It's more than a decade since the Axle Corporation first unleashed this Akira-inspired electric FF on an unsuspecting world. We had the MCN cutting up on bikeweb pretty much straight away. Yet nothing seems to have been heard of it since. This was the original Reuters news story that was released on April 4th 2006,credited to Toshijuiki Aizawa:
"Japanese professional racer Daisuke Ito drives the new electric motorcycle EV-X7 powered by a new hybrid magnetic motor, SUMO, in Tokyo. The magnetic motor – a hybrid of an electro magnet and a permanent magnet – greatly enhances energy efficiency and allows the electric motorcycle to travel up to 180kms (112 miles) on a single charge, the makers claimed."
There's an excellent little 2minute video on Youtube about it too, unfortunately only in Japanese and without subtitles, although credited to ITN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs4GXH5Q3Rk
UPDATE 1: Andy Longfellow, who has impeccable Nipponese connections, says, of the video: "There's not much in it but the first guy said it "might" be part of bike racing in the future and the second guy that it was better than a hybrid and good for the environment."
UPDATE 2: Ian Kew, who is similarly well-connected with Nihon, has discovered this YouTube video of a whole series of non-electric machines which are clearly using identical bodywork, under the name Stingray. See here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcl2oxe-JHg&feature=youtu.be
UPDATE 3: There is a version of the video with an English language voice-over here: http://electricandhybridcars.com/index.php/pages/sumomotorcycle.html
And this extra information (written in 2006, remember):
Sumo Electric Motorcycle EV-X7
"Axle Corporation, partnered with Genesis Corporation, has taken steps to overcome some of the greatest shortcomings of electric motorcycles, including insufficient range and lack of torque, with the introduction of the latest version of its Sumo motor and its Sumo motor powered EV-X7 motorcycle.
The motor produces 2130W of power at 80% efficiency. It combines permanent and electromagnets to form a variable inductance magnet with improved performance.
The EV-X7 motorcycle has a range of 110 miles with a fully charged battery. The battery requires six hours to charge. Its Sumo motor provides enough torque to climb a steep six-degree gradient at 15 miles/hr.
The EV-X7 is being marketed as a quieter and more energy efficient alternative to gasoline-powered motorcycles. One full charge of its battery costs 80 yen (US $0.68) while a comparable 250cc motorcycle would need 4.5 liters of fuel to travel the same 112 miles, at a cost of 550 yen (US $4.70) at current electricity and gasoline prices in Japan, Axle explained.
Research and development partnerships with companies and universities will be sought to develop additional products that use the motor's technology, Axle announced. Automobiles and household appliances were some specific future applications mentioned by the company."

There's no doubt that the EV-X7 would certainly go at least twice as far in 2017 with the same size of battery. As far as I'm aware, this is still the only 'open top' electric FF designed as such, from the ground up, to get into action so far.
Note that it also bears the legend 'Genesis', the name used by Ian Pegram for his Burgman 650-based roofed FF which has its own folder elsewhere on Bikeweb.
Pegram's Genesis actually made it onto the public highway in January 2004!
See here: http://bikeweb.com/image/tid/18
PNB