Years ago, a very successful friend of my father bought one of the very first high definition large flat screen televisions. He paid $10,000.00 for it. The last tv I bought was higher definition, equal size, and thinner. It was less than $500.00. Let me know when we get there and I'll get an EV. If I can still ride at that point.
@@JoeBManco Weight, range, and charge times are big factors as well. I can fill my bike tank in 2 minutes and get 200 miles of range, while carrying far less weight than an electric bike. Plus, they just don't have the sound. So, why would I pay 2-3x for something that does everything worse?
I'm in favour of keeping ICE engines, I love the sound and feel of my V4 engine, and the practice of skillful transmission control which is lost to electric motors, but I understand the future requires moving away from hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline/petrol). The way I envision the future of motorcycling preserving what we love about ICE, we should move towards converting ICE engines to hydrogen. It can use the same 4 stroke combustion cycle and engine designs, but with clean emissions (only water is produced by hydrogen combustion), so current engines can be modified to work with hydrogen and the only significant change for manufacturers would be the fuel tank and intake system being set up for safe hydrogen storage. Battery electric can be reserved for cars and trucks, as well as the bikes with DCT/auto transmissions which wouldn't benefit from keeping an ICE engine and might as well switch to a soul-less electric motor which has no transmission anyway and there would be barely any change to the riding experience. Although i'm not certain of how viable it would be with the space and weight constraints at the moment, I'd love to see hybrid hydrogen bikes where it's primarily hydrogen powered, but regenerative braking could power up a relatively small battery which could in turn be used with an integrated motor to supplement low speed torque, leveraging the energy usually lost to heat during braking and the advantage of electric motors having phenomenal torque compared to ICE. Only problem with such a design is the current technological limitations of size and weight, but this is all about the future where miniaturisation and improved efficiency can be expected. 🤷♂
I talked about that to a friend that works in chemistry and he told me that hydrogen storage is incredibly difficult and would be extremely impractical to use as an ICE fuel because of the low efficiency and the danger posed in storing it. And we were talking about cars. As much as I love this idea, it would be way more efficient used in a fuel cell.. to power an electric motor. For ICE we'd still have E85 I guess, that seems an interesting solution, provided it doesn't eff up the food prices.
@@aaronaaronsen3360 I consider any fuel with alcohol (and MTBE before that) "watered down" or "partially combusted" fuel - you know, there is already oxygen in there (hence the term "oxygenated") bound to 1/4 carbon and 1 hydrogen atoms - those atoms do NOT react with oxygen from the air, they just have to be heated up which is basically a waste of energy. The remainder of the fuel is just hydrogen and carbon - those both react with oxygen providing the energy to the engine. Energy wise, it's best to keep any oxygen out of your fuel until it needs to burn. Your friend likely agrees with me.
There's still alot to be developed in the ICE. The most important is the alternative/synthetic fuel source but it's just much easier to jump the ship and let all that R&D go to waste than to put effort into making something revolutionary. But it won't happen until the industry gets out of being under the thumb of Big Oil.
I have been riding for 20 years and plan on making the switch to all electric when the prices drop and when the range increases. It's all about energy density which will improve with time.
@@someoldheadtakes same here. A lot of bikes now have 12 or 14 litre tanks on 700cc 900cc and some 1000cc bikes. The range is probably worse than electric. Still no big issue to stop at a petrol station in most cases.
For city traffic there is a lot benefits of riding ebike.. maybe next few years they become more affordable, with long lasting lighter batteries, that can be recharged for couple of minutes...only that would be game changer for ebikes
I have the live wire just recently got it too. I love it. Sometimes I’m in Austin so hope I run into Yammie here soon. Definitely saved me monies in the gas department. I have about 2800 miles on it and have yet to fork over them buckaroos per mile.
The problem with electric motor market is they're still lacking long range, mid-performance machine capable of tackling 200 miles on 30-50 horsepower. Either you have piddly-ass scooter or you have impractical superhighway machine, neither of them really fulfill people's expectation.
I am actually considering it now for local use. I own a 1250 that gets me down the freeway but I would use a small electric for local shopping and such. They already have them, the European motor-scooters that are 50cc are now being made electric.. They are really cheap (perhaps $2,500US). They will get you to the shop and back or over to a local friends place at suburban road speed. If I worked locally I would own one today but still hold onto my ICE for weekends and fun. I think my situation will become the dominant one for a while. You are not going to replace your HD Road Glide or your BMW "K" series for an electric but you may supplement it with a cheap secondary.
When we can rely on the electrical grid to supply us with steady power without rolling blackouts just from our Air Conditioning let alone a wave of new vehicles requiring to be plugged in every night. Then maybe we could be ready for them.
Someone should start a company that is like the propane canister industry. Instead of pulling up for a tank of gas, You pull up and swap a cel pack out for a industry standard ( lol goodluck) battery cell pack. They could have like a 4 6 and 8 cell variety for the performance level of the bikes. It would allow electric bikes to be "refueled" in 5-10 min instead of half days
There is a lie at the heart of the ICE industry not just motorcycles. Oil is a finite resource. Think for a second of Drake and his oil well in PA. There was a boom after he drilled his first hole. Pretty soon, there were lots of wells and when a new was drilled, an old one went dry. But with bikes- it's emotional for sure So it seems to me, we have to figure out what that feeling is about riding deep down below the mechanics of the machine. I don't know how to do that.
as a bike for most of us in the states is a luxury item and not our main means of transportation. when i ride my bikes i wanna hear and feel going through the gears EV anything is just boring to me. yes i know they are fast but who cares i still drive a manual sedan for the fun of it
i just like the rumble of an engine. if i was a passenger in a car, the rumble would put me to sleep like a baby in a cradle. if it was a EV car I would be soo restless that i want to get out. and for bikes its just what yammie said, it makes the bike feels alive.
Call me crazy but does anyone else feel that the watching of volt meter kind of saps the Soul out of the whole free spirited jump on your motorcycle experience?
In about 6 years battery tech is going to change. New battery types will be cheaper and have more storage. New tech like sodium ion, solid state, and lithium sulfate are all working on mass production.
