Changing from 2 bikes to 1 bike + 1 car

[MarkH]

I've thought long and hard and I've decided that one bike needs to go. Not completely a coincidence that this is the time of year that I get bills for both regos, 2 x $520 = $1040 and that stings a bit!

So, I've decided to keep the DR650 as my fun 'go anywhere' weekend bike and I'll be selling the ST1300. I'll definitely miss the big girl, tons of torque and capable of riding for a lot longer than I am.

I'm buying a Nissan Leaf to use primarily for the commute to work and back (70km total for the round trip) which will end up costing me >$2,000 less per year than using the ST1300. I added up the petrol, rego, tyres, oil & filters and compared that to $10-$15 worth of electricity per week + cheaper tyres that last longer. The total I worked out was between $2,000 and $2,300 per year. The rego alone is close to $450 dearer for a bike than a car that has good safety ratings. I guess I've been a little surprised about just how much cheaper I could be commuting.

If I was still commuting in Auckland there is no way I'd change from bike to car, no way in hell! But Morrinsville to Cambridge at 3am and then Cambridge to Morrinsville any time between 11am and 1pm (depending on how busy the day is) can't be compared to Auckland commuting. I've been away from Auckland for 4 1/2 years and hadn't driven a car since over 3 years before that - it has taken ~ 8 years of not driving a car in Auckland for the emotional scars to heal!

Of course there are a bunch of advantages to driving a car compared to riding a bike but I'll definitely be keeping one bike so I can enjoy my weekends and my holidays. If anything I'll probably enjoy riding a motorcycle more once I'm not having to do that every day to get to work.

I am thinking that I'll maybe trade in the DR650 on an African Twin, but that is probably around 3 years away. I'm thinking that an adventure/tourer would be just the right thing to travel around NZ. Until then I'll use my DR650 as an adventure bike.

I guess more of you guys own a car as well as the bike than those that just own a bike, but for me I sold my last car around 8 years ago when I was living in Auckland and I didn't regret that decision. But now with a run of rainy weather I'm kinda glad I'm getting a car again although I haven't regretted getting in lots of riding over the last few years. I guess now I'm getting bored of the run to work and back, it isn't the fun side of riding just going over the same roads every day for over 4 years. I do remember my first rego when I got the four hundy in '08, it cost $275 back then but after that the bastards really cranked up the ACC levy on bikes.

[AllanB]

Anything with a engine is good.

Cars are especially good in the middle of winter.

[JimO]

eventually you will be paying RUCs

[BMWST?]

eventually you will be paying RUCs

including extra ACC levies.There is a ACC levy component in the pump price of petrol.Not so for diesel or electricicty

[rastuscat]

I've been browsing electric cars and bikes. Just waiting for more choice.

[jim.cox]

I looked long and hard at electric bikes before buying the DR-Z

Both would get me to work with a smile

The prices are both about the same

I like the idea of zipping quietly along

But the DR-Z offers just so much more in terms of flexibility and range

[MarkH]

I've been browsing electric cars and bikes. Just waiting for more choice.

If you aren't in a hurry the amount of choice over the next 5 years is going to increase drastically compared to now.

For bikes: I'd happily change to an electric bike once there is a major advance in battery technology. A 13kWh Zero DSR would be OK, but a bit limited for travelling the country - if they could put a 48kWh battery in the same place with the same weight then I'd definitely be interested in buying one. I'm not sure if this could happen or not because it is hard to find information on the capacity of future batteries (solid state, metal-air, etc).

For cars: There is already a car that has a 580km range now, this is easily enough to travel around and get from fast charger to fast charger. Sure that car is stupid expensive, but as battery prices drop that range will become available on more reasonably priced cars. I'd be happy if my next EV had 350+ km of range. Already you could drive from Auckland to Wellington and back with an EV that only has a 130km range, there are enough chargers now and more are being added all the time (you would need a lot of stops though). For my home-work-home commute I wont need a fast charger (although there is one in Cambridge anyway) because I can just plug into a standard wall socket at home and be charged in ~5 hours.

To go from home to Auckland I was wondering about the logistics. I have friends in Onehunga and the trip is around 135km each way, my new car has a range of 130-150km. It seems that it would be doable if I drive a bit slow, but it would be close and I'm not sure about my anxiety levels if cutting it fine. I looked at plugshare (a site that shows where the chargers are) and saw a charger at the halfway point (Te Kauwhata) so now I know that if I just stop there and plug in for 10 minutes I can get to my destination very easily without having to drive slowly. It is a myth that you have to take a long time to charge - 30min for 0%-100% times means that you only need 12 minutes to take a car from 40% - 80% which is often all you would need.

[MarkH]

eventually you will be paying RUCs

It is still drastically cheaper to drive an EV. Right now I'm looking at no RUC for 3 years and after that there is a decent chance that they will make the RUC cheaper than what diesel cars currently pay because they will still want to encourage EV car uptake.

[JimO]

It is still drastically cheaper to drive an EV. Right now I'm looking at no RUC for 3 years and after that there is a decent chance that they will make the RUC cheaper than what diesel cars currently pay because they will still want to encourage EV car uptake.

you hope.....

[rastuscat]

If you look at the Zero DSR on their site you'll see a few promo videos. One of them is a guy riding his Zero around Wellington.

I contacted the company via their site, and they got back to me. They don't sell to NZ, the guy must have privately imported it. They .mentioned not knowing the legality of electric bikes in NZ.

BMW and Harley have electric bikes already. I'm looking a couple of years down the track, so it's quite intetesting to watch progress.

[rastuscat]

All that said, I'm also looking forward to the return of two strokes.

[nzspokes]

If you look at the Zero DSR on their site you'll see a few promo videos. One of them is a guy riding his Zero around Wellington.

I contacted the company via their site, and they got back to me. They don't sell to NZ, the guy must have privately imported it. They .mentioned not knowing the legality of electric bikes in NZ.

BMW and Harley have electric bikes already. I'm looking a couple of years down the track, so it's quite intetesting to watch progress.

A shop in Auckland used to sell Zero. Thats where it would have come from.

Ebikes are already here and selling very well. http://www.anebike.co.nz/

[Honest Andy]

If
To go from home to Auckland I was wondering about the logistics. I have friends in Onehunga and the trip is around 135km each way, my new car has a range of 130-150km. It seems that it would be doable if I drive a bit slow,

That max range is with a new battery? The range drops off as the battery ages. Also your range reduces with lights, heater etc.
But as you say, with a 15min charge in Te Kauwhata you'll make that easily with charge to spare

[cods4]

Something to be aware of is that fast chargers wear out your battery much faster. You will get more life out of the car if you only use the fast chargers when you really need to.

I think an electric car is on the horizon for me in the next few years once prices drop a bit more.
I think between me and the missus we could manage with one EV and one station wagon or similar. The bikes are purely for weekend use at this stage as I need a car for work.

[Honest Andy]

Something to be aware of is that fast chargers wear out your battery much faster. You will get more life out of the car if you only use the fast chargers when you really need to.

Is that right? Interesting. How bad is it though? I thought it wasn't such an issue with modern battery construction and charging systems. If you're correct and it's still something to think about then that really fucks up the whole charging station ideal.