ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: DonTom on November 10, 2022, 11:57:00 AM
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What are your reasons for putting up with the hassles of electric motorcycles?
I am not even sure why I like them the best, as it makes no sense. As one guy once said here "electric motorcycles suck!" I cannot disagree, but I still ride electric whenever I can.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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You forgot the silence - while they feel quite nimble due to their instant torque, they also sound effortless. Giving it the beans has never been so discrete.
My motivation is power per licence: in some legislations, one can ride a 125cc/11kW bike with a car driver's license. What is the same between the two drivetrains is how the output is measured: the average power over 30 minutes.
While the result between legal power 'nominal' and maximum power for ICE is very close, the max power on an FX is three times higher 33kW/44PS. In practice, derating is unnoticeable, and with a well-designed EV one can drive an equivalent to a fast 400cc without extending to a motorbike license.
That's why Zero offers S/DS/FX/FXS/FXE models with a choice of 11kW or 15kW.
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You forgot the silence - while they feel quite nimble due to their instant torque, they also sound effortless. Giving it the beans has never been so discrete.
My motivation is power per licence: in some legislations, one can ride a 125cc/11kW bike with a car driver's license. What is the same between the two drivetrains is how the output is measured: the average power over 30 minutes.
While the result between legal power 'nominal' and maximum power for ICE is very close, the max power on an FX is three times higher 33kW/44PS. In practice, derating is unnoticeable, and with a well-designed EV one can drive an equivalent to a fast 400cc without extending to a motorbike license.
That's why Zero offers S/DS/FX/FXS/FXE models with a choice of 11kW or 15kW.
Thanks, I just added that "they are quiet" to the poll. I wonder how many other things I forgot to add.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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'Regulations' is missing.
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I voted for all of the above, although I don't enjoy waiting to charge but also rarely is it actually an issue. And also as Bodo mentioned, it's the quickest bike I can ride on my licence. In addition to the options in the pole I'd say I also enjoy the intrigue that comes from having an electric bike, having people come up to me to talk about them.
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As a long-time BMW motorcycle owner one of the things I really appreciate when owning an electric motorcycle is the lack of dealer-required maintenance. After buying my 2018 Zero S I have never been back to my dealer, except for the first checkup servicing. And my old 2014 S that I gave to my daughter had never been to a dealer either since its Power Tank was installed a month after it was bought.
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'Regulations' is missing.
I think that is a good one for "none of the above, give reasons below".
-Don- Auburn, CA
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My main reason for going electric is the ease of accessing the vehicle's performance, whether an Energica or a Tesla. Less to focus on (shifting, proper RPMs, etc) other than the ride itself.
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My main reason for going electric is the ease of accessing the vehicle's performance, whether an Energica or a Tesla. Less to focus on (shifting, proper RPMs, etc) other than the ride itself.
To add to this, with an electric bike it's less that they have a lot of torque (many gas bikes will actually have more torque at the wheel in first gear) but rather that the torque is delivered in a predictable, linear, logical manner and the maximum is (practically) always available. The throttle on a gas bike is more of a suggestion and you wait for the engine to catch up and then play along by working the clutch and gears. An electric bike gives you what you ask for when you ask for it.
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To add to this, with an electric bike it's less that they have a lot of torque (many gas bikes will actually have more torque at the wheel in first gear) but rather that the torque is delivered in a predictable, linear, logical manner and the maximum is (practically) always available. The throttle on a gas bike is more of a suggestion and you wait for the engine to catch up and then play along by working the clutch and gears. An electric bike gives you what you ask for when you ask for it.
Yep, that wide range RPM torque is a main reason why I like electrics also.
The less gears the better, IMO. But most Americans think differently when it comes to sales. They think more is better. But I wish they would remove two gears from my Harley.
IMO, the four gears in my BMW are perfect. If that only needs four gears, my Harley could do as well on three gears, but it has six. I often skip gears with it. Lots of torque, but still nothing like an electric.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Because riding on nuclear is way cooler than on dead dinosaurs...
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It's because they're just so gosh darn good. I took my VFR out for a shakedown recently after it's satin my garage for a few months and it's so much more work than my Ribelle.
I said this before and I'll say it again, electric will win over gas because it's just better, that's what people who don't understand the shirt to electric cars don't get, it's happening because they're better.
In the end it wont happen because they take gas bikes away, it'll happen because nobody wants them anymore.
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It's because they're just so gosh darn good. I took my VFR out for a shakedown recently after it's satin my garage for a few months and it's so much more work than my Ribelle.
I said this before and I'll say it again, electric will win over gas because it's just better, that's what people who don't understand the shirt to electric cars don't get, it's happening because they're better.
In the end it wont happen because they take gas bikes away, it'll happen because nobody wants them anymore.
It will happen faster once the range gets increased and the price drops to a more affordable level.
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I doubt those will happen at the same time, range is pretty much tiny improvements at the edge until solid state comes along and that will be both years from now and at the current price point. Meanwhile it's conceivable current battery tech will get closer to price parity but with current performance. So you will have a choice, current tech at nearer price parity or range parity and a 5 minute charge at current prices.
Furthermore, I'm not sold on range being the be-all end-all anymore, my Energica has less range than a gas bike, sure but it has *enough* range. What it needs is better thermal management allowing faster and more consistent charging. If you want to know what I want out of solid state, that's it, I want the mass and volume savings to enable a thermal management system sized to the better thermal characteristics of the batter. That way I could get the same or better range with consistently significantly faster charging to the point where I don't care how few motorway miles I'm getting.
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It will happen faster once the range gets increased and the price drops to a more affordable level.
