Electric bikes - who would have one?

Phil_aka_Pip

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p039d5x9

cruxiform

Not for me as I like internal combustion but I have seen electric bikes racing at the TT. I was really impressed, technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds, those bikes could certainly shift.

jonnyburgo

I think electric is a good idea, although I think for safety sake it needs to make a noise, could imagine a car pulling out on a blind corner because they cant hear anything coming.

Phil_aka_Pip

jonnyburgo said:

I think electric is a good idea, although I think for safety sake it needs to make a noise, could imagine a car pulling out on a blind corner because they cant hear anything coming.

Its usually because the driver isn't looking. He wouldn't hear anything anyway because of his boom box/ squealing kids/nagging  wife (delete as applicable)

rsvmark

The race bike are proper quick. John mcguinness lapped at 119mph this year in TT zero. Cant help thinking though that I would miss the sound of a sports bike being caned ( either IL4 or twin)

Phil_aka_Pip

cruxiform said:

Not for me as I like internal combustion

Well thats what I initially thought, but if I could get some leathers that fit it would be worth having a go. If it pulls hard enough to scare the willies out of you, and if they can get the weight distribution, handling and road holding right, it might be a nice ride.

I'd like to know what maintenance these things need, and whether the running costs are comparable to internal combustion engines.

ICBM

jonnyburgo said:

I think electric is a good idea, although I think for safety sake it needs to make a noise, could imagine a car pulling out on a blind corner because they cant hear anything coming.

Might make a difference from not seeing anything coming on a straight road…

This would solve the problem - 

More seriously, pedestrians would have to learn to watch out a bit more - they do with electric cars.

I'd maybe consider one for going into town if it was cheap, and virtually maintenance-free. It would be safe to keep in the house too, unlike a petrol-engined one.

suspiciousminds

My mrs has an electric bike and she used to use it all the time at her old job - shes learning to drive now as she looks after her sick brother.
Tbf, they dont half tonk along, in fact the cops pulled her over once to inspect it.
Batteries dont last forever though and hers needs a new one now.
They seem to hold their price well to which is good.

Phil_aka_Pip

I think the maintenance bit is the same as for all bikes: brakes, tyres, bearings on wheels, headstock & swinging arm, lights, drive chain ... only the engine is different

Danny1969

I like them, it's the way forward in terms of less pollution and less reliance on fossil fuels. They could fake the noise of a motor bike using the throttle sensor to play back different samples of a traditional engine at different RPM's

It's just battery technology that's holding things back I think

Phil_aka_Pip

@Danny1969 You could sell engine noises like people sell ringtones. I'll have the one that sounds like a Hailwood Ducati

octatonic

I'd give it a go- I'd probably stick with a petrol engine until I have no further options.

ICBM

Danny1969 said:

I like them, it's the way forward in terms of less pollution and less reliance on fossil fuels.

That depends on how the electricity is generated. Around two thirds is still fossil fuel.

The total efficiency from fuel to motion is marginally *less* in an electric vehicle, too - even though a power station is a bit more efficient than a petrol engine - because of transmission losses and the battery charge/discharge cycle.

I agree it's the way forward once we're generating most electricity from non-fossil sources (including nuclear probably) though.

Phil_aka_Pip

And I'd say that nuclear power has its uses, but I don't trust BNFL to dispose of the waste properly any further than I can spit on them

ICBM

Phil_aka_Pip said:

And I'd say that nuclear power has its uses, but I don't trust BNFL to dispose of the waste properly any further than I can spit on them

This is my problem with nuclear too - not the technology itself, but the way it's managed in practice. Not just the waste disposal.

I still can't believe that proper engineers designed a power station which shut itself down automatically, but then couldn't be cooled without restarting, and couldn't restart itself after the only backup system was lost due to predictable consequences of the event that caused the shutdown. But they did… Fukushima. It blew up and contaminated a large area of Japan because someone didn't do a proper failure analysis, not because there was anything wrong with the reactors themselves - they were not damaged by the earthquake.

Three Mile Island was also caused by failures of secondary systems leading to a nuclear accident rather than the other way round.

Sorry, bit of a thread diversion, but it does matter where the electricity is coming from if you're interested for 'green' reasons.

Phil_aka_Pip

Shame we can't have nuclear powered motorbikes ... want to go faster? just have the throttle wind a rod further into the core ... so long as the default position (for when the throttle cable breaks) is that the rod is completely OUT of the core!

strtdv

If they raised the speed limit on electric assisted bicycles to 30mph I'd get one.

As far as motorcycles are concerned the technology still has a bit to go before it's good consumer level stuff, and part of me thinks that being able to hear a motorcycle coming is a good thing.

57Deluxe

Yeah - when the doc or optician tells the DVLA that in his opinion I am a danger on the road (I ain't but you never know what these Stazi bastards will now obligatory  say about anything - even in-growing toe nails!) and they revoke my licence - I ain't staying put without a fight!!

sign me up

Phil_aka_Pip

57Deluxe said:

Yeah - when the doc or optician tells the DVLA that in his opinion I am a danger on the road (I ain't but you never know what these Stazi bastards will now obligatory  say about anything - even in-growing toe nails!) and they revoke my licence - I ain't staying put without a fight!!

sign me up

I think you're OK mate. They (so I'm told) don't grass you up, they tell you to grass yourself up, and they can't force you, unless you're so blind you can't see the surgery door, and in that case they're probably doing you and everyone else a favour.

marantz1300

I would LOVE one.

that 218 MPH Lightning is jaw dropping.

No gears ,no pollution, ,plug in for two hours to have 180 mile range.

230 hp, up to 168 lb.ft of torque .and 0-100 in under 3 secs.

whats not to like.

suspiciousminds

In a way they kind of remind me of the old autocycles of years ago.
They're a little bit more involved than regular bikes imo, for instance ours isnt far off needing new tyres but changing the rear looks very difficult and while i could probably do it, it looks quite a job.
I'm sure the guy we got ours off said he had clocked it at 21mph.
The big negative is that if the battery drains while you're using it, its actually hard to pedal due to the weight.