I would think your probably right. His phone ran out of battery as well, turned into a bit of nightmare for him :)Originally Posted by blackal
Until actually ridden, I can't begin to describe the stress caused by range anxiety.
Unless of course you just do the odd 50 mile bimble.
It can turn your average hoon into a nightmare....I ride bikes to relax, to chill out.
Electric will be a breeding ground for stomach ulcers ;-)
Gaviscon sales will skyrocket..
Range anxiety - so true!! I once had a Buell S1 Lightning that did not have a very big fuel tank and I found if you drove it modestly (but why would you!?) it had a reasonable fuel consumption. I then went on a European road trip with others on touring bikes and then I understood what 'range anxiety' was! Never miss and opportunity to fill up! Like you, I now have a touring machine and can now relax - so much nicer!
Snap!
I used to have an Aprilia Tuono....when monstered hard I'd be lucky to see 25mpg.
So range was about 85 miles then running on air.
Touring with mates riding Beemer12's with their 200mile tank ranges was a pain in the arse.
Got so bad in Spain, I bought a 4litre plastic jerrycan for the inevitable engine stop.
Was lucky enough to be riding with a good mate who had strap links on the top of his topbox, so was easy for him to carry it. Dumped the jerrycan at Bilbao as it wasn't allowed on the ferry home.
I have more concerns about the future of non electric bikes than where electric development is going and guessing that’s more the point of the question.
I have owned many bikes over the years and still own 7. A group of us still go to bike nights locally but the demographic has significantly changed. As someone has stated the average age of ownership has increased - must be well into 40+. No longer are there young lads drooling over the latest product. Sports bikes are disappearing rapidly and being replaced with “adventure” models.
We regularly have conversations about where it’s going. Some of the guys have some of the really old stuff and seem convinced they will still be around and riding them in 20yrs. I have a few 80s 2 stroke models which have stood me in good stead investment wise but not sure how long values will keep rising.
I guess the acid test will be if/when petrol ceases to be a readily obtainable fuel. I don’t see that happening for quite some time though.
It’s an interesting conversation though, maybe similar to one you could have around classic cars
I’m hoping it’s the ability to monitor noise with ‘noise cameras’ that will kill of the petrol powered motorbike, it’s bound to be a good income stream for a decade or so while manufacturers switch to electric.
Interesting about the switch to adventure rather than sports, young people are falling out of love with speed on 2 and 4 wheels, unless you live on one of those twisty roads (which is likely a traffic jam on a summer Sunday) there isn’t much point in owning an uncomfortable sports bike to filter though stationary traffic.
With so many new bikes having tanks the size of peanuts (13 & 14l) you'd have range anxiety whether you were on an ice or electric bike. I'll stick to my Tiger for the time being.
I use trail and enduro bikes for Long Distance Trials (LDTs) and enduros. I've looked at the Zero many times but, as other people have mentioned, they carry a significant weight and range penalty.
The longer (overnight) LDTs usually cover 50-100 miles from the start just to the first muddy bit and that's 1-2 charges before you're even into the thick of an event that can run to 200-300 miles and 12-20 hours. I'd be charging when others have already finished.
Even a short 2-3 hr enduro is past the range of anything I've looked at so out of the question for me.
Short commutes and known charging at either end, I can see the appeal for that sort of use as they appear pretty low maintenance.
I could live with an electric bike for my commute, which depending on the weather & my mood varies from 35 to 65km each way.
Just before I hung my boots up, the KTM Freeride were becoming the weapon of choice for a number of riders.
I always liked to fo a Hare & Hounds enduro in one hit (just about possible on my 05 WRF250- the earlier ones were kickstart only whilst later models had a smaller tank). Most people would stop at least once or twice.
The Freeride E could do the event if you bought two additional battery packs (easily interchangeable) but at around £2k for a battery, it’s not really feasible. I did look into it but the cost made it non viable for half a dozen events per year.
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