The REAL PROBLEM With Electric Motorcycles...

[@spitescorner]

Remember y'all let's keep it civil here. Do you think a hybrid motorcycle can be the salvation of ICE motorcycles in the coming elctro-pocalyse?

[@Brapbatt-YO]

I wish someone would develop a battery powered REVERSE for motorcycles. Just enough to push you back in that spot and get the wheels rolling. I think hybrids in a single or parallel twin conversion would be the most feasible and an OPTION. I think electric vs. ICE isn’t a fair comparison between utility. I think electric is a great option and experience unto itself just like ICE.

[@spitescorner]

@@Brapbatt-YO The goldwing has that. It spins the starter motor in reverse if I remember correctly.

[@johnsmith2591]

Blessed Kawasaki will deffo deliver with their hybrid bike.

[@alexpascal5403]

@@johnsmith2591hah. No. Not one bit mr matrix man.

[@Jagshemasher]

Is hybrid the salvation - I would say no, the issue being the complexity and self-maintainability of hybrids once they start having issues. Electric or gas. I think electric is great within its range limitations but its even like differences between different types of gas power bikes - cruisers, ports bikes, ADV etc. . . .everything has its niche. Love your videos and thought provoking analyses of the current state of USA politics.

[@nitrousninja882]

Spite's Corner is the best motorcycle channel on KZbin. A rider can learn so much from listening to spite. I really enjoy his videos very much. He has a good vocabulary and speaks with true bike wisdom. We are lucky to have such a good reporter as Spite giving us information now that motorcycle magazines have disappeared. Ride safe brother riders!

[@WestCoastWheelman]

Second best after Fortnine but at least he uploads more 😎👍

[@Jagshemasher]

I like a lot of motorcycling channels for different types of content. I love F9 but its a long wait between episodes. I've followed Spite's growth over the last few years and he's definitely up there with his no-nonsense and not over-hyped reviews. Yammie made a big mistake getting rid of him. What I liked about Yammie's channel was the differing views Yammie and Spite had on different bikes and it rounded things out very well. . . .that has gone and its a real pity.

[@caoinan]

Fortnine, Spite's Corner, MotoJitsu and DanDanTheFireman have all the best content to enjoy motorcycle videos everyday!

[@Jagshemasher]

@@caoinan I concur - those are the ones I routinely watch but I also follow the Missenden flyer from the UK and a few others more for their motorcycle adventures/travelogues rather than reviews.

[@yammietits5040]

Way better than yamminoob!

[@TazawaTanks]

Things that I would need to see before I were to consider a full-electric motorcycle: - Better range - Lower weight - More chargers available everywhere Even with all of that, the part that I struggle with the most is the lack of sound. Whenever I’m considering a motorcycle or a fun car (not daily driver), the way in which they sound is extremely important to me. Additionally, lack of sound on a motorcycle scares me. Heck, look at the Pike’s Peak record run in a bike that required a car alarm the entire run up the hill to avoid collisions with spectators because they couldn’t hear the bike.

[@X_mano]

As a rider, the sound is cool but for most they are annoying as hell. I recently got hospitalised because i got into an accident with my bike. The vrooming sound of engines that i constantly hear right outside my room surely doesn't bring joy to my ear.

[@newenglandscrambler2262]

I appreciate you presenting a balanced perspective on this. This was actually a really thoughtful (and educated) breakdown of the topic from a lot of different angles. I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about electric bikes and I'm keeping an open mind. And just trying to avoid the media and politics around this stuff in general and live my own life. Great video.

[@Evill-jh1yz]

Honestly it's the infrastructure. Not enough chargers everywhere like gasoline stations. And it's the time it takes to charge. That's the biggest pain in the 'A'. Other that they would be a viable option. I have a 2022 Zero FX. I really enjoy it, it's fast, fun and versatile, but i went in fully knowing I won't be taking it on long trips or expect it to do anything it wasn't intended for. I like doing some trailing/singletrack, and it has plenty of juice for it to be my commuter to work and back . My 2 cents.

[@HiroNguy]

Agreed. See my comment elsewhere. Short version: Modeling charging facilities after gas stations is a retard move.

[@bmp72]

I have 3 motorcycles, all 80" Shovelheads. I love the mechanical feel, vibrations, the feeling of operating heavy machinery. I tried EVO's and TC's, they are to smooth for my liking. I dont care about power and acceleration. I think it is clear where I stand.

[@adamlanglois563]

They’ve been doing their job for 40ish years. That’s damn good service. How many batteries would a batterycycle go through in that time?

[@482jpsquared]

@@adamlanglois563 Recycle and replace the batteries after 20 years maybe? EV's require effectively no service. There's no fuel system to keep clean. No oil changes. No gas or oil filters. No trickle charging the battery or facing a dead battery needing to be changed in the spring. No cooling system failures. No tune-ups (plugs, adjustments, etc.) No transmission fluid to change. No clutch failures. The list goes on and on. Add those things up over time. Also, in hot weather, there's no furnace between your legs. That's another huge benefit. All this said, I still LOVE my BMW R18 with its massive cylinders shaking the bike as I chug along, as much as anyone.

[@adamlanglois563]

@@482jpsquared in Canada? Our winters kill batteries

[@482jpsquared]

@@adamlanglois563 I see the point. Then we need batteries that sustain colder climates to be utilized in those climates.

[@TheBobOnBass]

They need to improve the range of the bikes for one. My biggest issue is having to worry about is there a charging station, will it be available or functional when I get there. I like that I can drive close to 300 miles then pull over fill up my tank in a few minutes and get back on the road. Until electric bike can get there I am sticking with gas.

[@edwardkeeter762]

I rode a Zero SR/S last summer on a demo day and loved it. The elephant in the middle of the room that you didn't mention, however, is the cost! The entry-level bike from Zero costs $11 grand, but has overall performance on par with my 2006 Ninja 250, but with an 80 mile range vs 200 on the Ninja. Meanwhile, he "electric motorcycles" available at a price point comparable to a Ninja 400, e.g. the Sondors Metacycle, buys you a glorified electric scooter, not an actual motorcycle. If I had a crap ton of money to blow, I might get a SR/S or LiveWire for a 2nd or 3rd bike, but like the overwhelming majority of riders, I'll never have nearly the kind of money needed to have a $20,000 "second" bike. Heck, it'd be a miracle for me to have a $10,000 motorcycle as a first-and-only motorcycle.

[@ChrisBethuy]

I hear you there with the cost! The Zero's are very expensive as is the LiveWire, but new technology always is. In 5-10 years my hope is that enough interest is reason to further improve research and development of electric vehicles so that in time the technology improves and prices become more competitive as all the major motorcycle makers begin to make a few models. I believe electric motorcycles will never replace ICE just add to the selection and choices for those who it may be right for. And I am all for that!

