ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: BigPoppa on September 07, 2022, 08:54:14 PM
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I was invited by some friends at the last minute to join them on a ride to Reno/Sparks for the RibFest. Both of them were on ICE bikes but they were okay with stopping for my charging stops. My bike is a 2021 Energica Ribelle so I was able to utilize CCS chargers. The trip required three charging stops each way.
My thoughts after getting back from the trip:
* The state of CCS charging in California is greatly improved since the last time I tried to do any distance with my 2020 EsseEsse9.
* Based on charging alone, the trip was easily done, charging times aside.
* Northern California summer is NOT fun when needing to stand around waiting for your bike to charge. Charging times varied from 30 minutes to as long as an hour based on ABetterRoutePlanner charge level recommendations.
* I wore a textile one-piece suit with a t-shirt and shorts underneath. I sweated like a stuck pig and probably downed a gallon+ of water during the ride.
* Going electric turned a 3-4 hour ride into a 6 hour ride.
* If I ever do a ride like that again, I'm renting an ICE bike. I'm also going to stick with a jacket and jeans if I do a trip in hot weather again. The one-piece suit was a pain in the a$$.
TL;DR
Here in Northern California, a day trip by electric motorcycle is pretty much a non-event, at least if you have a CCS capable bike. I learned that dressing for the weather is super important due to the charging wait times. There isn't always a place to get out of the weather for the entire charge session. I don't plan on doing a day long ride by electric motorcycle again, it extended the trip time too much for my tastes.
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I live 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean and it hit 105 degrees F at my home yesterday. I took a 25-mile ride in the morning before it got that hot and decided that was not a pleasant experience. You really don't want to be standing in the direct sunlight when the temperature gets over 80 degrees. It would be nice if charging stations had a covered place to sit down in the shade or during rain, something like a bus stop shelter.
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I can tell you that I'd far rather ride an electric bike than an ICE on in hot weather. My old Ducati 748 with its underseat exhaust in London traffic was probably decimating my sperm count. :o
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I live 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean and it hit 105 degrees F at my home yesterday. I took a 25-mile ride in the morning before it got that hot and decided that was not a pleasant experience. You really don't want to be standing in the direct sunlight when the temperature gets over 80 degrees. It would be nice if charging stations had a covered place to sit down in the shade or during rain, something like a bus stop shelter.
You would THINK that the companies that install these stations would take that into consideration, right? It's not like gasoline, where after a minute or two you're back on the road! At least around here, the Level2 stations are USUALLY in shopping malls, movie theaters or libraries. There are also several in public parking lots in the middle of town where there are restaurants and shops available. Only twice did I find myself stuck outside because the charging station was available, but the facility where it was located was closed. At least those places had shady trees I could sit under, though. Just read my eBooks on my Kindle app while I waited for the bike to charge.
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Ha ha.
Bigpoppa isn't wearing any rose colored glasses I guess. Weather conditions aside, I've always thought it's a big difference when you're just touring/riding for the sake of riding and when you are trying to get somewhere to do something. That extra time gets old quick.
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OP should have made their ICE bike buddies tow a rope so their Ribelle could hold on & regen charge instead.
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OP should have made their ICE bike buddies tow a rope so their Ribelle could hold on & regen charge instead.
I like that idea! I'll have to remember that!
In all seriousness...I went into electrics with the expectation that my riding would consist of commuting and local back roads. I only decided to take the road trip to see if it could be done. I figured Reno is close enough to me that in the absolute worse case, my wife could drive out and pick me up. I do need to mention that we kept our speeds to the speed limit +/- 5mph. Any ham fisted throttle action would have cut my range to the point where I probably would have needed a 4th charging stop, especially on the uphill portion from Auburn, CA to Truckee, CA. That section was the biggest drain on my battery.
If the weather had been 20-30 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler the charging stops probably wouldn't have bothered me anywhere near as much. 100F+ for most of the ride wasn't a good idea...lol.
