Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

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Gowing
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#16

Post by Gowing »

If I had tons of money I would buy a zero for sure.
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CYBORG
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#17

Post by CYBORG »

I might be interested in them if there were charging stations on every corner, and charging time was down to a couple of minutes
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#18

Post by Sidecar Bob »

This might help with the time part eventually but I can't see many places investing in the technology to support it except in places where a lot of people use them year round. It might be a good sideline for bike dealers in big cities, though....
https://canadamotoguide.com/2019/04/07/ ... logy-deal/
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#19

Post by CYBORG »

I agree. So I'm not to worried about having to get involved with them. That being said, have charge stations at the major bike dealerships, would not only bring in customers, who browsed while they waited for the charge, but might add to overall sales of everything
1978 custom GL1000
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1985 gl1200
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dontwantapickle
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#20

Post by dontwantapickle »

I think it would be cool if they made them like a cordless drill.
unsnap one battery pack and click in a re-charged one.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#21

Post by Sidecar Bob »

I think the idea of the standard for batteries (see link in my last post) is that the batteries can be swapped in less time than waiting for a charge. Having battery swapping facilities at bike dealers is a great idea if you can arrange to be near one when you need a fresh one but for people that don't live (or work) near a dealer it could be a huge problem.

Heck, our local gas station has closed indefinitely (something about a disagreement with the supplier) so without the convenience of filling up a few blocks from home I have had to start making sure I fill up when I'm near a gas station and don't expect to be near another one before I run out again.
That's annoying enough; I can only imagine how annoying it would be to go on a long trip and have to hope you can find a place where you can swap batteries every time or wait for the battery to charge (maybe charging stations at restaurants would be a good idea).

But I still say that electric is going to prove to be a dead end (just like it was 1a century ago) because even with all of the advances in battery technology it still doesn't have anywhere close to enough energy density, especially in places where it gets really cold in winter (the batteries with higher energy density loose even more capacity at low temps than conventional flooded lead acid ones).
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#22

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Brainstorming this idea with a work buddy, a potential problem with battery swaps is simply the physical space needed to store replacements as they are charging. Think of the number of cars that go through your average gas station, how large batteries are, and how long it takes to charge them, do some fancy math, and....... (not quite sure. SOMETHING happens.) That's where the energy density of gasoline v. batteries rears it's ugly head.

Getting charging stations is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. People won't build charging stations because not enough people have electric cars, but people won't buy electric cars due to lack of charging stations.

I'm personally intrigued with hydrogen fuel cell technology- we just need to find a way to make it practical, and find an extraction process that doesn't waste more fuel that it produces.

In all honesty, my personal opinion is that the energy issues should really be looked at before we start mucking with self-driving cars, but that's a topic for ANOTHER thread entirely.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#23

Post by Sidecar Bob »

I imagine they would be designed so that the battery swap could be done very quickly, perhaps an automated system with robot arms to lift them in & out for bikes and maybe a standardized setup for cars that had them in a tray where the hood is now (they would all have to be at the same distance from the ground) and set up so that the grill folds down, the depleted battery is pulled out onto a table and a charged one is slid in with spring loaded contacts in the battery tray making connecting with the battery, much like changing the batteries in a typical electronic device is cone now.

But that would only work if everyone agreed with the standards and it wouldn't be practical for those of us who don't live in big population centres.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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dontwantapickle
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#24

Post by dontwantapickle »

I was thinking more along the lines of a electric dirt bike.
if you took a few quick change batteries along, you could ride the trails all day with just a couple of quick pit stops.
There is certainly a place for electric bikes with a limited range. Not every ride is a 400 mile trip away from home.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#25

Post by Sidecar Bob »

No but if I was, say, to visit my Mum in law on the bike that's approx. 100 Km each way and when you figure in the decrease in range from adding a sidecar I would need something that had something like 250 Km of range as a solo bike to make it there & back.....
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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CYBORG
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#26

Post by CYBORG »

But with a sidecar you could carry a larger then normal bank of batteries
1978 custom GL1000
1977 custom with 1200 engine
1985 gl1200
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#27

Post by Sidecar Bob »

True. I do have a second tank on Mr.H; There's no good place for one on Eccles without adding a pump but electricity can run uphill...

That would help but if I was driving it in winter I would need to carry extra batteries anyway because of the decreasing capacity in cold issue.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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HOTT
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Re: Going electric could help revive the motorcycle industry

#28

Post by HOTT »

Well I had the opportunity to ride the Livewire this week (and for sake of conversation I rode a Zero earlier this year).
These are my observations....
*just sitting on it It felt proper. That is seating position, foot pegs, controls were in a sweet spot for me with plenty
of + / - adjustment for differing sizes. (more Japanese or German than typical HD.)
*No clutch, no shifter.
*TFT display and the HD switching were all top shelf. A key less fob knows when your close by.
*All the new stuff , lean sensors, ABS, power modes, auto turn siggies, etc.
Fire it UP! (or whatever you do)....
*touch the ON button and you get the slightest of vibration on the 'gas tank'. A light on the TFT lets you know you're ready to Go. Or more importantly should say "DO NOT REV". No need to blow out the pipes or flush the carbs. That would be bad.
Roll on the twister and you go.
*The power just can't be explained with out experiencing it. From mild walking parking lot speed to something akin to that Hyper drive thing you see on Star Trek. Full torque, a never ending 3rd gear pulling feel and no sound?!?!?
*Handling. The bike feels as good as any sport bike in turning and braking. Steering input I felt was pretty neutral.
So...thoughts??
I used to tell folks I loved my Condor (GL1000) because it was the closest thing to an electric motorcycle as far as vibration,power and quiet smoothness of ride. Now having ridden the big boy of electric motorcycles. I feel the same and then some. The HD's power can be brutal, but my 'Wing has plenty. Add to that the sound of an engine and gear changing. I'm probably a generation too late to want one. My Harley dealership was more than happy to have you come by and try it (go figure).
I have no doubt, to quote Howard Hughes "It is the way of the future"

HOTT (just some viral contributions)
If we can't fix it, we can fix it so no one else can.
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