ReconRat Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Enlarged. Probably contains the electric motor and drive gear ? Hotlinked the pic, hopefully you're not seeing a red X. Logical. The motor is heavy, even heavier than batteries maybe, and would need to be low CG. And sideways torque would be less pronounced down low. Not going to get away from the weight of batteries in the near future. Maybe some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan_c_F Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Logical. The motor is heavy, even heavier than batteries maybe, and would need to be low CG. And sideways torque would be less pronounced down low. Not going to get away from the weight of batteries in the near future. Maybe some day. I'm more concerned with the recharging time-sink. That's the biggest problem I can think of when it comes to transportation concerns. I'd be fine with heavy batteries if it meant reliable usage life and a quicker charging cycle. Who knows -- maybe we figure out reliable on-the-fly charging integrated with the roads. I'm so ready for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantahertzdonut Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 I don't think we'll be doing any tours on electric bikes anytime soon, or at least no tours in quick time. (for example, I did read about a guy who rode a Zero or Brammo from Key West to CA, but took 2 weeks to do it) If you have a range of 100 miles, that's more than enough for 99% of us to get to and from work with power to spare, then you can charge at home overnight. Or once or twice a week if that's all you're using the bike for. I wouldn't have any issue with that. Even then, I'd say 80% of my rides were 75 miles or less, so I would still be happy with a 100 mi range. They're not for everyone, but I think they get an artificially bad rap. And nobody is forcing anyone to buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccrory Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 I think electric dirt bikes could vastly increase the number of places to ride then - they're so much quieter than 2-strokes and even 4-stroke engines. You could have dirt tracks less than a half mile from residences and hear nothing except trucks and trailers coming and going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantahertzdonut Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sure would, and would be awesome too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollnhot Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Where do you mount your flags, and it's so quiet you won't need to yell at red lights or outside the bar at 3:00 AM. So much for tradition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wikiwiki750 Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 That would probably be the quietest biker gang ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnone Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 LiFePO4 are taking over and much lighter than the current NiMh or any lead acid batteries. Perfect for vehicles and large live aboard sailboats (other interest). Expensive but that will continue to drop. Tesla is set to build a 2 Billion factory in the USA. Asia will continue as ramp up production as well. My personal presence would be a diesel electric, I may someday buy an all electric. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodninja420 Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I am less surprised by the electric motor aspect (it's inevitable that every major manufacturer will have an electric prototype in the next 5 years) than by the reasonable rake and footpeg position shown in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted June 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) I am less surprised by the electric motor aspect (it's inevitable that every major manufacturer will have an electric prototype in the next 5 years) than by the reasonable rake and footpeg position shown in the picture. That's because it's obviously a Buell design. That's even a Buell foot peg. I'll bet that bike was sitting in a locked room since 2010, about 90% complete until HD decided to dust it off and add the chrome bottom section and the rear fender. Edited June 25, 2014 by Tpoppa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 umm, I read it is supposed to make "sound like a jet landing".(electric vehicles are so quiet the Feds require noise making under some low speed) Sort of want to predict that less than 200 will be sold.ok, I just watched a video that you can hear what this sounds like. To me, it sounded like a variable speed vacuum cleaner... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Seems like there would need to be some kind of practical application for a small on board generator that could at least get you home if you ran out of electrons. What is the lightest, smallest generator that would have enough power to run the motor (with partial power) or recharge the batteries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smccrory Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Seems like there would need to be some kind of practical application for a small on board generator that could at least get you home if you ran out of electrons. What is the lightest, smallest generator that would have enough power to run the motor (with partial power) or recharge the batteries? At that point, I'd just get an IC bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantahertzdonut Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Seems like there would need to be some kind of practical application for a small on board generator that could at least get you home if you ran out of electrons. What is the lightest, smallest generator that would have enough power to run the motor (with partial power) or recharge the batteries? And electric motor can be used as a generator when you're not supplying power to it. It's not anything new to use the motor to recharge the batteries when you're not at full throttle or coasting. It doesn't do much, but the technology existed on my remote control cars in the early 90's. I'm sure they're doing the same on these bikes, as it'll add +/-5% to your battery life. I think the KERS systems on F1 cars also did something to that effect. Adding an extra generator would only drain the battery faster because it would add drag to the system. It wouldn't make it a perpetual motion machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 And electric motor can be used as a generator when you're not supplying power to it. It's not anything new to use the motor to recharge the batteries when you're not at full throttle or coasting. It doesn't do much, but the technology existed on my remote control cars in the early 90's. I'm sure they're doing the same on these bikes, as it'll add +/-5% to your battery life. I think the KERS systems on F1 cars also did something to that effect. Adding an extra generator would only drain the battery faster because it would add drag to the system. It wouldn't make it a perpetual motion machine. I am not suggesting using a battery powered motor to charge the batteries. If a 25lb, compact, gas generator could be designed that ran for say 60-90 minutes on 1/2 gallon of gas. It might make an electric motorcycle seem like a more viable transportation option. When I think of completely electric vehicles, I think of being stranded on the side of the road with no power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butters Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 (edited) Most 100 percent electric vehicles still have a gas tank to power a generator for longer trips Edited June 27, 2014 by Steve Butters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) heheh... just hide this somewhere and direct chain gear it with massive ratio. Limp along at low speed. Might have to get off and help push uphill. 10HP and under 5 pounds... gasoline powered R/C aircraft engine... Might also have to push to start... http://media.chiefaircraft.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/135x135/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/E/V/EVO_E58GX.jpg Edited June 28, 2014 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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