[trev0006]

Jay Leno - Zero S Electric Motorcycle weird having a motorcycle without exhaust sound.

 

[Dorian999]

Sounds like a stock exhaust Thurxton to me .

 

[DeadFlagBlues]

If that bike doesn't not get you laid, I don't know what won't.


See what I did there...

 

[Gurthang]

If that bike doesn't not get you laid, I don't know what won't.


See what I did there...

Yes and I'm glad you did it before I did.

 

[ride_nekkid]

Electric engines may not "sound cool", but their efficiency and makes it cool to me. Plus you get all that torque instantly and consistently throughout the rpm range.

 

[kraftno]

Range

But I don't think they're going to have anything more than a novelty market until they can increase the range. 60 miles? Even for commuting that's going to be cutting it too close for comfort. If they could double that, then maybe they could start attracting riders. 120 would be enough to commute with confidence and even do a little pleasure riding on weekends.

 

[rps_23]

Definitely not the most uhh stimulating ride you can get, but has some cool tech on it. I can see these making solid ground in the scooter/urban commuter crowd once they get a little cheaper.

 

[ride_nekkid]

The range is always the limiting factor - but range is always improving. 60 miles is quite a bit - even if you live 60 miles from work, you could find a way to plug it in and charge it while at work. Of course, more is better. You could double the size of that battery pack, and probably get double the range (of course this would add much more weight).

I love the electric tech - we've just become so accustomed to shifting gears, hearing the engine and exhaust, changing oil, filling up with gas, reaching peak efficiency at only certain rpm levels... and all this is just side-effect of the inefficiency of the combustion engine. I think because I'm an engineer I just get excited about the efficiency of electric engines vs gasoline engines!

I think an electric bike, with all that torque all the time, would be a blast to ride. But, I will be more than happy to ride my thruxton for the next 30 years, and have an electric bike on the side. The best of both worlds.

 

[redhawk34]

Oh, WOW! 60 MPH!, and a range of 60 miles! I doubt it will do both at the same time.

OK, it will go LA to NY on $30 of electricity. That is, if you make 50 stops to recharge, at 4 hours each. 200 hours of charging time.
A 350 cc gas bike could do 100 MPH when wanted, and get 100 MPG if ridden at the electric's speed, say 3 gallons for 300 mile range. La to Ny in 10 stops, 10 minutes each, unless ya gotta pee.
Under 2 hours of refuel time. $90 worth of gas @ $3.
WOW, the electric would save 60 bucks in fuel!For 200 hours of charging time, you're making 30 cents an hour!

Redhawk

 

[crosstie]

Please... you *could* ride a 350 Enduro from LA to NY but would you? No, you'd ride a something built for that kind of distance. Using a cross-country ride as a yardstick for the Zero is pointless. It's an around-town commuter bike. And from that perspective, IMO it's pretty cool - the range might be a bit short, but for my commute it would work just fine.

They also make an MX version which makes sense to me... top speed/distance aren't as much of an issue, and having all that torque available through the whole powerband seems tailor-made for motocross shenanigans.

I guess one issue with the short range would be if you wanted to do any kind of extended off-road trip...

The big issue as I see it is price - they seem pretty expensive for what they are (though you could argue that the amount you'd save in gas and maintenance would make up the difference over time). But if they get some traction, battery price will come down.

If I had the extra money lying around though, I'd go for the even-less-powerful but much better-looking Brammo Enertia

 

[Road Warrior]

Man Leno makes me jealous with all his stuff.

That bike now is nothing more than a novelty, but it's a start to something better. Once cheap, lightweight, high capacity, and durable battery solutions become available stuff like this will become practical. It's happening slowly. Li Ion battery's existed in the 70's but weren't practical for any commercial application until the 90's. Now they are getting more reliable, cheaper, and smaller. Give it time, better storage solutions will happen.

 

[Dangermouse]

I rode my girlfriend's 4 stroke Vespa through a secluded road in a state park last summer. The engine is so quiet that you can't hear it at all over the wind noise when you are at speed. I have to say, it was really kind of nice. Since that experience, the idea of a powerful, cool-looking electric sport bike has sort of appealed to me.

Of couse it wouldn't replace my low-tech, air-cooled Thruxton -- a machine which probably converts more fuel into noise than power. I love old tech, too.

But I could see the value in an electric bike. They just have to make a cooler one is all. Make an electric Hayabusa killer and I don't think you'd have a hard time convincing people that they are a cool product.

 

[Spyder94]

Oh, WOW! 60 MPH!, and a range of 60 miles! I doubt it will do both at the same time.

OK, it will go LA to NY on $30 of electricity. That is, if you make 50 stops to recharge, at 4 hours each. 200 hours of charging time.
A 350 cc gas bike could do 100 MPH when wanted, and get 100 MPG if ridden at the electric's speed, say 3 gallons for 300 mile range. La to Ny in 10 stops, 10 minutes each, unless ya gotta pee.
Under 2 hours of refuel time. $90 worth of gas @ $3.
WOW, the electric would save 60 bucks in fuel!For 200 hours of charging time, you're making 30 cents an hour!
.
Redhawk

Here here, Redhawk34. My V-7 Sport will deliver 50 to 55 mpg with a 5.7 gallon fuel tank at 70 to 80 mph. That is from P-town to Grapevine California, 300 miles, Then another 3.2
Gallons of petrol to San Diego California for a total of 450 miles one way. Is there a trade off? What is the fun factor?
Just for s**ts and grins.


Steve Gear Head at large and all things mechanical. :elated: :beerchug:

 

[redhawk34]

Jay Leno's site is a Black Hole for time;
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/
I have to give him credit for taking the time to make videos of a large part of his collection of cars and bikes, and posting them for free.
Here's his lovely Goldie;
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=1128526
Redhawk

 

[Nickwiz]

I have a thre or four mile commute! Plus I have to nip round the city to meetings etc. An electric bike would do just fine. I could plug iut in every night and save my oil burner for fun days and holidays. I'll take it in flat black please. the sticking point? The intitial cost. Bring em out in volume and the cost will drop. I'd pay £1500 to £2000 tops. To be honest apart from batteries the at should be easy to achieve if producing these things in volume. If they hit that price then I'll be tempted. Until then its oil for me though I watch developments with interest.

 

[redhawk34]

Nick,
There's certianly a place for a reasonably priced electric bike, but if it costs $8000, and needs a $500 battery pack every couple of years, then it's unrealistic.
We'll see.
Redhawk

 

[Road Warrior]

Jay Leno's site is a Black Hole for time;
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/
I have to give him credit for taking the time to make videos of a large part of his collection of cars and bikes, and posting them for free.
Here's his lovely Goldie;
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=1128526
Redhawk

Holy cow, he's got a rotary steam engine built into his garage. I'm feeling so unsatisfied with my life!