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[Richard230]

Honda finally unveils their first two electric concept vehicles at the EICMA show. One a small motorcycle and the other a city runabout scooter. It took them long enough to get those two horses out of the barn. Interestingly, Motorcycle.com thinks that the cone covering the right axle might indicate that the bike has a front wheel motor, making it a dual-drive bike. I don't know about that.  I think they are just grasping at straws and that cone might be only a styling feature: https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new-model-preview/honda-unveils-two-electric-concepts-44611198

[Stonewolf]

Thoughts:

• Looks weird, you can just make an electric motorbike with more normal styling and people will be into it, making it weird is more likely to put people off
• The lightweight fallacy once again. Everyone is doing this, ooh we made it lightweight, we kept the battery small to save weight. Result: range no enthusiast will touch. Low weight is good but at the end of the day the motorbike has to do what it needs to do and you just have to accept that any bike running at ex-urban speeds needs the same battery as an all out performance beast unless it's making massive efficiencies elsewhere

[JaimeC]

I never understood the issue people have with the weight of a motorcycle unless you are a competitive racer or something. I mean, for f***s sakes, are you riding it, or CARRYING it?  Or maybe they fall down a lot which means they should learn how to ride?

FWIW, I'm just as comfortable riding my 850lbs K1200LT as I am riding my sub-400lbs scooter (the Zero falls between those two extremes).

[princec]

I'm pretty confused by the fact that we have several bikes available today weighing over 270kg that would be comfortably outperformed by an electric version that actually managed about the same range. Rockets, Goldwings, GS Adventures, RTs. A Goldwing would absolutely work, and could easily manage a 30kWh battery to give a motorway range of 140 miles and 250 miles of ordinary riding.

But I'll never buy anything with a smaller battery than my 15.6kWh Zero.

Cas

[Grauteufel]

Prince, lookup another vaporware, Evoke 6061, which is exactly what you're talking about. Only never produced because they couldn't get it to work.

[DonTom]

I never understood the issue people have with the weight of a motorcycle unless you are a competitive racer or something. I mean, for f***s sakes, are you riding it, or CARRYING it?  Or maybe they fall down a lot which means they should learn how to ride?

FWIW, I'm just as comfortable riding my 850lbs K1200LT as I am riding my sub-400lbs scooter (the Zero falls between those two extremes).

My Harley Road Glide Ultra is around 1,000 lbs. For most riding, it makes no difference. For a very tight turn such as a U-turn on a narrow road, there is a BIG difference. Or when you need to push it a few feet or whatever. Otherwise, it is the most comfy bike I own.


-Don-  (Why, AZ--RV trip with my Zero DS)

[princec]

Yes, pushing them around is not fun. Or rather, pushing them backwards. Forwards is usually not so hard. And here the electric bikes have a distinct advantage in being very easily able to go backwards.

Cas

[T.S. Zarathustra]

I feel that Goldwings and others in the same class would be the perfect candidates for electrification. The price is high enough that regular buyers wouldn't blink an eye to pay for 30-40 kWh battery, which would give up to 400 mile range. The frame can easily accommodate that capacity without being bigger or heavier than ICE. Design it for fast DC charging and you have 1000 mile per day capable bike.

[princec]

I think 220kg bikes with 24kWh packs should be possible already too, so that would cover most other usages of bikes. Provided they get the 50kW DC charging they need as well as 22kW AC.

Cas

[DonTom]

But I'll never buy anything with a smaller battery than my 15.6kWh Zero.

My handiest bike is my 2017 Zero DS, which I now have with me. It has a little 7.2 KWH (replaced from 6.5 KWH during warranty) battery. Light enough to carry on the hitch of this motorhome and I find it has more than enough range for anything practical. No way would I trade this bike for a larger battery, unless it can be made just as light as this bike.


It's the perfect bike for RV use.


-Don- Why, AZ (boondocked in the desert)

[princec]

If I could afford/were allowed multiple bikes I'd have a smaller one... but I can only have one, and therefore it must be as useful as possible.

Cas

[CagivaRider]

We are kind of like DonTom - six motorcycles, including two Zeros, a 7.2 S and a 14.4 SR. I have other ICEs for touring. We originally bought the SR for my wife to commute on, but the extra 100 pounds proved a bit too much to push around the hilly area she parks in. The lighter S has been perfect. Now I ride the SR for most of my around town trips.

[Stonewolf]

I have one bike and no car

[MichaelJ]

I never understood the issue people have with the weight of a motorcycle unless you are a competitive racer or something. I mean, for f***s sakes, are you riding it, or CARRYING it?  Or maybe they fall down a lot which means they should learn how to ride?

Congratulations for being a skilled rider in good health and fitness, capable of control over heavy motorcycles.  Please keep in mind riders who are older and/or less fit.


My wife has ridden with zero accidents for almost two decades.  She recently traded her Energica Ribelle for a LiveWire One because the Ribelle was the first bike she ever dropped.  The Ribelle was too top-heavy but the LW1 has a lower center of gravity.  We are not in great shape, but would like to continue enjoying our two-wheeled sport without petrochemicals.  Fatigue makes us more likely to drop the bike at low speeds when our reflexes and leg strength are flagging at the end of a ride.  She already misses the reverse "gear" and smooth balance of the Ribelle in motion, but would have stopped riding altogether if she couldn't confidently flatfoot the LW1.