Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial
General => General => Topic started by: VNA - BMW Wank on 10 December 2019, 11:45:24 am
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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/ (https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-tech/bmw-electric-motorbike-concept/)
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(https://mcn-images.bauersecure.com/PageFiles/679238/1000x750/BMW_E_Roadster_fast.jpg)
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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 :(
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OMG, the leccy one looks awful
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(https://mcn-images.bauersecure.com/PageFiles/679238/1752x1168/BMW_E_Roadster.jpg?mode=max&quality=90&scale=down)
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OMG, the leccy one looks awful
Once theres a fairing and a fake underseat exhaust nobody would know
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Looks OK apart from the cat litter tray underneath the 'tank'
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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.
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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
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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 :pokefun
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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 :pokefun
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 😬
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(https://mcn-images.bauersecure.com/PageFiles/679238/1752x1168/BMW_E_Roadster.jpg?mode=max&quality=90&scale=down)
Don't look to heavy that,does it ? don't think you'll be flip flopping around tight corners on that! :lol
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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.
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Never heard of graphene tech,what's that some better kind of lythium or something completely different?
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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.
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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...
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Never.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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!!
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I think they would have much more success pushing hybrids first.
Personally, I would legislate hybrids off the road and get serious about charging infrastructure – that is if the industry is sure it can sustain battery manufacture. (there are still questions marks over the long term future production of batteries at this time)
Buy hybrid – in my humble opinion – is daft. You got two or more engines. You got two fuels cells. In other words, you end of wasting a shit load of energy in manufacturing creating the darm thing – and everywhere you go you are lugging your seriously overweight car. Add in to that often poor passenger space and poor boot space.
It’s a bit like re-using your plastic bags. Which is good. And there is arguably good aspects to hybrid. But really, hybrid cars, like reusable plastic bags – allow us, and in this case the car industry too, to think we are “saving the planet” (how I hate that fuckin term) or “doing our bit” when frankly we are doing nothing of the sort.
Hybrids should have been banned before they even got off the car lot. :lol (VNA's personal opinion)
I for one will be looking at a hybrid for my next car. More than likely the Hyundai Tuscon 48V.
Make sure it has a foc off bomb proof long term warranty. And it trade in with a decent bit warranty left. Could be wrong Dude – but I know I wouldn’t buy a used hybrid without a comprehensive manufacturer backed warranty. Used values of these motors could plummet at some point - soon. Another reason why I feel it is one or the other.
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Electric motor for pootling around town (emission free)
Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
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Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
Please explain why not.
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I researched a number of hybrid cars not so long ago, as my next car, however the returned MPG figures were WORSE than an equivalent Diesel !
Also what was supposed to be a "sporty" model (in my shortlist) didn't return any performance figures to boast about - quite poor actually.
But the Dashboard did look like something out of the Millennium Falcon. :eek :)
Therefore went for a small engined Diesel instead.
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Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
Please explain why not.
The electricity is generated somewhere that creates emissions (burning fuel, build and decommission of the power station/wind turbine etc)
The build and transportation of the car/bike
Disposal of the car/bike
All of the above create emissions its just the greeny people like their car to not produce gas as it moves around the town centre and countryside.
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The electricity is generated somewhere that creates emissions (burning fuel, build and decommission of the power station/wind turbine etc)
The build and transportation of the car/bike
Disposal of the car/bike
All of the above create emissions its just the greeny people like their car to not produce gas as it moves around the town centre and countryside.
It’s about decarbonisation. It’s about zero, or near zero carbon emissions. The electricity industry is making some progress in becoming carbon neutral. A near 100% carbon free electricity industry is possible. Electric cars do not burn fossil fuel, therefore they do not emit CO2.
Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
So yes electric cars are essentially emission free.
And we don’t have a choice. We need to de-carbonise our economy as fast as we possibly can. My fear is we are doing it at a fraction of the speed we need to do it. Progress is hopelessly slow.
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The electricity is generated somewhere that creates emissions (burning fuel, build and decommission of the power station/wind turbine etc)The build and transportation of the car/bikeDisposal of the car/bikeAll of the above create emissions its just the greeny people like their car to not produce gas as it moves around the town centre and countryside.
How do wind turbine/solar/hydro cause emissions? Apart from building them in the first place and infrastructure? It's like saying walking causes emissions because of the need to make shoes.
As to build and disposal of the vehicle, well that's more or less the same whatever you drive or ride.
It's all about comparative emissions, and clearly the internal combustion engine creates much more.
For me, if they only make electric bikes in future, I'll hang on to my current ones as long as possible, but in the end I'll ride an electric bike.
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Aye Mtread it will be a Mobility Scooter for you by the time the country does away with combustion engines.
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Aye Mtread it will be a Mobility Scooter for you by the time the country does away with combustion engines.
:D
Here's hoping
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Also how does it affect the range when the air-con is going full blast on the hottest day of the year?.
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Its great giving range per min charge but what they didn't say in that MCN piece was that range is massively dependant of speed and acceleration so its all well and good trashing the petrol bike on a 1/4 mile drag strip but that's perhaps about as far as it will go when ragged.
