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[Katie1]

Hi all

Just starting the research phase of going electric. Although the UK won't go new ICE bike-free until 2030, I've got a feeling there will be fewer fuel stations/pumps around (and higher petrol costs as a result) as car manufacturers shift their focus to electric. When that happens, range anxiety will be shared with everyone, whatever you ride!

Currently have a '21 Tuono V4 and a '18 S100RR so definitely looking at the top end of the performance scale!

Took an Eva Ribelle RS out a few weeks ago during one of the try out sessions and was stunned at how good it was! Didn't for one second miss the noise of the ICE (although left foot flapped like a pigeon's wing, looking for the gear lever) and was really surprised at the difference in vibrations (felt like I was on an Aprilia cement mixer on the way home). Having used up and down quickshifters for a while, I don't really miss the gears, and the regen seems to fill that gap. The nicest thing was realising how much I just like riding bikes - the feeling of moving rapidly through the world, in concert with your machine - regardless of what makes it go 
Would need decent luggage carrying capacity (still going to be touring, whatever I ride!) but it looks like the Dutch have sorted out a decent (Givi) top case and tank bag arrangement so that's helpful.

Have signed up to this and a Facebook group just to try and get some real-world background on the Energica. Was also hoping the Damon would be ready to launch (what happened to the Lightening, is that actually real?) before making any commitment but that might be bike No.2...

[NEW2elec]

Welcome aboard Katie1.  The UK is a great market for electric and I think you'll enjoy them.
Glad to see you've done your homework and are familiar with the bikes.
I have a reservation on a Damon myself so I'm a little partial to it.  It would likely be early to mid 2024 to get one in the UK if reserved now.  Might be worth the wait.
Feel free to ask anything you'd like about the Damon and I will either answer or point you in the right direction.

That being said if you really like touring then either the not yet released Experia or a fully kitted Zero SRS would both work nice.  The Energica with CCS which is faster but more expensive and the Zero with it's charge tank option which is an upfront cost but cheaper to charge while a little slower.
Just post any questions you may have and we'll go from there.

[ADVENTURESonZERO]

Welcome! Feel free to ask any questions - getting into electrics can feel a little daunting at first, but it's just a different way to ride compared to ICE.

[MikeL]

Welcome! You already have some great bikes!

Currently available to purchase today I'd say the Zero SR/S Premium or Energica SS9+ RS (for performance and touring). If you're willing to wait a month+ the Experia is supposed to be great for touring.

How much touring do you do in a year?

[Katie1]

Generally only one tour per year (France, Italy, Germany) but lots of trips, weekends etc. Also use the bike (normally the S1KRR) for commuting into London so a 100 mile daily round trip and carrying clothes, laptop, handbag (definitely a girl), food etc.

Got my eye on the Ribelle but haven't tried the Ego yet (I do practical but think common-sense is overrated  ). Have done the adventure style bike (Benelli Trk899, KTM 1290 SDGT) but prefer the weight lower down for everyday riding.

[MikeL]

Generally only one tour per year (France, Italy, Germany) but lots of trips, weekends etc. Also use the bike (normally the S1KRR) for commuting into London so a 100 mile daily round trip and carrying clothes, laptop, handbag (definitely a girl), food etc.

Got my eye on the Ribelle but haven't tried the Ego yet (I do practical but think common-sense is overrated  ). Have done the adventure style bike (Benelli Trk899, KTM 1290 SDGT) but prefer the weight lower down for everyday riding.

100miles a day? Damn, now that's a commute! I'd for sure say the Ribelle then. Can you charge at work?

[Katie1]

There are charge points nearby (no work freebies unfortunately!) so that's not a worry but return-trip range needs to be certain in case of failures. It's why the Energica and Damon both sound so good

[NEW2elec]

Steven is one of the few people I know that had both an SRS and a Ribelle at the same time.  At the 5:23 mark he talks about his real world range for both bikes.
Note that is a 14.4kWh battery on the SRS and the 2022 and newer bikes can be set up with close to 20 kWh battery pack and power tank option.  I'd say that setup would get around 150 miles at mixed speeds.
Also note he is getting the new Experia sport touring model as he tours, well alot, and plans to trade in his Ribelle.



I wish I had a chance to test ride the Damon but Covid pushed things back a bit.  They state it can do 200 miles at mixed riding speeds and about 160 at a steady 70MPH.  This is for their high end HS sport model.  It should have better charging more performance than any other bike and other unique features described on their website.  No firm news on luggage options at this time.

[MVetter]

set phaser to 'believe in imaginary products'

[Katie1]

Things change. Less than 100 years ago, some marketing numpties effectively killed off the electric car by trying to sell it as the clean, fast, girlie option, while 'real men' drove big, smelly, gas-guzzling cars 

[NEW2elec]

Oh MVetter is a Damon denier.  Since it's not out yet and it claims to be better than the rest he doesn't think it can be real.
We disagree on that.
We do agree that Lightning has never been able to put out what they had claimed they would.  But they are little more than a one man show and a few helpers.

Damon is nearing completion of their 110 thousand square foot factory in BC Canada and will be building bikes soon after.  They also have a great team behind them and show all their financial backers.  If you have any questions about them Meygan from the Damon home office is active in the Damon section of the forum if you'd like info from the source.

[Fred]

It's probably work taking a look at the Zero SR/F or SR/S too. They're significantly cheaper than an Energica in the UK - especially with some of the deals you may still find around. I tried a SR/F back-to-back with an Energica Eva Ribelle and much preferred the Zero. Others seem to prefer the Energica, so it's definitely a case of deciding for yourself.

As for Damon... well, I doubt they will ever make a single production bike. I suspect that once they've got as much money as they can out of investors or anyone who is gullible enough to give them a deposit, they'll go under. There are just so many red flags about that company.

[Richard230]

While I am not to sure about some of the performance claims that Damon makes for their future production motorcycles, I am willing to see what happens if and when they enter the retail market and what customers have to say once they purchase and live with the bikes for a while. I have learned from buying BMW motorcycles for the past 27 years (and Electric Motorsport bikes in 2009 and 2010) that you never want to buy the first year of a newly developed motorcycle. I'll let others be the beta testers and wait to see what happens.

I certainly have never had any but relatively minor issues (for me), such as OBC and DC-DC converter failures with the three Zero motorcycles that I have owned - 2012, 2014 and 2018 model years, all of which have had enough performance and range to suit my needs and the 2012 and 2014 bikes were reliable enough to pass along to my daughter. I have never had any firmware problems and my old 2014 S is still using the same firmware program that it had when leaving the factory without any observable issues.

[NEW2elec]

Oh and Fred is one too. 

Because you only hire experts in certain fields and build a huge factory, an R&D facility in San Fran and buy a custom setup toy hauler for test ride events when you are going to scam people out of a $100 deposit.   

[MVetter]

No one would ever do that

And especially in the motorcycle realm