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[Richard230]

Check out minute 13-on in this video:

[Specter]

Because that noisy ass diesel generator you will also need to lug along to charge the thing is totally silent too right?

Aaron

[Richard230]

Because that noisy ass diesel generator you will also need to lug along to charge the thing is totally silent too right?

Aaron

And those portable solar panels are really slow at recharging. Maybe those big trucks could carry a big battery pack to recharge the Zeros.

[Specter]

Well, instead of each grunt carrying an 80 Lb back pack, make them carry 100 lb, with a charged lipo battery in it.  It's only a few more pounds, and besides, they bitch about the taste of those MRE's anyways, so removing them and replacing with a battery should make the soldiers happy right?

Aaron

[ultrarnr]

They didn't say much about the real reason the Zero's make sense for recon and certain other missions: The bottom line is they are a lot quieter than gas bikes. You can only increase the size of mufflers to a certain point on gas bikes before they start robbing power. Yes there are range limitations but they are easier to manage than the noise of a gas bike.

[TheRan]

I didn't watch the full video, just skipped around so they may have mentioned these but I can think of many more advantages. Easier to operate, only needs one hand free, no need to hold the clutch when stopped or trying to shift in bulky boots, no chance of stalling, easier slow speed riding, hill starts and climbing them, can lay the bike down either on purpose or by accident without it dying (might want to disconnect the tilt switch) or pissing out fuel, don't need to worry about killing the battery by leaving the lights on and can use it to power other stuff, reduced heat signature.

[Specter]

How heavy is it, if they do lay it down, is this something he can pick up by himself or is he going to need an extra person or two to get the bike hefted back up.   Yes the bike does have some advantages but at the end of the day, the more techy something is, the more it is prone to fucking up at the absolute worse time and being unrepairable on site.  Yes, Carbs are gluggy and leaky but you can whip a carburetor pretty darned bad until it finally gives up the ghost and the bike stops running.  FI, Electric, all it takes is one glitch or chip to fart and it's game over.

Another advantage is, the whole clutch thing PERIOD !!
Pretty much everyone knows how to ride a bicycle, this is no different really.  BUT, if you have never ridden a motor bike and learned how to work the clutch thing before, it's a steep learning curve.  They won't need to spend hours upon hours teaching zoomie how to shift properly and get him competent at it.  Shifting with combat boots on, yah that can be a real bear too trying to get your big ass boot under the shift lever.

Aaron

[Richard230]

As always the biggest issue with electric motorcycles, especially ones used in active military situations, is range. The soldiers riding them have to be very conservative regarding the distances that they need to travel. What are needed are more power-dense batteries, which no doubt will be arriving sometime in the future. In the meantime the idea of a ICE/EV hybrid seems like a good idea and (according to the video) was being developed by a company working for the DOD and then apparently the money ran out, the company went out of business, or something else happened and that program disappeared. 

[Fran K]

........ In the meantime the idea of a ICE/EV hybrid seems like a good idea and (according to the video) was being developed by a company working for the DOD and then apparently the money ran out, the company went out of business, or something else happened and that program disappeared. 

You left out the part about 2 wheel drive and that the company was Alta.

[Motoproponent]

I can see it. being able to sit still without an idling engine and then being able to take off without having to ignite the combustion cycle. I would imagine the heat signature is less than a hot exhaust. Being able to stop and start while doing something with your non-throttle hand (holding binoculars or a pistol for example) The perfect tool for a patrol. Most military vehicles run on diesel so there's no need to take more than one kind of fuel into forward areas. electrics have a much more forward operating area friendly maintenance requirements....no oil changes or valve adjustments. They can probably ford much deeper water than an ICE bike. 

I mean SEAL Team 6 isn't going to storm the castle on a bunch of Zeros, but it is probably quite a force multiplier for perimeter patrols at a forward air base.

[TheRan]

If someone can't pick up a 7.2 Zero they shouldn't be a soldier

I have absolutely no experience but I can't imagine the range being an issue for most operations, in the way they're used as described in the video. At the speeds they'll ride 60 miles would be easily doable, that's probably about 2 hours of riding. They're not going to stray that far away from the support vehicles whether they're on gas or electric. They just need to start from far away that the transport vehicle won't be noticed, so realistically probably more like 10-20 miles. Even making it back isn't that much of concern outside of reconnaissance because the support and transport vehicles can move in when needed and then take the bikes away once the mission is done.

The real issue in my eyes would be reliability, all it takes is a faulty throttle, kickstand switch, dead MBB, etc. and the bike is out of order and they're not going to be getting spares in the places they operate so those would need to be carried (and they'd need to figure out something with Zero so parts can be swapped without needing to be programmed). Chargers are also an issue but I would assume they'd have a bunch of Deltas on hand, maybe even to charge batteries off the bike.