| Author | Message | ||
     Xdigitalx |
I test road a Zero FXS, (wanted to test the DSR but no avail) I really liked it, it was very comfortable, but after 5 min, I felt like I was on a glorified 2 wheel golf cart (with a lot more power) and ... I think there should definitely be some kind of drive-disengagement ... when waiting to pull away for a ride, or when pulling up to a stop light, or when you are done riding and getting off, there is no way to tell if bike is on or off, if someone grabs the throttle and tweaks it, the bike will take off with you on it. I only rode it once, and I guess one could get used to it (on/off lights) But why can't there be a clutch and/or a left shifter that disengages the drivetrain like a neutral does?? Or a throttle disengagement in the software?? That would ease my only worries about these type bikes. Otherwise they are great fun to ride. | ||
| Jaimec |
How often do you get off the bike WITHOUT deploying the side stand? Because if the side stand IS deployed, the bike isn't going anywhere now matter how often a bystander twists the throttle. And if I'm still sitting on the bike, my right foot is firmly planted on the brake which would give me enough time to grab the jackass' hand and beat him senseless before the bike took off... (Message edited by jaimec on November 04, 2019) | ||
| Jaimec |
Addendum: If you are really THAT concerned about someone twisting the throttle while you're waiting at the light (what kind of neighborhoods do you ride through??) then the red button on the right handlebar will prevent anything from happening if you toggle it. Unlike an ICE bike, after you toggle it back you don't have to crank the engine to start it again, either... you just roll the throttle and ride away. | ||
| Rick_a |
All relatively inexpensive items and infrequent services...and my time is cheap. Depending on whether one pays for their labor or not, it could take a decade or more to recoup that ten thousand dollar premium. | ||
| Pwnzor |
instead of bringing my LT in for service twice a year it's more like twice every THREE years. Buy Kawasaki... or Honda. Mine's a 2006 and the valves are within spec to this day. I have had zero problems. In fact, I have never had ANY real problems with any of my Kawasaki bikes. Buell, problems Ducati, problems Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, no problems. Not one, ever. Never, ever stranded anywhere. Buell, stranded. Ducati, stranded. Electric bike, can't say. Let's just not compare them. They aren't something to be compared, in my opinion. I wouldn't compare my Spyder to a fire truck, but each has it's advantages over the other in certain situations. | ||
| Ourdee |
I had a clutch cable break on a Kaw once..... | ||
| Sifo |
Right now my Zero is the PERFECT "Second bike." It suits 90-95% of my riding, which is commuting, morning rides for fun, running errands, shopping, meeting friends, etc. Not EVERY ride is trans continental. And this is the problem I see. A bike s already largely a luxury item. It's great the many can afford both the space and the hardware to fill the space required for multiple bikes. I would venture a guess though, that the majority will be stuck with a single bike. That bike has to work for 100% of the riding they are going to do. No doubt that when I commuted by bike, an electric as we know them now, would have been a great choice, though expensive. On weekends though, I took multi-tank rides on a regular basis. That suddenly goes from garaging a single luxury item, to garaging 2 luxury items, with the electric being way up in the purchase price compared to the ICE bike. This tends to make electric vehicles a niche market for the most part. Most folks on a budget simply can't afford the garage space, purchase, insurance, etc. of having that extra vehicle. Those who can afford all of that, probably are not that concerned about saving a few bucks on gas or engine maintenance. I see it being a niche market until something overwhelming forces a change. | ||
| Rick_a |
Most everything that breaks on Buells I've had break. Most everything that goes wrong with Suzuki DR's I've had go wrong. The Buell had me stranded a few times but with the DR I've always managed to catch things before getting stranded. Until electric bikes are made on a more economical scale, I've no interest. | ||
| Sifo |
The only thing that came close to leaving me stranded on my XB12 was wheel bearings. I don't see where an electric is likely to be any different in that regard. Once I started repacking the bearings with fresh grease every tire change, I never had another bearing failure. The theoretical robustness of an electric platform is appealing, I have to admit. The ICE has been around long enough that I don't think any of us really give them a second thought on a road trip, beyond routine maintenance though. I recently had to have the motor in my table saw repaired. Apparently the start circuit had failed. I'm sure that saw has less hours on it that any vehicle I've gotten rid of. Stuff happens, even with electric motors. My guess is that with EVs being fairly new in today's world, the engineers are trying to leave a slightly more favorable margin of error to prevent bad press. When (if) they become commonplace, I'm sure they will work on cutting those margins to a minimum. It's a fact of life. I still think batteries will be a weak link for a long time to come. When you read about the complexities of the battery system in the Teslas, you find that they are far from simple systems. No doubt they are expensive to fix when they fail too. | ||
