The future is electric………….

[VNA - BMW Wank]

 Prototype electric BMW wastes existing S1000R
 

As proof of just how nifty this thing is, BMW put one of their test riders on an S1000R – no slouch itself with 162bhp on tap. But even the pro, saving absolutely no horses or clutch plates, couldn’t even come close to keeping muster with the relentless electric drive of the E-Power Roadster.

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-tech/bmw-electric-motorbike-concept/
 


 
 

[VNA - BMW Wank]

[Grahamm]

That's great (apart from the charging time), but it occurs to me that there's a problem I've not seen mentioned:

I'm no particular fan of the A2, A1, A bike licensing system, but I can understand the need for it, to stop new riders going out on machines that are too powerful for their skills and then finding out the hard way that they're not Valentino Rossi when they slam it into a tree.

With electric bikes, however, *all* machines will have the capability of the ridiculous acceleration that the one in the article demonstrates, so there will be no progression of 125, 600, 1000 for example.

Now, yes, you coud electronically "throttle" and limit the power to stop this, but I have little doubt that within a few weeks of these sorts of bike becoming mass market available at prices that people can afford, there will be aftermarket kits on eBay and Amazon allowing you to re-flash the system or simply bypass the restrictions and there's going to be a spate of young riders being scraped off the road and new calls for these "lethal machines" to be taken off the road.

I really don't know what can be done about this, because any restriction can be bypassed if you want to

[agricola]

OMG,  the leccy one looks awful

[VNA - BMW Wank]

[BBROWN1664]

OMG,  the leccy one looks awful

Once theres a fairing and a fake underseat exhaust nobody would know

[mtread]

Looks OK apart from the cat litter tray underneath the 'tank'

[YamFazFan]

I'll just give up riding if they outlaw petrol engine motorbikes. Got zero interest in zero emission vehicles. I'd have to get an electric car though because I can't manage without one.

[Dudeofrude]

I'm no particular fan of the A2, A1, A bike licensing system, but I can understand the need for it, to stop new riders going out on machines that are too powerful for their skills and then finding out the hard way that they're not Valentino Rossi when they slam it into a tree.

Not really as the current system is only based on age. So if your 24 you can pass your test one day and then go out and jump on any 200+bhp bike the next. But if you are 23 then youd have to wait a year and take a retest... it's a shit system.

I've long thought it should just be a blanket restriction on everyone regardless of age. 47bhp for 2 years then automatic derestriction

As for electric vehicles, there are categories based on battery output so all they would need if a restriction to say a 12kw battery then a open to a 30kw etc etc

[BBROWN1664]

Not really as the current system is only based on age. So if your 24 you can pass your test one day and then go out and jump on any 200+bhp bike the next. But if you are 23 then youd have to wait a year and take a retest... it's a shit system.

Not quite. Age defines when you can jump straight on and take a test at that level but the limits are still there should you want to take the A1 or A2 test instead of the full A test once you are over 24. BTW, turn up on a 125 to take your test when you are 30+ and you will be stuck on a 125 after you pass too

[Dudeofrude]

Not really as the current system is only based on age. So if your 24 you can pass your test one day and then go out and jump on any 200+bhp bike the next. But if you are 23 then youd have to wait a year and take a retest... it's a shit system.

Not quite. Age defines when you can jump straight on and take a test at that level but the limits are still there should you want to take the A1 or A2 test instead of the full A test once you are over 24. BTW, turn up on a 125 to take your test when you are 30+ and you will be stuck on a 125 after you pass too

Yeah "if you want to",  realistically who is going to turn up and do a test on a restricted bike if they dont have to? Maybe the odd scooter rider but other than that it isnt going to happen.
I took my test under these rules at the age of 25 and the option of a restricted test was never even mentioned.

Only person I've ever known of taking a restricted test when they didn't need to was a poor short girl that took hers the same day as me who unfortunately wasn't tell enough to ride the er6 so had to take her test on a 500cc cruiser that was available. And again she really didn't want to but that's the only choice she had at the time due to her training school being under equipped.

Another friend of mine passed around 5 months ago at the age of 23, restricted to 47bhp, has had an er6 since. He turned 24 last week, passed his full test and has just bought a Honda Cbr1000rr 😳😳
I'll be lucky if I see him again in one piece 😬

[coffee]

Don't look to heavy that,does it ? don't think you'll be flip flopping around tight corners on that!

[VNA - BMW Wank]

 It weighs 290kg but BMW say they will easily be able to trim at least 30kg off it.
What we really need is the next generation of battery technology.  If they can sus graphene battery technology for example.  Well that will slash weight and boost range no end.
Basically if graphene battery technology becomes reality then the internal combustion can be consigned to history.
 

[coffee]

Never heard of graphene tech,what's that some better kind of lythium or something completely different?

[VNA - BMW Wank]

 Best to google it bud.
Or grab your pencil and some Sellotape.  Wrap a bit of Sellotape around the pencil tip and remove – you now have graphene.
Graphene is a flat layer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb arrangement.
 

[Grahamm]

I'm no particular fan of the A2, A1, A bike licensing system, but I can understand the need for it, to stop new riders going out on machines that are too powerful for their skills and then finding out the hard way that they're not Valentino Rossi when they slam it into a tree.

Not really as the current system is only based on age. So if your 24 you can pass your test one day and then go out and jump on any 200+bhp bike the next. But if you are 23 then youd have to wait a year and take a retest... it's a shit system.

