[RootBeerZ]

Just curious how people feel about bikes becoming electric. Me personally i would prefer the feel amd sound of gas powered. How does this community feel?🍿😊

 

[RichDesmond]

I feel like you should ride one.
Seriously, uninformed speculation doesn’t have much value. Not sure what would be different about the “feel” (other than less vibration, which is a positive in my book) and at speed I mostly just hear wind noise on my current bikes.
Rode a Zero SR/S last summer. Fun bike, thoroughly enjoyed it. Really good power, handled well, lot of fun. Accelerating, braking and turning all basically the same as on a gas bike. Biggest difference was the lack of shifting. For me that’s not really positive or a negative, just a difference.
At the moment they’re not practical for the type of riding I do, range and charging time need to be improved, and the lack of charging infrastructure in rural areas is a real problem. Over time those issues will improve, if they get to the point where an electric bike fills my needs I won’t have a problem switching.

 

[VFR4Lee]

I would be glad to try one at least. Less moving parts, less maint.
Sounds good to me. I want to plug it into my 110 volt outlet. Not some $$$$ charger. Try $$.

 

[RichDesmond]

I would be glad to try one at least. Less moving parts, less maint.
Sounds good to me. I want to plug it into my 110 volt outlet. Not some $$$$ charger. Try $$.

110 will work, sort of, for any electric vehicle. The problem is that at best you'll only get 20 amps out of a 110 outlet, and more likely 15-16 amps. So for big battery packs, like those in cars, it could take days for them to fully charge. For E-bicycles, the 110v is usually enough to rechange overnight. Motorcycles fall in the middle, if you ride once or twice a week it may work for you. If you're a daily commuter, probably not.

 

[VFR4Lee]

110 will work, sort of, for any electric vehicle. The problem is that at best you'll only get 20 amps out of a 110 outlet, and more likely 15-16 amps. So for big battery packs, like those in cars, it could take days for them to fully charge. For E-bicycles, the 110v is usually enough to rechange overnight. Motorcycles fall in the middle, if you ride once or twice a week it may work for you. If you're a daily commuter, probably not.

We are working on building a garage, so I guess I will look into putting a 220 volt circuit in there at least.

 

[ShaggyZ]

I rode the “Harley” e-bike on track last year or the year before. Strange sensation, not necessarily wrong. Would take awhile to adapt to no sound, but I think I just need that for shifting, which…

Moto-E in ‘22 got me pumped about them…in 5 years. Current battery tech isn’t gonna do it, plus the typical points, some of which Rich mentioned above. Really, seems like it’s been the same issues and horizon for 30 years, so maybe 15yrs makes them a good option!

 

[VFR4Lee]

Infernal combustion engines will be around for a long time yet.
Yes, infernal.

 

[klimber27]

I think electric's are mostly superior, when operated for their intended use / within their tolerances; I think the pros of being quiet, efficient, and clean (*pollution is made elsewhere for batteries, charging, etc.) outweigh the drawbacks of shorter range / range anxiety, longer refuel times, cost, and outright performance / reliability.

If you live an urban environment and have a commute where you can make the round trip, or charge while you're at work, I can't think of how a gas motorcycle would be better for that intended use. However, if you like to go touring also, you'll probably want to have a gas motorcycle for that purpose.

Fast charging tends to deplete battery life faster, and over-working an e-bike motor can start to burn out circuitry, which would be expensive fixes. After a while you end up riding around a device that operates sub-optimally (higher current draws, lower battery life). Of course it's possible to burn out gas engines as well by running them past their tolerances, but because they have the reciprocating mass they do a lot more work (although they create and waste more energy as heat in the process).

If you could only have one motorcycle, and want to be able to go on trips / long weekends, it'd have to be a gas engine (in my opinion). But if you primarily ride around town / commute, I'd seriously consider looking at an electric motorcycle for that purpose.

Also, if you have the ability to tow the motorcycle (a trailer or hitch-carrier), I can't imagine a more epic feeling of blasting down a forest service road on an electric Dual-Sport, with only the sound of the wind.

Of course you'll eventually need to charge it.. =/

I think the future of e-vehicles will be 'hot-swappable' power-packs, so you can pull into a "charging station", drop off your spent pack, plug in a fresh one, and off you go while the station charges your old pack for the next customer.

While some might claim there are environmental benefits to electric vehicles, there is no doubt a high environmental (and social) cost associated with the manufacturing and disposal of e-vehicle batteries.

