Electric motorcycles - would you?

Motorcycle chat forum. Discuss the latest news and bikes and share your opinions.

Moderator: D-Rider

Message
Author
Ben
Clubman Racer
Clubman Racer
Posts: 262
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:35 pm
Main bike: Kawasaki ZX-10R

Electric motorcycles - would you?

#1 Post by Ben » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:42 pm

Years ago now I rode a Zero electric motorcycle.

Sat on it, I spent a good 5 minutes looking for the switch to turn it on. It was only when I leant down to look on the left-hand side of the bike, holding the right-hand handlebar, that I realised it was on when it shot forwards because I'd slightly tweaked the throttle.

That was just the first of many weird experiences. I realised how I assumed the noise of my bike meant people could hear me coming and look out for me, but the lack of noise made no difference. People just don't look, period.

When riding the leccy bike, I realised how many horrible clattering sounds my lovely petrol-engine masked. It sounded like I was riding a pallett truck not a motorcycle.

The bike was crude but I really enjoyed the experience. That was more than 5 years ago and battery tech and the bikes have come on leaps and bounds.

So my question is: why wouldn't you want an electric motorcycle in your garage?

fatboy
World Champion
Posts: 3774
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: BATH

#2 Post by fatboy » Tue Dec 03, 2019 7:29 pm

I have not ridden one o these things but we do have a few leccy vans at work, once you get over the weirdness they are really nice to drive,accelerate like feck!
Round here many local businesses have signed up to pledge to use leccy trucks for local deliveries,which are involved in more pedestrian collision incidents than diesel trucks..
In not so many years we probably won't have the choice.
At the moment, no, the technology is not quite right to tick all my boxes but my mind could be changed by riding one.
Worth noting that Boorman and McGregor have chosen leccy Harleys for their new series of posing twats on bikes
Cleverly disguised as an adult !

User avatar
katie1
Clubman Racer
Clubman Racer
Posts: 299
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 9:08 am
Location: Oxfordshire
Main bike: S1000RR, 1290 SDGT

#3 Post by katie1 » Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:57 pm

Too many miles per day for current battery tech to cope with! The new research looking at super-cool, fast-charging batteries may be the big step needed to bring electric bikes into the mainstream?
Remember, when you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It is only painful for others.
The same applies when you are stupid.

User avatar
Falcopops
GP Racer
GP Racer
Posts: 2529
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:00 pm
Location: NOT sweating in the tropics

#4 Post by Falcopops » Tue Dec 03, 2019 11:29 pm

https://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/sho ... ht=vectrix

Hopefully that link will take you to a post I wrote about the Vectrix electric scooter that I had a go on way back in 2008 in Melbourne. The photos are blurry because the host wants money and they can feck off.

User avatar
BikerGran
Gran Turismo
Posts: 3924
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:12 pm
Location: Any further south and I'd fall off!

#5 Post by BikerGran » Wed Dec 04, 2019 8:27 pm

No I wouldn't ride an electric bike. Easy to say when I no longer ride (would if I could!) but for me part of the appeal of a bike is the sound. That's it.
The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.

User avatar
mangocrazy
Admin
Admin
Posts: 3903
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
Location: Sheffield, UK

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#6 Post by mangocrazy » Fri Dec 06, 2019 8:46 pm

I must admit that a large part of a bike's appeal is the exhaust note. Singles, v-twins, triples and inline 4s in four-stroke and two-stroke configurations all sound different and evoke different responses. Losing that would be a major blow. I also like light bikes, and from what I've seen, electric bikes are handicapped with a big, heavy battery power pack if they are to have any decent range. There's also the issue of cost.

I'm sure in time the battery issues will be negated by advances in technology, and from what I've heard the torque that an e-bike produces makes a v-twin feel really feeble, and with volume production prices will tumble, so eventually I think we'll all be riding them. But for me I can't see that happening much before 2030.

RiceBurner
Track Day Addict
Track Day Addict
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:29 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#7 Post by RiceBurner » Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:21 pm

I haven't ridden one yet - but I can see myself getting one if I maintain my current 'behaviours'.

