Behold! The electric motorcycle cometh

**James Deuce** · 22nd October 2005, 11:48

Originally Posted by parsley

Not sure if they'll ever be the same as riding a "classic" bike, but let's face it the way oil prices are heading we might not have a choice.

Of course we have a choice.

No internal combustion engine = no vehicles or riding/driving for me.

Hydrogen cell vehicles can go hump my leg. Current hydrogen production requires the same energy going into production as you get out of it. Which makes it a much bigger potential polluter than the oil industry.

**TonyB** · 22nd October 2005, 11:52

The problem with all of these electric vehicles is.... what happens when we are all driving them and we all have to plug them in every night? More power stations. More power lines as our national grid would never cope.

Where do we put the powerstations and what the hell do we power them with?

**parsley** · 22nd October 2005, 11:57

Originally Posted by Jim2

Of course we have a choice.

No internal combustion engine = no vehicles or riding/driving for me.

Well, yes, you have that choice. But if it's between an electric bike and no bike at all then pass me the AAA's.

**inlinefour** · 22nd October 2005, 12:29

If that was all that was on offer, I'd quit riding all togther, really who wants to ride that apart form some pussum kissing, tree hugging greenie???

**muzz** · 22nd October 2005, 13:40

I quite like the concept for around the citys and general commuting but give me the roar of the ducati on the open road. You dont need power stations to provide power. The way solar power is advancing with flexable solar panels your bikes fairing could be covered with them charging while your stopped.

**Pathos** · 22nd October 2005, 14:07

Only real problem with them is the time it would take to charge the batteries.

But if it went main stream and everyone had the same batteries you could just swap yours with one at the gas station that they would charge while not in use.

We'd need a couple nuke pots to keep them running tho.

**muzz** · 22nd October 2005, 14:28

If you are using the bike as a commuter it sits in the car park all day charging for the ride home. A battery bank at servo's is a good idea. But as the article read technology is advancing all the time new type battarys ,charging systems etc.

**gamgee** · 22nd October 2005, 17:19

alternator would keep charging it while it's running as well

**froggyfrenchman** · 22nd October 2005, 17:23

I would rather rip my balls off in the chain of my "fossil" bike than ride a metre on one of those bloody electric excuses of bikes!

**Colapop** · 22nd October 2005, 17:29

They're going to be an option but I think the reality is combustion engines are going to be around for some time yet. A change in mindset is required - probably by our kids.

**TonyB** · 22nd October 2005, 17:49

Originally Posted by gamgee

alternator would keep charging it while it's running as well

No mechanical device is 100% efficient- the electric motors will not use 100% of the power from the batteries purley to produce motive power (kinetic energy), and the alternator can not use 100% of the kinetic energy it receives to produce electricity. Therefore putting an alternator of any kind on the machine will only serve to slow it down and make it less efficient. What you CAN do is use the alternator as a brake- then this can charge the battery a bit as you are slowing down.

**onearmedbandit** · 22nd October 2005, 18:18

In a backwards world, if electric vehicles were the norm and someone suggested an internal combustion engine powered bike that needed to be regulary maintained, serviced, had so many moving parts, ran different according to atmopsheric conditions (carb'ed bikes mainly, as the majority of bikes owned by members here are), needed a gearbox designed around the engines 'flaws', etc the reaction I think would be more extreme than what we are seeing here.

I'm going against the flow here, I would glady try an electric powered motorcycle (sports performance style) with an eye to owning one if they were proven and had the infrastructure to run them. Having 100%of your torque available at any rpm would be incredible out of corners, never being in the wrong gear (as you would only need one) means instant acceleration, dialed in by your right wrist. Corner entries would be smoother, allowing you to concentrate on your line, not changing down the 'box and keeping the bike settle with the different rate of deceleration.

Yup, I'd be keen to look at it.

**Ivan** · 22nd October 2005, 20:06

It would be so cool I would try one for the hell of it If someone sponsered me to race out in 600 supersport on it I would think about the tourquq of the line and outta the bends now I know were Rossi gets his power from but they need to start ryling these motors in frames like the Malaguti it might give it a chance of the KR proton spark up a relationship with them I think youd see them become a winner in a few years I mean look at theat video Gav posted now that was cool

**Toast** · 22nd October 2005, 20:31

Another story on that site about the 'diesel superbike' is interesting too. '205kg ready to ride' with potentially 100hp and heaps of torque.

http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/4273/1/

**Toast** · 22nd October 2005, 20:39

Originally Posted by TonyB

The problem with all of these electric vehicles is.... what happens when we are all driving them and we all have to plug them in every night? More power stations. More power lines as our national grid would never cope.

Where do we put the powerstations and what the hell do we power them with?

That's the screwed up thing about many of these electric vehicles...in many countries most of the electricity comes from coal or gas anyway.