RE: PH2: E-Bike Races To Podium

[Fleegle]

NDNDNDND said:

That noise is cool at first... but quickly gets tiresome. By the end of the vid, I was begging for the camera to be strapped to one of those Ducatis!

I can tell you from experience, that watching them is not cool at all. When I watch racing, half of the thrill of spectating is listening to where power is applied, where they change up and down, ….get my drift? Far from being cool, it was really disappointing

[bob1179]

I didn't say this in the first thread when this video was first brought up as I watched the video with the sound off, but after watching it a second time, I have to say that although a great piece of engineering and also very quick, the electric bike leaves me cold.

To me it just seems completely devoid of soul. It doesn't make a nice noise and it doesn't look particulalry pretty (although I know this is in the eye of the beholder). I like my fossil fuel powered bikes, long live petrol power!

[Mr Gear]

Quick question for everyone on BB: How many of you have ridden an electric motorcycle?

I've ridden four, and I liked every single one. I even liked the sound... kinda like a tie-fighter on one of them!

[Fleegle]

I have - but it was a childs christmas present many years ago. Does that count? Has the technology moved on that much?

[sprinter1050]

Just wait till the first pedestrian walks out in front of one gets clobbered.

Then the "noisey bloody bike" lobby will think again..and the sandal wearing 2CV driving hippies.

[srob]

I kind of don't 'get' electric race bikes.

I really like the technology, but in my opinion it's a technology that would be better applied to commuter style bikes. I know that these things are done to make headlines (and obviously they work!) but I'd rather read a headline about a bike that will cruise at a sensible speed and return a 130+ mile range than a 130+ mph top speed.

It's innevitable that electric vehicles are on their way and I for one don't see it as a bad thing. People who liked the sound of a horse farting moaned about the noise of an I/C engine 110 years ago; there's always going to be those who don't like change but I'd rather that those that don't care about cars/bikes have the option of using an alternative energy, leaving the petrol for use in the vehicles that deserve it!

And the electric Mini excercise was a pointless waste of time!

[JumpinJack]

Mr Gear said:

Quick question for everyone on BB: How many of you have ridden an electric motorcycle?

I've ridden four, and I liked every single one. I even liked the sound... kinda like a tie-fighter on one of them!

But is the sound better than a V twin? or some race exhausts on a something like an R1?

[srob]

JumpinJack said:

Mr Gear said:

Quick question for everyone on BB: How many of you have ridden an electric motorcycle?

I've ridden four, and I liked every single one. I even liked the sound... kinda like a tie-fighter on one of them!

But is the sound better than a V twin? or some race exhausts on a something like an R1?

The technology is there to make it sound like any engine you like.

[Garlick]

Mr Gear said:

Garlick said:

Fair point, but we do this with the car stuff occasionally too. Firstly we do miss things that have been posted on the forums, but most it's important to consider that not everyone reads the forums. The homepage attracts readers who may not venture into here (3 million+ uniques site wide, 300k active on the forums), so both are important.

Also, the car chaps won't venture into here that often, so it's a wider education of the biking world to the PH audience

If a PH news article gets added after a thread has already started, could the thread and article be merged?

that can be done. Takes a small amount of messing about for Mr Will, but it is possible.

[Mr Gear]

JumpinJack said:

Mr Gear said:

Quick question for everyone on BB: How many of you have ridden an electric motorcycle?

I've ridden four, and I liked every single one. I even liked the sound... kinda like a tie-fighter on one of them!

But is the sound better than a V twin? or some race exhausts on a something like an R1?

Undoubtedly a V-twin makes a glorious noise, and certainly adds something when you are watching racing.

But it's intrusive on a commuter bike - my current commuter bike - BMW F800R - appealed to me partly because of how quiet it is.

[Dontlift]

olly22n said:

Fleegle said:

I have - but it was a childs christmas present many years ago. Does that count? Has the technology moved on that much?

Hang on, there is an advantage!

No fuel tanks, hence the reduced risk of fire!


Where do I sign?

Yep, just the huge amount of Acid your carrying in the batteries to worry about

[sprinter1050]

Garlick said:

Mr Gear said:

If a PH news article gets added after a thread has already started, could the thread and article be merged?

that can be done. Takes a small amount of messing about for Mr Will, but it is possible.