I've thought about switching to electric for my commute to work & we're lucky enough in Australia to have a couple of cheap Chinese electric motorcycles on the market that could do the job. We can get a scooter speed version, which is great for most of my commute, for $5000 AUD ride away, or for $3000 AUD more there's one that can go at local freeway speeds. Every time I look at them though the math just doesn't work out. Even with today's silly fuel prices I only spend around $25 AUD a fortnight to fill my 650's tank. That's around $650 AUD per year. At that rate, it would take over 7 1/2 years to break even on the cheapest model compared to a bike that already own. On the more capable & expensive one that blows out to over 12 years. Obviously I've simplified the equation, but even with maintenance costs factored in for both (EV's need tires & brake pads too) It's still a long time for comparatively such a small amount of money. For reference, a Ninja 400 is $8,901 AUD ride away here with ABS. ABS is mandatory for new motorcycles sold in Australia.
Not there yet, it needs a new chemistry for better range and despite all.the claims we are still using lithium technology that is decades old with a few small tweaks. Price is stupid and does NOT reflect what these things COULD be built for. I've converted a few push bikes to electric for a few hundred UK pounds and Love riding them, no range anxiety because I can pedal so i can see the attraction of electric with regards the smooth quiet cheap motoring. I will miss riding a proper motorcycle but tbh the cost of fuel and maintenance is quite prohibitive. For me it will come down to price, speed and range. I'd gi for 5k , 85mph, and 130 miles ( so 100 is usable before worrying about recharging ), obviously more speed and range would be nicer lol.
Gimme 200+ legit miles on a 15 minute charge for the same price as a regular bike and I'll buy an electric bike. So I guess it's never going to happen.
I have been driving electric cars for 12 years and am on my second one and I have one electric bicycle, BUT when I go motorcycle riding I will not give up the GOOD feeling I get from my Honda or Janus single cylinder "THUMPERs" Sincerely, Howard Spruit
There are more and more high performance e bikes that are essentially motorcycles for much less money then E motorcycles. What do you think about them?
The problem I'm seeing with electric bikes right now (as another poor soul who loves his Sportster) is that you are getting liter bike power without the soul for $25,000 with half gallon gas tank that takes 11 hours to fill. I'll keep my rumbles for the time being.
Yeah, yeah. EV bikes are cool, but I don't believe we are anywhere close on ICEs. There are so many avenues of innovation and increases in efficiency. I think the ICE machines have simply begun to plateau due to our dependence on our gasoline fuel that is so ingrained in society. There are pretty amazing things going on with alternative fuels, which will bring much more innovation in the mechanical scene as we try to adapt to them apart from the inventions independent of fuel innovation in the first place. I think a few searches on google and youtube can shed a light on many new inspiring ICE mechanisms which are entirely fresh in their workings and power, like new piston dynamics or rotor shapes. Personally I think hydrogen is a pretty cool thing to build an engine around using to it's fullest, but there are many others with potential.
I've got to post one more opinion on EVs - kind of on a tangent, but here goes. I drive a VW Sprinter-type van as my workplace. An EV. It's nice, quiet, got all the farkles. And it's also BY FAR the most boring car I've ever driven. Sensors everywhere - that goes nuts in snow and sometimes goes all Christine on you with rider assist, beeps and whatnot. With my FE450 - I know it's trying to kill me in map2/no tc. Plus there are a 0% chance of a red-light running cyclist/scooter NOT hearing me when I call up the Power of Throttle!
I like the concept of motorcycles, but I don't like the sound of ICE ones. EV motorcycles are like a dream to me, but it seems others think "ICE cars/MCs have more soul, therefore they're much better" EVs are still evolving, obviously they're not as advanced, but they have no emissions post-production and they're much quieter. For now, yes, I understand why ICE's might be better in many aspects, but I do believe EVs to be the future for every vehicle
The big problem I see with electric, anything really, is over the next 5-10yrs (maybe less) battery and motor technology is going to jump ahead by leaps and bounds. I can't see it being a viable option for the time being.
The classical music is getting REALLY old guys. Also, I own a 21 Zero SR. 90-110 miles highway and about 200 miles going 35-40. That's plenty enough for a ride unless you're doing a lot of highway. But the key right now is having 2 bikes.
I agree with Yam at the beginning of the video good luck trying to pry my bike out of my cold dead hands. Especially considering I’m a new rider who just got his full motorcycle endorsement and I’m thoroughly enjoying 07 KTM. If Yam or Spite reads this promise me you won’t get mad. The answer to as of what model my bike is Spite just got his back
Yeah, EVs are the future, but they still lack that character that we have with ICE vehicles, both cars and bikes. I called them “soulless” as they are becoming more and more the mobile version of a smart device. I do think ICE bikes will have another 10 to 15 years. That said, I met a fellow beemer rider who had to be about 75 yo and has had dozens of bikes; he LOVES his new LiveWire as the best bike he has owned thus far. Meh, until the prices come down along with lower/faster charge times and improved range…and some ‘character’ to them….I’ll stick with my beemer. BTW - great channel!
Just another way to capture a market segment so it can be cash raped. Which is fine for the urban tax cattle. If you want more environmentally friendly, give me an E85 bike with a 16:1 compression ratio. Or better still, a super lightweight design circa 500cc turbo bike, also on E85. Goal is sub 400lbs, plus 200 hp.
I'm a die hard combustion engine....because the 20k rpms :)), but then there are 35k revving electric engines that sound silly nice....... In the end if you plan to travel with a motorcycle and you want to go to another country/another state/another city.....electric is not the way yet... Fine, you can commute, but if somebody says: I've found a restaurant and some twisties after work at 200 miles away....you are literally screwed because you ain't getting there and back in probably a week :))... When it would normally take 3-6 hours there and back again. I'd like a bike that is electric and cheap, but it needs to have a better mileage, I mean I have better mileage on a bicycle than these electric motorcycles🤣🤣
I am all about electric, but the battery technology just isn't there yet. With the insane amount of money being invested in the technology, it wont be long, though. I am building my own electric motorcycle and although it will be cheaper than a retail e-moto, it wouldn't outclass an ice motorcycles for the same price. I also wanted to say that I am far from an electrical engineer and none of this has been anywhere near as hard or confusing as working on ice vehicles. Just saying, it ain't quantum mechanics. Its very simple math.
Electric bikes are like Apple iphone, very few models and barely any different from each other. ICE bikes are like Android, a lot of options and configurations to choose from.
...and once again, the ICE engine will never (that's a long time) fade away because we will eventually have domes over areas in which to enjoy them without having the fumes escape into our planet's atmosphere...
My phone hit 5% while watching this and is always dying, hope that explains why electric bikes wont work for me 😂 plus I like to ride home, not to a charging spot where the electric bike will definitely get stolen....
