SOLVED. YA SciFi / Dystopia with possible Cyberpunk elements. Features a battery electric motorbike. [s]

[Paul]

Read in the early 1990s, likely published in the 1980s through early 1990s. It's possibly a short story or just a short YA book.

The setting is a future SciFi dystopia, possibly with cyberpunk elements. A key plot point is that the main (late teen boy or young man) character has a motorcycle (motorbike) that is electric / battery powered. It's not commonplace technology in the book's setting, and it gives the owner an advantage in races. Yes, for some reason the main character races in this dystopia, for some reason (to earn credits or food rations or street cred or whatever.)

There's a love interest, and they spend some time traveling around together. I don't remember how it ends, but I remember this book / story really interested me because battery motorbikes were so infeasible based on 1980s/1990s technology, but it was foreseeable that they might be possible at some point in the future.

[Rainbowheart]

Does anything on the 20th Century YA and Middle Grade Science Fiction list look familiar?

[Paul]

Thanks so much for the suggestion @Rainbowheart! I wasn't familiar with these lists on Goodreads. I didn't see it on the list you suggested (though maybe it's there and I didn't reach the bottom), but I DID find it on the "20th Century YA and Middle Grade Science Fiction" list!

It's called Futuretrack 5, by Robert Westall. At least, I'm 90% sure that's it. I'm going to order it from the library to confirm.

I've been thinking about this book on and off for many years, and up until now all my searches have been completely fruitless. I really appreciate the help!

[Rainbowheart]

Great news, glad you found it!

Futuretrack 5 for the link.