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26 Comments
- Rndm_Tngnt, on 09/26/2009, -1/+9Article, you seem to have overestimated the things I have heard about electric motorcycles.
- woodrail, on 09/26/2009, -1/+7If you demonstrate a better way to do stuff, people will copy you - and the effect spreads. It can definitely make an impact.
- gamer2112, on 09/26/2009, -1/+6I think it would be awsome to have an electric motorcycle.
- woodrail, on 09/26/2009, -0/+4Me too. I'm seriously considering it. I love cheap and motorcycles are fun - and the project looks fun too.
- Quizboy, on 09/26/2009, -5/+8I never thought about getting an electric motorcycle, but after reading this article I am convinced to never get one.
- greenlivingguy, on 09/26/2009, -0/+2Actually I ran a program for the State of NY that allowed people free electricity if they took the electric cars (we could have included electric motorcycles) to the train stations to park in support of mass transit and an all electric commute.
- Evildudetx, on 09/26/2009, -0/+2They also left off the safety factor - electric vehicles make no noise. I've come close to being hit enough times on my Harley, which is insanely loud.
- westway2world, on 09/26/2009, -0/+2Like the article says "...an electric motorcycle can meet more than 85% of the average person's needs"
I guess you're part of the 15% that needs over 75 mile range 2 days a week. - hereticoftruth, on 09/26/2009, -0/+2Maybe I will find you are right but I hope not.
- HappyScrappy, on 09/26/2009, -1/+3Bullcrap. I've looked into it.
1. Yeah, if you build a powerful one it can go fast, but range goes down by half about every 20mph above 30 mph. So if it goes 75 miles at 30, it goes 37 miles at 50. It does 20 miles at 70. Commuting while keeping the speed down to 30mph is not fun.
2. 1,000lbs? That's a heavy bike. And do you have any idea how much 500lbs worth of lion batteries cost?
3. Not everyone lets you have free power. And if you have a long-range bike, 110V will not do just fine. You can only put in 2kWh per 80 minutes or so from a 110V outlet. If you have an 8kWh battery (good for perhaps 75 miles at 30mph), it takes 5 hours to charge it from 110V.
4. If your time has no value, then yeah, electric bikes with decent range won't cost much more than a gas bike (with far longer range). Be prepared to not only build it, but fix it a lot. Few of us can spend the time refining a bike to the level that it won't require fixing from time to time.
They are cheap to run if you only count the fuel, as electricity is very cheap for the range you get. - hereticoftruth, on 09/26/2009, -0/+1Eventually, electric vehicles are the wave of the future, along with their benefits. This is a way to tap into their benefits earlier. Currently, store bought electric vehicles are not financially efficient for the common man, only for the rich with large capital reserves. Those who take advantage of this situation could benefit greatly from this situation. They may have the crappiest electronic vehicles on the road but they would be benefiting on the greatest return on investment.
- DolphinBlueInc, on 09/30/2009, -0/+1I feel like perhaps we are missing some things in this article? I still have so many questions.
- Mizery, on 09/26/2009, -0/+1When crashing on a motorcycle, the toxic chemicals are the least of your concern. Your head smashing into a windshield or onto the pavement ranks a little higher up there. Also, your flesh was already removed from sliding down the road.
BTW, I ride a motorcycle and have no illusions about it. If I crash, I will likely die. - Mizery, on 09/26/2009, -0/+1Loud pipes do not save lives. That is the dumbest myth out there. Your pipes point the wrong direction for anyone in front of you to hear. Also, closed windows and loud stereos don't help.
- magus_melchior, on 09/28/2009, -0/+1"Quiet motorcycles are dangerous motorcycles! "
The safety issue with motorcycles isn't usually their audibility, it's their visibility and relatively low mass. As long as you don't do stupid ***** like cutting other drivers off or trying to evade nonexistent bottlenecks recklessly, the onus is on the people driving the cars.
And to reiterate "visibility", make sure we can SEE you; many modern cars are so quiet inside you can barely hear a Harley's roar. - gkiltz, on 09/26/2009, -0/+1There are a couple more:
Keep in mind, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BATTERY THAT STORES MORE THAN 30% OF THE ELECTRICITY APPLIED TO IT!
Does not matter whether it is a car, a motorcycle, a golf cart, a cell phone a rechargeable drill, anything with a battery.