Honestly they should put rumble moters in seats and gass tank, Alot of my friends who drive cars are like you should get and electric motorcycle, I dont think non riders really understand how good it feels to when you turn the motor over and feel that rumble, adding that rumble I think would be a game changer
My main reasons electric bikes don’t work for me. They’re too quiet, literally silent and deadly. Also, they either don’t have enough range and/or take too long to charge. When they can give me the electric equivalent of an exhaust note, charge in less than 30 minutes with at least 250 miles of range then we can talk.
I was really considering buying an EV bike for commuting, but my commute is too far (90mi round trip, mostly interstate and I know that I like to have a shot of whiskey with my throttle), and the price is still nuts. I'm moving to Hawaii now and while my commute is dropping to 11mi round trip, I'll be living in a condo so I won't be able to charge at home... and the price is still nuts. Just going with a CB500X until I really get comfortable on two wheels, then I'll probably upgrade to something in the 650cc range, maybe in a different style. I can see myself buying an Energica or Livewire in maybe 8 or 10 years as the relative price (hopefully) comes down and my disposable income goes up.
The price of electricity is going waaaay up. It is not affordable to own an electric powered vehicle. Compared to diesel/petrol engines and the prices of such vehicles the electric vehicle pays of after 15 years of ownership, and no one owns anything for that long anymore. + you won't be able to do your own maintenance anymore. Also, how will you sell it on used market when the prices of batteries and batterie replacements are insane? EV is for small scooters, bicycles, and those hipsters that need to be milked money from.
The problem with electric bikes is distance...the there's the fact why bother? Yam yam can buy an electric scooter and be George Michael and absolutely reel in all the chicks AND dudes on every level. I'll stick with my rocket bike.
The only one that even looks promising is the one from Damon Motorcycles, but I will believe their claims when they are real world proven. Even then, too many drawbacks. When I can recharge the battery in the time it takes me to fill my tank, charging stations are as common as gas stations and I can carry a recharge option like I can an extra fuel can then they will actually become viable.
I mean, price is by far the largest factor for me. Not many choices in that $5000 sweet spot, and the choices that do exist have a few issues. Bring costs down and I’ll be on board 100%. I live in an area where I’d be doing 100% city driving, including narrow downtown roads and outer 2 lane suburban roads and for me, an electric bike is right up my alley.
Great discussion, fellas. Range and price sucks for now - I agree. Thankfully there are plenty of used electric models that ARE NOT reflecting the current economy, unlike cars - you can find a really sweet deal on a used electric motorcycle for much less than a new one. The biggest misconception with electrics is the charging nature - you don't have to fill all the way up to keep going when using DC fast charging. I rode 175 miles yesterday and only had to stop for 15 minutes - which was about how long it took me to walk into the Sheetz station, wizz, wait in line to buy some water, and then come back to the bike. Also, imagine a gasoline fairy that sneaks into your house and refills your motorcycle while you're sleeping - the magic of waking up to a full tank. This is what slow charging overnight feels like with an electric 🤣
I would have a hard time swapping my Triumph Speed Twin for anything electric, but if I was in the market for SCOOTERS I think electric now makes way more sense than ICE.
11:44 If that's the case, then you'd like to keep tabs on the Ultraviolette f77 motorcycle in India. 100 mph, 100+ miles of real world range, removable cells and KTM Duke 390 money.
For me, range, charge time, and price kill it for me. I think I could get over the other stuff with time. Sure electric bikes are pushing higher and higher ranges, but the charge time isn't there. In the case of a livewire, stopping for 40mins-1 hour every 75-100 miles? That sounds awful, and that also assumes you run it completely dead before every time you charge and just coast into the charging station at 0% which isn't realistic.
When I rode a LiveWire it felt like a transcendent form of motorcycling. I don’t see it as a replacement for the ICE until batteries go solid state and electrical infrastructure can support it, but it sure was different in it’s own interesting way. I can see it being in the city where speeds are low for max mileage and power is everywhere.
I used to get into deep arguments over EV or ICE. But now I see the bigger picture. I love ICEs but if you ever live in a country where the society is actively and aggressively going for environment protection, you'll eventually understand that it's not just ICE are under threat. One day, you'll feel obliged to take the public transportation over private vehicles (I live in France). I'm a big fan of ICEs but believe me, I LOOOOOVE being able to commute in a private way and nobody is bothering me. EVs are a last resort that protects this experience.
Very good point. I have no issues with better public transit, but I will always want my own personal vehicle. It being either a ICE or EV, I will be damned if I don't have the freedom to go where I please, when I feel like it, and in a speedy manner. I'm only against EVs currently because they are still a too expensive for what they offer. They are essentially where Plasma Flat-screen TVs were in the early 2000s. Once the early 2020s OLED flat-screen equivalent for EVs arrives, then I will make the switch to a more proven platform.
I actually got a livewire one as my first bike about 5 months ago. It delivers exactly what the guys are talking about in the video, very little maintenance, low fuel cost, and it's so easy to operate. I'd say it would be a perfect beginner bike if didn't have that supersport bike price tag. (even supersports don't cost as much)
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 Depends on what your second bike will be. Will it be another EV bike? At the price point of the Livewire, if you are buying that as your first bike there's a good chance you'll buy a second bike that comes out later thats also an EV. Or maybe a livelier 2.
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762well, actually electric bikes ARE great bikes for beginners. Clutch and shifting is great thing, but there is also one thing, that is much more important - steering. It doesn't matter how good you are with the clutch, if you can't take corner or avoid a pothole. And powerband is a different shit. If your bike has a burst of power on a small range of rpm, it's either purpose built death machine (which shouldn't be anywhere near the streets, lol), or just a poorly tuned piece of crap.
Livewire has a range of 235 km, sportster full tank may go 236km, just imagine 10 years from now the electric bike will have stupendous range of 500-600km and fast changing may charge your bike in 15-30 minutes, just just imagine, electricity being comparatively so much cheaper the pros of having a high end EV bike is being able to go ANY FUCKING WHERE at the speed of light for almost no cost, I am a petrol head but I am waiting for electric bikes advancing in technology
Evs must make sound at the press of a button, we can have options weather we want to hear a twin cylinder sound an inline 4 or a fucking x wing/star destroyer
They will be great for commuting. I had to change my oil almost every 2 months. At $100 for parts and doing it myself... it adds up fast. I need 150 mile range and the ability to do 80mph all day to make the switch.
@@John_Ridley It depends on the kind of oil you use. If you really love your bike, you can feed it some high performance engine oil, which will both last longer and provide superior protection compared to conventional. I often use products like Motul 300V, Rymax Motrax R or Voltronic XM Granturismo for my oil changes, which all cost over 20$/Qt where I live.
