Riding the Electric Harley

[wheatonFJR]

They need a little 2-stroke moped aux motor strapped on...so you can get home in case of dead battery.

 

[xcsp]

in the last stretch we were at a light and I was talking to the lead HD guy for a minute - I said, how about we see what these things really got now, hows about you see if you can keep up with me !??!/ Light turned green, and I let loose into a wheelie and ran the last quarter mile hot !! I needed to get back to snap off some final pics for my buddy.... at least that was the excuse I used LOL.....
My buddy was laughing and he had it all on the GoPro he brought..... was a good day !!

Can you post the video here?

 

[dcarver]

Interesting read, HuddieBear. Good to see you come to the HD fold... What's next, a HD tattoo right next to the MS one? :rofl:

 

[Auburn]

With the Harley only going 60 miles or so, H-D is going to need a LOT of stations to offer something like that!!!!

That's 80+% of their target market.

Yeah, but they will have to improve the sound generator to make the pirates happy. 60 miles should be fine for them, they only go bar to bar riding mostly anyway. And what are they going to do without oil leaks to wipe up???

 

[RossKean]

Yeah, but they will have to improve the sound generator to make the pirates happy. 60 miles should be fine for them, they only go bar to bar riding mostly anyway. And what are they going to do without oil leaks to wipe up???

I wonder how many extra watts of power it would require to run a paint shaker under the fairing?

 

[Hudson]

I don't think this bike had any notion of appealing to the Pirate crowd. This was a palate cleanser, a sorbet, for those non-pirates who have a skewed view of the HD brand. Guys like me.

It worked.
Not a single test rider had a bad word about the bike.

As to the lack of sound, I think you could easily offer sound clips tied to the throttle if the goal was to make noise. The lack of sound is a concern, when I was on the test ride, a car pulled out in front of me, not seeing or hearing the quiet bike.

Afterward, I made my own soundtrack, opening my visor and yelling out "potato, potato"!

 

[Panman]

Cool post Dave, a hundred miles would be an OK range for me (more would be better) if I could hold 65 MPH for my 20 mile freeway part to work as my round trip is only 60 mile to the cigar factory.

It would also be cool that you could do all your local errand running on it and have a little fun doing it.

Now if they could make it invisible from radar!

Now they just need to make it chap enough for the average Joe to afford.

 

[JackW123]

if youre going that far, why not just have the gas motor run a generator

/alternator to charge the battery?

 

[Rain Dancer]

I had seen a road test of an electric bike that was hard to tell from a regular sport bike. That could be fun...but if I remember, the price was around 20,000...The HD isn't bad looking, I just do not see these as second bikes for the average person. For 12 grand or more, I can get a small 300, and it would still take a long time to use the money saved in gas to equal the electric bike. And, I still could take a long day ride. Now, Tesla uses a special charger....will all of these, as they advance, start using special charges, all different? As far as pollution, what is recycling of the batteries costing, what is the life expectancy, and what is the cost of replacement. If you have a lot of spare change and never expect to leave your area, guess they are fine. In the long run, I still don't feel battery powered vehicles are the solution. Now, I am interested in the hydrogen powered Toyota coming out.......

Very nice right up on the HD!!! Thanks!

 

[beemerdons]

Dave, you should've had a ciggy dangling from your lips like our Hero Steve McQueen! Great Test Ride Report, before I croak electric bikes will be standards!

 

[Bounce]

As far as pollution, what is recycling of the batteries costing, what is the life expectancy, and what is the cost of replacement.

"dust to dust" is the true cost on the environment. there is still a ways to go to get battery-electric vehicles on par given the raw materials being shipped to china to make the batteries (since no one else likes playing with lead) then the shipping of the batteries all over the world. Then there's disposal/recycling costs. That's just the batteries. Replacing an operational, gas vehicle isn't environmentally justifiable. If you keep a vehicle until it falls apart and then replace it with something like a battery-electric you are closer.

As for the cost of fuel in environmental costs, you simply move the pollution from the tail pipe to the power plant smoke stack. Given the advances in exhaust gas scrubbing on tail pipes, that is often a step backward.

 

[Old Michael]

Dave.

Fix your hair.

 

[infrared]

if youre going that far, why not just have the gas motor run a generator/alternator to charge the battery?

Gas motors are extremely wasteful of the power you pour in, and they make noise, pollution, and vibration. 30% efficiency is considered good there, but you will lose more efficiency as you make the engine power into electric power. A fuel cell has no moving parts, and efficiency is typically 50% but it's all electric power. Pollution, noise and vibrations become a thing of the past. Harley has shown that electric bikes are no slouch on acceleration, so if the range can be increased, it would be a winner. Depending on how often you can charge the bike, with a fuel cell you may only use a little fuel on the longer trips, and maybe no fuel would be used, for commuting.

Now I realize that needing power from a power plant reduces the "green" benefits of electric vehicles. Wind and solar power (stored as hydrogen) can provide all the power you need to run your house and vehicles. The payback on such equipment would be reasonable, and the benefits would extend far into the future.

 

[Uncle Hud]

As for the cost of fuel in environmental costs, you simply move the pollution from the tail pipe to the power plant smoke stack. Given the advances in exhaust gas scrubbing on tail pipes, that is often a step backward.

Yes! Lots of my electro-buddies don't understand that their carbon footprint just gets shifted to the local power company. Better? Maybe.

 

[lnewlf]

Iffn it don't make noise it won't sell....

 

[Bounce]

That shift isn't limited to the power plant. The costs of transporting and converting the raw materials (and recycling them) still uses (more?) crushed dinosaurs all over the world to make and recover those machines.

On the other note... HD didn't prove anything about electric bikes. Zero and others have that proven year(s) ago. HD simply put a familiar name on it like IBM did with personal computers.

 

[Auburn]

Now I realize that needing power from a power plant reduces the "green" benefits of electric vehicles. Wind and solar power (stored as hydrogen) can provide all the power you need to run your house and vehicles. The payback on such equipment would be reasonable, and the benefits would extend far into the future.

Not to mention the environmental costs of producing the batteries. Probably Li-ion so you have to deal with how to recycle...and the costs go on. Out West the enviro argument is a little easier since most of our power is from hydro - at least until they make us take out the dams...

Here is a really cool electric bike https://motoczysz.com/motorcycles/e1pc_2009

 

[gixxerjasen]

I love how everyone always wants to throw out the worry of "What happens when your battery dies and you can't get home?" I surmise it's about the same as if your gas tank runs out and you can't get home. You'll have to ride these electric motorcycles with the same smarts as your gas bike, know your range and when you need to "refill" the bike.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Atleast on a gas bike you are just a siphon hose away from gas when yer empty.

 

[RadioHowie]

Atleast on a gas bike you are just a siphon hose away from gas when yer empty.

Or a few blocks/miles away from a 2 minute fill-up.