[@edwardkeeter762]

@@ChrisBethuy Don't look for the LiveWire motorcycles to get much cheaper. H-D's philosophy is that if you're not spending at least $15,000 on the bike you're not worth their time. Maybe some other manufacturers will get the idea to price their electric bikes on par with their ICE equivalents.

[@elgringoec]

Man, the trees are green there! I think you couched the issue well. I don't want to go electric but I would like to ride one. We had a dealer carrying Alta. KTM- like construction. Before I could see about riding one, the brand vaporized.

[@Magic_Toaster]

Zero Fun went coast to coast a few times on his Energica Eva 21.5kwh. He's very honest about the bad things that come up from trying something like that on electric motorcycles.

[@tommywikstrom9100]

I believe NewZeroland also have done a few of these kinds of trips.

[@justinturner4850]

I ride a HD forty eight. It has about 75 miles of range on a full tank but I live in Maui and a 75 mile ride is an hour and a half in the mountains. And honestly after an hour and a half on my bike I’ve got my fix and I’m ready to get off of it anyway. So the limited range works fine for me, on a small island anyway.

[@MichaelMoore-bx6st]

My first bike was a Zero DS. I loved it at the time, but it was made kinda cheap and it had electrical issues that are covered under warranty, but would have been a fortune not under warranty. I sold it. I got an Xmax 300 scooter and a Grom, and still probably had some money left over. They both seem better made to me, have no issues with range. The Grom is more fun, Xmax more practical. Neither are loud (stock exhausts) and I'm much happier. I think electric is cool, but I didn't miss the Zero much after selling and wouldn't buy electric again unless (at minimum) the cost was comparable and the build quality meets or beats Honda/ Yamaha.

[@MotoJoshP]

I LOVED my Zero SR/F. It was an awesome (albeit very expensive...) first motorcycle. I learned a lot and it was easy to get comfortable going fast on two wheels. That being said, I love my Tuono 660 Factory more. It's more engaging. The sound is more exciting. It feels more like I'm riding the bike rather than riding on it if that makes sense. Strangely feels safer in the same way that driving a stick feels safer than an automatic to me. The road feel is dramatically different though, and there's still something amazingly peaceful about riding electric in the woods.

[@thomasbouvier3203]

Now imagine having tuono fun but beeing able to commute in silence with a 15/20km range battery in full ev… that could be dope… :p like if you drive late in town or neighborhood you keep peace with non biker people :p or for daily work Could help with power too (even if tuono don’t have that much problem with power at low rpm or high rpm)

[@doc2w534]

I went on a demo tour ride on the SR/F a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Different experience than the LiveWire. Just wish they weren’t all 2X the cost of my Street Triple RS.

[@WeatherManAP]

I also have a first motorcycle being an electric motorcycle. I just got my motorcycle license 6 months ago and have the 2020 HD LiveWire. The MSF course I took taught me a lot about the shifting and the LiveWire taught me a lot about the parts of riding that aren't covered in the MSF course. It's been really fun!

[@fredecks4641]

You left out the reason I got rid of my Zero SR/F: right to repair! Zero refuses to offer service manuals, and won't sell parts to individuals. My SR/F went to the shop in March this year with a charging problem. I didn't get it back until July! I called Zero and the dealer repeatedly; Zero pretty much refused to speak with me, while the dealership was clueless about how to repair the bike. When I finally got it back, I replaced it with a new Yamaha FJR1300. I will never buy a Zero again. If the electric manufacturers provided service manuals for their bikes, I'd be all in -- they're super fun to ride! When Yamaha or Honda makes electric motorcycles, I'll be first in line. *IF* service manuals are available.

[@motorcyclealvin7996]

i did not refrain from my comments.

[@ADingoTookMyDasco]

I'd love to add an electric bike to the stable as a commuter where they make the most sense and save my ICE for fun on the weekends. The problem is that most of them are either way too expensive, way too slow or both. For the same price as a Svartpilen 401 I can get an Super Soco TC Max electric motorcycle with basic suspension, a max speed of 100 km/h & a range of 110 km, which makes it a hard choice to spend the same money on something far less capable. Once EV sales take off & the cost of battery packs drops significantly they'll make sense as a commuter, but right now electric motorcycles are nothing more than a fun toy.

[@bkitayama]

I have a Zero S, and I love it for what it is. It is great for my daily commute!!! I go a little less than 20 miles each way, so I get home with a little left in the battery. My commute is far more fun than it used to be when I drove a car every day. You can’t think of a motorcycle like this as your one and only means of transportation however, because IT ISN’T! I still have a gas car (and an electric car) and you kind of need all of these along with solar and a place to charge if you want to live the electric lifestyle. But, if you have the funds and space to do all of this, it is amazing! I buy one tank of gas a month and my electric bill has not increased to a noticeable level. Before I purchased the electric vehicles, I wasted SO much gas just driving around town for errands. I would literally fill my tank around one and a half times a week, and it got to be around $100 per tank of gas at the height of the gas price increase. That is around $600 per month just to drive places! Now, I ride my motorcycle to work and back and I take my little electric car to run errands, and I only use my gas car when I need to travel distances or just need something larger. I rarely need to fill up on gas, and since I no longer waste gas driving around the city, my gas mileage has increased dramatically and the wear and tear on my large SUV has decreased greatly. Get the right tool for the right job, that is all I need to say about that! Now political… I hate that this has become a political issue! Continence and choice is what I preach. It is so convenient not needing to get gas and just charging the EV’s at home. The option to still use my gas car because the charging infrastructure out there sucks is necessary. DC fast charging is horrible!!! Waiting in line for the cheaper gas stations is also horrible!!! With options, you don’t need to do either of those. Like I said, I charge at home and I don’t care what the gas price is because I only get one tank of gas a month. As for multiple vehicles, we jokingly say “why buy one when two only costs twice as much.” For the convenience, however, it is worth it!

[@elgringoec]

I like this sensible approach.

[@gallaghergibson8024]

You are the exact example of why electrification is inevitable. You realised the numbers and you went with what served your pocket better. Now, consider that batteries will only continue to get cheaper. Soon, it gets to be that driving ICE vehicles becomes an expensive luxury. Gas stations have already lost most of your custom. They will start to go out of business. As for the politics of it...well, this is the problem with a system that herds people into a binary left/right division. I mean, I'm not gonna say the American system doesn't work overall, because clearly the USA has had a LOT of success. But for the individual, it's hard to avoid the impact of politics on your sense of identity, especially when it gets to be tribal. Ultimately, having clean air to breathe shouldn't be a partisan issue, I think, and being in favour of more electrification shouldn't paint you as belonging to one side or the other.

[@elgringoec]

A lot of people who haven't acquired an engineering mindset don't truly understand the concepts of moderation and compromise.