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Yeah, when I did my 200+ mile day I decided to do it alone rather than ask if any of my ICE riding buddies wanted to join me. It was actually kind of nice to be able to lay back and just enjoy the ride instead of stressing to keep up with anyone, or get anywhere at a specific time. I also stayed off the highways and just rode through towns and villages which was also very nice.
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The trip required three charging stops each way.
Where were your three charge stops?
My favorite is Cisco Grove. From there, I walk across the freeway to the park and have lunch (sandwich from the Subway shop with next to the chargers) at a picnic table next to the river. However, my SS9- doesn't allow enough time for that. The charge will be done way before I finish my lunch. My Zero charging from the J-1772 allows just the right amount of time.
The free fast charger for the west bound Donner Summit has been working. But not the one for the east bound.
-Don- Reno, NV
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My thoughts after getting back from the trip:
* The state of CCS charging in California is greatly improved since the last time I tried to do any distance with my 2020 EsseEsse9.
Almost every exit has CCS from Auburn to Truckee. I would think your "+" could have done the trip in two charges. What was your SOC when you recharged?
* Northern California summer is NOT fun when needing to stand around waiting for your bike to charge. Charging times varied from 30 minutes to as long as an hour based on ABetterRoutePlanner charge level recommendations.
* I wore a textile one-piece suit with a t-shirt and shorts underneath. I sweated like a stuck pig and probably downed a gallon+ of water during the ride.
In the mountains, you shouldn't be too hot at the CCS charge stations in KingVale. It's close to the summit with a lot of shade trees. I try to plan my trips to charge at comfortable places. I know them all since I take that route on I-80 often. But AFAIK, there isn't much you can do when close to Sacramento.
Sometimes I take Hwy 20. A nice side trip into Willow Valley too.
CCS at both ends of Hwy 20, NV City and then Cisco Grove, a few miles east on I-80 after Hwy 20 gets you to I-80. I have also done Hwy 50. Enough CCS there too even for my SS9-.
I enjoy taking the charge breaks. When I am down to around 25% SOC I am ready for a break. Even when going uphill from Auburn.
* Going electric turned a 3-4 hour ride into a 6 hour ride. * If I ever do a ride like that again, I'm renting an ICE bike.
I would take me just as long on ICE because I would take the same breaks anyway, at least if I am in the areas that have a decent place to stop for a CCS charge.
I'm also going to stick with a jacket and jeans if I do a trip in hot weather again. The one-piece suit was a pain in the a$$.
My jacket for hot days simpley lets most of the air through but still has armor. I have the BMW pants ($600.00) that have zippers to let air into my legs. The inner liner is removed for the summer.
-Don- Reno, NV
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My charging stops were Sacramento, Auburn, and Truckee. I used the stops recommended by ABetterRoutePlanner since this was my first time riding my electric that far. Temps in Truckee were in the high 90s by the time we got there IIRC. If I had the range, I would have preferred to skip the Auburn charge but it's a good thing I didn't since even charging up to 90%+ in Auburn still saw me rolling into Truckee in the teens.
As for gear, I rolled the dice and erred on the side of increased protection vs comfort. Although my textile one piece has venting, it was still an annoying suit to peel out of while waiting for charges. Next time I'll definitely err on the side of comfort and go the jeans and jacket route. I may even finally pick up a pair of padded kevlar jeans specifically for longer rides.
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My charging stops were Sacramento, Auburn, and Truckee. I used the stops recommended by ABetterRoutePlanner since this was my first time riding my electric that far. Temps in Truckee were in the high 90s by the time we got there IIRC. If I had the range, I would have preferred to skip the Auburn charge but it's a good thing I didn't since even charging up to 90%+ in Auburn still saw me rolling into Truckee in the teens.
I started with 100%, but I have made it to Truckee from Auburn on my SS9- in the past. Truckee is an expensive place for a CCS charge as it's a tourist trap area. Going back west, you could get a free CCS charge at the Donner Summit Rest Area.
I made a directory in my Garmin GPS for "CCS Charge" and another for "J-charge". Before a long trip, I check Plugshare for recent check-ins to be sure the charge stations are working to where I am headed.
-Don- Reno, NV