What puts me off is the cost of cars for now. For my car I don't care about performance - thats what the :faz is for. I wouldn't even mind an electric bike, after all mine spends 95% of its life attached to a battery optimiser anyway and the max I have ridden in one sitting was 200 miles.But have to admit i would miss the heat/noise/smell and shear violence of a petrol bike
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Here
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Electric bikes and cars will be here for everyone eventually. I like my FZS and will keep that as long as I can. If/when I need to go electric, it will probably be a good thing as the simplicity should make them more reliable than the current bikes we have and the range wouldn't be too much of an issue for me as long as we can get 120-150 miles of normal riding on a single charge.
As far as cars go, I am tempted by a Tesla (the bank manager says I would need to sell my house first though) as that is the only car I have seen that has the comfort, the range and the performance I would like as a replacement for my Audi A6. Even the Tesla though has its limitations. They do have the charging points but I do take a regular long journey......At the moment I leave my house and drive 80 miles to Euro Tunnel. If times right, I get there, and get straight into the queue to board the train so would not be able to make use of the chargers that they have at the terminal. Once off the train, its a quick 2 hour run down to Rouen (about 150 miles) where we stop for a 10 minute leg stretch and a coffee. Back in the car its another 150 miles to my place there where I can plug the car in to charge it up. Total distance is about 400 miles which is just too far for the Tesla so I would need to stop for 40 minutes in Rouen to top up the batteries making my journey even longer. At the moment, there are always plenty of free charging points but if I have to queue for 40 minutes before I can get on the charger then we are looking at 1.5 hours more for my journey.
Now, why would I want an all electric car?
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Even my 7 year old Audi (and a Saab I had 20 year ago) had electric heating for cold days so you can demist the windscreen immediately and get nice warm air within 1 min of getting in the car
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I know our first thoughts are COOL - how far can it go (per charge) plus want to see performance figures - but how about SAFETY.
This will be (near) silent to other motorists - even currently, with the aid of a noisy exhaust, motorcyclists are still mostly 'invisible' to other road users.
The NOISE of a motorcycle in the blindspot of a car is your only hope the driver isn't about to pull out into you! :eek
So without any noise factor to alert the senses to our presence, what is being done to make these silent motorcycles more noticeable on the roads!?
Perhaps a little extra lighting is in order to ensure you still get noticed. Rocking it... :)
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/44/bd/5f/44bd5fcdac839cb5ea48b5aa8354e00d.jpg)
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Yeah, but you've got a conventional engine charging the battery back up as hard as it can go haven't you. It's total loss on an all electric surely?.
To have a heater that keeps you all warm & toasty on a day like this must whip through the battery power doesn't it?
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Here
:rollin :rollin
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Even my 7 year old Audi (and a Saab I had 20 year ago) had electric heating for cold days so you can demist the windscreen immediately and get nice warm air within 1 min of getting in the car
Reminds me of an old friends -old scoda it was shit but had a fantastic heater, the best bit was the fag lighter when it was ready and popped out it used to fire it out on to the back seat :rollin
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Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
So yes electric cars are essentially emission free.
No they are not.
Electric motors emit heat and noise while in use, batteries emit heat - hence not emission free. It's not wise to discount heat emissions - global warming is upon us and millions of running engines or electric motors do not help. I don't know which runs cooler, I suspect an electric setup runs significantly cooler than an equivalent powered fossil fuel engine so perhaps there's a step in the right direction there.
That's just the power unit however. The rest of the vehicle emits brake dust particles, tyre rubber particles, light emissions (not to be discounted lightly either) while in use. There's also consumables to consider - bearings, fluids, shocks etc. that are replaced during the working life of a vehicle.
As stated above the electricity powering the vehicle does not materialise by magic, it comes at a cost. The same is true for vehicle manufacture and decommission, it is considered that these two parts of vehicle life contribute up to 90% (!) of total pollutants during the life of a vehicle. (This is difficult to measure apparently.) (The amount of virgin natural resources consumed to make one vehicle is depressing.)
To say that a vehicle is emissions free is just plain wrong. Electric vehicles are tail pipe emissions free, that's more accurate.
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Yeah, well think why you can heat yer internal combustion driven car so easily. It is because it is so dreadfully inefficient. You need a whole cooling system to get shot of all the heat it generates. That heat is energy – it’s waste. Up to 70% of the energy generated in an internal combustion engine is heat – which ideally is not what we want an engine to do.
At the end of the day the internal combustion engine is incredibly inefficient. It depends on the type of vehicle , engine, drive chain etc but a typical car is less than 20% efficient.
As much as we all love the internal combustion engine – we all need to step back and realise in reality how appallingly crap it is.
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This will be (near) silent to other motorists - even currently, with the aid of a noisy exhaust, motorcyclists are still mostly 'invisible' to other road users.
The NOISE of a motorcycle in the blindspot of a car is your only hope the driver isn't about to pull out into you! :eek
So without any noise factor to alert the senses to our presence, what is being done to make these silent motorcycles more noticeable on the roads!?
