simpler, lighter, fast enough, quiet[so they can hear you when you speak at them to pass]; and [not]about $20.!! for two gallons of good gas? I can put some 2T oil somewhere to keep the aroma correct.
if they made a truely reliable long lasting electric dirt bike i would be all over that. think of all the mtn bike trails that would now be legal.
I WILL! But I need some time. I already have a Terra build to do this winter and I have to finish a carbon trike (pedal) I started a while ago. It is definitely on the list though.
I agree with ya firecrotch, I also wouldn't be worried about the battery life cuz by the time I would need one, 174k dirt miles!!, these will be running on dilithium crystals or something, lol. And for a workday commuter, I'd try one...........
Not sure about all of them but many are simple 110 plug ins. Think about it for the commuter, drive to work and plug in to one of their electric sockets during you're 8hr work shift. It would be like getting the equivilent of a bizzilion miles per gallon.
Slow charge doesn't require a special charger. Quick Charge Kit $399.99 By effectively doubling the amount of energy flowing to the power pack during charging, the Quick Charge Kit reduces the charge time of all Zero models by almost 50%. On applicable motorcycles, multiple Quick Charge Kits can be purchased and used to cut the charge time down by nearly 75%. The individual charger included in a single kit can also be used to charge, or trickle charge, an additional ZF3 power pack. If a race team could afford multiple batteries, you could have extra ones at pit stops. California pays you 1000 dollars when you buy a zero motorcycle...
Horses for courses! Strange thing about this internet, really tough to grasp the interpretation of thought sometimes without reading or writing a chapter! So many ways they could be considered awesome, and so many ways they suck... Actually, at the time I was thinking more of the awesome people dreaming, designing, building and promoting to the end result. It's a journey. The fact that they are there makes them awesome... not perfect. I guess.
Obviously they are not going to be the right tool for every job but for some jobs they may be a better tool than what we are currently using and with technology growing by leaps and bounds they will fit better in more and more places. I'm not saying that they will ever replace the IC engine but having more tools in the shed is always a good idea IMO.
I was thinking the other day while riding my Terra that I don't like the thought that no one would be able to hear me on the road. Even the quietest fuel burning bikes of today can be heard for some distance away. A chain rattle and tire noise with a hum of an electric motor isn't going to be heard by someone in a car while texting on their phone. I think I would definitely want the flashing headlight, at least, for some safety. On the other hand, I love the idea of a silent dirt bike. Our neighborhoods would also love silent dirt bikes. It would make a tougher fight for organizations against them too.
32 years ago, I owned an electric bike. It was heavy and slow, used a car battery and I could go only a couple of miles on it. Now you can go 130 miles on one. Plus, what happens when gas is $20+ a gallon? Steam powered bicycle:
I apologize! I know I´m not totally civilized. But all I want is to fall off my twig knowing that I´ve used up the last drop of fosil fuel on a motobike that is much more powerful than I really need.
Why would you apologize? You have every right to use all the fuel you want to on whichever bike you throw your leg over!
I remain to be convinced by current electric technology. I can see them working very well in a riding school / club scenario where you turn up, pay to ride, grab another bike when the battery light flashes red and then at the end of the day you go home, but they're going to have the resale value of a used plastic spoon, so unless you can afford to toss money around they'll be even less desirable than a used thumper with metal on the sump magnet... Future power cell tech may present the possibility of replacing the electrolyte to "recharge" - which would negate the need to buy a spare battery if you want to ride for more than 45 mins a day. There's also a remote possibility that manufacturers may agree on a standard battery format - which would increase choice and so reduce cost. It might be worth waiting a while and letting the rich kids pick up the development costs. And anyway, if electric bikes get popular too soon then the factories won't bother with all those D.I. strokers they've been promising us for years.