@@John_Ridley $10? lol... tiny little bike or something? Really depends on the bike and what it needs. I shopped for a long time for best prices to change my Honda Rebel 1100 and still ended up out $70 after getting everything. Couldn't even get the oil alone for $10, let alone the 2 filters I need. Synth oil has increased in price is I need almost 5 quarts... Oil alone was about $50 buying a gallon and an extra quart.
The livewire is not anywhere close to bleeding edge, HD started to sell them in 2014 and virtually no changes have been made. Battery and charging technology is outdated already. If you want to look at a good electric bike, look at Energica. Concerning switching to all electric, NEWZEROLAND would sure like to have a word with you...
I have to admit that Livewire looks great for an electric, ... but this world isn't even close to set up for those things in mass. Even if the power grids could handle it there'd have to be a billion charging stations. We think the line up at the gas pumps are too long sometime, just imagine if everything was electric and charge times were "just" 3 hours. In Vancouver here Tesla's are all over the place, .... but so are hybrids with a EVO "Carshare" system that uses pretty much exclusively Toyota Prius's. Maybe the tech isn't there to do that on a motorcycle, or it would just take up too much room, but Hybrids make a lot more sense in my opinion.
Where I live, more and more people are starting to get electric cars. Guess who got stuck in huge lines this summer in highway gas stations ? Funny thing, the Tesla superchargers were mostly empty cause those wheeled iPhones are still super expensive.
Brilliant analogy "a smooth polished ball" i.e. it can't be polished or smoothed or made any more spherical. Whatever improvements made would be diminishing returns and undetectable. I like it. I agree with the observation "they all look the same at the moment". I wonder how they will differentiate themselves in the future. An electric motor is an electric motor. A cylindrical, highly efficient thing that makes a shaft rotate. None of the personality of the thousands of different engine designs but stupidly easy to own.
I bought a Livewire One 3 weeks ago. Used to be a Harley Evolution motor guy. Riding on electric motorcycle is more enjoyable vs engine. I cut through the wind now vs pushing the wind.
To me it makes perfect sense. Imagine if every time you left the house on your bike you had a full tank? How often would you ever have to go to a gas station based on your own real world riding? Sure hwy range is pretty crappy but I don't know any motorcyclists that seek out hwy's to ride. Most of use are looking for the non hwy route. Off hwy these things get great range. I rode my Livewire for 2 hours last week non stop on twisty backroads doing the same speeds that I would do on my Mean Streak and after 2 hours of solid riding I only used 72% of the battery. It was awesome! They definitely aren't for everyone but no bike is. Some people like cruisers and wouldn't dream of owning a sports bike others are all about the dual sports and adventure bikes this is just another category.
I think an electric is an appealing option for someone who already has a bike or two and wants an every day commuter. I've got a KLR and a DR-Z, and it might be nice to have an electric for my rather short commute to a place that has charging stations available. I do think that accelerating through the gears on a regular ICE bike is one of the best experiences in life, and I wouldn't want to give that up, but to just twist the throttle and see nothing but plaid, that's pretty dang cool too, I'll take one of each please.
I have a ninja 400 and an electric scooter by a company named ather. It gives a range of about 100 kilometres on a full charge and literally runs on pennies cuz electricity is cheap where I live. Electric vehicles are good for commuting,but i still take the ninja for anything else
Even if gas went to $10+ a gallon, and electric bikes were on par with ICE in terms of purchase price, I still wouldn't buy one. The ONLY way I would get an electric bike, would be if it does literally everything better than an ICE bike for the same money. Weight, charge times, price, and range would actually need to exceed that of a comparable ICE bike because I'd be willing to overlook some shortcomings for the ICE riding experience. Don't see that happening any time soon.
Years ago, a very successful friend of my father bought one of the very first high definition large flat screen televisions. He paid $10,000.00 for it. The last tv I bought was higher definition, equal size, and thinner. It was less than $500.00. Let me know when we get there and I'll get an EV. If I can still ride at that point.
Hopefully it won't take a human generation before that happens. With fuel prices rising,i would still want to keep riding
Perfection👌
Thank you Andrew
Exactly, then the price of an E-motorcycle is the same as any other bike, then I will consider one. Also, I want to see more variety in styles.
@@JoeBManco Weight, range, and charge times are big factors as well. I can fill my bike tank in 2 minutes and get 200 miles of range, while carrying far less weight than an electric bike. Plus, they just don't have the sound. So, why would I pay 2-3x for something that does everything worse?
EV motorbike demand largely exists in the form of electrified street bicycles used to get around without a licence or many other costs.
Yep a Super73 R is pretty much an 80 pound EV street bike for $3500 and pays for itself in gas + fees.
I'm in favour of keeping ICE engines, I love the sound and feel of my V4 engine, and the practice of skillful transmission control which is lost to electric motors, but I understand the future requires moving away from hydrocarbon fuels (gasoline/petrol).
The way I envision the future of motorcycling preserving what we love about ICE, we should move towards converting ICE engines to hydrogen. It can use the same 4 stroke combustion cycle and engine designs, but with clean emissions (only water is produced by hydrogen combustion), so current engines can be modified to work with hydrogen and the only significant change for manufacturers would be the fuel tank and intake system being set up for safe hydrogen storage.
Battery electric can be reserved for cars and trucks, as well as the bikes with DCT/auto transmissions which wouldn't benefit from keeping an ICE engine and might as well switch to a soul-less electric motor which has no transmission anyway and there would be barely any change to the riding experience.
Although i'm not certain of how viable it would be with the space and weight constraints at the moment, I'd love to see hybrid hydrogen bikes where it's primarily hydrogen powered, but regenerative braking could power up a relatively small battery which could in turn be used with an integrated motor to supplement low speed torque, leveraging the energy usually lost to heat during braking and the advantage of electric motors having phenomenal torque compared to ICE.
Only problem with such a design is the current technological limitations of size and weight, but this is all about the future where miniaturisation and improved efficiency can be expected. 🤷♂
I talked about that to a friend that works in chemistry and he told me that hydrogen storage is incredibly difficult and would be extremely impractical to use as an ICE fuel because of the low efficiency and the danger posed in storing it. And we were talking about cars.
As much as I love this idea, it would be way more efficient used in a fuel cell.. to power an electric motor.
For ICE we'd still have E85 I guess, that seems an interesting solution, provided it doesn't eff up the food prices.
