Part 2 of 2
Touring
A great potential setup would be a Diginow charger carried in a top box and a power tank. However, it isn't available yet. The dual Elcon setup is also a great setup. These can be mounted where the panniers would usually go. They are also water resistant, so they can cope with rain. Look up Benswing for more info. He has lots of touring experience with this setup and lots of videos on YouTube that document his adventures. Well worth a look.
You could do roughly 120 miles before lunch and another 120 after lunch. Plenty for a nice relaxed day's riding. Squeeze another quick charge in over afternoon tea and you'll easily do 300 miles in a day.
From what I gather, around 250 miles a day is plenty. I've heard people say that 300-350 miles a day or more is just too much if you really want to enjoy the experience.
Aerodynamics
People often forget about this topic, which is of great importance in the EV world. A good fairing can double your range at high speeds. Many Zero enthusiasts have a fairing at the top of their wish list. Some have fitted their own.
Craig Vetter must be mentioned here. He has contributed massively to this field. If it's an area you're interested in, look Craig up. Unfortunately Craig is recovering from a bad accident. Our thoughts are with him and his family.
I'll also mention Terry Hershner, or Electric Terry as he's known on the forum. I believe Terry adapted his bike with help from Craig, or one of his fairings. Terry has made some remarkable achievements in this area as well as charging, touring and EV's in general. He's got a cute dog too!
The Battery
This is by far the most expensive component on the bike and it probably generates the most questions and anxiety when considering a purchase. It's certainly something I focused on a lot! I won't go into details here, other than to make a few key points. Check out the links in the appendix for further reading.
1. Don't compare the battery in your phone to the battery in a bike or car. The chemistry is different and automotive grade cells are designed to last a long time. Zero provide a five year warranty on 2014 bikes onwards. You can expect them to be good for twice that length of time at least. In ten years time you'll be happy to replace the battery with one that will give you twice or three times the range at least. More likely you'll just get a new bike.
2. Charge at your convenience. You don't need to worry about running the battery down before charging. In fact it's better if you don't run it empty regularly.
3. Fast charging won't adversely affect battery life. The cells are put under very little stress even when charging the bike in an hour or so.
4. EV manufacturers know that batteries are going to be a concern for people and have engineered them accordingly. Follow their advice and just don't worry about it. Please! I've spent more than enough time thinking about it so you don't have to. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the people who make these things know what they're doing and they deserve our faith. I know that isn't always the case, but it is where Zero's batteries are concerned.
Performance & Handling
Now we get to the fun stuff!
Electric motors produce lots of torque. They can provide all that torque from just a few rpm right through to the upper part of the rev range. It's worth letting that sink in a little because it's one of the truly great aspects of riding an electric motorcycle.
Strictly speaking, Zeros limit the torque at low speeds to keep things civilised when setting off. Despite that, the Zero SR can get to 60mph in 3.3 seconds. As there is no clutch or gears to change, you don't have to be an expert rider to achieve that either. Just not too heavy!
The instantly available torque is most useful for overtaking as you don't need to drop gears. It's just really nice to have lots of acceleration available whenever you want it.
Much of the weight of the bike is in the battery and this gives it quite a low centre of gravity. The lack of a spinning crankshaft and gears means that there are fewer centrifugal forces at work. This adds up to nimble handling and a good feel on the road.
Progress is extremely smooth as you'd expect with no gears and a belt drive. There's no driveline slack, the throttle is very well calibrated and the whole experience feels like you're gliding along. It's really quite liberating not having to micro manage the means of moving forward... Wow, that was a mouthful!
I know I keep saying this, but the best thing you can do is to try it for yourself.
Noise
Our brains have been wired to associate motorbikes with lots of noise. The relative silence of an electric bike is more attention grabbing than a loud set of pipes in some respects. I wish I had eyes in the back of my head so I could see all the double takes from pedestrians as I pass by. It really is quite entertaining when you catch someone taking a second look! There's a kind of frown of confusion followed by a dumb stare and then a fair amount of rubber necking as you pull away from the lights.