Range doesn't need to be increased. We only need more places to charge up when out in the middle of nowhere.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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It will happen faster once the range gets increased and the price drops to a more affordable level.
Range doesn't need to be increased. We only need more places to charge up when out in the middle of nowhere.
-Don- Auburn, CA
Not in the eyes of current ICE riders without EV experience. i have two long-time ICE riding friends who say they would never buy an electric motorcycle unless it will travel at least 200 miles at 75 mph. Recharging during their ride is just not something they are thinking about right now. That sort of thinking comes later, after you first buy an electric motorcycle and then understand how they work and how you will use it. But first you have to get ICE owners in the saddle and that is influenced by both price and advertised range.
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It will happen faster once the range gets increased and the price drops to a more affordable level.
Range doesn't need to be increased. We only need more places to charge up when out in the middle of nowhere.
-Don- Auburn, CA
Not in the eyes of current ICE riders without EV experience. i have two long-time ICE riding friends who say they would never buy an electric motorcycle unless it will travel at least 200 miles at 75 mph. Recharging during their ride is just not something they are thinking about right now. That sort of thinking comes later, after you first buy an electric motorcycle and then understand how they work and how you will use it. But first you have to get ICE owners in the saddle and that is influenced by both price and advertised range.
My VFR can't do that generally even with a 21 litre tank and it's a touring bike.
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It will happen faster once the range gets increased and the price drops to a more affordable level.
Range doesn't need to be increased. We only need more places to charge up when out in the middle of nowhere.
-Don- Auburn, CA
Not in the eyes of current ICE riders without EV experience. i have two long-time ICE riding friends who say they would never buy an electric motorcycle unless it will travel at least 200 miles at 75 mph. Recharging during their ride is just not something they are thinking about right now. That sort of thinking comes later, after you first buy an electric motorcycle and then understand how they work and how you will use it. But first you have to get ICE owners in the saddle and that is influenced by both price and advertised range.
My VFR can't do that generally even with a 21 litre tank and it's a touring bike.
All of my ICE motorcycles will go over 200 miles on a full tank of fuel, even my KTM with its 3.5 gallon tank. My friends ride BMW's that either have a large fuel tank or get 65 mpg, such as one friend's BMW F800ST. In any case, they remain nervous about long charging times and that charging stations will either be occupied when they need them or not operating due to lack of maintenance or vandalism. While that may not be your experience, it is their perception, which impacts their interest in spending a lot of money to buy an EV.
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Not in the eyes of current ICE riders without EV experience. i have two long-time ICE riding friends who say they would never buy an electric motorcycle unless it will travel at least 200 miles at 75 mph. Recharging during their ride is just not something they are thinking about right now. That sort of thinking comes later, after you first buy an electric motorcycle and then understand how they work and how you will use it. But first you have to get ICE owners in the saddle and that is influenced by both price and advertised range.
Yes, I have noticed all of that also.
The strange thing is the first thing I look for in ICE bikes is the size of the gas tank and the range on a tank of gas. The gas tank on my Moto Guzzi is 8.5 gallons. My Triumph is close to 8 gallons. My Harley is six gallons, but can get 300 miles on a tank as it gets fifty MPG at normal freeway speeds of 65 to 70 MPH (but really sucks the gas at 85 mph).
On electrics, I care more about charge stations than range. If a battery is twice the size, it normally takes twice as long to charge at the same charge rate anyway. I prefer the more stops and wait at each half as long.
Even on my SS9-, I can recall when I rode it back from Livermore, I was disappointed to see the next charge station (well within my range) was farther than I wanted to see because I already wanted to stop for a short rest. That is when I realized that charge station locations were more important to me than my range. Range is important for now because there are no charge stations in many areas within my range. But that will change in the next couple of years, especially when I can charge up my SS9- at Tesla Superchargers.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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About 10 years ago my friend who owns a BMW F800ST once rode from Spokane, Washington to Cordelia, CA in one day, only stopping for gas. My daughter used to live in Ballard, Washington (north of Seattle) and she would come down to Pacifica on a Saturday to visit me and then ride back home on Sunday on her 1981 BMW R65LS, also without stopping for anything but gas. I would take at least two days to travel to either destination - and that would be when I was a lot younger. A trip like would be definitely no fun for me. But some people like to travel distances like that without stopping. ???
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About 10 years ago my friend who owns a BMW F800ST once rode from Spokane, Washington to Cordelia, CA in one day, only stopping for gas. My daughter used to live in Ballard, Washington (north of Seattle) and she would come down to Pacifica on a Saturday to visit me and then ride back home on Sunday on her 1981 BMW R65LS, also without stopping for anything but gas. I would take at least two days to travel to either destination - and that would be when I was a lot younger. A trip like would be definitely no fun for me. But some people like to travel distances like that without stopping. ???
My longest ride was on my shiny new 1971 BMW back in 1971. It was August, too hot to stop for long and I rode from the Big Bend of Texas to Salton Sea CA in one day. My longest ride ever, 1,025 miles. I was not trying for the distance. I was not trying for an Iron Butt Award or anything like that. It was simply the distance I then rode without even really thinking about how far I went.
Not something that I would want to now do at my age. I have been back to the Big Bend a couple of times, but in an RV. My Zero DS carried on the hitch.
But I am sure you know, these days, many have done more than 1,000 miles in a day on an electric as well. Most I have done in a day on an electric is still less than 300 miles. But very close to 300, a few times. I am not into doing things just to say I have done them or to get an award or whatever. I go on rides to enjoy the ride or to get somewhere I need to go.
-Don- Auburn, CA