@@aaronaaronsen3360 I consider any fuel with alcohol (and MTBE before that) "watered down" or "partially combusted" fuel - you know, there is already oxygen in there (hence the term "oxygenated") bound to 1/4 carbon and 1 hydrogen atoms - those atoms do NOT react with oxygen from the air, they just have to be heated up which is basically a waste of energy. The remainder of the fuel is just hydrogen and carbon - those both react with oxygen providing the energy to the engine. Energy wise, it's best to keep any oxygen out of your fuel until it needs to burn. Your friend likely agrees with me.
> skillful transmission control which is lost to electric motor
Watch out, Kawasaki Endeavour is coming 😂
as soon as diamonds are actually rare - then worry about fossil fuels - not to mention - EVs need 90% hydrocarbon powerplants - it's a huge scam
plausible but id rather pay much much more for man made fuel (theoretically possible but expesnive ofc)
There's still alot to be developed in the ICE. The most important is the alternative/synthetic fuel source but it's just much easier to jump the ship and let all that R&D go to waste than to put effort into making something revolutionary. But it won't happen until the industry gets out of being under the thumb of Big Oil.
I have been riding for 20 years and plan on making the switch to all electric when the prices drop and when the range increases. It's all about energy density which will improve with time.
I'm waiting for the weight to be 200kg
I think the range is fine they have similar range to gas bikes I just could never afford any of them
@@someoldheadtakes same here. A lot of bikes now have 12 or 14 litre tanks on 700cc 900cc and some 1000cc bikes. The range is probably worse than electric. Still no big issue to stop at a petrol station in most cases.
@@chrishart8548 yeah I’m really curious on how long bikes take to charge with things like teslas super charger
My first bike is a livewire. I love it
I got a Ducati Scrambler Icon Dark... that's my argument...
For city traffic there is a lot benefits of riding ebike.. maybe next few years they become more affordable, with long lasting lighter batteries, that can be recharged for couple of minutes...only that would be game changer for ebikes
I have the live wire just recently got it too. I love it. Sometimes I’m in Austin so hope I run into Yammie here soon. Definitely saved me monies in the gas department. I have about 2800 miles on it and have yet to fork over them buckaroos per mile.
Lol, 09:28 "eleven hours to charge from zero to empty"
Great video btw.
9.28 I like how he says it takes 11 hours to charge from 0 to empty🤣🤣
Seems wiser to buy a high MPG ICE bike. Several out there getting 75-100 MPG, for 5-10k out the door. You’re never recouping that cost on the EV
Unless I hear a reliable solid state battery is in production, electric motorcycles are simply not on my radar.
The problem with electric motor market is they're still lacking long range, mid-performance machine capable of tackling 200 miles on 30-50 horsepower. Either you have piddly-ass scooter or you have impractical superhighway machine, neither of them really fulfill people's expectation.
probably a good take would be ev to drive in the city to the office and back and everything else ice bc it is just a wonderful experience
I am actually considering it now for local use. I own a 1250 that gets me down the freeway but I would use a small electric for local shopping and such. They already have them, the European motor-scooters that are 50cc are now being made electric.. They are really cheap (perhaps $2,500US). They will get you to the shop and back or over to a local friends place at suburban road speed. If I worked locally I would own one today but still hold onto my ICE for weekends and fun. I think my situation will become the dominant one for a while. You are not going to replace your HD Road Glide or your BMW "K" series for an electric but you may supplement it with a cheap secondary.
Yammie been hit’n the weights? Those arms are getting ginormous.
BOTH are great motorcycles and with a good pair of Flying Eyes sunglasses I'd look cool riding around town.
When we can rely on the electrical grid to supply us with steady power without rolling blackouts just from our Air Conditioning let alone a wave of new vehicles requiring to be plugged in every night. Then maybe we could be ready for them.
>11 hours to charge from zero to empty
Someone should start a company that is like the propane canister industry. Instead of pulling up for a tank of gas, You pull up and swap a cel pack out for a industry standard ( lol goodluck) battery cell pack. They could have like a 4 6 and 8 cell variety for the performance level of the bikes. It would allow electric bikes to be "refueled" in 5-10 min instead of half days
There is a lie at the heart of the ICE industry not just motorcycles. Oil is a finite resource. Think for a second of Drake and his oil well in PA. There was a boom after he drilled his first hole. Pretty soon, there were lots of wells and when a new was drilled, an old one went dry.
But with bikes- it's emotional for sure
So it seems to me, we have to figure out what that feeling is about riding deep down below the mechanics of the machine. I don't know how to do that.
as a bike for most of us in the states is a luxury item and not our main means of transportation. when i ride my bikes i wanna hear and feel going through the gears EV anything is just boring to me. yes i know they are fast but who cares i still drive a manual sedan for the fun of it
i just like the rumble of an engine. if i was a passenger in a car, the rumble would put me to sleep like a baby in a cradle. if it was a EV car I would be soo restless that i want to get out. and for bikes its just what yammie said, it makes the bike feels alive.
Call me crazy but does anyone else feel that the watching of volt meter kind of saps the Soul out of the whole free spirited jump on your motorcycle experience?
In about 6 years battery tech is going to change. New battery types will be cheaper and have more storage. New tech like sodium ion, solid state, and lithium sulfate are all working on mass production.
Aren't these things just faster scooters?
Scooters get better range per fill up.
I've thought about switching to electric for my commute to work & we're lucky enough in Australia to have a couple of cheap Chinese electric motorcycles on the market that could do the job. We can get a scooter speed version, which is great for most of my commute, for $5000 AUD ride away, or for $3000 AUD more there's one that can go at local freeway speeds. Every time I look at them though the math just doesn't work out. Even with today's silly fuel prices I only spend around $25 AUD a fortnight to fill my 650's tank. That's around $650 AUD per year. At that rate, it would take over 7 1/2 years to break even on the cheapest model compared to a bike that already own. On the more capable & expensive one that blows out to over 12 years. Obviously I've simplified the equation, but even with maintenance costs factored in for both (EV's need tires & brake pads too) It's still a long time for comparatively such a small amount of money. For reference, a Ninja 400 is $8,901 AUD ride away here with ABS. ABS is mandatory for new motorcycles sold in Australia.
Not there yet, it needs a new chemistry for better range and despite all.the claims we are still using lithium technology that is decades old with a few small tweaks.
Price is stupid and does NOT reflect what these things COULD be built for.
I've converted a few push bikes to electric for a few hundred UK pounds and Love riding them, no range anxiety because I can pedal so i can see the attraction of electric with regards the smooth quiet cheap motoring.
I will miss riding a proper motorcycle but tbh the cost of fuel and maintenance is quite prohibitive.
For me it will come down to price, speed and range.
