I will post here a report I made on the Big Dog Annual Rally this summer which I attend every year I can. I am more of a rider, not a writer, so pardon the brevity or grammar. I wrote it for those unfamiliar with EV's.
The Model I drove at the BIG DOG 2013 was the 2013 Zero DS with 11.4 KW battery. The Zero website is here.
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com.
This was my first major off-road event with the bike since I have only owned it since February of this year. Over the last few months I have been getting a feel for the capabilities and range on hiways, streets and dirt roads but never had ridden it in more demanding off-road excursions.
The BIG DOG 2013 held in the San Juan's of Southern Colorado was the perfect environment for this bike. The close proximity of small towns like Ridgeway, Lake City and Silverton to one of the most scenic areas in the world allow many loops to be made within the range of this bike.
The first major climb up "the Corkscrew" switchbacks was handled easier than previous years on other bikes such as my BMW 650 XChallenge, 800 GS, and KTM 950. Tight, high altitude switchbacks can challenge ICE (internal combustion engine) bikes due to major power deficits from low air pressure and lower engine speeds demanded by slower speeds. A high torque of 68 lbs-ft is available at most all engine speeds making climbs effortless. On electric power this section was transformed into a pleasurable event with no clutch work or gear changing.
At the top of the Corkscrew we all took in the beautiful views for a few minutes before the long descent into the valley below. I was able to recapture a lot of the electrical energy used during the previous ascent on the steep switchbacks down. All new Zero bikes have a free app which can be installed on your smart phone or other bluetooth device to customize your driving parameters. See this link:
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/app/help/ios/ . I was using an iTouch Gen 5 mounted on a RAM mount for this ride. I had set the parameters such that closing the throttle gave 75% regeneration and moderate "engine braking". Applying either the front or rear brake gave another 25% regeneration for full engine braking, not unlike closing the throttle in first gear on a conventional bike. This slowed the descents sufficiently that only rarely were the conventional brakes used.
Stopping on a steep, rocky climb prior to Hurricane pass to allow a large sightseeing Jeep pass coming down tested the traction starting from a standstill. Slowly feeding throttle brought the speed back up with little tire slippage. The bike was not equipped with knobbies, just dual sport 17" Kenda's on the rear with a decreased pressure of 25 psi. The ability to precisely modulate torque to the rear wheel without any fancy clutch work is a nice bonus with electric.
Continuing over Cinnamon Pass and on into Lake City was a pleasure due to relatively low ATV traffic and a quick pace. Arriving in Lake City with about 36% battery capacity and 60+ miles travelled, I drove to an RV campsite and plugged into an unused RV pedestal to charge a little during lunch with the rest of the group. After lunch at Poker Alice the rest of the group gassed up and continued back over the pass via the upper Alpine Loop. I stayed behind for another 45 minutes to load a few more electrons into the battery to ensure the trip back over the pass. The drive back was an absolute pleasure due to the peace and quiet during both the ascent and descent of Engineer Pass. The lower part of Engineer via Mineral Gulch was a little challenging and rough in places from heavy rains and Jeep traffic but the Zero handled it well all the way back to Hwy 550.
I arrived back to the motel in Ridgeway with 40% state of charge (SOC) on the battery having ridden over a total distance of 103 miles. My overall average of energy usage was right at 100 watts per mile which revealed that the entire trip may have been made on one charge but I did not want to test it. Surprisingly, a large percentage of energy was used during the 34 miles of hiway which reflects poorly on the aerodynamics of motorcycles.
Electric motorcycles have really come of age at this point in time and I have no regrets in the purchase of this bike. While the price can be considered to be high relative to typical ICE bikes, the riding pleasure, low maintenance and operating costs make it a worthwhile investment to me.
I find that I am always looking forward to riding this bike and while it is not a long distance tourer, it is certainly the bike I go to for a pleasurable daily ride or an Alpine Loop. Besides that, it really hauls ass when that throttle is turned!
A link of my posting to ADVrider Forum at the bottom of the page.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=869280&page=20A new article in MotorcycleUSA.com is here for more mainstream exposure for Zero:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/284/16948/Motorcycle-Article/Dr--Frazier--Running-of-the-Big-Dogs-2013.aspx
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Topic: Dual Sporting on a '13 DS (Read 2487 times)