Electric motorcycles!

what you have seen in the heading is absolutely true. If you don’t have a girlfriend, don’t worry just ride Ethec electric motorcycle. This electric motorcycle is amazing in looks and fantastic in performance. This beautiful electric motorcycle is designed by 16 young engineers from ETH Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts.
ethec-electric-motorcycle_1.png

Read the full article here -> http://electricvehicles.in/ride-bike-ethec-electric-motorcycle/
 
Wish there was a separate forum for just motorcycles, but I guess interest must be demonstrated first.

Well, I'm interested. Now I have a PEHV, I have the fever and looking at an electric motorcycle. This would even be more ideal for me than a car because I don't get to ride my motorcycle as often as I want -- especially in the Winter. Having that motor sit around for several weeks without being started isn't the best thing for an ICE of any sort. An electric motorcycle would be awesome for occasional riding -- as long as I kept it somewhat charged. Also the lowered maintenance would be a big win too.

The one thing holding me back is storage. I need something with saddle bags to throw my kit in.
 
Really enjoyed this video put out by Alta Motors. It's a bit long at 9 minutes, but tells its story quite nicely. Well worth the watch.

 
This thread has been stale too long and much has happened. Alta, thought to have had funding secured after a deal with Harley-Davidson, ceased operations not long after Harley announced it was opening its own R&D center. (crazy!)

Now, Harley has officially revealed its all-electric bike, the Livewire.
At $29,799, it has a 110-mile range and lots of people offering up their opinion about it. Here's one I (mostly) sympathize with.

2019-livewire.jpg
 
I've never owned a motorcycle, but $30k for what appears to my inexperienced eye to be only a mid-sized 'cycle -- not a large touring motorcycle -- does seem rather overpriced. Yeah, an EV drivetrain will drive up the price on the Livewire (I do like the name!), but it shouldn't drive it up that much.

Does that fit with your opinions, Domenick, or am I just showing how clueless I am about this subject? Go ahead -- be blunt!
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Pushmi-Pullyu said:
I've never owned a motorcycle, but $30k for what appears to my inexperienced eye to be only a mid-sized 'cycle -- not a large touring motorcycle -- does seem rather overpriced. Yeah, an EV drivetrain will drive up the price on the Livewire (I do like the name!), but it shouldn't drive it up that much.

Does that fit with your opinions, Domenick, or am I just showing how clueless I am about this subject? Go ahead -- be blunt!
​
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The name is good.
Harley does charge more than this for its 3 wheelers, but it's higher than most of their bikes.
For price comparison, though, you have to judge it against others on the market. Although a slightly different form factor -- it's more sport bike -- the Energica Ego starts at $22,565 and features some high-end components. It has an 11.7 kWh battery and should have more range than the Livewire. It also has a 107 kW motor (148 lb. ft of torque) in an excellent chassis and is said to handle quite wonderfully. It's also made in Italy.

So, using this for comparison, it makes the Harley about $6,000 too much. At least.
 
That Alta Motors bike if they made it in dual sport configuration would be nice, Alta is in turmoil at this point in time so I don't know how that'll play out, the Zero DS looks to be the best choice for my type of riding but it's still too much $$ I've been riding motorcycles all my life and my current dual sport came in right at $5000, if any of them could just get sub $10,000 I'd probably jump all over it.

My current ride. Suzuki DR650



I traded in my cruiser for it because the fun don't stop when the road does. Street legal dirt bike more or less.
 
RLXXI said:
Too expensive and definitely not the type of bike I like to ride. Just speculation when I say I doubt it takes off. Most people that buy Harleys expect that signature sound those engines make.
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You are right about the sound. Harley needs to dip their toes in the water, though, since things can change pretty quickly.
 
RLXXI said:
Too expensive and definitely not the type of bike I like to ride. Just speculation when I say I doubt it takes off. Most people that buy Harleys expect that signature sound those engines make.
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Could always incorporate it into a wicked vehicle noise for pedestrians.
 
Cash Traylor said:
https://clevelandcyclewerks.com/clevelandcyclewerks-falcon

This is cool! Love the minimalist design and features. Pretty darn practical. In fact, I think I can make that in my shop.... hmmm...

No way my wife will let me ride a motorcycle - she knows how I drive!

Cheers,

Cash
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RideApart wrote about this yesterday. I kind of like the look and the range sounds good (though it's very optimistic if I remember correctly). The price...is $7,995, which I feel is kind of high.
 
It likely requires certified batteries if used on public roadways. The certification for that can run 10's to 100's of thousands. Without the cert they likely cannot get product liability insurance. I can build it for less than that - but the battery pack alone would still cost me about $8K if I bought IEC/UN cells. The parts are not expensive, it's what a lot of folks don't understand, its the product to market requirements. If you sell it as a kit with the included liability release of a DIY product you can cut costs by 20-30%. If they are not making thousands of these (and I doubt it yet) the amortization is likely a little scary.

Remember, someone sued for hot coffee in their lap, imagine what the suit for a battery fire between your legs would be...

Cash
 
Cash Traylor said:
It likely requires certified batteries if used on public roadways. The certification for that can run 10's to 100's of thousands. Without the cert they likely cannot get product liability insurance. I can build it for less than that - but the battery pack alone would still cost me about $8K if I bought IEC/UN cells. The parts are not expensive, it's what a lot of folks don't understand, its the product to market requirements. If you sell it as a kit with the included liability release of a DIY product you can cut costs by 20-30%. If they are not making thousands of these (and I doubt it yet) the amortization is likely a little scary.

Remember, someone sued for hot coffee in their lap, imagine what the suit for a battery fire between your legs would be...

Cash
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Oh, I get that. I'm not saying it's their fault or anything. It's just that it doesn't strike me as great value. It's still cheaper than the entry Zero FXS by $1,000, though. Ultimately, consumers will decide if the value works for them.

I wish there was a program to help with the development/certification costs for products like this. That would really help domestic companies compete with the cheap import stuff.
 
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I've finally decided on which bike I'm getting. The Zero DS same type of bike I have now and there's a dealer less than a days drive from me. I sent them an email query about trade in bikes to see if they offer it and at a decent price, the more they give me for mine the more options I'll opt for on the new bike.
 
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I've finally decided on which bike I'm getting. The Zero DS same type of bike I have now and there's a dealer less than a days drive from me. I sent them an email query about trade in bikes to see if they offer it and at a decent price, the more they give me for mine the more options I'll opt for on the new bike.
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At this point, these bikes seem like a good play. Company is pretty well established and there's a good-sized owner's group with lots of experience with pretty much anything that might go wrong. And the price for performance is as good or better than anything out there.
 
Two other things about that brand I like is the fact they still resemble a standard motorcycle and not something you expect to see at an art exhibit, and tubeless tires. So easy to repair and keep rolling without having to break the tire/wheel down to patch. Just plug it, give it a shot from my co2 cartridges and keep moving.
 
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