Running a few errands, I stopped by Best Buys the other day, and on the way back to the electronics department I turned my head and said, "Huh. Will you look at that!".
On display was a small, green motorsickle. I walked over and gave it a look see. It was a direct drive electric model. No clutch, no gearshift, no gas tank. Just a frame, braking system, batteries and a motor. Too cute. Kinda reminded me of a electric quad riding toy I got one of my kids when he was three. The Bike: https://www.brammo.com/home/.
Almost immediately Sales Guy came up and said, "Want to test drive it?"
Torn. Driving an electric two-wheel vehicle would be novel, but I'm an ATGATT guy and I drove the cage here. "Ah, sorry. I didn't bring my helmet." Sales Guy says, "No problem, you can wear one of these new helmets here. You look like you wear a size XL."
Okay. Why not. We walk around to the side of the store where they kept a couple of demo models. He tells me Best Buys purchased the exclusive marketing rights in the US for a cool $10 million. "Sell many?", I asked. "Only a few so far," he admitted.
It's been years since I rode such a small bike, so it felt like a toy. He showed me the start up sequence, where the little computer ran diagnostics on the batteries and motor controller and showed 3/4 charge remaining on the batteries. Sales Guy then bid me farewell with the admonition, "Have fun. Be back in a half hour!".
I noodle around the parking lot for a couple of minutes, then take it to the street. I returned some time later, with a smile on my face. Some thoughts on the ride:
It's range is a maximum of 40 miles, but the operating cost is very low - both in maintenance and in power costs. I guess the take-away message for me was that this technology is becoming viable, and will only get better.
It will be interesting to see what the future might bring us...
On display was a small, green motorsickle. I walked over and gave it a look see. It was a direct drive electric model. No clutch, no gearshift, no gas tank. Just a frame, braking system, batteries and a motor. Too cute. Kinda reminded me of a electric quad riding toy I got one of my kids when he was three. The Bike: https://www.brammo.com/home/.
Almost immediately Sales Guy came up and said, "Want to test drive it?"
Torn. Driving an electric two-wheel vehicle would be novel, but I'm an ATGATT guy and I drove the cage here. "Ah, sorry. I didn't bring my helmet." Sales Guy says, "No problem, you can wear one of these new helmets here. You look like you wear a size XL."
Okay. Why not. We walk around to the side of the store where they kept a couple of demo models. He tells me Best Buys purchased the exclusive marketing rights in the US for a cool $10 million. "Sell many?", I asked. "Only a few so far," he admitted.
It's been years since I rode such a small bike, so it felt like a toy. He showed me the start up sequence, where the little computer ran diagnostics on the batteries and motor controller and showed 3/4 charge remaining on the batteries. Sales Guy then bid me farewell with the admonition, "Have fun. Be back in a half hour!".
I noodle around the parking lot for a couple of minutes, then take it to the street. I returned some time later, with a smile on my face. Some thoughts on the ride:
- The bike was dirt simple to operate. Just twist the throttle and it goes. And winds and winds. No clutch - centrifugal, automatic, or otherwise.
- The brakes were competent.
- The bike will make an honest 60mph indicated on the freeway.
- The mirrors are useless - you don't see your shoulders, you see your nipples (it was a very light jacket and the temperature was in the 40's).
- The suspension was stiff, and I felt every little bump I went over. But the bike was pleasantly agile. Dodging errant cagers was easy.
- On the freeway, after a few minutes a red "battery" icon flashed repeatedly, even through it showed that I had a half charge. It stopped blinking when I slowed down back onto the surface streets. Sales Guy couldn't explain this, but in digging a bit I think it was a warning about potential low battery charge given the high rate of discharge on the freeway. Or maybe there was a problem with that particular bike.
- Most of all, it was quiet. The only sounds from the bike itself were the whine of the motor, the whirl of a small fan to cool the motor controller, and the sound of the tires on the pavement. No Harley riders will ever be happy with a bike such as this. Not even if mod'ed with baseball cards in the spokes.
It's range is a maximum of 40 miles, but the operating cost is very low - both in maintenance and in power costs. I guess the take-away message for me was that this technology is becoming viable, and will only get better.
It will be interesting to see what the future might bring us...
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