The noise you do get is one you'd expect from an electric motor. I hesitate to call it a whine as I think that sounds a little negative. I can't really think of a better word to describe it though. It isn't loud and I don't find it annoying. A sound from Star Wars perhaps? Above 40mph or so you'll just hear the wind.
Until quite recently I owned a VFR 1200. The V4 in that thing is a marvel and sounds beautiful once you get going and the exhaust opens up. Ironically, around town the drive shaft made a noise not dissimilar to a Zero.
The only reason to wear earplugs is if your journey takes you to speeds where the wind gets loud. If you're pottering along country lanes it's both a joy to hear the sound of the countryside and to know you're not disturbing the tranquility for others.
I often think that an engine gives you a soundtrack that can influence your riding style. My Fazer 1000 was highly strung and egged me on to open the taps all the time. My NC750 was in no great hurry, had a relaxed tempo but could get a wriggle on when required. The VFR was a rugby player: A gentleman around town but kick it a ball and it was off like a mad bull. The Zero doesn't have an engine, so straight away you don't have the heartbeat of the pistons rising and falling. No jungle drums to stir the senses and quicken the march. So you ride as your mood takes you, rather than having a constant subliminal message goading you. Gliding through life, rather than charging at it with guns blazing. Effortlessly pulling away from the lights, still leaving the cars in your dust, but without all the fuss. It also helps to avoid any unwanted attention from the law.
Safety
I cannot deny that the sound of a loud pipe will alert people to your presence at close quarters. It cannot be relied on though. You can only rely on your vision and danger perception. People walk out from behind stationary vehicles regardless of the noise you are making. You need to keep your relative speed low and a sufficient distance from hazards to allow you to react and avoid. Any other strategy and you are putting lives at risk. I have commuted into central London on a daily basis on loud and silent bikes. It really doesn't make a difference.
Also, by being silent I think you're giving other road users a better opportunity to get the full picture of their surroundings, rather than just focusing on a loud bike. The distracted van driver doesn't squash poor Tiddles the cat who froze in the road from the sound of rumbling thunder. White Van Man isn't busy looking for the guy making all the noise so he can give him the finger. That's one example... You can insert children, the elderly or the clergy if you like. Extra points for vicars, lawyers and estate agents. [emoji6]
The very best thing for safety is to get some advanced training. I can't recommend it enough, even if you are already an experienced biker. Those guys will still teach you a thing or two that could save your life.
Reliability
I heard a saying the other day: "If it isn't reliable, it isn't viable." I think it's very true and more so than ever before. Nothing puts customers off more than being stranded and having to go through all the hassle and expense of getting their bike fixed. Even if the bike is still under warranty, there are hidden costs. Time off work, alternative transport and so on.
I can only go on anecdotal evidence in relation to Zero bikes from forum posts. The main thing is to avoid 2012 bikes or older. The story after that gets better. The onboard chargers on 2014/15 have a reputation for failing. I have some personal experience with that one. They get replaced under warranty. Even if your bike is out of warranty, it's worth trying to get Zero to replace the unit at no cost. I've also heard that the Battery Management System can suffer from problems. Do please note that I don't have any figures and I'm likely to hear more about issues by following a forum.
It's also worth bearing in mind that the big manufacturers keep getting it wrong. That's with traditional bikes too. At the time of writing Suzuki are recalling over 60,000 bikes for various issues. Honda, yes, Honda are recalling VFR 1200's in the US for a problem with the drive shaft that can lock up the rear wheel. Yamaha are recalling their new R1's as they're shredding the transmission. That's just the ones I've heard of.
There are plenty of people who seem to have had very few or no issues at all. If it's a big concern, go for a 2016 model. Reliability is getting better each year. I'm a commuter and I bought a 2014 model from a dealer 120 miles away.
As time goes by, electric bikes have the potential to be very reliable indeed. Very few moving parts!
Make sure you have a good dealership and any problems should get sorted quickly. That advice applies to all bikes really.
