Comments on: No Gas? Old Bike Barn Contemplate The Electric Motorcycle

By: Ahmet

Ahmet — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:24:48 +0000

Hi,

I ride an electric scooter to work and I bought mine from http://www.elecbikeco.com I absolutely love it… once I get to work I recharge it and ride home.

Thanks
Ahmet

By: Julian Santa-Rita

Julian Santa-Rita — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:34:10 +0000

Electric bikes are here, now. They can go very vary fast (no, not as fast yet as the fuelies that have a hundred years of engine development under them, but dangerously close.)

Looking at the most recent Isle of Mann Green GP you can see that electric bikes made by small tie shops are already 9/10th’s as good.

Factor in the additional fact that most bike gearboxes are able to be shifted when under no load, and you quickly realise that mating an electric motor to a gearbox will produce phenomenal results, and shifting will be clutchless (somethign some of us do to upshift, right now). So the actions and behaviors are more similar than in a car.

I have about 2000$ in my project bike (bought the tires here, even!)that will be/is completely capable of getting me to work and back and companies with more money then me are selling bikes with about the same power as a 250 (70+mph highway)for about 8000$

This market will blossom, and faster than cars.
Imagine a bike with torque at every rpm and zero oil/fluid changes, no clutch replacements, no rusted tanks, clogged carbs, scraped exhausts…and it’s fueled up by your garage outlet.

The only think i’m going to miss is the exhaust pipe, really. But only because they look so good. Sound…well electric bikes sound like the speeder bikes from star wars, and that sound is AWESOME>

By: Bob Ginsberg

Bob Ginsberg — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:06:32 +0000

Check out the GPR at: http://www.electricmotorsport.com

and the Zero at: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com

and the Enertia at: http://www.enertiabike.com

and Electric Scooters for Kids: http://www.kidsbikesntrikes.com

All need a bit more range I think, but are coming along.

By: baz

baz — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:03:00 +0000

The problem with electric, aside from the range and charge time, is that the pollution is still produced somewhere down the line. It’s not coming out your tailpipe but imagine all the coal-fired, oil-fired and nuclear plants that would have to be built to meet demand for electric power if everyone switched to electric vehicles. Maybe compressed air is a better solution. Internal combustion engines can easily be converted to this system. I saw a prototype that had a compressed air tank about the size of a medium motorcycle gas tank. It was good for 120 miles and can be refilled at any gas station air pump.

By: Maddog

Maddog — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:16:36 +0000

I’m not to crazy about the idea but why not as long as I can still ride my 72 CB750 Chopper and my 64 TR6R chopper on any day of the week. Let em build what ever they want when I was kid I’d palyed with magnets and thought that if they were put in a certen order they would make energy then I found out some did in the 50’s made a magnet motor that produced power with out anything helping it. It just ran on its own so when ever our engeners along with other’s who are in power get there act together they could make a generator to recharge batterys. Let’s say while the rider is at work for an 8hr shift get back on there electric bike and ride home. The technology to this has been sitting on somebodys company shelves for a long time its just a matter of time befor its released and put to practial use but for the time being I’ll just keep twisting the throttle on my open pipe’d chop’s disturbing everyone with in mile till they pry my cold dead hands from my chopper!!
GODBLESS AMERICA MADDOG

By: Larry mack

Larry mack — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:44:14 +0000

What about the new postie bikes (Honda CT110) in Australia and NZ that will be hydrogen powered?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:08 +0000

I am still messing with an engine glitch from my starter bike. that said, If I had an older classic or vintage bike, that I was going to put 2-4 K into to restore, versus getting an electric Power plant for the same $$ or less, and getting the tax break for a conversion vehicle (I believe it’s 2K) that might be something many would consider. I wonder if there are suppliers out there for
Electric motorcycle engines!

By: special ed

special ed — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:34:04 +0000

How about horse drawn motorcycles. They run on grass and when it breaks down you can use the horse home. Electric motorcycles run on coal and will account for a lot of nasty polition with improper disposal of lead, acid and other nasty chemicals. Let’s not all jump on the bwne wagon and decide it’s green and smart just yet. It may never be.