No charger outputs more than 50% of the electricity input into it.
Electricity "Disappears" off the power lines.
Most of these losses are in the form of inevitable and unrecoverable low level heat that results from plane old electrical resistance.
Electricity is no different from any other major commodity, the efficient way to produce it is in HUGE quantities! HUNDREDS of megawatts! Smaller scale production will ALWAYS be more expensive on a per-kilowatt-hour basis. For this reason:Most of the world's electricity STILL comes from fossil fuels, and in the absence of a complete re-write of the laws of physics, no alternative energy technology will ever produce more than a small percentage of the country's electricity. Total alternative energy production is unlikely to hit 10%!
One more thing: Quiet motorcycles are dangerous motorcycles!
People will keep their windows closed, even in pleasant weather, they will talk among themselves, or, if in the car alone, will have some music, or other electronic media from some source. Pedestrians are going to use cell phones, I-pods and the like while crossing streets.
Soooo, when you are on a motorcycle, you BETTER make sure people can hear you.
I know it's annoying in the quiet suburbs, and late at night, but the reality is LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES! OFTEN YOUR OWN. That's the reality of human nature, whether that's good, bad or indifferent! - inactive, on 09/26/2009, -0/+1I'd rather have an electric blanket-mobile
- DevDuck, on 09/26/2009, -2/+2"If you're commuting to work -- a place that presumably has an electric outlet available -- you can nearly double your range by recharging during your working hours."
Does this imply that I'm supposed to bring my electric motorcycle into my cubicle with me? I barely have room for my helmet in there. Where I park my bike, in a free area designated by the city, there is no outlet anywhere near by; even should I choose to pay to park my bike where I park my car, no outlets!
Also the author refers to being able to plug in just about anywhere numerous times. You can not just plug into any random outlet and get electricity, that is stealing! It will get definitely get you in trouble. Not to mention who wants to wait at some grimy gas station for 4 - 12 hours while your e-hog charges up?
My bike gets 48-50 MPG in city traffic. When I go on road trips, often spanning several hundred miles in a day, that mileage gets much better. I'm not opposed to the concept and further development of electric vehicles of any sort and I'm totally in favor of more bikers on the road but this article has just convinced me to buy another "gas guzzling" Harley. - Spuy767, on 09/26/2009, -1/+1The idea of a motorcycle that makes little or no noise doesn't seem like a good idea to me. People always bitch about motorcycles being so loud, and I let them know that if they'd pay more attention when driving that they wouldn't have to be.
- mcquitty, on 09/26/2009, -1/+1When I ride, it is to ride. A motorcycle isn't a utility vehicle to me. I don't use it to pick up groceries. I don't go ride to work on it (ok, once I did). I work from home or fly to client sites.
But, me, much like the majority of motorcycle riders, ride them to ride. They are to be enjoyed.
Plus, commuting on them in DFW... dangerous. - Howitzer86, on 09/26/2009, -2/+1Imagine crashing, and having corrosive battery acid splash all over your body, melting into your flesh and leaving you disfigured and permanently disabled. Even worse, imagine a bad battery, or set of batteries... spontaneously explode laptop style.
But look on the bright side, for a short period of time, you will have a flaming bike just like Ghost Rider! - mcquitty, on 09/26/2009, -4/+275 mile range. Well, hell, that's about an hour away. Not nearly long enough for my Sunday rides.
Hell, my Thursday night dinners are 40 miles away.. I would have to plug in and have people tripping over my cord just to go to dinner.. ugh. - SpinkickFolly, on 09/26/2009, -2/+0All the points made are wrong are there are only 4 of them.
I really don't see the point this seeing as how my bike gets 50mpg. Oh Christ, I costs me 8 bucks to go 200miles in a single day! - monkeysama, on 09/26/2009, -6/+21. Electric Motorcycles weren't born in this country.
2. Electric Motorcycles are socialists.
3. Electric Motorcycles are facists.
4. Electric Motorcycles are Hitler. - milwaukeesbeast, on 09/26/2009, -6/+1thank you reality, depressing and relieving as ever
- Barackalypse, on 09/26/2009, -11/+5Myth #5: You can make a difference to Earth's climate by your choice of transportation.
In fact, the impact of everything you do is so inconsequential as to be unquantifiable to a system as large as the Earth.
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