 

[MattTriesToDoThings]

When I went to Flat Out Friday a few weeks ago (indoor motorcycle race) more people used the new electric-bike class race to go to the bathroom than they did during actual commercial breaks. I was one of them.
The technology is cool--I just have no interest in it in 2023.

 

[Das Chicken]

The engine is such a big part of the experience for me, shifting, getting the most out of the power band, and most importantly the sound. Electric just doesn't do anything for me. I'd have to try one out, but otherwise not interested at all. Plus you have to depend on a mileage and age consumable part which is expensive, and won't necessarily be available when you need it, to have a working motorcycle. More and more subscription services popping up, and pre installed features that are software locked. Its the perfect storm to push disposable vehicles. I just hope that there will be some modularity as far as batteries so you don't have to buy the battery only produced by the manufacturer for THAT vehicle and no others. Various manufacturers are working on UN-inventing interchangeable parts. I'm not looking forward to that future.

 

[t.er]

The engine is such a big part of the experience for me, shifting, getting the most out of the power band, and most importantly the sound. Electric just doesn't do anything for me. I'd have to try one out, but otherwise not interested at all.

Pretty much my opinion as well - I don't have first-hand experience with them either, but there are a few at work (with free charging there) and an impromptu conversation with one of the owners when we were both leaving at the same time was very positive.

That being said I feel like it may be similar with my experience with cars. I've driven a bunch of really fast accelerating EVs and for sure it is fun to feel that g-force and have that sort of experience, but at the end of the day I really like how my personal combustion car sounds, rev-match downshifting, it's just such an analogue feeling and being one with the machine that you don't get. I wouldn't mind an EV as just some runabout since it's cheap to run (but not cheap to buy, haha) and it's so convenient. But for the fun factor I still like that mechanical experience, heck I've been drooling recently over VFRs and Daytona 675s purely based on the sound - and the SV as well, of course, with the v-twin. Plus the SV is so cheap to buy and keep running, and is actually quick to accelerate compared to 90% of what's on the road today... I don't see myself switching to an E-bike.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

I think the future of e-vehicles will be 'hot-swappable' power-packs, so you can pull into a "charging station", drop off your spent pack, plug in a fresh one, and off you go while the station charges your old pack for the next customer.

You would think that, but the first ‘mainstream’ EVs were going in that direction, led by Fisker (under the original ownership). They lost, and everything shifted to fixed batteries and charge times. Guessing the idea of non-proprietary or modular swappable batteries didn’t appeal to the business types that wanted to maximize making money for themselves. Also, the swap procedure wouldn’t really work well in places with adverse weather conditions.

 

[RichDesmond]

You would think that, but the first ‘mainstream’ EVs were going in that direction, led by Fisker (under the original ownership). They lost, and everything shifted to fixed batteries and charge times. Guessing the idea of non-proprietary or modular swappable batteries didn’t appeal to the business types that wanted to maximize making money for themselves. Also, the swap procedure wouldn’t really work well in places with adverse weather conditions.

There's a lot of good technical/practical reasons for not using swappable battery packs.

 

[PatricksDad]

Interesting to watch Stefano Mesa run one in Super Hooligans this past weekend at Daytona. Finished 7th and 5th, I think.

 

[klimber27]

There's a lot of good technical/practical reasons for not using swappable battery packs.

I think the most obvious problem would be the size and weight of the batteries required to power vehicles, and making sure the main leads have a solid connection each time they swap. But if the process were mechanized, and the batteries had high quality management systems, it would definitely be possible. Probably well off into the future.. =/

 

[Troy Jollimore]

I thought that, but look at how much of a hassle it is to just get a regular charging station approved, up and running! You’d need the power to charge multiple packs at once, plus storage area for a fair number of large-sized batteries…

 

[mad8vskillz]

i rode a zero and a brammo a long time ago and they were really cool. didnt like the harley livewire one bit (heavy and chunky). hoping to catch some laps on an energica some day.

 

[golden chicken]

We are working on building a garage, so I guess I will look into putting a 220 volt circuit in there at least.

You want 220 for the two post lift, welder, and tire machines anyway. Otherwise, why bother?

 

[mininsx]

I like electric...in my house. However, I have no desire whatsoever for an electric motorcycle or car.

 

[UncleJohn]

I rode a Zero SR/F last year and was impressed with the performance. It was quiet, powerful, handled well and had quality cycle parts, about on par with my MT-09 with maybe not quite the power. The deal killer for me is the long recharge time and high price. The one I rode was $23,000 with the fast charger.