Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[aachou]

I'm a beginner.  I purchased a City Slicker for commuting to the train station a few months ago and it's been a blast.  I also just passed the MSF beginner course and plan to purchase a more powerful bike (capable of going highway speeds) in a few months.  As a personal thing, I'm looking at electric bikes only.

After a bunch of googling, I landed on pretty much Zero SR or Energica Ego/Ribelle.  However, I feel the Energica offers a lot more as a bike without being that much more expensive....so I'd rather skip straight to an Energica bike.  The power of these bikes don't scare me because I'm aware of my limits and plan to take things very slowly.  However, I've read that the Energica bikes are in general very heavy and I'm afraid it will make handling/turning tricky.

Given how novice I am, how stupid would I be to purchase an energica bike as my first serious bike?  Is the handling/turning as difficult as my mind is making it out to be?  If you believe Energica as a first serious bike is immensely bad, I would be super grateful for advice on other electric bikes and why

[NEW2elec]

First off test ride anything your thinking of getting first if you can.

I think Energica is making some great bikes and as a bike for riding past your learning stage you would love it.
We can't see into the future though.  They are a rather heavy bike but you have to decide if it's too much for you.
The other downside is it's not a cheap bike to drop and need to fix.  As a new rider you may very well go down a time or two.
Both bike companies have ride modes that can really tame the top speed and torque while your starting off. 
The Zero a bit more custom but both can tame the power down.

For what it's worth my first bike was a Zero and it was a fantastic way to learn with not having to think about shifting or stalling or where the power band was in the rev range.  You just twist and go.

Good luck and again if you can try before you buy.

[MVetter]

I think some of the really nice things about electric motorcycles are that you're not distracted with clutch and gears, but mainly the bike is a giant computer. By that I mean it's configurable to put in either insane mode (Sport) or safe friendly mode (Rain). It's rainy out here in California today so I put my SS9 in rain mode and knew that even if I were to give into temptation and open the throttle all the way the bike would simply yawn in response while climbing forward at a safe rate.

The thing to remember about all electric motorcycles is because of the increased torque it's a wise idea to pay extra close attention to things like wet spots, painted spots, or both. This goes double for things like acceleration, like after a Stop sign. The most common way I see Zero DSR owners drop their bike is accelerating into a turn after a stop.

Now, thankfully, these bikes have traction control and other really sweet amenities to protect us. So my thought is, "Yeah dude, go for it. Just keep it in either Rain or Eco mode for the first few months."

[DonTom]

I'm a beginner.  I purchased a City Slicker for commuting to the train station a few months ago and it's been a blast.  I also just passed the MSF beginner course and plan to purchase a more powerful bike (capable of going highway speeds) in a few months.  As a personal thing, I'm looking at electric bikes only.

After a bunch of googling, I landed on pretty much Zero SR or Energica Ego/Ribelle.  However, I feel the Energica offers a lot more as a bike without being that much more expensive....so I'd rather skip straight to an Energica bike.  The power of these bikes don't scare me because I'm aware of my limits and plan to take things very slowly.  However, I've read that the Energica bikes are in general very heavy and I'm afraid it will make handling/turning tricky.

Given how novice I am, how stupid would I be to purchase an energica bike as my first serious bike?  Is the handling/turning as difficult as my mind is making it out to be?  If you believe Energica as a first serious bike is immensely bad, I would be super grateful for advice on other electric bikes and why

As long as you realize you're a beginner, you should be fine. The dangerous part  begins  when you just start to believe  you're a good rider, IMO.

I don't find the SS9 all that "heavy". Not much of an issue, IMO.  But it does feel heavier  than my Zeros.  Heavy is my Harley--and there it can be a big issue if not extra careful.  At least the Energicas have  reverse and slow forward which I have found to be very useful. My SS9 doesn't feel heavy above a few MPH.

I would get used to the bike in either eco or rain mode. It will be a totally  different bike in Urban and in Sport, it becomes rather  ridiculously fast, IMO.

-Don-  Casa Grande, AZ (RV)

[HoodRichOG]

IMO, first real bike should be as light as possible.

The Energica would be a great second bike, but as a first bike I don't think you'd enjoy it as much as the Zero.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

[Moto7575]

It tooks 8 years to Zero to be able to offer a minimal customer service and a quality matching its marketing. So pay attention to the trust you can give to your dealer : he must non only be a seller, but someone who will be on your side whenever you will have problems (from faulty parts to being able to fix the bike if the company goes bust). Paying 10% more for this will still be a bargain, trust me !

[BigPoppa]

Unless you’re financially comfortable, I wouldn’t recommend an Energica as a first bike unless you get a screaming deal on one. As was mentioned above, you’ll likely drop your first bike a time or two (whether out riding or just moving it around in the garage). I always advise new riders to get a cheap, used bike so if they do drop it and do significant damage they’re not out a lot of cash.

Not that experienced riders don’t drop bikes but I think a new rider will be more likely to stick with motorcycling if they drop and damage a $5k bike vs a $20k bike.