[@kannermw]

Not all people can afford multiple vehicles like you have or have the space to keep them. I would question your need for large SUV when you can get a hybrid SUV like Toyota Highlander. Hybrids are actually more energy efficient than EVs. Few people realize that the grid is only 35% efficient in converting energy to the plug in the wall and that greater than 50% of that electricity in U.S. is generated with fossil fuels. Thus any incremental load added to grid MUST be met by increasing fuel consumption. EV overall energy efficiency is only about 24% while hybrids are about 30%. Overall EV Energy Efficiency = 24% = 35% Grid x 80% Charging x 85% EV conversion (Does not include incremental energy input to build EV due to battery mining and manufacturing) Best hybrids are better than this and require ZERO subsidy or infrastructure investment. If EVs were future then why are we providing tax credits of $7500 per vehicle and subsidizing charging stations when we are operating government at record deficits? So now you might ask if EVs are less efficient then why is energy cost lower? There are two reasons. First is EVs pay no state or federal taxes on fuel that are supporting our road infrastructure. They are essentially freeloaders and how does that lost revenue get replaced? Second and most important is there are many more middle-men taking profit on fuel. The refiner sells to a fuel distributor who sells to the retailer that sells you the fuel.

[@bkitayama]

@kannermw I didn’t buy a Hybrid because I bought a small electric car instead… As for efficiencies, I didn’t make the choices I did for efficiency, I made them for convenience.. The sun comes up daily and my solar production and usage basically balance out. I charge my car while at work off solar, and I charge my motorcycle off the grid for next to nothing at night. I would have been completely off the grid with a battery system, but I get to sell my excess power for the same price it is sold back to me. Is this efficient, no. Do I care, not really… When they stop paying me for my excess power production, I’ll change my system and buy a LOT of batteries. As for taxes, the government will eventually find a way to tax me for the miles I ride on the road, but that won’t be for a long time. Hopefully it will be something simple like tolls or an increase in my property taxes.

[@corbinsguitar]

if they were more affordable and the companies stayed away from the subscription mindset i would be all about it but as a daily it just isnt viable cost wise for me

[@Jamesrushton02]

My sister got the lexmoto cypher which is a 1500 watt 50cc equivalent bike. The two main issues for her were the infrastructure and the range of the bike. I’ve had a shot on the bike myself and derestricted on power mode, coming from a 500 myself, the torque was amazing and the feel of the bike was great. The reason I mention the infrastructure is that it only plugs into a three pin (uk) home plug which means only home charging. The car chargers don’t work and there is no available adapter which means she can’t even take the bike to charging stations for longer journeys. The second issue with range comes down to the 30 mile per charge limit that lexmoto themselves proclaim which means in the conditions it’s subjected to in our area only means around 15 to 20 miles at a maximum.

[@johnconti1329]

Nah. Just not into it. Aside from the technical stuff (basically no hope of being able to do any of your own work on it, length of time to charge, upgrades coming with all bikes but essentially requiring a subscription, etc.), I'd just rather have a gas engine.

[@HiroNguy]

Regarding the need for charging stations, that part of the EV infrastructure could have been solved in the 1990s when GM came out with its EV1. Imagine you go to the store or restaurant you're going to anyway, with whichever vehicle you choose to use. If you get there on your EV you just plug in so that when you're done shopping, eating, movie viewing, whatever, you have more charge on your EV. The venues that you go to would have been motivated to have such charging facilities for the same reason many have arcade games: *Profit.* Unfortunately profit, running a business and offering a service in such a way that it improves one' own income, is anathema to the Green types, who are watermelons ie green only on the outside but really red on the inside. Any personal or business profit is seen as evil by those commies. Fact is, unless every apartment, mobile home park, residential house, and street curb parking spot has a charger, EVs will not be as convenient as ICE vehicles that take 5 minutes to fuel up every 5 or so days. The charging station model is just a lame copy of the gas station but whereas the gas station requires a 5 minute stop to fill up to full range, the charging station takes hours. Sorry, no sale.

[@solidsnake2665]

Great stuff as always my man. One of the few channels I watch without Adblock. Turn your Adblock off boys and girls!

[@spitescorner]

That's a real fan right there! Glad to hear I made the whitelist

[@Magic_Toaster]

I'd still ride electric even if it was worse for the environment. The power delivery and acceleration is like nothing I've experience with any internal combustion engine vehicle, even my 600hp 6-speed GTO. It's like it solves all the things I don't like about engines, needing to be so dang loud, the build up to the power, needing to shift in traffic, not having a crappy auto transmission that can't be in the right gear when you want it and only getting 10mpg. To each their own though, acceleration is just my drug

[@clarkgraves56]

I am not a huge fan of the electric vehicles, but I did like the bike you tested on your video. It was a pretty sweet looking bike. That being said the price is still a deal breaker for me. Thanks for the great videos as always Spite!

[@500ccRabbit]

If a company can charge me more to speed up my charging remotely then they can slow it down remotely. I think they will do what phone companies do and slow down my device when I've had it for too long.

[@joehnsn]

My concerns as well

[@willgallatin2802]

Spite, this is the first I have heard of a hybrid bike. That I want to hear more about. Here's hoping it addresses some of the shortcomings of the current PEV bikes out there. Range is a real issue here in Ohio. I'm a 40 mile ride from the nearest dealership of any kind. So the ability to work on my own ride is a must. Maybe when you do test ride a new machine, take a few minuets to examine that aspect.

[@XX-rs7sq]

He has a video on it, i believe.

[@rustysimonds5011]

Please SPIKE when you can and it finally becomes available in the USA, please check out the F77 Ultravilette, seems its as good on paper as the livewire, the zero and energica but way way cheaper.

[@J8zzy]

The biggest problem is about the time you spend while charging vs refueling.

[@AndrewWilsonOz]

I love the idea of getting an electric motorbike. The problem with a lot of them at the moment is, they have First Bike pricing, with Second Bike range, and value. You are really paying a lot, for so little. I can't wait till that tipping point comes, when range over price, instead of price over range, becomes the bigger number. When they become as cheap as an ICE bike, then I am all in. I really do want to be green, have instant torque, and cheaper running costs. But that day is not here yet. It's close, oh so close, but not here just yet.

[@spitescorner]

I think that's the general consensus for most people. Sure, but not yet. They're definitely still too expensive for most people to jump on the bandwagon

[@danv8829]

The range problem for me boils down to charge time. Sat on a Livewire: verdict nice bike, problem: the range and style make it a second bike, but the price point is more than any primary bike I’ve owned. Zero’s microtransaction “feature” makes it a NEVER and I feel like “software” is going to make that more and more of a problem as more electrics come to market

[@BlakesPipes]

Rumble stripes saved my life three times in one ride. Me and my father in law at the time, we were doing a but burner. 1000 miles in 24 hours, we did 1200 miles, virginia beach to the dragon and back. Coming back, I fell asleep 3 times and hit them on a 2004 BMW R1150RT. It was hard as I only had 4 hours of rest prior to ride and it was exciting to do the dragon, but that took the cake!

