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[Richard230]

Ideally, I'd say a balance needs to be found. Here in San Diego, I very rarely get even a second glance on my 2014 SR -- people just assume it's like every other bike (though I will say when I was visiting Santa Cruz, I got questions pretty much every time we stopped). So I'd say enough of a visual difference to make people look twice, and realize there's something unique about this bike, would be a good thing. It would help with the evangelizing process.

But I do think the design shouldn't stray TOO far from the familiar. Otherwise you run the risk of looking like something someone cobbled together in their garage, rather than a production-built, fully competent machine...what IS that thing??

What exactly that balance looks like, I don't really have a clear picture in my head. Someone pointed out that the fake "gas tank" on the Zeros really just serves as a visual point of reference for people...but what would you do instead? I'm not much of a designer, but it does seem like there should be SOMETHING between the front of the seat and the handlebars. Storage, extra battery capacity or fast charging is great functionality to put in that space...but the housings all seem to wind up looking like a gas tank. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Even the old-school Gold Wing, which had the gas tank under the seat, put a housing there to imitate a conventional gas tank.

One thing that still looks like a bike but never fails to turn heads is a full streamliner. And since EVs benefit greatly from aerodynamics, I think if I were designing an electric motorcycle from scratch, I'd design it from the ground up to incorporate a large, full fairing, including a good tail. That should start conversations wherever you go and serve a very useful purpose, as well.

just for reference... the "gas tank" on modern sportbikes is actually the airbox. the fuel is usually lower, behind the motor on the I-4 motor bikes... in the case of my Buell, the fuel is in the frame and the entire "tank" is the airbox. In the case of my CBR, the whole "tank" airbox cover is often the one you see bolted onto the racing zeros. the real fuel tank is only the rear section of it, leading down to under the seat area.

Oddly, in the case of BMW, all of their F650/700/800 models over the past 15 years had fuel tanks under the passenger's seat and had the battery and air box where the fuel tank used to be, which I always thought was a good location for a number of reasons.  However, the new 2018 F750/850GS models have put the fuel tank back to where it belongs ( ) and they are marketing that new placement as a desirable feature.     One that I don't get.  But then, that is BMW for you.   

[calamarichris]

I never appreciated the genius Kawasaki put into into the shape of my ZX9R's gas tank until my first track day. That bulbous shape up there is a valuable interface that helps you connect with the bike. You clench it with your knees and you brace your forearm on it when hanging off the bike when cornering, so that any bumps or shifting won't mean an unwanted yank on the bar or throttle.

The little slope and ridge just above "Kawasaki" on the tank is where my elbows rest perfectly. As soon as I figured that out, I was sliding kneepucks on both sides confidently, and eventually doing so while dragging peg-feelers too.


Have you ever ridden a scooter? It's pretty horrifying to ride fast around corners when your only contact points with the bike are hands, feet, and butt.

[Richard230]

I should add that Energica has sure done a good styling job making their bikes look a lot like a conventional ICE motorcycle.    I bet that makes them more attractive to most older motorcycle enthusiasts.

[calamarichris]

Here's a pic that illustrates the benefits of a "tank".



In addition to bracing his elbow/forearm on the tank, his leg is also braced on the widened wing of the tank, and fortunately Zero road models appear to have this wing as well. A well-designed tank will allow you to brace yourself and put more weight on the outside peg, which gives you even more stability.

And even if you don't lean over this far, just being able to grab the "tank" with your knees during hard braking provides a solid, stabilizing interface. If you didn't take advantage of this, most of your weight during heavy braking would end up on your arms, and rigid, braced arms are less able to absorb shocks or make minor corrections.

I'm looking forward to healing soon and experimenting with this SR on Palomar Mountain's tight-side.