Then again, I’ve known folks who bought their dream bike as their first bike, damaged it, repaired it, and continue to ride with smiles on their faces.

I guess the bottom line is if you’re okay with the possibility of damaging and needing to repair an Energica and it’s what you really want, go for it.

[SBK74]

My first bike was a BMW 1100RS. Also >240 kg, and I never dropped, however it had a lower point of gravity than Energica. The new Energcas have a somewhat lower point of gravity as well, but my first impression of the Eva was that it was a bit top-heavy. In daily life I have no problems, only moving around cars in traffic jams, I do a little less audacious than with the BMW.

- You can mount those nylon bushes as protectors, Dutch dealer is doing this more and more. Small damage is already expensive indeed and second hand parts are non existent yet

- use urban and rain mode a lot, specially switch to those when your're getting tired.

If you do take the Energica as first bike, do practice a lot of turns, good luck with your choice.

[Doug S]

I tend to agree that's a pretty big step up all at once. Maybe find a used Zero S or something lighter, less expensive and not so intimidatingly powerful. Ride it for six months or so, develop your "big bike" skills, and you'll be in a better position to evaluate your needs and wants for a long-term bike.

Whatever you do, whenever you step up a performance level, show lots of respect for the new machine. You're stepping up to serious machines now, and they will get you in serious trouble if you don't develop your skills before even thinking about challenging the machine.

[stgatev]

I am not an electric motorcycle owner, but feel responsibility to voice my advice. I am new to the forum, though not new to bikes. I came to this forum to learn about the electric bikes, see what people think, how is the reliability and serviceability. I have been riding motorcycles for a while, and my last ones were race liter petrol bikes (BMW S1000RR and Aprilia Tuono). I am used to high power and high speed.

When I took Zero SR/F for a test ride, I found the Sport mode to give an output similar to the Tuono. If you are not familiar with the Tuono, it is considered to be one of the few bikes that wants to leave you behind if you are not careful with the throttle and not holding tight. It will get you in trouble really fast.

I graduated to the litter bikes after riding scooters for a few years, then maxi scooter, then a sports bike... My BMW was the ninth, and the Tuono is my tenth bike.

Had I started on either of these two bikes, I am not sure whether I would be alive.

With my experience now, I find liter bikes easy to ride. They have super sophisticated electronic rider aids, and will keep the wheels on the ground and maintain traction. The problem, with these bikes however, is that a new rider is not going to be able to react quickly enough to the rapidly changing situations associated with high speed and high acceleration. They are just too fast. Target fixation, panic braking, bad line choices, early apexes, poor vision skills... these are all real things. Crashes are rarely caused by equipment failure; most are due to rider mistakes.

As I said above, the SR/F is very similar to the Tuono in acceleration. From what I read, Energica is even more powerful. And since I would not let anyone ride my Tuono, for fear that they would hurt themselves, for the same reason, I would not recommend Energica or Zero SR/F to a beginner rider.

Ihave been referring to the SR/F, when OP mentioned Zero SR. My understanding is that this bike does not have traction control. Considering how easy it is to lose traction on a high power petrol bike, I personally would want my electric bike to have traction control.

Once again, reliability considerations aside, I see potential problems not with the bike, but with the rider.

My recommendation to the OP is to start with a second-hand petrol bike, ride it for a year, sell it and then decide whether it is time to move on to a torque beast of an electric bike.

[dittoalex]

414 lbs vs 600 lbs, how much can you leg press so you'll keep it upright when your foot slips at a stop?

[MVetter]

I assume you're referring to the S/DS that don't offer traction control weighing 414lbs? The SR/F is 500 I believe.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The statement that the rider of a City Slicker CSC bike (which has moped-level power) isn't afraid of the power in these bikes makes me side with the Tuono owner above.

Energica's models are generally not suitable for an inexperienced rider. It is a track-bred bike, and I don't want to read about a horrible injury or something because someone's reach exceeded their grasp.

Inexperienced riders drop bikes as a rule, not an exception; they also over-rev bikes, panic, and get really excited sometimes beyond their skill level.

[SBK74]

The throttle response with regards to ‘creaminess’ and doseability of the Energica is far superior to other e-bikes, regardless the fact that they have a racing heritage, however, 215 Nm is serious torque.

Edited for nuance

[Anubis-R]

I would not recommend an energica as first bike.

Even with all electronics safety features on new models, it would be too much torque, too much speed, too much weight to learn motorcycling.

As said by some folks, it would be better to learn with a smaller, cheaper and lighter used ICE bike.

You will learn how to put a motorcycle in a corner, how to avoid panic in a slippy corner, learn to pay attention to everything around you, learn how it's like to fall, how it's like to pay for reparing your bike...and so much more
and that's a lots of things you don't want to do with your beautiful energica.

begin with a used ICE bike with less power (80 to 100 is fine to me) for 2 years, you will probably fall once or twice