A man, a plan, an electric motorcycle

Although electric motorcycles tend to be built with the commuter, not the long-distance tourer, in mind, some riders are trying to prove they are just as capable of going the distance.

While Terry Hershner was (and continues to be) one of the foremost in the long-distance battery bike community, another rider has come up with a plan for this summer that echoes Hershner’s own coast-to-coast rides of a few years ago. Ben Rich, who was formerly involved in the movie Kick Gas, is now planning a trip that will see him ride to the four corners (Seattle, Los Angeles, Florida, Maine) of the United States on his 2014 Zero SR electric motorcycle.

It’s not as if he’s a newbie at this stuff himself, as he’s already done his own cross-continental tour and also ridden in Mexico and Canada aboard his battery bike. His secret? He’s tweaked his bike’s charging system; previous upgrades got charge times down to 60-100 minutes, he told Green Car Reports, and now he says he should be looking at 30-60 minutes for a charge. Other savvy tricks, such as using smartphone apps to keep track of RV park locations (with their 50-amp charging capacity!) help him streamline his charge times and put more hours in the saddle instead of waiting to top up his batteries.

Check out Rich’s Facebook page, with details on his travels, here.