[@BladeoftheImmortal2005]

Get off the road, then. Not a diss or anything, but putting your life and others at risk isn't worth the price of admission.

[@BlakesPipes]

@@BladeoftheImmortal2005 agree, today. I was young and dumb. That was 15 plus years ago and have learned a lot in life.

[@BladeoftheImmortal2005]

@@BlakesPipes no worries. I just hate to see that is all.

[@jdbauer9183]

You said all that needs to be said. I won't be buying an electric road bike until there's a major breakthrough with range.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

For just the energy to build a small car electric or otherwise you can build a mid-size motorcycle and fuel it for 5 years. In England Gas was ration for 10 years after World War II you bought a british-made motorcycle and when you got married and had kids you hooked a sidecar to it to bring them along. And hooking a sidecar to your motorcycle in the winter would bring you an insurance discount because you would not fall down. Cheap cars have been the pain of the world. The mass population of the world could not afford an American-made big car like we had but they can afford stuff made in Japan then Korea then Thailand and finally China. Now we have freeways destroying the scenery all over the world with traffic jams accident deaths all the things that go with vehicular traffic over mass transit which is the safest most economical most greatest form of transportation that there is never mind your electric cars or electric anything. And when people have to walk to the train station they tend not to be so morbidly obese. Cars kill more people than anything on Earth including War. They also kill more pets than anything. They destroyed the best mass transit system in the world in order to force us to buy American-made cars and now people buy a piece of shit made in Korea that cost more than their house. People in their lifetime will spend three times more for their automobiles than they do for their house. But then people do stupid crap like smoke so there you go.

[@insatiable_mind]

It’s great that people are talking about this. The “sustainable” movement and “renewable” energy are misnomers and heading the wrong direction. Natural gas and nuclear power are the cleanest we’ve got right now, and 90% of the solar panels in the world are made in concentration camps in China (Uighur Muslim region). Battery manufacturing has a similar story, and the environmental impact of building an electric car takes about 200k miles to break even with a gasoline vehicle of the same class. Also we need petroleum to keep everyone fed. Food security of a nation is directly related to the security of an affordable oil supply. Eventually, hopefully, we will find and take a path that is truly environmentally friendly and sustainable.

[@ektalon1]

Well thought out and presented. I am a 73 y.o. mc rider with eleven gas motorcycles in the last twenty years. I now have a BMW GS 1250 and an Aprilia Tuono 1100 V4 Factory. I think most of us have a built-in resistance to electric vehicles, however, I lately have an increasing interest in EVs to possibly replace my car and one of my MCs. I also think some of the studies about the carbon-neutral break-even points are biased and, of course, aren't factoring in the ever-improving manufacturing abilities for EVs. If we don't subscribe to the new technology the necessary development will never take place.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

As a Railroader model and otherwise I can tell you for a fact that electric locomotives last far longer than anything else with almost no maintenance. They are clean they're powerful you could override their Motors and get twice as much horsepower to accelerate a heavy train from running speed. One electric locomotive can accelerate a train faster than the equivalent train with two diesel locomotives. Being a New Yorker I love the convenience that the elevated train and the subway gives me for getting around the city without a car. But an electric car would have the same problem as a gas car because you would have no place to park the thing. Now you can have an electric scooter with an interchangeable battery and you can go up to a place and you stick your credit card in you put your dead battery in and you get a nice fresh charge battery out but you pay a fee for that which is the equivalent of a tank of gas so what are you saving? Oh you can charge it at home but then you double your electric bill at home. Many states have brownouts in the west because they do not have enough capacity when everybody's running their air conditioning full blast. For everyone went to electric cars and electric motorcycles the electrical grid would not be able to handle it. What good is having an electric vehicle when the electric grid is having a blackout and you can't charge it? And of course I've never a guy saying oh I have solar power charging my house so I can charge my electric car without impinging on the electrical grid. All well and good but do you still have to replace the battery when the battery goes dead and that's going to be hugely expensive like the English have found out. Secondhand electric cars in England have no value because the battery is so expensive to put in them. It is no wonder that the first words I read off the television at the age of 2 years old was Batteries Not Included. That's life battery is not included.

[@kcconnor2636]

I almost added an electric motorcycle to my stable a few weeks ago: The Sondors Metacycle. My work is roughly 22 miles from home, with about half of that on highway. At about $6k it seemed like the right way to introduce myself to this segment, and keep wear off my lovely new Tuareg. Then I kept researching more and looking at limitations. It had a max daily range of about 60 miles for my use case, and I will sometimes stray up to 5 miles from work for lunch. These things also tend to gently discharge themselves just sitting in a parking lot. Add to that, this particular model's top speed is roughly 70mph with a brief sport mode burst that will allow it to do about 80mph for 2 minutes before it throttles back to 70 again to let the hub motor cool from the effort. No mention of what that sport mode burst does to the 60 mile estimated range. Ultimately it appeared to me that while I would probably have no trouble with the Metacycle for the first year or so, as battery degradation inevitably set in to it, I'd find myself limited in route freedom, or even stranded, sometime by the second or third year. And it would be bordering on dangerous on the highway, with an effective redline of 70mph and passing power only to 80mph, briefly. All I'd really be saving financially, by offsetting my Tuareg use onto this e-bike, would be about 50 miles a day wear on my prized bike. 1250 miles a month, about 15k a year. I'd need to take my Tuareg in for a valve clearance once a year (or do it myself) and have 2 oil changes, as well as buy 300 gallons of gas over the year (about $1500 for gas). All told, let's say $3000 if I do all dealership service. And we're pretending the electricity is free for the e-bike. It's less than gas, but it isn't free. But at that point, would I rather ride a weak-ass thing like the Metacycle? Or would I rather ride something with as much spirit as a Tuareg? All told, to get an e-bike that could perform acceptably, I'd have to get a Zero or Energica, and I'm just not going to drop $15k or more for this role, and I ascribe no value to used e-bikes with out of warranty batteries. The final result of my analysis is that I'm shopping for an acceptable 10 year old SV650 to be my daily commuter (because I'm willing to pay SOMETHING to be able to minimize commuter miles on my Tuareg), and I'll probably use it to learn some track skills for a little bit on top of that, and as a loaner for when motorcyclist friends visit.

[@dasko3]

I am excited for the rise of affordable, mainstream electric motorcycles that do not use a hub motor. Living in a city full of cheaply made, Chinese electric mopeds styled like motorcycles, driven by hub motors has really illustrated the pros and the cons of that propulsion system, and how it rattles apart. As always you explained things so well sir!

[@tl2913]

A fair and balanced discussion of the pros and cons of Electric vs Gas bikes.

[@ic9046]

I've had discussions are work about having a daily EV and a ice vehicle for travel. It would make sense in the current market most EVs can get more milage than most people commute and most people don't travel that much and if you can't afford a second vehicle you could probably rent one with the fuel savings every year.

