Well can we be tempted by electric??

The Things We Ride
lancashirelad
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Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by lancashirelad »

***just like Britney Spears oops I did it again……sold the Scrambler & as of now there may not be a replacement***
ZX Raziel
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by ZX Raziel »

Once the batteries are up for the job , i will be riding one , the lack of noise can be usefull to save the greenlane riding , maybe not so good for the road as the drivers will not hear you coming .
picos mestizo
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by picos mestizo »

Unfortunately I'm a Petrol Junkie.
Volts & Amps aint gunna give me a fix!
Lightness is everything.

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Dutchgit
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by Dutchgit »

They might become good if as said, the batteries become better and it makes some noise.
I've been on one of them Zero things and not having any engine sounds makes it rather emotionless.
Also, listening to an engine you kind of can hear what the status is (ie. it is pulling or about to and such)
If they make it sound good (a feature you could turn off with a switch) that'd make it more acceptable for someone who is used to "old school" bikes.
It'll end in tears I tells ya.
threepot
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by threepot »

Don't knock it till you've tried it! I had a test drive in a Tesla electric car recently. I was blown away by it. Amazing acceleration..0-60 in about 4.5sec! They do a version that does it a sec quicker! Total silence. It was like driving something from a computer game.
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Fried Egg Sandwich
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by Fried Egg Sandwich »

I've ridden the Zero DS (Dual Sport) for a couple of hours, The Zero S (Road only) for an hour(ish) and had a play on an electric trials bike for 10 minutes. All brilliant fun, and on all but the trials bike range would be a concern. On the DS I had about 20 miles of motorway work in the ride - and that killed the range. Once the range is up to say 200 motorway miles between charges, then I think they will become a much more serious contenders - they do surprise other road users with their lack of sound. Cyclists don't realise you are there, nor do pedestrians. (thumbs)
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Zookman
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by Zookman »

Fried Egg Sandwich wrote:I've ridden the Zero DS (Dual Sport) for a couple of hours, The Zero S (Road only) for an hour(ish) and had a play on an electric trials bike for 10 minutes. All brilliant fun, and on all but the trials bike range would be a concern. On the DS I had about 20 miles of motorway work in the ride - and that killed the range. Once the range is up to say 200 motorway miles between charges, then I think they will become a much more serious contenders - they do surprise other road users with their lack of sound. Cyclists don't realise you are there, nor do pedestrians. (thumbs)
And neither will car drivers.... 'Sorry mate i didn't hear you' will be another variation of the SMIDSY.
catcitrus
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by catcitrus »

There is an old , and very useful approach to these sort of developments--AND THAT'S THE WELL TO WHEEL COSTS !!(oil well to rotating thingy)----what I would ask you to consider is the giant hole in the ground somewhere in China or Africa caused by the mining operation for the rare earth compounds that are used in the batteries and motor--and the additional CO2 pollution resulting from the extensive refining and manufacturing process--all to give you a little local pocket of nano particle free air. In my past career I have been involved in all kinds of high energy density battery systems for torpedo propulsion etc--including very dodgy combinations like sodium and sulphur running at very high temperatures. There is a very real limit of energy storage kWh/m3 (energy density)-ye canna change the laws of physics !!
Coupled with this there is the downside of Li based batteries in that they only have a limited number of cycles before their performance falls off--you need to rent the battery pack with a free exchange when it gets tired--and they are NOT cheap. Additionally you will be using power from the grid that is still probably being produced by CO2 emitting power stations-it might have its place in an urban environment where there are "tunnels" of higher pollution--but thats about it until the "back to the future " reactor is produced. They are certainly NOT an environmentally friendly solution
Just a sobering note--a large glacial ice sheet has just broken away in the Antartic and if it melts then sea levels will rise about 2 m so you can say goodbye to lots of small islands, East Anglia and so on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt ... 4f76ca02bb
ZX Raziel
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by ZX Raziel »

That Tesla car is great , but very expansive to buy .
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bowber
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Re: Well can we be tempted by electric??

Post by bowber »

Like catcitrus has said, there is a real limit at the moment to how much power can be stored.
Electric motors are good though and with the right power source can leave internal combustion engines for dead in efficiency, torque and maintainance, and I would be happy to ride a small electric bike on green lanes.
The electric trials bikes are, in my mind, the right tool for the job with the small distances covered and the tunable power delivery.

Steve
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