Running Costs
To give you a rough idea, my commute of 50 miles each day uses approximately 8kWh of electricity. I pay about 16p per kWh, so that's £1.28 a day.
12,000 miles a year will cost a little over £300.
On an NC750: £920
On a VFR 1200: £1,580
At the moment I can get a charge at work, so that halves the electricity bill.
Add to that anything between about 400-700 a year in servicing, depending on parts and labour.
Also add more frequent tyre changes and brake pads for the ICE bikes.
Road tax is free on a Zero, £80 on the other two.
Actually, let's focus on the bike most similar to my DS, the NC750. Over a four year period, the two compare as follows:
NC750
Petrol: 4 x 920 = 3680
Servicing: 3 x 150 + 3 x 500 = 1950
Chain & Sprockets: 3 x 200 = 600
Road tax: 4 x 80 = 320
Total = 6,550
I'm going to assume both bikes go through the same amount of tyres and brakes, even though I'm certain the costs would be less for the Zero due to less high speed running and regenerative braking.
Zero DS
Electricity: 4 x 300 = 1,200
New belt at 30,000 = 100
Total = 1,300
That makes the Zero £5,250 cheaper to run over four years and that's with petrol prices being artificially low at the moment. Even with the higher initial purchase price of the Zero, it works out cheaper in the long run.
This is another reason why a Zero should appeal to commuters. The higher the mileage you're doing the more the lower running costs benefit you.
Depreciation
I'm afraid the ICE bikes win here because electric bikes have a higher initial price. The tax man gets 20% in the UK when buying new, which doesn't help. You will also find that after four years a bike that cost 10-12,000 new may only be worth 3,000 in part exchange for a new bike. A four year old NC750 may only get around 2,000 for a part exchange. The Zero has dropped at least 7,000 and the NC750 around 4,500.
It is good news for second hand buyers though. Over the next four years the Zero will easily have paid for itself in reduced running costs and any mileage beyond that is extremely cheap. The battery will still be good for at least another 100,000 miles. For the ICE rider, petrol prices will go up as will servicing costs.
The Environment
With the cost of solar installations going down and the Tesla Powerwall due out this year, it will become practical for many to charge off-grid. Cutting out two massive sets of infrastructure; oil companies and the power grid (not to mention the tax man), is an exciting prospect. In the meantime, there are energy suppliers who purchase from renewable sources and invest back into them. Ecotricity is one such company in the UK. They also have a strict anti fracking policy too.
That takes care of the argument we often hear about the emissions simply being displaced. Not that that is such a bad thing either. Pollution from transport is a big deal, affecting the health of people who live or work in cities. We aren't going to save the planet with our electric motorcycles, simply because motorcycles are only 1-2% of the road population. However, seeing bikers using EV's can't be a bad thing. After all, if a biker can give up their pipes, then surely the average Joe in their car can too? One day I'm pretty sure exhaust pipes will be seen in the same light as someone smoking in a restaurant. When the air quality improves in built up areas, a smoky exhaust will stick out like a sore thumb. Those horrible diesels everywhere need to go and the sooner the better. Every day I see one emitting clouds of filth when the driver puts their foot down and that's just the stuff you can see.
I should also mention noise pollution here too. Silence is golden as far as other people are concerned. I'm sure that quiet motorcycles will help the relationship between bikers and the general public.
Conclusion
When I read an article in the spring of 2013 about Zero's 2013S, I was surprised at the existence of an electric motorcycle and at how well developed it was. I felt I had been caught napping! Some reading this article today will feel that electric motorcycles are a new thing too as they may have only just heard about them. The good news for you is we now have three solid years of development on top of that 2013 breakthrough model.
Do try one for yourself, an electric bike can't be imagined. I hope you've enjoyed reading this article.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to everyone on the forum who have, perhaps unknowingly, contributed. At least a couple will notice where I've more or less quoted them. Happy riding, whatever your preference! [emoji4]
Appendix
Useful resources
http://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5298If you have links to share, please add them to that topic. Thank you.
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Topic: Electric Motorcycling - An Introduction. Part 1 of 2 (Read 2429 times)