[@spitescorner]

I think that makes sense for cars, but less so with bikes. It's like $12 to fill up my duc from empty and like $6 for the Energica I road.

[@geneclarke2205]

My father's saying was “Use the right tool for the job”, common-sense advice. The other was "If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." But then again, in the US common sense along with basic mechanical knowledge appears to be sorely lacking.

[@ic9046]

@@spitescorner that's fair.

[@aarons3008]

I've never had the chance to ride an electric bike yet but having driven an electric car I think they have some serious potential. I use my bike for everything (commuting, weekend rides and long distance touring) and as of now an electric might not fill all those needs but I'd love to get one to replace my commuting miles and I currently have my reservation in for a Damon Hypersport to add to the fleet. Thanks for the great content and I think a very fair and balanced perspective on electric bikes Spite!

[@RPRosen-ki2fk]

My gut tells me Damon is gonna be another VAPORWARE company.

[@bumstead1383]

I’m all for test riding a electric motorcycle, & I appreciate your permission to make up my own mind & not forcing me to get e bike or lose my job or can’t fly or go to school…but being raised on 2 strokes makes living without ICE scoot is crazy.

[@bunberrier]

Hi, I can add a couple important points you didnt touch on, or I missed. I have a Zero SRS and a Honda VTR. I ride about 350 miles per week. Ive had the SRS since 2020 and the VTR since 1998. Advantage electric: Low Maint/Low Running Cost Grinding out miles week after week is cheap and easy. No valves, filters, etc. Advantage ICE: 1) Sustained high speed! E bikes throttle you down when the battery heats up. ICE with properly sized heat exchangers can run at a high output indefinitely 2) Standing by. No one talks about this. Gas powered vehicles kept out of the elements and run periodically last basically forever. E bikes battery packs decay over time.

[@NeonNick24]

I regularly commute on my 06 SV650S, and I rarely ride for longer than 30-40 miles per day. I would love to own an electric motorcycle for commuting, and keep an ICE bike for longer rides (sometimes 150 miles in a day or so, I'm no iron butt), or just to change things up occasionally. The primary thing keeping me from getting an electric motorcycle is the higher cost. Thank you Spite for keeping things real on here and not feeding into the tribalism.

[@marcb4788]

What a great and honest take on the whole situation. Really appreciate this video.

[@It_Is_I_I]

I'm not exactly an expert on electric bikes, but I know that on an entirely coal electric grid, an electric car would get 60-80 mpg-eq, on our current grid, you would get 120-130 mpg-eq, to match an average gas car on our current grid, you would only need to drive around 6k miles. On motorcycles the numbers would be drastically different, but the idea is generally there. In terms of efficiency I believe statistics are roughly gas cars

[@JohnathanNeuls]

I imagine I'm very much the odd man out on this but the biggest thing for me is that I just absolutely *hate* loud bikes. Just love how quiet electric bikes are - especially when stopped or moving around in a parking lot or something.

[@Tehjubjub]

You are, but I'm with you. I love quiet bikes and genuinely hate how loud some bikes are. Then some people put LOUDER exhausts on. SMH.

[@geraldscott4302]

I don't need to watch the video, but I will AFTER I type this. I am a 63 year old professional auto mechanic, motorcyclist (been riding since age 8, have had over 60 bikes, and ridden over a million miles) vintage car and motorcycle enthusiast (meaning CARBURETED cars and bikes) hot rodder and drag racer (cars) The reason for my lifelong love affair with cars and motorcycles is BECAUSE of the internal combustion engine. I got my first motorcycle at age 8, a Bultaco Lobito 100. I worked on a farm all summer to buy it, and it needed work. The local farm mechanic was happy to help me fix it. Actually he did most of the work, but he explained everything he was doing and why, and explained how a 2 stroke engine worked. It mostly just need the top end rebuilt. I was absolutely fascinated. And the way I felt when he kick started that engine and it came to life, with that wonderful sound was indescribable. Cars and motorcycles have been a lifelong passion for me, and it was and is because of the internal combustion engine. In not only have no interest in anything battery powered, but I don't even want anything to do with computerized internal combustion engines. I currently have 6 motorcycles, 3 cars, and a truck. All carbureted, 2 of the cars and the truck have manual transmissions. One of the cars is a drag race car, which I built from the ground up. I have built several in my life. You couldn't give me a truckload of those battery powered pieces of trash.

[@Bowl_of_roses]

They did the separate app thing for all the charging companies here in the UK, with RFID cards etc. for each company. Consumers got so fed up with having 10 apps on their phones and a wallet full of RFID cards that they gave up and now most chargers are just PAYG/contactless (thank goodness!). I have an ICE motorbike and an electric car and mainly find with the electric car that I have to plan a little for long trips, otherwise 90% of charging is at home.

[@HiroNguy]

Engineering definitions: kW*hr = Energy, the amount of work that can be done. Torque. kW = *Power* output = Amount of Work per time. Horsepower. Joule = Energy. Potential to do work but not work itself. BTUs. Joules per second = Watts, power.

[@aucklandsadventures]

I wanted a HD Livewire. Because it’s HD. Also had a close dealership with the fast charger. It’s a lot of money though.

[@Wawotch]

Don't forget that the way of fuel from well to tank has it's environmental issues too, in comparisons they are often missed. But even if I am able to easily produce enough electric energy for a bike 3/4 of the year (and for our BEV too), the environmental balance of an electric bike may be worse than the ICE bike, because of the low distance traveled per year. Technological advances may change this in the future.

[@larrysalomon7113]

Very insightful. Most of my rides are 150+ miles on country roads. Therefore I’m on the sidelines replacing one of my gas motorcycle’s with an electric. My range minimum would need to be 200 miles on a full charge. I have a decent Trek eBike and that’s been fantastic. 50 mile range is always enough.

[@keithquinn5624]

Ya but then cold weather kills the range and so does power use, you can’t have fun on it cause it kills the battery… you’d literally be limited to do whatever it takes to conserve your battery lol. Destroys freedom.

[@thomasbouvier3203]

Unless you ride with bellow zero celsius temp, battery isn’t that much affected. Then its more a snowmobile weather than biking weather xD and tbh, i drove my fazer all week by -6 to -8 celsius. First, aint fun and quite dangerous. 2 my range is also significantly lowered. I mean it sucks a lot of gas. So…. And i can totally agree with the etrak. I did some great! Super fun, super quiet you don’t disturb much wildlife and even get some surprise sometime!

[@BadAssEngineering]

The main problem with Electric Vehicles is the sheer amount of electricity needed to charge them. Regardless of Battery Tech. To put that into perspective, the same 120v outlet im using to charge my laptop would take between 24 and 48 hours (l1-2 whole days) to charge a car battery. Each EV literally requires Industrial Grade electrical infraestructure to get reasonable charge times. Also, if we all swapped to EVs tomorrow, there would not enough Power Plants and not enough electricity to charge them. And if you want to use Solar and fast charging, each individual vehicle would require like 4,500 square feet of solar panels to a 480 volt system.

