There are two ways you can look at this video.
The first way is to think, “Hey, check it out! A low-maintenance, low-hassle, super-fun machine that can go anywhere, doesn’t annoy the neighbours with noise—is this the future?”
The other is to point out, “Hey, he still needed a truck to drive it to the woods, thanks to limited range. And what’s he going to do to dispose of that toxic battery pack when the bike doesn’t hold a proper charge anymore? And ultimately, can you replace the all-around utility of a motorcycle with what’s essentially an electric toy?”
Make no mistake, battery bikes are here to stay. But will they just be toys for running around doing jumps in the woods, like a hopped-up skateboard, or will they be used by serious people for serious things like cross-continental riding, or a two-up trip to Labrador? It’s an important question, because while there’s no doubt that electric motorcycles can be fun and practical, we’re still waiting for them to become feasible for real-world use outside urban areas.
Electric trials bikes make perfect sense. Trials competitions are closed course and short duration. It wouldn’t take much to carry a spare battery with you.
Apples and oranges. No one would ever consider riding a trials bike 2-up to Labrador, and you need a pickup or trailer to haul your gas powered trials bike to the trails.
Given the short distances travelled, the limited places to ride and the need for another vehicle to get you there, trials, motocross and enduro have the best prospects for early electric use in motorcycles. I was saddened by the bankruptcy of Alta, but hold out hope with Honda’s latest concept. If the battery can last a day, and they can bring it out with a weight and price comparable to a 250 2-stroke, I’d be very interested.
Electric long distance touring is much further off, and probably requires a significant technological leap. But that’s no reason to diss an electric trials bike simply because it doesn’t deliver on something not even close to its mandate.
To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this bike at all–as you may note, that’s one of the possible opinions you could take based on the article.
Automotive batteries are one of the most successfully recycled products in existence.
There is 0% probability that tomorrow will be less electric than today.
I always invest in inevitability, if I can find it.
Electric transportation on a grand scale is an inevitable thing.
Visordown 9 ap 19
https://www.visordown.com/reviews/road-test/240-racing-adult-review
$6 666 for an electric bicycle yikes!!!
You can spend $14k CAD on a fully optioned Santa Cruz full suspension mountain bike, non motorized.
I could spend a small fortune on a gold-plated toilet, but I’m sure not going to,
This is a fun toy for someone, which is really what most bikes are these days. I’d sure want one if I had another half acre of property.