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[Richard230]

This afternoon I received my November 2010 issue of Motorcyclist magazine. You will want to buy a copy of this issue as it is all about electric motorcycles. It covers the Brammo, Roehr, Mavizen, Mission and Motoczysz, as well as electric motorcycle racing.

While I have not read the issue yet, a major article is a 7-page, in-depth road test and comparison of the Brammo Enertia and the Zero S. Here are just some specifications of these two bikes from the article:

The Enertia weighs 332 pounds; makes 15.3 bhp @ 3125 rpm and 41.0 lb-ft of torque at 925 rpm; it covered the ¼ mile in 20.8 seconds at 60.1 mph; 0-60 time is 19.6 seconds; maximum range is 34 miles, while minimum range is 20 miles; top speed is 65 mph with a 175 pound rider on board.

The Zero S weighs 282 pounds; makes 20.5 bhp @ 2150 rpm and 52.9 lb-ft of torque at 575 rpm; it covered the ¼ mile in 19.2 seconds at 63.9 mph; 0-60 time is 11.9 seconds; maximum range is 38 miles, while minimum range is 19 miles; top speed is 75 mph with a 175 pound rider on board.

I am really impressed with the coverage of electric motorcycles in this traditional IC magazine, especially as I don’t believe they get much (if any) advertising revenue from electric motorcycle manufacturers. I can only assume that they believe electric motorcycles are exciting, interesting and represent a reasonable portion of the future of motorcycling. It will be interesting to see what sort of feedback they receive from their readers next month.

[Brammofan]

Hey Richard -- any chance you can scan a page or two and post 'em up?

[Richard230]

Brammofan, I have tried to post photos and scans on this site before with no success. Apparently my files are too large to make it past the gate guard. However if you can send me your email address, I will be happy to scan the specification page and send it to you.

[Brammofan]

Sure... my email (which should be visible in my profile) is brammofan at brammofan dot com.  Thanks!

[Richard230]

You have mail, Brammofan. I scanned the entire article and because the files were so large I sent it in a total of three messages. Let me know if anything went wrong.

[Brammofan]

Got it! Thanks - I'll have to wait until I get home to see them. I'll probably swing by Barnes & Noble tomorrow to buy it.

[skadamo]

Brammofan, I have tried to post photos and scans on this site before with no success. Apparently my files are too large to make it past the gate guard. However if you can send me your email address, I will be happy to scan the specification page and send it to you.

Hey Richard, I just installed a mod that lets you upload images to imageshack and host them on the site fairly easily. You should see the option below the post box now...

[Brammofan]

Speaking as a concerned member of the forum, I'd recommend posting no more than one picture from the article.  Don't want to get a cease and desist letter. 

[Richard230]

I hate to say this, but I don't know what Imageshack is. Being a one-trick pony, it is about all I can do to attach a photo from my computer files. In the case of the Motorcyclist article pages, each page is over 5 MB. Just emailing it is a struggle. I think I will stick with words for a while.

I might add that I keep getting messages from people who want me to be their "friend" and I say sure, I'll be your friend - and then I never hear from them again.  Kind of strange.

[Richard230]

I just finished reading the November issue of Motorcyclist magazine and I was very impressed with the depth of their coverage of the electric motorcycle scene. They rode and reviewed just about every production motorcycle on the market and even some that are not here yet - such as the 2011Mission One. They rode the Roehr eSuperbike, Mavizen TTX02, reviewed Michael Czysz and the E1PC in detail, provided a riding impression of the Piaggio MP3 300ie Hybrid (they didn't think much of this three-wheel scooter), and covered the Werkstatt and Lightning racers. Also, they did a complete road test of the Brammo Enertia and Zero S - which included some interesting observations regarding the performance and quality of both vehicles. Finally, they included an article about riding the Zero DS up to the top of the 13,114 foot high Imogene Pass and riding the Zero S on Colorado's Million Dollar Highway. I consider that very complete coverage of electric motorcycles in a traditional IC motorcycle magazine.

One vehicle that was not mentioned anywhere though, was the Electric Motorsport GPR-S/Native GPR-S.

[skadamo]

Thanks for the update! I'll take the info pictures or no pictures.

[Richard230]

I received my January 2011 issue of Motorcyclist Magazine today (my how time flies) and the feedback of their electric motorcycle issue has hit their MC Mail section on page 30. The letters, at least the ones that were printed, were generally positive.   Electrician's (Bob Leone) letter made the cut, as did mine. They even printed a photo of my GPR-S. (I hope EMS appreciates it.) Seven letters were printed.

The first letter was from Eddie Cruz of San Antonio, TX. Eddie said that he liked the concept of electric motorcycles, but would prefer to keep his IC bikes.  Mark Kaplan was blown away by the depth of their coverage and felt that electric motorcycles were the wave of the future, but was concerned about their lack of noise and that he might get "gonad cancer" from riding one.    Al Smith III is a "firm and enthusiastic supporter of the traction toward greener pastures".     Daniel Fontaine of Dover, NH felt that "electric motorcycles will stay novelties for quite some time".     John Lacko wished that more of the issue's pages were devoted to the Roehr e-bike, instead of Michael Czysz's exploits, who he describes as being a "technological lab-rat" who is "waiting for someone to buy him out".   

And so there you have it. All in all not too bad in the way of responses and no real flaming going on.