I don't have the patience to 'tour' on one (I like to be able to fill up and go if I want to) - but for commuting one would be ideal.

mckeann
Pizza Delivery Rider
Pizza Delivery Rider
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 1:18 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#8 Post by mckeann » Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:14 pm

Never say never, but at the moment I love the character and noise of a petrol engine.

I can only give a car example to justify why character matters more than efficiency. I had a Honda powered lotus Elise back in the day before I got into bikes. It was a high revving normally aspirated K20 type R engine that revved to 8600rpm. It had a lovely useable powerband from 4500 to 8600 and every time you chased the redline and changed up, the engine dropped a couple of thousand revs and started that magical journey all over again.

Plenty of people stuck a supercharger on that engine and it boosted power from 225bhp to nearly 300. But it ruined the character. When you accelerated you got a huge shove in the back, but no nice noise and the torque curve was flat rather than build towards the redline. When you changed gear, you were above peak torque, and it felt flat and uninspiring.


So for all the fact an electric bike might be more efficient than a superbike, just like a Tesla is probably better than my Bmw M140i, I prefer the character and noise of a petrol engine at the moment.

Animal
Despatch Rider
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:37 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#9 Post by Animal » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:06 pm

Not yet.

Once they have a 200 mile range, are well built, have luggage, and are under £10k, I’ll get one for commuting.
BMW HP2
BMW K1300S
Honda Africa Twin DCT aka Twinkie

Life’s too short for only one motorbike.

User avatar
Gio
Double World Champion
Posts: 6179
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:28 pm
Location: Chertsey

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#10 Post by Gio » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:54 pm

I've ridden an E-bicycle, hated that. I watched the ebike racing, the lack of noise is off-putting.
I hate it when people ask if you have a bathroom, I want to say "No we pee in the garden"

RiceBurner
Track Day Addict
Track Day Addict
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:29 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#11 Post by RiceBurner » Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:02 pm

Animal wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:06 pm
Not yet.

Once they have a 200 mile range, are well built, have luggage, and are under £10k, I’ll get one for commuting.
Jeez, how long is your commute?
I thought I was the only nutter who considered 50+ miles each way reasonable!

User avatar
katie1
Clubman Racer
Clubman Racer
Posts: 299
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 9:08 am
Location: Oxfordshire
Main bike: S1000RR, 1290 SDGT

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#12 Post by katie1 » Sun Dec 15, 2019 5:48 pm

RiceBurner wrote:
Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:02 pm
Animal wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:06 pm
Not yet.

Once they have a 200 mile range, are well built, have luggage, and are under £10k, I’ll get one for commuting.
Jeez, how long is your commute?
I thought I was the only nutter who considered 50+ miles each way reasonable!
Nope. The last year I've been doing 100 miles per day - I was so pleased that I changed job and managed to get it down from 150 per day!
Remember, when you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It is only painful for others.
The same applies when you are stupid.

Animal
Despatch Rider
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:37 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#13 Post by Animal » Tue Dec 17, 2019 3:25 am

RiceBurner wrote:
Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:02 pm
Animal wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:06 pm
Not yet.

Once they have a 200 mile range, are well built, have luggage, and are under £10k, I’ll get one for commuting.
Jeez, how long is your commute?
I thought I was the only nutter who considered 50+ miles each way reasonable!
37 miles each way, but I regularly travel to other places, and if the manufacturer says 200 it really means half that...
BMW HP2
BMW K1300S
Honda Africa Twin DCT aka Twinkie

Life’s too short for only one motorbike.

User avatar
XJR Jason
Despatch Rider
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:31 pm

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#14 Post by XJR Jason » Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:08 pm

I would go electric, but ....

With electric comes big brother and I bend the rules. Even if big brother isn't directly connected to the vehicle, the charging station will be.

User avatar
mangocrazy
Admin
Admin
Posts: 3903
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
Location: Sheffield, UK

Re: Electric motorcycles - would you?

#15 Post by mangocrazy » Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:57 pm

XJR Jason wrote:
Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:08 pm
I would go electric, but ....

With electric comes big brother and I bend the rules. Even if big brother isn't directly connected to the vehicle, the charging station will be.
I must admit I hadn't thought of that. Would be very easy to download the contents of memory and logs and scan for any non-standard components while charging...

Post Reply