ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Long time biker on December 23, 2015, 01:45:16 AM
-
Hello everyone.
I'm riding bikes long enough to know what i want, but all this new electric vehicles world is a mess atm. Everyone one wants to be the next Honda or HD of the electric bikes and i'm completely lost as the traditional manufactures are staying out of the race for now.
I've had road bikes and dirt bikes, Honda, Yamaha, Ducati... But at this point in live i'm not in the mood or shape to be pulling wheelies, jumping or exceeding the speed limit constantly. I don't want a glorified 12/24v 1KVA bicycle or scooter, i want a real bike with about or over 50HP, I'm an electrician but all this KVA applied to the road makes no sense to me as i'm also a petrol head and road means HP not KVA.
Now, the usual suspects having nothing to offer, which options are there on the European market for someone like me who is interested on a real motorcycle for commuting as no other use is possible with the current technology?
-
Get a Zero S or DS. SR or DSR would be great too but sounds like you aren't concerned with the extra performance. You can find good deals on MY14 and MY15 bikes. Big improvements in tires, suspension and brakes in MY15 plus addition of ABS.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
-
Here is the 2015 Electric Motorcycle Buyer's Guide:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094729_2015-electric-motorcycles-buyers-guide (http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094729_2015-electric-motorcycles-buyers-guide)
There will be a 2016 Electric Motorcycle Buyer's Guide coming out soon...
But honestly, a Zero is your best bet.
-
You may have a look at Zero Motorcycles:
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com (http://www.zeromotorcycles.com)
or Victory Empulse TT:
http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric)
If you want a Supersports Bike have a look at Energica EGO:
http://www.energicasuperbike.com/energica-ego-electric-superbike/ (http://www.energicasuperbike.com/energica-ego-electric-superbike/)
If you understand german you can visit for further models:
http://de.elektromotorrad.wikia.com/wiki/Elektromotorrad_Wikia (http://de.elektromotorrad.wikia.com/wiki/Elektromotorrad_Wikia)
or this overview in english:
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/electric-motorcycles-round-up.htm (http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/electric-motorcycles-round-up.htm)
-
Thank you everyone for the replies. I'll spend some time reading all the links and come back with the silly questions later. ;D
-
You may have a look at Zero Motorcycles:
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com (http://www.zeromotorcycles.com)
2015 Zero (D)S 14.560,00 €!! WHAT? :o
2015 Zero SR 18.545,00 €! This is way beyond what i'm willing to give for a new unproven technology and it's way, way cheaper to keep my petrol bikes.
or Victory Empulse TT:
http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric)
Victory has no electric vehicles local to me, only petrol powered and HD style. Is this not the same as the Brammo (11.970,00€ but sold out)?
If you want a Supersports Bike have a look at Energica EGO:
http://www.energicasuperbike.com/energica-ego-electric-superbike/ (http://www.energicasuperbike.com/energica-ego-electric-superbike/)
Energica Ego 30.750,00€! I'm speechless
If you understand german you can visit for further models:
http://de.elektromotorrad.wikia.com/wiki/Elektromotorrad_Wikia (http://de.elektromotorrad.wikia.com/wiki/Elektromotorrad_Wikia)
or this overview in english:
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/electric-motorcycles-round-up.htm (http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/electric-motorcycles-round-up.htm)
Electric is not the way for me just yet.
Thank you everyone, maybe i'll came back some day. ::)
-
I am a long-time biker too. I have been riding for 53 years on 44 motorcycles, 40 of those being gas and oil powered. I still have 5 smog and noise producers, as well as my 2014 Zero S. I love riding them all, but the Zero is special. Very little sound, exceeding smooth, very practical for anything but long-distance touring and it has required no maintenance so far. (I just had the 36,000 mile servicing performed on my BMW F650GS and it set me back $750 at the dealership.) While electric motorcycles are certainly not perfect and can have problems (just like every other established IC vehicle) their time is coming and you will see more of them on the road as the technology matures. :)
-
Allow me to start by saying my BMW only met the BMW stealer floor once, and it was for a defective part replacement under warranty. Parts are cheaper (some) on general parts retailers and maintenance is not rocket science and can be carried out at home, if the passion is there of course. Not a brand known for giving it's owners headaches.
