Damon Motorcycles, the startup that in 2019 unveiled a flashy electric motorcycle intended to best its combustion engine-powered competition, has announced that it has gone public and will assemble its first production-intent motorcycles next year.

The company’s announcement today claims that it has gone public on the Nasdaq and touts its US $100M in “deposit backed reservations”. The deposit amounts vary, but for the brand’s flagship US $40,000 Damon HyperFighter Colossus, the US $250 fully-refundable deposit would imply somewhere around 2,500 to 3,000 reservations.

However, those reservations have been rolling in for quite some time and many were likely based on the brand’s earlier announcements and unveilings – several of which trickled out between 2019 and 2022.

But the company’s founder and CEO Jay Giraud says riders should still expect Damon to make good on its promises of a 200 mile, 200 mph, and 200 hp (320 km, 320 km/h, 150 kW) electric motorcycle coming next year.

“Our vision is resonating with a global community that’s ready for a more modern riding experience – what the old guard keeps selling year after year has gotten stale,” explained Giraud. “And reaching $100M in reservations is a pretty good indication that it’s time to think different.”

For years now we’ve heard that Damon’s upcoming electric motorcycles won’t only be powerful sport bikes, but will also be brimming with new technology and advanced features never before seen in motorcycling.

That technology suite includes a feature that Damon first touted in January of 2020 known as CoPilo, an AI-enhanced 360º collision warning system, as well as Shift™, electronically adaptive ergonomics that transform the riding position from sport to commuter on the fly.

While a shapeshifting motorcycle with 360 degree AI-enhanced vision sounded like science fiction when the company was launched in 2019, we’ve since seen affordable commuter e-motos like Ryvid rollout frame-shifting tech that lets owners adjust the bike’s geometry while actively riding, and startups like RiderDome are already providing 360-degree AI-enhance motorcycle sensor systems.

Damon Motorcycles could still reach uncharted territory if the company can produce a 200 mph and 200 hp electric motorcycle with its claimed 200 miles of highway range, but that still sounds like a big “if.”

For now, the most up-to-date goalpost location appears to now be 2025, though the company is only claiming to be preparing “for assembly of a fleet of production intent vehicles in 2025.” It remains to be seen when true production will begin and that supposed US $100M sitting out there can be converted into bikes