[@bytewelder]

If you completely set aside the range issue (my commute is ~35km) or the charging issue (e.g. you live in The Netherlands, employer has charging options), the fact still remains that 10k EUR buys you a pretty amazing ICE bike, while something that is comparable and electric will be closer to 20k EUR. From an economical standpoint, this is a very tough sell. That said, I'd LOVE an electric bike and I hope prices will eventually come down when battery tech gets cheaper.

[@user-pq4by2rq9y]

> switch the lead acid battery for a lithium ion of same size > put a turbocharged 100+cc engine there > electric motor for torque and turbolag, ice engine for speed > enjoy your 150+ mpg honda rebel-e. Or you could keep your ice car/bike and buy a surron or any other light EV for daily commute. Much cheaper, even more environmentally friendly, and safer for pedestrians.

[@riderramblings]

In Europe we have _a lot of_ NIMBYs who only want you to use electric vehicles or _pedal power_ so as to not pollute the towns and cities. They seem totally oblivious to the fact that these items are manufactured in other countries, sometimes at an enormous environmental cost.

[@altortugas5979]

And to the extent Texas wind turbines did fail, it’s because the lack of regulation in the Texas energy market allowed utilities to ignore winterization recommendations for the windmills.

[@damonk6289]

I love the idea of electric motorcycles and cars. Although not as full replacement of the combustion engines. I test ride the live wire and I felt like a kid with my over sized big wheels. If you haven’t tried it yet I recommend giving it a shot.

[@InfiniteEverythings]

As far as electric range is concerned, I scoff when folks complain about a 100 mile range. All it took was a flame-spitting tune on my Honda VTX, and I went from about 160 miles before I hit reserve to 100 now on 4 gallons. I would literally have about the same range switching to electric as I do now with my ICE bike.

[@bruceberger8698]

I ride an Energica Eva Ribelle and enjoy it very much for the same reasons you listed in your first video. I'll admit that I'm an early adopter and am interested as much in trying out the technology as I am in riding motorcycles. Electric bikes don't fit everyone's use cases but they offer an additional choice in the market place for those who want to experience their positive characteristics and are willing to accept the limitations. My biggest limitation right now is not so much with the bike as it is with the state of the CCS charging infrastructure. Any time I want to go for a ride which will require charging to get home I need to check to see if the chargers I need are working. Too often they are not. It will be interesting to see how the Kawasaki hybrid bike works out in the real world. Hybrid cars have their fans but to some they are overly complicated having both ICE and EV drive train components. Maybe hybrid technology will benefit motorcycles but with the packaging limitations I have my doubts. Perhaps I'm wrong. We'll have to see once these hit the streets and are in consumer's hands. Unless there is a major breakthrough in battery technology I believe that battery swapping will be the long term answer for electric bikes. This would require the major manufacturers to agree on a battery standard and a huge investment in swapping station infrastructure similar to what Gogoro has in Taiwan.

[@dominicpirocchi1221]

You are so right about the media and the “nobility” in D.C. I am a free market guy. Buy and ride what YOU want. Pursue you own happiness. Government, stop messing with the free market wether it be incentives, banning, or unnecessary regulations. We should have basic safety regulations that apply the same to everything. After that, everything else is personal choice.

[@PhilWare1]

Purely depends what you use your bike for... Commuting or Weekend "Fun" bike then sure why not - assuming you can stomach the price. But for anything else, i.e. All rounder, Tourer etc they are just too much of a compromise. In an ideal world and if I was rich I'd definitely have one in my garage, but it wouldn't be my only bike...

[@martyn_g]

I reckon, if you could get 300km range, on 6 hours of household charge (no fast charging installation, or extra stuff you have to wire in, just plain old household volts) then you’d have an ENORMOUS seller for a commuting bike.

[@Mark-ou8nu]

Awesome video! Honest thoughts without being too much of a rant.

[@aaroncharles1686]

I still think the chevy volt hybrid was the best idea. Electric motor but also a gas generator to charge the battery when the power runs out

[@callumrdavis]

I just want them to be: lighter, cheaper, better range, faster charging. Don't need crazy power or tech. MT07/SV650 levels of bike are enough for me. Just make it as convenient as those bikes. I need it to be able to do a 130 mile round trip comfortably on one charge, while powering heated grips and a wireless charger on a motorway at 70mph. I do a longer trip once a month (200 miles each way) and stopping for more than 20 mins is kind of annoying. Having to then park away from where I am staying to try and find charging is also annoying. There is no charging close to the destination. Plus leaving it to charge away from me is definitely how to get your bike stolen.

[@MrLucasJupetipe]

I have an electric motorcycle here in Brazil and as mentioned in the video, there is NO point in electrifying a country's fleet if its energy base is polluting. 95% of the energy in Brazil is green, renewable and this means that our Flex combustion vehicles (Gasoline/Alcohol) pollute 65 g Co²/km over its lifetime, 60% less than a European electric car 95 g Co²/km throughout your life. What makes an electric vehicle in Brazil really sustainable. And you know what the joke is? The rulers here do not encourage the purchase of electric vehicles at all.

[@patrickvanmeter2922]

80 miles of adrenaline is about all I can handle. I can do it again tomorrow. I'm patient. I know they will improve this. I'm 81 and hope I can live that long.

[@robertclark9]

We’re going in the wrong direction with electric vehicles. Spending all this money to manufacture inferior products, instead of investing in battery technology that actually works. It should be all hands on deck researching and producing batteries that have an actual range. The big tech schools, the big government contractors, should be getting huge grant money until we get this figured out. Otherwise consumers just aren’t going to buy EV’s period. This isn’t a left/right issue. Everyone should be on the same page.

[@mattshipp3642]

if hybrid bikes turn out to be a bust (i think kawasaki will do agood job but new tech is always a bit rocky), then i think that swappable batteries would solve a lot of the range issues associated with electric bike. the process would go something along the lines of arriving at the pretrol station, removing current low-charge battery, installing new hi charge battery, ride away. this would require all companys to standardise a battery, which is unlikely, but is still a possible solution. i'd still rather hybrids

[@Reckless_Ops]

I think that's the way to go with EVs, swappable batteries. As battery tech improves you would not need to replace the whole vehicle, just switch to the newer battery type.

[@Fee.1]

Electric Vehicle issue decoded/in a nutshell: as an option, they’re great. Nobody has an issue with more options. The issue comes about when you manipulate the free market and force something down everyone’s throats and say by x date you will not be able to make or buy new vehicles unless they are electric. If they’re able to stand on their own two feet you shouldn’t need to do that, if they’re not then it’s unjust to force them on us anyway. Meanwhile Massive ocean transporters use ancient fuel sources and emit more than all the worlds passenger vehicles combined, and nobody even DISCUSSES that let alone forced rich corporations to change the world, but they’re happy to force the average guy to eat the costs and give up a hobby.

