Electric vs Gasoline Motorcycles (ride, bike, hybrid, brake)

[Marodil85]

This summer, before buying my Gasoline Aprilia, I'd made a test drive on an electric motorcycle. A lady on a bicycle right before me got sight of people she knew on the left sidewalk, so she suddenly turned left without a hand signal. I got it braked and came to hold immediately before her. She was stunned 'cause she didn't hear me and shouted "a motorcycle that can't be heard just can't be. There's also this short range of that battery that caused me not to buy it. Moreover, shifting is much more fun.

So Guys, what is your opinion?

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

I'm not opposed to electric bikes (or cars)-but not willing to put up with their current limitations. You can't reasonably tour on one-not with the range and charging time. You can't spend a day riding with friends, if they are doing the typical 200-300 mile day ride-unless you're in one of those rare places that have fast chargers at a restaurant-and typical rural, fun bike roads don't have them. I could see them having a place as a urban commuter or commuting to work from the suburbs, as a 2nd bike. But with those limitations-they'd have to be inexpensive to have any appeal to me. Why spend $10k on an E-bike when you can get a gas bike without the limitations for the same money? HDs Livewire is a joke at $30k.4

What I think would be cool would be a hybrid. An electric, with maybe 100 mile range, and an engine powering a generator to act as a range extender on long trips. The engine wouldn't have to put out a lot of power, just enough to exceed the drain on the battery at highway speeds. Ideally a small diesel due to how efficient they are-and the fact that diesel fuel doesn't varnish in a few weeks like today's gas. I think this would be really cool on an ADV bike. Would be really cool to run around in the woods with the silence of an electric, just to see more critters. But an electric isn't viable in this application due to range, so fire up the gen-set when needed.

[burdell]

Originally Posted by Marodil85

This summer, before buying my Gasoline Aprilia, I'd made a test drive on an electric motorcycle. A lady on a bicycle right before me got sight of people she knew on the left sidewalk, so she suddenly turned left without a hand signal. I got it braked and came to hold immediately before her. She was stunned 'cause she didn't hear me and shouted "a motorcycle that can't be heard just can't be. There's also this short range of that battery that caused me not to buy it. Moreover, shifting is much more fun.

So Guys, what is your opinion?

It's a shame that statement can't be changed to "dumbasses too busy doing other things to open their eyes and pay attention to the road just can't be".

[NORTY FLATZ]

I've ridden "Zero" brand electric motorcycles. The surprising thing is the silence, and the torque. Very easy to ride, with no clutch modulation required. No overheating during slow operation in Summertime. Yes, they haul butt.

[Hemlock140]

Personal taste. For me, much of the fun of a motorcycle is the sound of the engine. If it were just to hop around within a city, electric is fine, but for the open highway gas engine is a must.