I'd gi for 5k , 85mph, and 130 miles ( so 100 is usable before worrying about recharging ), obviously more speed and range would be nicer lol.
Hello I am new to motorcycle just got my endorsement and trying to get a bike love the videos
Gimme 200+ legit miles on a 15 minute charge for the same price as a regular bike and I'll buy an electric bike. So I guess it's never going to happen.
Yamx0r you gotta do some vids on Energica.
I just watch your videos, whatever you guys put up. It's fine
I have been driving electric cars for 12 years and am on my second one and I have one electric bicycle, BUT when I go motorcycle riding I will not give up the GOOD feeling I get from my Honda or Janus single cylinder "THUMPERs"
Sincerely,
Howard Spruit
Cool i have to buy a generator to make sure i'm not stranded during a power outage. I'd like to see sqikes ROI saying it pays for it's self.
Clutch vs clutchless. No mention of that (benefit?)
There are more and more high performance e bikes that are essentially motorcycles for much less money then E motorcycles. What do you think about them?
Oh just stop crying about the "death of ICE bikes" gas will be around longer than any of us will live to see.
The problem I'm seeing with electric bikes right now (as another poor soul who loves his Sportster) is that you are getting liter bike power without the soul for $25,000 with half gallon gas tank that takes 11 hours to fill. I'll keep my rumbles for the time being.
Got package for you ☝️📦📦!
Will you's review the Veitis eV-Twin? Best looking electric motorcycle I've seen so far
Got package for you ☝️📦📦!
Yeah, yeah. EV bikes are cool, but I don't believe we are anywhere close on ICEs. There are so many avenues of innovation and increases in efficiency. I think the ICE machines have simply begun to plateau due to our dependence on our gasoline fuel that is so ingrained in society. There are pretty amazing things going on with alternative fuels, which will bring much more innovation in the mechanical scene as we try to adapt to them apart from the inventions independent of fuel innovation in the first place. I think a few searches on google and youtube can shed a light on many new inspiring ICE mechanisms which are entirely fresh in their workings and power, like new piston dynamics or rotor shapes. Personally I think hydrogen is a pretty cool thing to build an engine around using to it's fullest, but there are many others with potential.
I've got to post one more opinion on EVs - kind of on a tangent, but here goes. I drive a VW Sprinter-type van as my workplace. An EV. It's nice, quiet, got all the farkles. And it's also BY FAR the most boring car I've ever driven. Sensors everywhere - that goes nuts in snow and sometimes goes all Christine on you with rider assist, beeps and whatnot.
With my FE450 - I know it's trying to kill me in map2/no tc. Plus there are a 0% chance of a red-light running cyclist/scooter NOT hearing me when I call up the Power of Throttle!
As clean as the engines that power the charging stations
I like the concept of motorcycles, but I don't like the sound of ICE ones. EV motorcycles are like a dream to me, but it seems others think "ICE cars/MCs have more soul, therefore they're much better"
EVs are still evolving, obviously they're not as advanced, but they have no emissions post-production and they're much quieter.
For now, yes, I understand why ICE's might be better in many aspects, but I do believe EVs to be the future for every vehicle
I’m ok skool too brother. Getting a electronic motorcycle is going to take some time to get use too🤷🏽♂️
Having no money because if all got spent on the electric bike. Will take some getting used too.
The amount of money an EV costs is severely underplayed, remember you can always buy any old 600 motorcycle for 2000$, and that's still a great bike.
The big problem I see with electric, anything really, is over the next 5-10yrs (maybe less) battery and motor technology is going to jump ahead by leaps and bounds. I can't see it being a viable option for the time being.
Review a sirron storm bee, shits crazy
Got package for you ☝️📦📦!
Electric bikes, once they crack the lower sub 200cc market in Asia and Europe (scooters and underbones) they'll be a mainstay.
The classical music is getting REALLY old guys. Also, I own a 21 Zero SR. 90-110 miles highway and about 200 miles going 35-40. That's plenty enough for a ride unless you're doing a lot of highway. But the key right now is having 2 bikes.
@9:25 what's with the sticker stating Do not move w/o IGN on?
Wish tesla would make a motorcycle with normal design (no cyberpunky stuff)
I did not watch the video but from the title but I can here it already.......Reeeeeeeeeeal Bike????????
Nuclear fusion motorcyle when
I agree with Yam at the beginning of the video good luck trying to pry my bike out of my cold dead hands. Especially considering I’m a new rider who just got his full motorcycle endorsement and I’m thoroughly enjoying 07 KTM. If Yam or Spite reads this promise me you won’t get mad. The answer to as of what model my bike is Spite just got his back
With the new tax credit starting in 2023, the LiveWire Del Mar is going to cost $7500. Not bad for an electric motorcycle from Harley.
Yeah, EVs are the future, but they still lack that character that we have with ICE vehicles, both cars and bikes. I called them “soulless” as they are becoming more and more the mobile version of a smart device. I do think ICE bikes will have another 10 to 15 years. That said, I met a fellow beemer rider who had to be about 75 yo and has had dozens of bikes; he LOVES his new LiveWire as the best bike he has owned thus far. Meh, until the prices come down along with lower/faster charge times and improved range…and some ‘character’ to them….I’ll stick with my beemer. BTW - great channel!
22700 is hellish cheap compared to Denmark .. most HD .. even a damn 883 250 k .. Danish .. devide that by 7 ..
Just another way to capture a market segment so it can be cash raped. Which is fine for the urban tax cattle. If you want more environmentally friendly, give me an E85 bike with a 16:1 compression ratio. Or better still, a super lightweight design circa 500cc turbo bike, also on E85. Goal is sub 400lbs, plus 200 hp.
I'm a die hard combustion engine....because the 20k rpms :)), but then there are 35k revving electric engines that sound silly nice.......
In the end if you plan to travel with a motorcycle and you want to go to another country/another state/another city.....electric is not the way yet...
Fine, you can commute, but if somebody says: I've found a restaurant and some twisties after work at 200 miles away....you are literally screwed because you ain't getting there and back in probably a week :))... When it would normally take 3-6 hours there and back again.
I'd like a bike that is electric and cheap, but it needs to have a better mileage, I mean I have better mileage on a bicycle than these electric motorcycles🤣🤣
I am not gonna give my internal cubuction even after i am dead.....
I am all about electric, but the battery technology just isn't there yet. With the insane amount of money being invested in the technology, it wont be long, though. I am building my own electric motorcycle and although it will be cheaper than a retail e-moto, it wouldn't outclass an ice motorcycles for the same price. I also wanted to say that I am far from an electrical engineer and none of this has been anywhere near as hard or confusing as working on ice vehicles. Just saying, it ain't quantum mechanics. Its very simple math.