[@DarthBop]

The answer does not lie on one side or the other. The only working solution lies in a combination of all the options used in concert in a complimentary fashion. Hearing that Kawasaki is working on a hybrid gives me hope.

[@dw0095]

I own a mustang mach e and a Kia plug in hybrid. My bike is a z900. I will say the mustang is a fun car but we don't take it on trips past 60 miles 1 way simply because the charging network sucks around us. We have a level 2 charger in our garage so it is great for around town duty. I feel that if some bike company adopts the tesla charging network, it will change the game. Having driven past so many Tesla super charging stations and not having access really makes non tesla EV driving tough. They have the potential now to make EBikes a real contender. But until the network is as prevalent as gas stations, Ebikes will remain a toy, novelty item. I bought the z900 with a full Arrow exhaust because I missed the loud obnoxious ICE fun. We use our KIA plug in which has a total range of 500 miles gas/electric for road trips btw.

[@deaks25]

I would love to be able to put an EV bike in my garage. The smooth, stress-free riding and instant torque is 1. LOTS of fun, and 2. great for commuting. An EV as my daily run-around (I use a bike instead of a car) would be awesome. BUT, they just can't do what I want. Before I can consider an EV, the range HAS to be a reliable 200 miles. That is non-negotiable for me, because that is the minimum my current daily machine gets. Without fail. No matter how hot or cold it gets through the year, and EV Bikes just do not come close. I could maybe compromise to a consistent 180miles at a stretch, but they're still a long way from that target. Which is a shame, because a 650-category EV with luggage and decent wind/weather protection would be so nice to commute/errand-run on. The price is also too high. I know we're still in "Early Adopter Tax" territory but it HAS to be mentioned. EV Bikes are just too expensive. The lithium mining and how grid power is produced is a very important discussion, as is battery recycling. E-Waste is already becoming a major issue, and EV cars and bikes will only make this much, much worse and for me, that needs to be resolved before I would consider moving permanently over. It means, that for now, my position with EV bikes is the same; they could be great, but have a LONG way to go before they are a viable option for me.

[@devonnobles1083]

The only problems I have with electric bikes are price and range. I've ridden some. They are great, but I am always going to cross shop electric with ICE, and so far, the value proposition is firmly in ICE's favor.

[@dcxplant]

What is that fairing like on the H-D ST in the rain? From the looks of the vents, rain-blast city. As for E-motorcycles , I'm certain I'll own one, just not yet. I've owned two all-electric EV autos, and have a plutons-in hybrid now, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe which is awesome! They have been 100% reliable, fun to drive, handle very flat without being harsh. Fun cars to drive, and I know an E-motorcycle will be fun too. With the limited packaging available, EV motorcycles sales will depend on battery density and charging speed which has a ways to go before going mainstream.

[@krikcet-163]

I would love to ride an electric bike. I probably wouldn't buy one until the range gets better (i.e. - the battery technology) and/or mass adoption reduces overall price. And having a place to charge it at home. But I try to be in the middle. Climate change is real, some natural, some we caused. But I agree the over politicization and the extremes on both sides - either saying it doesn't exist or that the world will end in 12 years is just nonsense.

[@spitescorner]

I'm looking for that Electric MT10 competitor. I think once you've got the MT10 and an electric hypernaked on the show room for $13K each, a lot more people might be interested.

[@smashy_smasherton]

We’ve got about 9 years according to when they first started saying 12 years.

[@krikcet-163]

@@spitescorner to be completely honest, I would be sold on the energica, had I the money and the charging infrastructure. I even like the looks of the livewire.

[@themerpking8445]

Alright, watched the entire video, great stuff! Your points are all amazing, and very concisely explained, definitely one of my favourite videos of yours

[@michaelsolivan7003]

I think what makes the idea tough is the range and charging infrastructure isn't ready. Also worried about how quiet an electric motorcycle is will be dangerous since people already ignore ice motorcycles. Now you add silence and speed not sure that's going to work in the riders favor.

[@pjakobs]

So, I live in Europe and over here, it's not much of a debate anymore: we got to come off of fossil fuels. That will, most probably, mean the end of the reciprocation piston engine. Why? Because while we have grown to love it, it is a horrible way to turn stored energy into propulsion. With an efficiency of something between 25 and 35%, it outputs more heat that anything else, it's capricious in it's power output, it vibrates and shakes, it needs lubrication and burns our calves with it's exhaust. But at the same time, I own two bikes, a CRF1000 Africa Twin and an CB650R for a simple reason: the two engines have a vastly different character that makes riding the bikes an entirely different experience. The Twin rumbles and shakes, has grunt low down and pulls through anything with ease. The inline four is silky smooth, docile below 6500 revs and screams of joy above that. I know that the engine strongly influences the experience we have when riding our motorcycles, but I also know that what we are doing is essentially never a must. We ride because we enjoy it. We will have to ask ourselves what we want our future to be: to accept the changing tides and embrace the new technology (and I believe that battery electric will be that) or to be slowly squeezed out by noise regulations and the need to decarbonize.

[@JohnConner1ofmany]

Last I checked, 500,000 lbs is the amount of material that needs to be excavated to retrieve the minerals to produce “1” Tesla sized lithium battery. In the long haul this is not sustainable. But I would own an e-bike as a toy, only if it were inexpensive. Give me dino juice for everything else.

[@DankFrankStank]

As a young rider in late 20s I hope everyone goes electric so the world isn't so fucked environmentally and my son has the chance to go riding with his kid.

[@482jpsquared]

Thanks for inviting comments. It's true that the current electric grid is mainly energized by the burning of fossil fuels. That said, the current grid in the US uses about 20% renewables, and this is accelerating in favor of them. So, over time, an electric-powered vehicle effectively becomes more green. Further, nuclear represents about 20% of the US grid's energy source, so in combination, using electricity from the grid consumes 40% less fossil fuels than running an ICE engine. Also, today an ICE engine is only about 50% as efficient at converting the on-board fuel to forward motion, as compared to the grid supplying electricity to drive an electric vehicle forward. If your ICE bike gets 50 mpg, your eBike will likely get the equivalent of about 100 mpg, all else equal. That means the diesel or gas-fired electric power plant will consume 1/2 the fossil fuels to push your bike 100 miles, as compared to the ICE motor in an ICE bike. However, taking into account the renewables and nuclear factors, you can see that EVs are simply the right direction for the future. Also, don't forget, every part of an ICE engine also requires mining and manufacturing. Batteries aren't alone in that respect. It's funny that ICE die-hards aren't willing to accept science, physics and the decisions of policy makers who actually get this stuff and/or rely on facts.

