Electric Motorcycles

[GregoXB]

Electric motorcycles are becoming very capable. We may begin seeing more completely battery powered vehicles in the years to come.

Could EBR have picked a bad time to begin development of a motorcycle with an internal combustion engine?

 

[Theycallmecrash]

There is an article floating around, EBR filed patents for a hybrid motorcycle.

 

[nikfleisch]

But it would be sooo quiet.....

 

[MustangGuy]

I haven't read anything about hybrid motorcycles but there are a couple of companies producing some very viable (but expensive) electric bikes. One is Zero Motorcycles. I can't remember the other. Obviously they wouldn't be good for day trips of any great distance but, like electric cars, some people may do a lot of around town riding. One would definitely work for me Monday through Friday.

 

[Fatty SS]

My wife is a competitive dressage rider (horseback for those uninformed) and we're working on buying a farm in a few years or so. When we do, I'll be headed right down to the local Zero dealer to pick up a dirt bike that I can rail on in near silence so as not to spook any horses. I think electric bikes will go a long ways toward helping the OHV community secure access to new trails.

There's something to be said of quiet off road bikes.

 

[brock]

Could EBR have picked a bad time to begin development of a motorcycle with an internal combustion engine?

Not a chance. It will be a long time before the internal combustion engine will be replaced. The technology isn't here yet or at least not cost effective enough. To reproduce the power an internal combustion engine has an electric motor, pound for pound is way to big. Not only that, the energy needed to produce and stay producing power is not practical. The amount of batteries you need (even lithium) to power it for long term is substantial. Even with all the new batt out there the technology is old.

Although the electric motor is awesome because it reaches full power and torque mere seconds after power is applied.[up]

Besides electric is to quiet...hahah

 

[wolfo68]

Could EBR have picked a bad time to begin development of a motorcycle with an internal combustion engine?

No, they have patents on a 400+hp hybrid.

 

[GregoXB]

It literally makes 0 noise. Its as loud as an isolated gust of wind.

It would be funny if they installed speakers on the electric bike to simulate a motorcycle sound hahaha....but that isn't too far fetched because if you look at the new BMW M5, the speakers emit prerecorded engines notes into the cabin hahahaha.

 

[ctrvl]

I'm really looking forward to that Mission Motorcycles RS hitting the 18k mark. Right now it's at 40k, way out of my price range. But if it gets down to EBR 1190RX price range...man, gotta start saving now. I love seeing the progression of technology, as much as I love my ICE-style motorcycles.

 

[chevy42083]

I'd definitely consider an electric bike as a commuter, and Buell as weekend/trip/fun bike.... But the electrics are prohibitively expensive considering the range/performance (IMO). Just "not enough for your money".

I did the math at one point on how many miles it would take to break even versus a ninja 250.... it took WAY too many. You REALLY had to just love the environmental impact (which I'm not completely convinced of as something was burned to create that electricity... but that's a whole 'nother thread).

I'm on another forum where a guy is building an electric VFR400... very cool project.

 

[heagachongoose]

I wouldnt want an electric bike. If something were to go wrong with it I would have no idea how to fix it and God knows I dont have the money to pay someone else that does. Ill just stick to my liquid dinosaur powered bikes.



Who needs the environment anyways.

 

[GregoXB]

I wonder if the silent operation of the electric motorcycle would increase the danger to bikers who navigate more congested traffic.

 

[BuddhaBuell]

 

[go cytocis]

I think electric bikes will go a long ways toward helping the OHV community secure access to new trails.

Agreed! I am not an OHV rider per se, but I ride dual-sport & supermoto as deep off-road as just about any OHV. I got into off-road riding several years ago after many years on-slab because I started seeing more & more of the terrain being closed, and decided that I better get out there before it's too late.

Noise is definitely a problem, but based on what I've seen, I believe it's the quad riders that do more damage than the guys on bikes. With 4 wheels, they require less skill than a 2-wheeler to get through some of the more technical stuff so it effectively 'lowers the price of admission' to the back-country. You end up with kids & drunks out there chewing up everything in sight and ensuring even more closures in future.

 

[sparky300]

I know this has been posted before but...

Mugen Shinden Ni

and...

 

[Burts Bird]

Although, there seems to be a huge amount of development in electric/hybrid motorcycles as well as cars, when it comes to the performance aspect of things, you could say they both have their strengths as weaknesses. Remember, combustion engines have been around for an incredibly long time. Outdated? In one aspect, yes, but in another aspect, very good technology that has been very advanced with time. Electric drag bikes as well as drag cars have been on the scene for quite a few years now, and although they are up and coming with great strides, so are newer combustion engines. Ls base engine builds break new records almost every event they hold up here at NED and thats on a debateably poorly maintained track. Although I'm talking cars, its relatively mirrored technology. IMHO they are just two different ways to appreciate the same thing. And heck, they can "easily" be combined, look at the mew McClarren, combustion engine, with a stator INSIDE the block surrounding the crank, with a rotor on the crank itself. That way it can launch with oodles and noodles of torque from the electric engine that is part of the combustion engine, then apply negative torque when shifting to pull the rpms back down to the next gear. I don't see why EBR couldn't integrate something like that with a slow release capacitor or Lithium battery running off of the stator on the engine to provide that same low end acceleration that you get from electric engines....ok I'm gonna stop now this is too long