Reply With QuoteWhy does it need to be electric?
I have been looking at electric motorbikes or, more accurately, 125/250cc equivalent electric scooters for a few weeks purely to cut my commute of 17 miles from an hour in the car to under 30 minutes on a bike. I would add that I will only use the bike in reasonable weather. I considered smaller electric scooters right up to the BMW C Evolution (at £15K) and have initially settled on the erider Model 75. I'd be interested in advice/comments from those who have gone down or considered this route.
I should add that if erider doesn't respond to e-mails or answer the phone in the next two days I will simply cancel my order and sink money into the BMW. I've been trying to make contact for over a week with no joy which doesn't give me a good initial impression.
Why does it need to be electric?
Zero seem to get fantastic reviews and are on my list to try. Is there a reason you’re not just going for a smaller engine petrol bike? Pretty economical compared to a car I’d have thought
My interest has nothing to do with economy; it's purely about reducing the commuting time. I've tried a friend's bike and it makes such a difference being able to use bus lanes and move between lanes of virtually stationary traffic. Why electric - why not? I decided to give it a try. Assuming this works out I'll be purchasing either an Audi RS6 (I've previously owned two) or RSQ8 for weekend and bad weather use.Originally Posted by bootneck
Zero or BMW if going electric but I would be too scared to have an electric bike right now. I want the noise and the rev as I personally feel it makes a big difference but that depends if you're in central London or not and how aggressively you ride. On a maxi scooter I'm guessing not very. Test ride the BMW.
I've been commuting on an electric scooter for about 8 years now. I had 2 Vectrix VX-1s which were great, but the batteries only lasted about 4 years each. I wanted to get do a Nissan Leaf battery conversion but couldn't find anyone willing to do the work and didn't fancy trying it myself.
My commute is half dual carriageway so I wanted something that would do > 50mph and a manufacturer that will be around for years to come to support their product. So I bought a used BMW C Evolution in December last year. It had about 4k miles and was literally as new, but half the price! Ergonomically the BMW is a bit of a step back compared to the Vectrix. You're more exposed to the elements due to a higher seat and lower screen. Plugging the charger in is a lot more of a faff too as you need to padlock it to the bike if you don't want someone stealing it. The controls aren't as intuitive either. But the BMW is so much quicker than the Vectrix that I think I would be frustrated going back. Plus the BMW has heated grips which is lovely if you're an all weather biker.
I see another electric scooter during my commute and have spoken to the rider. It's a Niu NGT https://urbanebikes.com/products/niu-n-gt-45mph which seems like good value at £3200ish if the top speed of only 45mph doesn't put you off. Some of the local Deliveroo riders also have them.
Piaggio also do an electric Vespa which is around the £5k mark and will do 43 mph.
Caruso. Thanks for that. I suspect I may end up looking for a C Evolution but as I'm new to this decided to go with the erider 75 to determine suitability, practicality and safety. I've just spent £1,500 on jacket, trousers and helmet so clearly the extra 30 mins in bed each day is hugely important to me.
Last edited by Skier; 9th February 2020 at 23:18.
I’m quite surprised that the big bike manufacturers are so behind the game in this regard. I’d have thought it was a no brainier to have decent electric bikes as they’re perfect short distance machines for commuters.
I’ve been looking to get one to be a town run bike but can’t find anything that’s reasonably priced (Zero is very expensive) and is still fun for a Sunday blast.
Come on manufacturers! Get in with making me a Ducati Panigale-E.
If you're after an electric sports bike, have a look at THIS.
I’ve just returned from cycling around Cuba - there were so many electric scooters/mopeds there
Saturday was the first opportunity to ride the E-Rider Model 75. I've never previously ridden a motorbike (well, twice when about 17 and the CBT) so it was an interesting practice ride. It's quick to get to its top speed of 75mph and so far I've only had it up to '2' of 3 power level settings. A bit more practice required before I start using it for the commute but I was surprised how comfortable I felt even at 75mph (in an arrow straight line!). The 'Charge Remaining' gauge is not very accurate and fluctuates quite a bit, for example, after a 4 mile stretch at 70mph it rapidly dropped and started flashing to warn me of low charge remaining. After just a few hundred yards at 30mph it was back at half charge remaining; it will take a little time to get to know what the true range is whilst driving on different roads at different speeds. Unfortunately my workplace doesn't currently have charging points but it is being looking into and all I need is a standard domestic socket.
This bike with its range will suit the commute though I can easily see myself upgrading to either the BMW C Evolution or whatever else is available in a couple of years.
Looks good but $25k!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I have to add that the reviews and specs (and price) of the Zero FXS make it a very compelling short distance (<40 mile) commute option.
E-motorbikes are so much more of an option than cars.
They have to transport so much less weight (in terms of vehicle mass) that a sensible commute-sized battery is hand portable, you can simply remove the battery from the bike and take it inside your place of work and charge it at a 13A socket, to full, inside a working day. No specific parking, no leads trailing round carparks or over pavements. Nothing. Your boss will also be paying the bill.....
And Under £10k it is much more affordable than the 4 wheeled option.
Zero give a 5 year battery guarantee too, they are expecting you to be able to do 250,000 miles on their battery in that time, and the guaranteee is that it will be at over 85% of original capacity at the end of that period. That is a lot of piece of mind too.
It really is a sensible option.
Sounds good but I wonder how many employers will be prepared to pay for their workforce charging their batteries during the working day. Especially if it becomes popular and in high numbers.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Chargers probably need to be PAT tested too.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
After some 1,300 miles of commuting/riding so far I have a question for those with electric bikes: how do you deal with hill starts? As there is no clutch and applying any brake pressure cuts all power to the motor irrespective of throttle position this is something of an issue.
I don't have that problem with my C-Evo. If you release the brakes with a bit of throttle applied does it then accelerate?
No, if you try that you have to roll off the throttle completely before reapplying without any brake applied. This made me look like a complete numpty a few days ago as it was the first time I had pulled up on a relatively steep hill. I think I need to experiment a bit more.
Practice makes perfect.
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