Electric bikes are like Apple iphone, very few models and barely any different from each other. ICE bikes are like Android, a lot of options and configurations to choose from.
You are all soooo slow to comprehend: Nuclear Powered Motorcycle (NPM) is the future...
...and nice analogy with the tube amps vs. digital...
...and once again, the ICE engine will never (that's a long time) fade away because we will eventually have domes over areas in which to enjoy them without having the fumes escape into our planet's atmosphere...
My phone hit 5% while watching this and is always dying, hope that explains why electric bikes wont work for me 😂 plus I like to ride home, not to a charging spot where the electric bike will definitely get stolen....
Honestly they should put rumble moters in seats and gass tank, Alot of my friends who drive cars are like you should get and electric motorcycle, I dont think non riders really understand how good it feels to when you turn the motor over and feel that rumble, adding that rumble I think would be a game changer
My main reasons electric bikes don’t work for me. They’re too quiet, literally silent and deadly. Also, they either don’t have enough range and/or take too long to charge. When they can give me the electric equivalent of an exhaust note, charge in less than 30 minutes with at least 250 miles of range then we can talk.
Got package for you ☝️📦📦!
There's no better use for an electric motor than starting an ICE
In short: NO!
Neither WOULD nor SHOULD !!
I was really considering buying an EV bike for commuting, but my commute is too far (90mi round trip, mostly interstate and I know that I like to have a shot of whiskey with my throttle), and the price is still nuts. I'm moving to Hawaii now and while my commute is dropping to 11mi round trip, I'll be living in a condo so I won't be able to charge at home... and the price is still nuts. Just going with a CB500X until I really get comfortable on two wheels, then I'll probably upgrade to something in the 650cc range, maybe in a different style. I can see myself buying an Energica or Livewire in maybe 8 or 10 years as the relative price (hopefully) comes down and my disposable income goes up.
The price of electricity is going waaaay up. It is not affordable to own an electric powered vehicle. Compared to diesel/petrol engines and the prices of such vehicles the electric vehicle pays of after 15 years of ownership, and no one owns anything for that long anymore. + you won't be able to do your own maintenance anymore.
Also, how will you sell it on used market when the prices of batteries and batterie replacements are insane? EV is for small scooters, bicycles, and those hipsters that need to be milked money from.
Nothing we can do just don’t buy them and they will change there tune
The problem with electric bikes is distance...the there's the fact why bother? Yam yam can buy an electric scooter and be George Michael and absolutely reel in all the chicks AND dudes on every level. I'll stick with my rocket bike.
The only one that even looks promising is the one from Damon Motorcycles, but I will believe their claims when they are real world proven. Even then, too many drawbacks. When I can recharge the battery in the time it takes me to fill my tank, charging stations are as common as gas stations and I can carry a recharge option like I can an extra fuel can then they will actually become viable.
NO
The background music is getting to my nerves.
no
I mean, price is by far the largest factor for me. Not many choices in that $5000 sweet spot, and the choices that do exist have a few issues. Bring costs down and I’ll be on board 100%.
I live in an area where I’d be doing 100% city driving, including narrow downtown roads and outer 2 lane suburban roads and for me, an electric bike is right up my alley.
Great discussion, fellas. Range and price sucks for now - I agree. Thankfully there are plenty of used electric models that ARE NOT reflecting the current economy, unlike cars - you can find a really sweet deal on a used electric motorcycle for much less than a new one. The biggest misconception with electrics is the charging nature - you don't have to fill all the way up to keep going when using DC fast charging. I rode 175 miles yesterday and only had to stop for 15 minutes - which was about how long it took me to walk into the Sheetz station, wizz, wait in line to buy some water, and then come back to the bike. Also, imagine a gasoline fairy that sneaks into your house and refills your motorcycle while you're sleeping - the magic of waking up to a full tank. This is what slow charging overnight feels like with an electric 🤣
I’d love an electric motorcycle for commuting to work. It wouldn’t replace my ICE bike because of the lack of range and recharging time.
The LiveWire is one of the best looking EV bikes. It just needs to be a quarter to half the currenr price, way faster charging, and a lot more range.
You can fast charge it in less than an hour though, that's pretty quick.
I would have a hard time swapping my Triumph Speed Twin for anything electric, but if I was in the market for SCOOTERS I think electric now makes way more sense than ICE.
Ya, on the scooter side, electric makes sense. Full size bike, no chance.
Agreed, specially in the tropics🌞 every day,
11:44 If that's the case, then you'd like to keep tabs on the Ultraviolette f77 motorcycle in India. 100 mph, 100+ miles of real world range, removable cells and KTM Duke 390 money.
If it ever launches 🙄🙄. Has been under production for 3+ years and is going to be expensive than similar performing 200s and 300s
For me, range, charge time, and price kill it for me. I think I could get over the other stuff with time. Sure electric bikes are pushing higher and higher ranges, but the charge time isn't there. In the case of a livewire, stopping for 40mins-1 hour every 75-100 miles? That sounds awful, and that also assumes you run it completely dead before every time you charge and just coast into the charging station at 0% which isn't realistic.
When I rode a LiveWire it felt like a transcendent form of motorcycling. I don’t see it as a replacement for the ICE until batteries go solid state and electrical infrastructure can support it, but it sure was different in it’s own interesting way. I can see it being in the city where speeds are low for max mileage and power is everywhere.
I have many motos, if that eHD was reasonable I would want one, the torque is real
I used to get into deep arguments over EV or ICE. But now I see the bigger picture. I love ICEs but if you ever live in a country where the society is actively and aggressively going for environment protection, you'll eventually understand that it's not just ICE are under threat. One day, you'll feel obliged to take the public transportation over private vehicles (I live in France). I'm a big fan of ICEs but believe me, I LOOOOOVE being able to commute in a private way and nobody is bothering me. EVs are a last resort that protects this experience.
Very good point. I have no issues with better public transit, but I will always want my own personal vehicle. It being either a ICE or EV, I will be damned if I don't have the freedom to go where I please, when I feel like it, and in a speedy manner.
I'm only against EVs currently because they are still a too expensive for what they offer. They are essentially where Plasma Flat-screen TVs were in the early 2000s. Once the early 2020s OLED flat-screen equivalent for EVs arrives, then I will make the switch to a more proven platform.
