Electric motorcycles

[SwampNut]

I know that @Crissa has one, anyone else? What do you have exactly (name, configuration options, general specs)? How do you use it? On road, off road, grocery getter, commuter....?

I can't say I'm in the market for one today, but I've looked longingly. I currently have a 2020 KTM 390 adventure that I really love. I do a little off-roading here and there, and will do some camping when the summer weather heat away. Mostly I use it just to ride around for errands, shopping, things like that. Casual riding when I feel like it. I have a large tail trunk so I can do a pretty decent sized grocery trip. And on/off road electric with similar abilities, size, and weight sounds like it would be fun and useful. I recently sold a CBR1100XX and I think I'm done with the heavier bikes, I'm really liking the ease of tossing around a light bike. It's only 42HP and I'm fine with that, I may have done all the time at 150MPH+ that I have in me.

Loaded for an overnight trip...

 

[OneLapper]

I have an Alta. Hands down best motocross bike I've owned, and certainly the fastest. Absolutely love it.

 

[Crissa]

Mine's a grocery-getter. Errands are so much better on a bike. I had been trying to do things on my bicycle but we live in the mountains. It would take me two hours to get anywhere and I hated bicycling without a reason.

My spouse has ridden for thirty years, and she decided to get back into it recently, replacing our old (and needing work) Honda CB Custom. I was looking at an e-bike at the time, and had kept jokingly - as Zero grew down the road from us - kept suggesting she get a Zero. She ended up with a sweet deal on a Ducati Scrambler then she found this used and unloved 2014 Zero.

So I had to learn fast, because we live in the mountains! I have had it for two years and put over seven thousand miles on it... and it only has an 80 mile range.

-Crissa

 

[SwampNut]

So have you ever ridden ICE at all? That seems like an interesting twist on my thoughts that kids who learn to drive e-cars may never be able to drive ICE without new training.

Did you add luggage or anything to your Zero? Anything else to make it "practical?" Also, does it have cruise control?

 

[SwampNut]

I know I can google this, but...where can you and where do you choose to charge? J-charger, home, etc? What's practical in your real world?

 

[Ogre]

I know I can google this, but...where can you and where do you choose to charge? J-charger, home, etc? What's practical in your real world?

Arcimoto uses J1772 chargers which are fairly common. I think @Crissa said her Zero uses the same. I suspect all of these use Level 2 charging, doesn't make sense to do Level 3 with batteries this size.

 

[UpToNoGood]

I want one, but my commute is 120 miles round trip. I haven't seen one that would do that yet.

 

[Ogre]

I want one, but my commute is 120 miles round trip. I haven't seen one that would do that yet.

If you can charge while at work, you just need 60 miles each way. You might even be able to get enough miles out of a normal 120v outlet. Just gotta run an extension cord out your office window.

 

[SwampNut]

Yeah, charging at work is a huge variable. The higher end Zero is rated 200 miles I believe (I have not seriously shopped e-bikes, just drooled in the showroom).

 

[Newton]

Im an avid rider, Ninja 650.
I did have an electric moped for a while it went about 30 miles, topped out at 35-40mph
pretty fun but of course for around town.

personally I cant see getting an electric bike... simply because cost and range.

Plus If we do a group ride, well an electric bike would a liability, maybe.

 

[SwampNut]

With various aging symptoms, being on a sporty or adventure bike for long rides is no longer good for me. And I tried a K1200LT for a while, which was ok, but I'm more in tune to adventure/sport. Also, sitting upright has its own penalties for me. The most I'm doing any more is a couple hours of seat time, and any electric can pull that off. And adventure electric would go through all the trails I ever want to do, and charge easily on the other side.

Not arguing with you, but fleshing this out in my own head with your help. Life changes no matter how much I try to still do 3k mile weekends at 100 MPH.

 

[Newton]

I believe they have a decent selection of electric dirt bikes nowadays. if you prefer driving to a site and riding around some trails for a day or so

 

[SwampNut]

The "adventure" type suits me well right now. This lets me ride around on the streets or highway and then just blast over dirt randomly. It does everything pretty decently. I live at the edge of hundreds of miles of desert.

 

[Newton]

nice! did you watch the show about the electric harley, where that guy from star wars and another guy drive the livewire from like Argentina to LA?
that bike is amazing but bonkers expensive, and would need to be altered like theirs for dirt.

 

[Crissa]

Energica and Livewire do DC charging. It's really handy on freeway bike; you ride for an hour, charge for twenty minutes, ride for an hour. But that's a bit more skilled than I am, an Energica weighs almost 2x my bike plus is more like a liter bike.

The Zero has a bucket for cargo where the tank is by default. I mostly use a large messenger bag, but I've got parts for givi bags. I've just never put them on.

A Zero made the trip from Los Angeles to Argentina before Livewire did it. And it didn't have support vehicles.

I want one, but my commute is 120 miles round trip. I haven't seen one that would do that yet.

A Zero with a 14.4 battery (the full size) can go 90 miles at freeway speed. The default L1 charger adds 17 miles an hour, meaning you would only need to charge from a normal outlet for a little more than two hours to put the remaining range of your daily loop in it.

My seven-year-old Zero with the half-as-good battery can go over 80 miles at an average of 35 miles an hour. So I could do your commute, too.

Also, you drive over 7x further than the average American.

-Crissa