Garlick -Would that also include avoiding THREE different threads started from the first PH2 article ? : (the Triumph 800/XC threads )

[Fleegle]

srob said:

And the electric Mini excercise was a pointless waste of time!

While it may have been a little pointless, it does serve as a stark warning to anyone who listens to all the propaganda about buying electric vehicles. The one thing they fail to tell you when making your expensive purchase is there is a distinct lack of facilities to provide you with the freedom one would normally associate with a vehicle.

The BBC were rather brave in doing that exercise as the sub-liminal message is that our government, new and old, couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery.

[fwaggie]

Dontlift said:

olly22n said:

Fleegle said:

I have - but it was a childs christmas present many years ago. Does that count? Has the technology moved on that much?

Hang on, there is an advantage!

No fuel tanks, hence the reduced risk of fire!


Where do I sign?

Yep, just the huge amount of Acid your carrying in the batteries to worry about

Gel batteries? The acid is in a gel form so doesn't spill anywhere.

[fwaggie]

Playing cards in the forks.

That'd sort out the "It's too quiet" brigade. (well, the ones left after we'd run 90% of em over )

[Dontlift]

fwaggie said:

Dontlift said:

olly22n said:

Fleegle said:

I have - but it was a childs christmas present many years ago. Does that count? Has the technology moved on that much?

Hang on, there is an advantage!

No fuel tanks, hence the reduced risk of fire!


Where do I sign?

Yep, just the huge amount of Acid your carrying in the batteries to worry about

Gel batteries? The acid is in a gel form so doesn't spill anywhere.

trust me olly will still manage to get covered in the stuff, and probably set himeself on fire aswell

[Wyvern971]

fwaggie said:

Dontlift said:

olly22n said:

Fleegle said:

I have - but it was a childs christmas present many years ago. Does that count? Has the technology moved on that much?

Hang on, there is an advantage!

No fuel tanks, hence the reduced risk of fire!


Where do I sign?

Yep, just the huge amount of Acid your carrying in the batteries to worry about

Gel batteries? The acid is in a gel form so doesn't spill anywhere.

Great, so it sticks to you instead........

[JumpinJack]

Mr Gear said:

JumpinJack said:

Mr Gear said:

Quick question for everyone on BB: How many of you have ridden an electric motorcycle?

I've ridden four, and I liked every single one. I even liked the sound... kinda like a tie-fighter on one of them!

But is the sound better than a V twin? or some race exhausts on a something like an R1?

Undoubtedly a V-twin makes a glorious noise, and certainly adds something when you are watching racing.

But it's intrusive on a commuter bike - my current commuter bike - BMW F800R - appealed to me partly because of how quiet it is.

Yeh I appreciate that there are a lot of commuters who would prefer a quiet bike, and this would obviously appeal to them. HOWEVER, I prefer my bikes to be loud with a lot of grunt (within reason). Also going on the saying that loud exhausts make you more visible to the ri-tards out there.

[tonym911]

wonder if racetrack fire crews have been trained in the weird ways of putting out electrical fires

[scubadude]

Fleegle said:

Pray tell me, how is most of the electricity produced in this country?

This gets trotted out every time there is an electric vehicle thread, the answer is- In a more efficent manner than by either a Petrol or Diesel IC engine that has to drag its liquid fuel supply with it, mains power is Greener and cheaper.

The problem with electricity is just the recharge time, performance and range should be able to match and exceed IC easily with developement (this bike was clearly no slouch!)- remember how far behind electric transport is compares to IC!

Frankly I'd rather have a daily driver Electric car/bike, I can recharge at home or work, I never do more than 50miles in a day so wouldn't need to recharge for 2-3 days even the current generation of electric vehicles for one reason- At the weekend my car/bike/boat can have a huge F-off V8 and I can enjoy it in future when there is some fossil fuel left or a replacement found :-)

Fingers crossed the Fusion power project gets its act together, give it a decade and we'll have power a plenty to crack hydrogen from water and everyone can enjoy fuel cell powered electric vehicles.