ARES into production and continue our broader quest to construct machines imbued with spirit.”
At Real Motors, his brief is industrialisation: setting up the supply chain, manufacturing processes and quality systems needed to build ARES consistently and in volume. For a young company with a single prototype-based product, that is arguably the most difficult step, and one where several electric motorcycle start-ups have stumbled in recent years.
“The future machine isn’t defined by a spec sheet. It’s the total experience: how it’s engineered, how it’s designed, how it feels and how you connect with it. Technology matters, but the real breakthrough is when all of those elements come together to create something people genuinely desire to ride.” — Vance Strader, CTO, Real Motors
Project : ARES Lot 01
Real Motors was founded in 2022 by engineers Trent Dingman and Michael Feng. The company describes its products as “Future Machines” and its design approach as “Electric Analogue”, the idea being to use modern technology to make the interaction between rider and motorcycle more direct and physical rather than more filtered.
ARES is a retro-styled neo café racer. The first production batch, called Lot 01, is limited to 250 units and priced at 20,000 US dollars. Key specifications:
- Motor: 65 kW permanent-magnet synchronous motor
- Battery: 13.4 kWh, nickel-cobalt-manganese (NMC) chemistry
- Production: 250 units (Lot 01)
- Price: US$20,000
- Reservation: fully refundable US$500 deposit
Manufacto production model
Alongside the motorcycle itself, Real Motors is developing what it calls Manufacto: a production setup that brings manufacturing, rapid prototyping and R&D together in one engineering-led facility. The company says it combines AI, robotics, additive manufacturing and other newer production methods, with the aim of lowering the labour and capital investment normally needed to produce complex products in small series. ARES is intended as the first test case for this approach, with further projects planned.
“Engineering begins with imagination,” said Michael Feng, Real Motors co-founder and design engineer. “Manufacto closes the distance between what we can imagine and what we can make real. ARES is our first expression of that freedom.”
Strader framed the goal in terms of the overall product rather than individual specifications, saying a future machine is not defined by a spec sheet but by how engineering, design and riding experience come together.
Public appearances
Real Motors will exhibit ARES Lot 01 at the Barber Vintage Festival in Alabama from 9 to 11 October, and at EICMA in Milan in November, which will be the bike’s first appearance in front of a European audience.