[@MrEiniweini]

Hard to comment fairly as I generally agree across the board. My main issue is that I can get an electric bike that does 60kph in Australia for about $4,000AUD and if I want a bike that does over 100KPH (about 35mph compared to 60mph)it costs over $30,000AUD. Essentially to get a bike that will do highway speed I need to spend as much as I would on a family car, just to do basic commuting. I don't care about battery life outside of the commute.Give me a basic electric bike that can hit say, 65 MPH and run 100 miles on a charge for under 10K USD. Right now there is a stupid price gap between urban commuter and highway demon. I just want to do my bit, the best that I can.

[@22smcrrider96]

I have always been ICE 4 life but I would really like to try out an electric motorcycle! I honestly DON'T think it could change my mind but I am interested in trying it out!

[@hadleysingleton8412]

As an ICE owner I am genuinely excited about the new technology in electric bikes. I have had the opportunity to test ride a few electric bikes. My style of riding is a combination of commuting and longer trips, unfortunately the charging infrastructure here in Australia is just not there which means that an electric bike is simply not an option outside of the capital cities. I know a lot of people that have more than one bike, one for the daily commute, which never leaves the city and another one for getting out and having fun. If your daily commute is less than the range of an electric bike, what have you got to lose by considering one. I only have the one bike and have never been interested in buying a second until I started to look into the electric bikes. I have just signed a contract to purchase an electric bike, but have no intention of selling the ICE bike that I have now. It's not about trying to save money, because let's face it you are not going to save anything in the long run by buying another bike. It's also not about saving the planet either, we have all heard the arguments for and against batteries from a carbon emissions standpoint, that and our power here mainly comes from brown coal, the most polluting form of electricity generation on the planet. Just my thoughts, you are welcome to disagree.

[@BradMacc82]

Honestly, I think hybrid is going to be the first step to the ultimate solution - I can’t imagine what it’ll ultimately be though. Everything so far has it’s drawbacks. Hydrogen has always had my attention, simply because it’s easier to adapt our infrastructure (gas stations) to, and it’s really close to what we’re used to. The first drawback I see is the amount of energy required for electrolysis to support the demand, if it was chosen.

[@jmaloney619]

Thank you for showing that a Harley boy in Texas isn't a stereotype. I agree with everything you said and I'm a Californian Kawasaki boy. Kawafornian? Calisaki? Are those words? Anyways, I have studied electric vehicles and even helped my brother build one. Sure, speed kills range, batteries aren't quite there, and any sporty spice rider is allowed to complain about the weight (Harley daddies are not). However, motors run for a million miles, torque is unparalleled. Sounds like motorcycles could benefit greatly from the hybrid phase that cars had.

[@roadrunner681]

Cost, range, and ease of use are not on the electrical bikes side right now. I can stop my car or bike anywhere and get fuel in ten minutes at worst, now charging stations would be a nightmare to use if it takes 30 minutes to charge

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Maybe they should not have closed down all those Coal Fired power plants that were supplied by Cole carrying railroads. Maybe they just should have equipped the plants with scrubbers to clean up their emissions instead of going to oil instead and having the price of oil quadruple with the bullshit energy crisis which has raised the price of energy to the point where people consider all these goofy alternatives. Frankly the Arab should be selling oil cheapest ship because just as c o a l powered everything and then oil powered everything and Cole went down the toilet. Now everybody wants everything powered by natural gas and windmills and solar but the huge demand for electricity means that you will continue to have Coal Fired power plants in spite of everybody screaming for green energy. Green energy and organic food is fine if you are rich if you're poor you're screwed. And most of us ain't rich.

[@TheNostorian]

My biggest problem with electric vehicles. Wich are amplified with the moyorcycle variant is the lsck of range. And the damage a fast charger does to a battery. A slow charge will save your battery in the long run. But if you want to go on 1000km rides you wont feel like doing a slow battery saving charge. Cause that takes hours. And when the bill comes to replace the battery you are gonna wish you never touched that fast charger. This is the same reason i whould not buy a used tesla. 3-4 years old and 200.000km sometimes more. That battery has taken a hell of a beating.

[@John_Ridley]

I'm totally wanting an electric bike. But I do want to spend more that maybe $12000 and I want a real 200 mile highway range. I'm probably going to be waiting a while.

[@spitescorner]

Same, will probably be a minute

[@Fee.1]

Let’s put it this way. Imagine if horses had been outlawed, made illegal to ride, and illegal to sell/breed after the Model T came out. There would rightfully be outrage. You have to let these transitions happen organically. I have nothing against Electric and I’m happy many love them and have access to purchasing them. I wish they gave me the same courtesy. That’s without even getting into the legitimate drawbacks and shortcomings in the vehicles and infrastructure etc.

[@bruceberger8698]

Actually horses were banned from roads in some areas starting in 1920 and it spread across the country over the next 23 years.

[@jennynester9980]

Well presented Spite. These conversations need to be had and I too wish it didn’t always have to turn into politics. Great video 👍🏻

[@erniel3034]

Love my Zero SR/S. The quietness & off-the-line acceleration make it super fun. It's perfect for commuting & lane filtering. 80mi range has worked well enough for me. For longer trips, I have a K1300S. Planning to get a Damon & ZX-4, when those are available. Not interested in Hybrid, as I wouldn't want double weight, from (2) drivetrains.

[@paulfreespirit]

Here in the UK, they are more than double the price of an equivalent ICE motorcycle, the cost of the replacement battery is extortionate, then theirs the range, it's an absolute joke!

[@atypicalscholar109]

I'm really excited about the hybrid bikes coming out, and even some of the fully electric models coming to market. Am I going to buy any of them within the next 10 years? No, probably not. Cost and infrastructure need to drastically improve. I hope Honda's EV lineup pushes the needle a bit in that direction, but we're basically in the innovation period. Most people see a electric bike and say "oh, that's cool, but I ain't shellin' out that kind of money." Price, Range, Reliability, and Infrastructure. ICE bikes win all four, for now...

[@whimsicalstray]

Doesn't help that the government sanctioned monopolies on energy providers doesn't incentivise the maintenance of the current grid and the change to renewables. Sure, home owners could add solar panels, but not every person is going to be in a situation to make those decisions. Also, there's the complete failure of the PACE programs.

[@9demirtas]

For bikes, except maybe the top performance models, there should be a standard for swappable batteries considering they are nowhere as big and inaccessible as cars. Then you would have the option of not charging, buying or maintaining the battery yourself. At the station, they can be charged more efficiently, maintained by the most advanced equipment, hopefully recycled properly. Regulation should also ensure no vendor lock ins. The life of lithium batteries are around 3 years whether you do everything right or not. Not the feel, not the range but the high cost of ownership for such a short time is a deal breaker. It is fine for a small tech gadget that is almost outdated by the time it goes out the doors of the factory due to fast paced improvements (for now). It is unacceptable for a concept that is about 120 years old.