Yes, it's not perfect, but people's attitude to risk does change as they grow up, so it's better than nothing.

As for electric vehicles, there are categories based on battery output so all they would need if a restriction to say a 12kw battery then a open to a 30kw etc etc

Ok, that's something I wasn't aware of and it makes it a bit better, although I don't know whether aftermarket "higher output" batteries would make an appearance...

[Oldgit]

Never.

[bludclot]

I'll just give up riding if they outlaw petrol engine motorbikes. Got zero interest in zero emission vehicles.

Two comments on this:


1) Petrol engine motorbikes generally have one crucial performance advantage over cars and that's acceleration. If electric vehicles proliferate this advantage is likely to be eroded or even eradicated. I don't want to be on two wheels and the slowest thing on the road....


2) Zero emission vehicles do not exist. Mankind has not invented one yet or even come close. In much the same way that compact discs were 'perfect' sound quality and virtually indestructible when they came to market, this is a marketing phrase which, actually, is a complete misrepresentation.




There are many problems with fossil fuel vehicles, there are many problems with electric vehicles too, currently one of which is the attitude of many towards acceptance. (Me included, I run a (nearly) classic van for work which I have invested a large amount of time and money in, I am known for it locally and it alone wins me many jobs, I do not want to give it up.)

[agricola]

Government, local and national, will eventually legislate us off and out of our fossil fuelled machines. The cost of the electrically powered vehicles would have to come down significantly for most of us to be able to afford one, and the sheer size and weight of the power pack would have to shrink too, that should lead to them becoming a little easier on the eye.

[F4celess]

Would be interesting to view a Service schedule, for such an electric motorbike. What's involved, service interval, plus costs.
(not so much tyre wear, but electric motor / battery pack maintenance that might be found on such a machine).

It's not in the manufacturers interest to wave goodbye to you upon selling the bike. They hope you'll be returning frequently with your wallet in your hand (certainly to retain warranty, parts, etc).

Also some electric cars, you don't actually 'own' the battery pack, but are 'leasing' it. An additional regular payment.

[BBROWN1664]

Would be interesting to view a Service schedule, for such an electric motorbike. What's involved, service interval, plus costs.

From what I have seen regarding electric cars, the service interval is kept at the same as the fossil fuel versions and costs are similar too. The argument they use is they still need to do all the other stuff!!

[agricola]

Would be interesting to view a Service schedule, for such an electric motorbike. What's involved, service interval, plus costs.
(not so much tyre wear, but electric motor / battery pack maintenance that might be found on such a machine).

It's not in the manufacturers interest to wave goodbye to you upon selling the bike. They hope you'll be returning frequently with your wallet in your hand (certainly to retain warranty, parts, etc).

Also some electric cars, you don't actually 'own' the battery pack, but are 'leasing' it. An additional regular payment.

Good points. Electric motors generally dont like heat, or dust, being covered with crud cos it affects their heat dispersion, or water. The one in the photo appear to also have a gear reduction unit attached? There's normally not a lot to service on them, brushes and comm perhaps, though I suspect they are brushless, bearings. Can you get them re-wound (potential mod). Bet they make them inaccessible. As for batteries, they're gonna have to indicate the life span before selling many

[mtread]

As for batteries, they're gonna have to indicate the life span before selling many

I think that's why you lease them. The payments assume they reduce their capacity and retention over time, and need replacing.
In fact I think the whole concept of car (and perhaps bike) ownership will be replaced with leasing.

[VNA - BMW Wank]

 

Government, local and national, will eventually legislate us off and out of our fossil fuelled machines.

I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it Agricola.  Look headlines like the 200% increase in electric car sales that I saw the other day look great, but 200% of not a lot, is still not a lot.


There is no sign, as yet, of the government taking climate change seriously.  The electricity sector has made some decent progress, though frankly still not half enough.  We are all still pumping massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere – and there is little incentive to do otherwise. 



I’d happily have an electric car, but the truth is whilst charging at home would be no problem for me, getting about the country, with the current range available and the charging infrastructure – basically no thanks.


Would love to try out an electric bike – I just wanna know what it is and could be like.  Love it or loath it, you can’t hold back progress.  Plus in this day and age – the truth is the internal combustion engine desperately needs to be consigned to history – it is a hugely energy inefficient way of moving about.


But, naw you still got plenty o years to enjoy yer fossil bike yet.
 
 

[Dudeofrude]

I'm personally not adverse to an electric car but certainly wouldn't want an electric bike.

As for the uptake, I think it's slow because they are trying to push it too hard too quickly with the full electric. As VNA says the range is poor and on top of that charging is a pain in the ass.
I think they would have much more success pushing hybrids first. After all they are the best of both worlds. Electric motor for pootling around town (emission free) but when you need the range theres a small petrol engine (think 800cc smart car type thing) to give you the range. Then when you wanna play silly bugga the two work in unison to give insane acceleration.
And I'm sure the vast majority of people would happily drive a normal looking car with a sub 1l engine if it still had the performance of a bigger engine paired with the range and (most importantly for some people) the cheaper VED of a little car

I for one will be looking at a hybrid for my next car. More than likely the Hyundai Tuscon 48V. Admittedly not the most eco hybrid out there with its 2l diesel engine but it's still a step in the right direction.