| Ratbuell |
My two concerns with electrics are: 1. no gradual failure. Electric is, no pun intended, a light switch. It works...or it doesn't. 2. "refuel" time. I can fill the tank on even my Cummins, in under 5 minutes. Until hot-swappable batteries become the norm, I don't see recharge times dropping that low. | ||
| Jaimec |
Dang! And I'm willing to bet every single one of them will cost LESS than a Livewire: https://www.cycleworld.com/energica-debuts-new-202 0-eva-ribelle-at-eicma/ | ||
| 1313 |
Anyone seen the South Park episode about Prius drivers? Just curious... | ||
| Pwnzor |
Smug alert! | ||
| 1313 |
Abe's in the video! https://finance.yahoo.com/video/inside-california- ev-startup-zero-201814682.html Not sure why they're referred to as a 'startup'... | ||
| Ourdee |
I wonder if it is called a start-up till there is a return on the cash outlay over the last 13 years. | ||
| Jaimec |
I, too, wondered how a 13 year old company can be referred to as a "Start-up." | ||
| Marksm |
I worked in IT at Brinks for almost 6 years. Due to all the dumb decisions they made, we called it a 150 year old startup company. | ||
| Sifo |
Once again, the needed battery technology is just around the corner. I've been hearing that since the late '60s when I read about the coming electric car revolution in Popular Science. This guy sounds like an EV fanboy, but someday, the fanboys may hit the nail on the head. It would be nice if this came to be reality. Somehow this sounds a lot like what was described as new Teslas doing as they approach a fast charging station though. I'm really at a loss of what to believe. I believe I'll have a shot and a beer! | ||
| Ourdee |
300 Fuell Fluids to be delivered by Christmas. | ||
| Jaimec |
That's just a bicycle, though. I'm more interested in the Fllow... | ||
| Ourdee |
Me too. I heard the Fllow had 300 foot pounds of torque. I want confirmation. | ||
| Ourdee |
There is only one prototype of the Fflow. | ||
| Jaimec |
I'm wondering if that number is similar to what is reported for the Verge TS which also houses the motor in the rear wheel (however, they do it VERY differently than Fuell). I'm referring to this article: https://www.cycleworld.com/5-standout-electric-mot orcycles-from-eicma/ I guess we'll find out when the bike actually hits production next year. | ||
| Shoggin |
For fast recharging times look up Carbon Nano-tubes. Combined with Li-Ion for range is seems to be a neat idea. Bonus is you can use them as a structural component imagine your bikes frame being the actual battery! I hope we see one of these technology improvements take hold in our lifetime instead of just battling to be the newest kid on the block. If were REALLY lucky the boffins will start to consider the MFG process in the total cost of whatever battery tech becomes the norm. IMO, We're too busy looking for 'something better' to let anything take hold. Stick with not-perfect version 1 long enough to let it blossom, THEN go to version 2. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I thought Alcohol fuel cells would take off by now. A high capacity fuel cell would totally turn this around I think. | ||
| Shoggin |
It was a good idea, but people don't trust the 1600psi+ of all 'Splody 'Splody stuff in the back seat with their kids. It would be fine until you see the amount of 'maintenance' people put in pretty failsafe systems already (zero). That tanks gonna age out and the third owner will never know/care until..... FYI I own an old natural gas powered van in LA and its inconvenient enough to get it filled  | ||
| Needs_o2 |
Ourdee, They're claiming 553 foot pounds for the Fllow! https://fuell.us/us/fuell-fllow-e-motorcycle  | ||
| Sifo |
Claimed torque for electrics is worse than claimed HP on gas engines. Electric motors will generate max torque when stalled. Kind of useless. How long can it sustain that torque before the magic smoke comes out of everything? Really doesn't matter though, if you are maxing it out in a stalled condition for more than a fraction of a second, you're doing it wrong. | ||
| Shoggin |
Very much like the huge claimed CCA numbers from Lithium batteries. | ||
| Jaimec |
Well, Energica has released their pricing on their models with the 21kWh battery. Most of them are well below the price of the Livewire. At this point, I'd say the ONLY advantage the Livewire has is that it is made by Harley Davidson, and more people are familiar with that name than Energica but if I had $30K to spend on a motorcycle, I'd by the EsseEsse 9+, and use the extra $10,000 for accessories. |
