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[DonTom]

It was a nice (but just  a bit too warm) ride to the Livermore, CA BMW shop today. Good thing I didn't check what they had in advance because it was a big disappointment. They have NO electric bikes  for sale. Not even a used one or anything. They have their Ribelle demo bike only, and it will not be for sale for a few more months, I assume after they get their 2022 models.


What they do have is a waiting list for Energicas-all models.


I mainly just went for the ride. I think this was my longest electric motorcycle ride ever, 261.8 miles /421.3 KM   round trip.  Great ride with the  CCS stations spaced out perfectly. I like to take a break every hour of freeway driving.


This ride was on my 2020 Energica Esse Esse 9.



But I could not charge in Elk Grove, CA at the Wal*Mart no matter what I tried. It used to work if I activated the chargers before connecting, via the web,  but not any more. Seems they changed something again there at Electrify America.


From there, I went to use the CCS chargers at Aquatic and Veteran’s Memorial Center, Elk Grove. [/size]I tried to use a credit card, it would accept payment and analyze the fast charge and before the charge starts, I get an error message. I tried it several times. Plugshare says it is not yet in service, but it seems to be all connected up . It only says "SMUD " on it. Plugshare says it is a ChargePoint, but I saw no evidence of such  and my Chargepoint card was "unrecognized". by the machine.


 But I had enough juice to make it to Lodi and not get:






-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Crissa]

Haven't heard that song in years!  I never realized it was about Lodi x-x

My mom has all the Creedence Clearwater albums.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

Haven't heard that song in years!  I never realized it was about Lodi x-x

My mom has all the Creedence Clearwater albums.

-Crissa

You never been through Lodi?  I know people from the east coast have no clue what the song is about, but I thought those around the SF area would.


Anyway, Lodi is a great place for my first charge stop going south as well as my last one coming back here. There are several fast charge stations in Lodi. I used a different one going as I did coming back so I can check in at two different Lodi locations. Next time I am down that way, I will check others.


I will skip over Electrify America CCS chargers on my Energica. They are the most unreliable, have no card to start them and are the most troublesome. I just closed my account with them, where they give me a lower rate but charge me $4.00 per month even if I do not use it at all. I have been paying them all year for nothing.


These days, there are plenty of others to use in most locations. I have never had any issues with CharePoint, EV-Connect  and EV-Go. They work every time with no hassles and I don't have to connect to the web to use them. They all have their own membership cards. These days, I use ChargePoint the most on all my electric bikes. IMO, they are the most reliable of all and no hassles. And often free to use. The HD dealers also use ChargePoint and I also charged at the Livermore HD shop today.


I am done wasting my time with Electrify-America, where possible. Those are the ones Wal*Mart have. And they  are getting worse instead of better, at least at the Wal*Mark in Elk Grove, CA. I could have gotten a full charge to 100% SOC with the time I wasted in Elk Grove today.


It's a good thing I can make it all the way to Lodi from here. It's the perfect location for my first & last charge and there are several that work just a few miles apart. And if I cannot make it, there is an EV-Go charger in Galt, just before Lodi.


Hwy 99 has a lot more charge locations than Hwy 5.


Good thing I can make it past Elk Grove, as I know won't get stuck in Lodi!


But I enjoy the song also.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Crissa]

You never been through Lodi?

I never knew that's what he was singing, no.  I have trouble making out lyrics at all, and mostly don't listen to music with them.

-Crissa

[Richard230]

I visited Calmoto Tuesday to help a friend pick up his BMW R1200RT that had the fuel pump drop out of the tank while he was riding to a BMW rally and dump gas all over the bike and his pants. The tow to the shop cost him $500 and another $150 for a cab ride back home. While the pump housing was being replaced, which was under a recall that he had ignored, he had the shop preform a major servicing on the bike, which set him back almost $1K. Ah, the joys of owning ICE.    I rode the RT back to his home in Belmont. What a beast! That thing weighs more than an Energica. 

Anyway, back to electric motorcycles. While at Calmoto, I looked around their showroom and also couldn't find any electric motorcycles for sale, either new or used. So that was a disappointment. Although apparently I missed the Ribelle demo bike. They must have had it hidden where the sun don't shine. 

[Crissa]

Maybe it was charging or out on a ride?

-Crissa

[shayan]

Anyway, back to electric motorcycles. While at Calmoto, I looked around their showroom and also couldn't find any electric motorcycles for sale, either new or used. So that was a disappointment. Although apparently I missed the Ribelle demo bike. They must have had it hidden where the sun don't shine. 

I recently spoke to them and was told that they sold all their units in inventory (new and used). So for any new orders, it would have to go through the Energica configurator and would be shipped directly from Italy.

[DonTom]

Although apparently I missed the Ribelle demo bike. They must have had it hidden where the sun don't shine. 

They were charging it in the showroom, AC outlet on the wall next to it. It was kinda camouflaged, as it is black next to a bunch of other black ICE bikes.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

I never knew that's what he was singing, no.  I have trouble making out lyrics at all, and mostly don't listen to music with them.

-Crissa

I too often have trouble with Lyrics. But with ANY song, the lyrics can be checked on the web.


"Just about a year ago
I set out on the road
Seekin' my fame and fortune
Lookin' for a pot of gold
Thing got bad things got worse
I guess you will know the tune
Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again
I rode in on the Greyhound
I'll be walkin' out if I go
I was just passin' through
Must be seven seven months or more
Ran out of time and money
Looks like they took my friends
Oh Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again
The man from the magazine
Said I was on my way
Somewhere I lost connections
Ran out of songs to play
I came into town, a one night stand
Looks like my plans fell through
Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again
If I only had a dollar
For ev'ry song I've sung
And ev'ry time I had to play
While people sat there drunk
You know, I'd catch the next train
Back to where I live
Oh Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again
Oh Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again"


I heard the idea for the song came up while a guy was hitchhiking to Lodi. When he got there, at the time, they were strongly enforcing laws against hitch hiking in Lodi making him feel stuck there.


That was just for the idea, not for the words in the song. 


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

I visited Calmoto Tuesday to help a friend pick up his BMW R1200RT that had the fuel pump drop out of the tank while he was riding to a BMW rally and dump gas all over the bike and his pants.

First I heard of that happening. I recently rode a buddy's BMW R1250 and I though it was a great feeling bike in curves. But perhaps because the tires were new.  I could ride it faster in curves than I normally could on any bike I've owned. And it was very comfy.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[princec]

All the Telelever front-end boxers are like that - sublime handling. No idea why the configuration hasn't caught on, it really is the best front end out there, on anything I've ever ridden.

Cas

[Richard230]

I visited Calmoto Tuesday to help a friend pick up his BMW R1200RT that had the fuel pump drop out of the tank while he was riding to a BMW rally and dump gas all over the bike and his pants.

First I heard of that happening. I recently rode a buddy's BMW R1250 and I though it was a great feeling bike in curves. But perhaps because the tires were new.  I could ride it faster in curves than I normally could on any bike I've owned. And it was very comfy.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

Here is the recall information:  https://www.advpulse.com/adv-news/bmw-issues-more-recalls-on-r1200gs-other-models-for-fuel-leaks/

[Crissa]

The web did not yet exist when I first listened to Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Heck, I didn't know how to read yet, either.

-Crissa