Electric is the future, no point arguing about that or refuse to embrace it.
The thing here is a strictly economic view over it. The cost of these things are ridiculous. I do understand it's a fairly new technology and as everything else it's expensive because R&D has not been balanced with sales. But to my wallet, considering the differences and ignoring wear parts (tyres, bulbs, etc), an electric vehicle takes forever to cost the same as a petrol one. Ok, the greenies say what they say. I'm not one of them, I'm not gonna save the planet on my own with all the Chinese factories polluting so we can have our expensive phones or whatever we think it's fancy to have. I'm not concerned about the environment in an hypocrite way, I have trees of my own on my property and plan on planting more. That's my environmental push and don't even try to judge me on that.
Noise wise, it's great to have a silent technology, I hate 2 stroke engines so much. Can't understand how it's still legal in Europe, probably because of the Italian 2 wheel industry which thrived on those nasty engines for decades. My opinion, ban 2 strokes immediately as some US states have done.
Smoke wise, don't even start me on that. I know many owners are the ones to blame for poorly maintained vehicles, others simply can't afford a not so old car/bike, but I can feel it when riding or even driving behind some older cars mainly.
I would, or will in the future, buy an electric bike, but I already have too many expensive toys I don't use, some will appreciate in value over time and I'm not incredibly concerned about cost vs use. A bike it's not the same. I have a 20 years old bike which worth nothing. When talking about 15k€+ better make sure it gets used to justify the cost, and I'm not using it enough to justify the investment, not even if it appreciates in value, as in 30 or 40 years, or more, doesn't make a difference for me.
-
I cannot disagree with your sentiment, these are not investments to appreciate but technology which falls obsolete at quite a pace.
As you owned a motorcycle until zero value - I can likely quote the "without depreciation" figures on 8 years of ownership to lure you into reading this article.
The BMW is suddenly $4,700 more expensive than an SR. If you aren’t worried about depreciation, all of a sudden, the SR starts looking financially appealing. The Zero S, not shown, becomes about $800 cheaper than the entry-level Suzuki, making it a very inexpensive choice if you are in the market for a bike.
http://gas2.org/2015/08/07/electric-motorcycle-costs-performance-vs-gas-motorcycle-costs-performance/ (http://gas2.org/2015/08/07/electric-motorcycle-costs-performance-vs-gas-motorcycle-costs-performance/)
And yes the suggested retail price is high. Factoring in depreciation as a concern it is valid to consider anything 2013 and newer. In my choice I didn't use any cost recovery math... I used "Can I afford it", and I couldn't so I bought my 2013 S in 2014 "dealer new" as full retail does make me shudder, for motorcycles and cars.
-
Long let me say this and then let you go. I don't know where you are Europe, Canada? I don't know if there are any bikes near you to ride but if there is you have nothing to lose by just calling up and taking one for a test ride. It may not change your mind in the least and if you already have the tools and knowledge to fix gas bikes yourself I think it would be cheaper for you to own gas. I think you would enjoy the test ride though and you could watch the specs for new models down the road, and their prices will drop, also just look for used ones in your area as they will be much cheaper than new. Only get one if you love the ride because the rest don't matter.
-
I'm in Europe.
The nearest dealer is 350km away. Sadly I live 15m away from a race track, but not even that attracts sellers to show their products to the public.
My experience with ev was a dreadful scooter 10 or so year ago, and never again had the opportunity to try, or look at, anything else. I'm quite sure technology reached the point of being enjoyable, and I would be attracted to it, as I already am. It all comes down, as with almost everything else, to money. Can I afford it? Am I willing to part with my money for an everyday vehicle/toy/social status object/eccentricity/ need? Why do I want it/need it?
This is not the same as "should I get heating solar panels"? Which my answer is always yes. The comfort it provides vs loot run cost is not something most people can understand. I don't have them, yet, but using a fireplace I can tell that the wood chopping, carrying (drive+getting it inside), the fumes, the cleaning, all that although not expensive if you not buying wood, is both time consuming and incredible uncomfortable. (Off topic)