I actually got a livewire one as my first bike about 5 months ago. It delivers exactly what the guys are talking about in the video, very little maintenance, low fuel cost, and it's so easy to operate. I'd say it would be a perfect beginner bike if didn't have that supersport bike price tag. (even supersports don't cost as much)
Is it a perfect beginner bike if you can't learn clutch/shifting/powerbands/etc?
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 Depends on what your second bike will be. Will it be another EV bike? At the price point of the Livewire, if you are buying that as your first bike there's a good chance you'll buy a second bike that comes out later thats also an EV. Or maybe a livelier 2.
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762well, actually electric bikes ARE great bikes for beginners. Clutch and shifting is great thing, but there is also one thing, that is much more important - steering. It doesn't matter how good you are with the clutch, if you can't take corner or avoid a pothole.
And powerband is a different shit. If your bike has a burst of power on a small range of rpm, it's either purpose built death machine (which shouldn't be anywhere near the streets, lol), or just a poorly tuned piece of crap.
@@morgulusthetrollslayer6672 Maybe you should've learnt to ride a bike as toddler. Steering a bicycle is easy, even children can do it.
I had an electric motorcycle in like 1975. It was probably the first power wheel. It was a police motorcycle.
"First power wheel" LMFAO 🤣😂🤣
@@michaelmurdock4607 😂🤣😂👌
Nope, the government took away the incentive to do so.
Yes right! Why should we get one they suck ass can’t work on em they will not last and too expensive
Livewire has a range of 235 km, sportster full tank may go 236km, just imagine 10 years from now the electric bike will have stupendous range of 500-600km and fast changing may charge your bike in 15-30 minutes, just just imagine, electricity being comparatively so much cheaper the pros of having a high end EV bike is being able to go ANY FUCKING WHERE at the speed of light for almost no cost, I am a petrol head but I am waiting for electric bikes advancing in technology
I am a student in India owning a 650, I can't go much far as fuel costs are fuckall.... so you may understand why this matters to me
Evs must make sound at the press of a button, we can have options weather we want to hear a twin cylinder sound an inline 4 or a fucking x wing/star destroyer
They will be great for commuting. I had to change my oil almost every 2 months. At $100 for parts and doing it myself... it adds up fast. I need 150 mile range and the ability to do 80mph all day to make the switch.
The only thing we miss as petrol heads is the sound, imagine having a button to enable sound like ev Mustang
How the heck does it cost $100 for an oil change? About $10 over here even with a filter.
@@John_Ridley It depends on the kind of oil you use. If you really love your bike, you can feed it some high performance engine oil, which will both last longer and provide superior protection compared to conventional. I often use products like Motul 300V, Rymax Motrax R or Voltronic XM Granturismo for my oil changes, which all cost over 20$/Qt where I live.
@@John_Ridley I came here to ask this.
Big sus moment
@@John_Ridley $10? lol... tiny little bike or something? Really depends on the bike and what it needs. I shopped for a long time for best prices to change my Honda Rebel 1100 and still ended up out $70 after getting everything. Couldn't even get the oil alone for $10, let alone the 2 filters I need. Synth oil has increased in price is I need almost 5 quarts... Oil alone was about $50 buying a gallon and an extra quart.
The livewire is not anywhere close to bleeding edge, HD started to sell them in 2014 and virtually no changes have been made. Battery and charging technology is outdated already. If you want to look at a good electric bike, look at Energica. Concerning switching to all electric, NEWZEROLAND would sure like to have a word with you...
This video could be less than 5 seconds long. “NO”, the end.
I have to admit that Livewire looks great for an electric, ... but this world isn't even close to set up for those things in mass. Even if the power grids could handle it there'd have to be a billion charging stations. We think the line up at the gas pumps are too long sometime, just imagine if everything was electric and charge times were "just" 3 hours. In Vancouver here Tesla's are all over the place, .... but so are hybrids with a EVO "Carshare" system that uses pretty much exclusively Toyota Prius's. Maybe the tech isn't there to do that on a motorcycle, or it would just take up too much room, but Hybrids make a lot more sense in my opinion.
a hybrid bike would be expensive as hell and very heavy.
Where I live, more and more people are starting to get electric cars. Guess who got stuck in huge lines this summer in highway gas stations ?
Funny thing, the Tesla superchargers were mostly empty cause those wheeled iPhones are still super expensive.
Brilliant analogy "a smooth polished ball" i.e. it can't be polished or smoothed or made any more spherical. Whatever improvements made would be diminishing returns and undetectable. I like it. I agree with the observation "they all look the same at the moment". I wonder how they will differentiate themselves in the future. An electric motor is an electric motor. A cylindrical, highly efficient thing that makes a shaft rotate. None of the personality of the thousands of different engine designs but stupidly easy to own.
I bought a Livewire One 3 weeks ago. Used to be a Harley Evolution motor guy. Riding on electric motorcycle is more enjoyable vs engine. I cut through the wind now vs pushing the wind.
nice!
To me it makes perfect sense. Imagine if every time you left the house on your bike you had a full tank? How often would you ever have to go to a gas station based on your own real world riding? Sure hwy range is pretty crappy but I don't know any motorcyclists that seek out hwy's to ride. Most of use are looking for the non hwy route. Off hwy these things get great range. I rode my Livewire for 2 hours last week non stop on twisty backroads doing the same speeds that I would do on my Mean Streak and after 2 hours of solid riding I only used 72% of the battery. It was awesome! They definitely aren't for everyone but no bike is. Some people like cruisers and wouldn't dream of owning a sports bike others are all about the dual sports and adventure bikes this is just another category.
I think an electric is an appealing option for someone who already has a bike or two and wants an every day commuter. I've got a KLR and a DR-Z, and it might be nice to have an electric for my rather short commute to a place that has charging stations available.
I do think that accelerating through the gears on a regular ICE bike is one of the best experiences in life, and I wouldn't want to give that up, but to just twist the throttle and see nothing but plaid, that's pretty dang cool too, I'll take one of each please.
I have a ninja 400 and an electric scooter by a company named ather. It gives a range of about 100 kilometres on a full charge and literally runs on pennies cuz electricity is cheap where I live. Electric vehicles are good for commuting,but i still take the ninja for anything else
Even if gas went to $10+ a gallon, and electric bikes were on par with ICE in terms of purchase price, I still wouldn't buy one. The ONLY way I would get an electric bike, would be if it does literally everything better than an ICE bike for the same money. Weight, charge times, price, and range would actually need to exceed that of a comparable ICE bike because I'd be willing to overlook some shortcomings for the ICE riding experience. Don't see that happening any time soon.