Electric Road Bike

[RDJ]

How dare you think, even for a moment, that engineers who designed the product spending millions of dollars on R&D may perhaps know more than the consumers who have never even ridden it.

Quite a few here would've made dedicated heretic-burners and witchsmeller-pursuivants back in the old days. Stray from the Path of Acceptable Groupthink and ye shall be chastised...

[rastuscat]

I've had 3 separate bikes with belts, and never had an issue with them. All Beemers, BTW.

Yet I hear from people on this topic about how the break all the time, they get shredded by gravel, blah blah blah.

Those who are most against belts are those who have never had one.

As I wrote this I think back to my father, who showed me the efficiency of a belt. But that's a separate issue.

[Navy Boy]

Yep - I don't see the belt drive as being an issue. I also suspect that the quieter nature of belts plays a part in this decision. That along with the lower maintenance requirement compared to a chain (To cater for converts from 4 wheels perhaps) are probably factors IMHO.

My H-D 48 has a belt and it's no issue at all. Rather nice in fact as it makes cleaning easier

[pete376403]

Surely putting the motor in the wheel is the most efficient way. Belt efficiency is probably better than a chain, but no belt at all is probably even more efficient again.

[Berries]

Yeah, not sure the comment was chain vs belt, more like why not have direct drive of some kind that would do away with the losses any transmission system presents.

[Laava]

Cynical me, I know, but I suspect their engineers know what they are doing.

Putting the motor in the wheel is a trade off in efficiency for handling. And subsequently safety. A decent motor is going to be heavier by far than the transmission setup from motor to hub with a chain/belt. So far, I have only seen the hub motor in pushbikes or the cheapest motorbikes.

[Jeeper]

Biggest problem with direct hub assembly would be the difficulty to service the tyre and the strength of swing arm needed to hold it in place.

[rastuscat]

Belt efficiency is probably better than a chain,

Not sure about that. If belts were more efficient than chains, surely the race crowd would use them. Incremental efficiency gains are what racing is all about.

I saw an electric motorbike in traffic while I was walking in the Wellington CBD yesterday. Its just going to take time for them to gain momentum.

Again, I would have one, if the range thing met my needs. Likely it would be a daily runner and I'd still want my touring bike. It feels wasteful to use the Rzt as a daily runner.

[Navy Boy]

Not sure about that. If belts were more efficient than chains, surely the race crowd would use them. Incremental efficiency gains are what racing is all about.

I saw an electric motorbike in traffic while I was walking in the Wellington CBD yesterday. Its just going to take time for them to gain momentum.

Again, I would have one, if the range thing met my needs. Likely it would be a daily runner and I'd still want my touring bike. It feels wasteful to use the Rzt as a daily runner.

Chains are still highly efficient - Up to 97+% if memory serves - Hence they are still widely used. I don't know the figures for a belt but I doubt there'll be much, if any, improvement on that.

For me electric bikes are all about context. Trying to have them do the same job/things as conventional bikes do now is looking at it the wrong way IMHO. The inherent advantages of electric bikes need to be capitalised on. So - The quietness aspect (As seen with Trial and Moto-X bikes) as well as the cleanliness and lack of maintenance requirement (A definite plus for car converts and commuters) need to be emphasised.

The H-D Livewire is a wonderful thing but it doesn't give me any real bonus over a sporty road bike and costs a shedload more. Give me an electric scooter with a 250Km range, rapid (up to 80% within an hour) charging and the ability to tackle motorway and city traffic alike (So not too big and cumbersome then) for less than $10-15k. Then you'll be talking.

[pete376403]

Putting the motor in the wheel is a trade off in efficiency for handling. And subsequently safety. A decent motor is going to be heavier by far than the transmission setup from motor to hub with a chain/belt. So far, I have only seen the hub motor in pushbikes or the cheapest motorbikes.

WRT weight, I guess you have never lifted the final drive of a shafty GS850/GS1100 Suzuki. That along with the wheel and tyre, weigh a metric shitload. Yet they seem to handle adequately.

[george formby]

Chains are still highly efficient - Up to 97+% if memory serves - Hence they are still widely used. I don't know the figures for a belt but I doubt there'll be much, if any, improvement on that.

For me electric bikes are all about context. Trying to have them do the same job/things as conventional bikes do now is looking at it the wrong way IMHO. The inherent advantages of electric bikes need to be capitalised on. So - The quietness aspect (As seen with Trial and Moto-X bikes) as well as the cleanliness and lack of maintenance requirement (A definite plus for car converts and commuters) need to be emphasised.

The H-D Livewire is a wonderful thing but it doesn't give me any real bonus over a sporty road bike and costs a shedload more. Give me an electric scooter with a 250Km range, rapid (up to 80% within an hour) charging and the ability to tackle motorway and city traffic alike (So not too big and cumbersome then) for less than $10-15k. Then you'll be talking.

Pretty sure Piaggio had a hybrid MP3, looking exceedingly useful as a commuter.

Agree, though. An electric Burgman would be a great city tool.

[Jeeper]

I would say a hybrid is better option, even for cars. Small petrol engine to drive the generator/alternator which then charges the battery as needed. Batteries drive the drive gear.

I'm not a fan of Prius type hybrid system. I like diesel electric locomotives.

[rastuscat]

I would say a hybrid is better option, even for cars. Small petrol engine to drive the generator/alternator which then charges the battery as needed. Batteries drive the drive gear.

I'm not a fan of Prius type hybrid system. I like diesel electric locomotives.

Plug-in hybrid would be my option. PHEV.

Electric charge would take care of most of my commuting, with the engine doing the rest.

Not much room on most bikes for a split system though.

[pritch]

Not sure if I mentioned this before but...

I heard an interview with a Kiwi guy working in the States, he was saying electric cars (and probably also bikes) don't provide much in the way of econimical benefits. He was saying the savings come with delivery vans, rubbish trucks, or buses, the vehicles that run all day every day as opposed to a family car wich will run typically less than an hour a day.

Since he works for a company that is making electric trucks he would say that, but it made sense.

On a random not entirely unrelated note, does anybody here know who will work on electric trucks. Those things run high voltages way above what automotive electricians would normally be considered qualified to work on. Way above what housing electricians are qualified to work on. Is there going to be a shortage of high voltage electricians?

[george formby]

Plug-in hybrid would be my option. PHEV.

Electric charge would take care of most of my commuting, with the engine doing the rest.

Not much room on most bikes for a split system though.

We shall see if Kawasaki manage it.

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/kaw...cle-prototype/