Total Motorcycle Community Forums

BRUMBEAR wrote:The proverbial worm is starting to turn. The reason I love the idea of electrics is they can make trains go 200mph with ease IMAGINE what a super Bike could do

Brum, there's a great article by James Parker in the March '14 issue of MOTORCYCLIST that touches on the potential of electric powertrains, worth a read and the rest of the rag justifies the cover price. You should check it out.

Such a struggle for me on this one. Looks: ugly. Belt drive for off-road: issue. Electric bike: super awesome. In the end I gave it a cool mostly for it's "greenness", even though I really wanted to give it an uncool...

I went with a shocking....fail vote.

Yes, I failed it. While the idea of an electric bike is definitely cool, I feel it's a little too ahead of it's time. I'm quite concerned about the battery's lifespan, even if it's long, say 10 years, in 10 years can you even buy the batteries? If the bike it worth $2000 in 10 years, are the batteries $1000 to buy or more? Will the electric bike be considered a "throw-a-way" cell phone?

Range, 42-50ish miles on a charge? hmmm, to me, that's a worry some short distance to depend on a bike not getting you there, and it that at freezing temperatures or perfect room temperature?

The other concern I have is the looks, like hybrid cars, why can't they make them look like a normal bike? The FX isn't bad but some of them are..well, not designed attractively let's say.


So while I like the idea of electric bikes, I think it's just too soon for them unless you consider the above.

Mike