What it needs is that via blue tooth when you approach a car a bike noise is played through the car speakers and via the use of the 4 or more speakers - the direction of the bike is also heard.
I have often thought this with emergency vehicles. How often have youbeen in a car and an hear ne but cant fire out what where its coming from - even the blue lights are s bright they get reflected off every window and street sign
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Read an article last week. Apparently the increased changeover from smaller cars to SUVs, with their extra weight, worse fuel consumption and additional pollution, has more than outweighed the move to nil pollution electric cars.
So we are heading in the wrong direction.
What's more, the punitive road tax applied to SUVs has little effect because it tends to be included in PCP payments, so the leaser doesn't even realise.
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At the moment, there are always plenty of free charging points but if I have to queue for 40 minutes before I can get on the charger then we are looking at 1.5 hours more for my journey.
Now, why would I want an all electric car?
When petrol powered cars were new, people would often have to stop off at pharmacies to get gasoline (which was used medicinally!)
Also there was a quote from someone saying "Why should I get an automobile and risk running out of gasoline when I can get hay for my horse at any farm?"
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No they are not.
Electric motors emit heat and noise while in use, batteries emit heat - hence not emission free. It's not wise to discount heat emissions - global warming is upon us and millions of running engines or electric motors do not help. I don't know which runs cooler, I suspect an electric setup runs significantly cooler than an equivalent powered fossil fuel engine so perhaps there's a step in the right direction there.
That's just the power unit however. The rest of the vehicle emits brake dust particles, tyre rubber particles, light emissions (not to be discounted lightly either) while in use. There's also consumables to consider - bearings, fluids, shocks etc. that are replaced during the working life of a vehicle.
As stated above the electricity powering the vehicle does not materialise by magic, it comes at a cost. The same is true for vehicle manufacture and decommission, it is considered that these two parts of vehicle life contribute up to 90% (!) of total pollutants during the life of a vehicle. (This is difficult to measure apparently.) (The amount of virgin natural resources consumed to make one vehicle is depressing.)
To say that a vehicle is emissions free is just plain wrong. Electric vehicles are tail pipe emissions free, that's more accurate.
The heat generated by the engine is only relevant in terms of efficiency – and crucially the fuel generating the heat.
Basically, it’s about de-carbonisation. We have to stop emitting CO2.
Transport can be decarbonised by,
1. Increased electricity generation.
2. Making sure our electricity industry becomes renewable ie carbon neutral.
3. Switching to electric cars.
By achieving that our transport system would de decarbonised. Free of CO2 emissions – hence emission free.
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To say that a vehicle is emissions free is just plain wrong. Electric vehicles are tail pipe emissions free, that's more accurate.
Which is what everyone else (who isn't being pedantic) understands by the term...
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Apparently the increased changeover from smaller cars to SUVs, with their extra weight, worse fuel consumption and additional pollution, has more than outweighed the move to nil pollution electric cars.
A lot of that has been due to lobbying by the US car industry who have done things like geting SUVs defined as "Light Trucks" to avoid extra taxes, regulations and emission standards being imposed on cars.
Of course that keeps prices down and their profits up and screw the planet...
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Also there was a quote from someone saying "Why should I get an automobile and risk running out of gasoline when I can get hay for my horse at any farm?"
Similarly, wasn't the ERF truck company started up from the result of a division within the Foden family in the 1920's/30's over whether the future of road haulage lay in steam or diesel powered vehicles.
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I have often thought this with emergency vehicles. How often have youbeen in a car and an hear ne but cant fire out what where its coming from - even the blue lights are s bright they get reflected off every window and street sign
The most irritating one is when the siren is in some rap song on the radio and you're looking around for a non existent emergency vehicle.
Ditto phone ringtones :wall
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I’d be more enthusiastic about electric vehicles powered by fuel cells.
Can’t see hydrogen being much use as it’s not very energy dense and is a bugger to handle and transport, but ethanol would be ideal. And sure, you’ve got carbon in there so it’s going to emit CO2, but so long as that’s sourced renewably it doesn’t matter… the exhaust is clean, no nasty particulates or nitrogen oxides and you can refuel as fast as you do now.
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Anyone know what the heaters are like in fully electric cars?. You've not got any hot water have you?.
Here
My first old banger never had a heater. Or wind up windows. Or a radio. I kept it on the road for 6 years before it rusted away
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Well all of this (along with the supposed speed limiter tech that's coming to new cars in the next few years) just makes it more important to buy a new car/bike in the next year or two.
These next few years might see the last of the 'old fashioned' restriction free fossil fuel "fun" vehicles in history so buy one while you still have chance and if they do end up being the last then their value will rocket among those of us that still want that freedom.
I know a lot of you will keep your Fazers but me personally will be upgrading to a more or less brand new bike within the next 2 years and that hopefully will see me through to a point where petrol wont be on sale anymore
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I know a lot of you will keep your Fazers but me personally will be upgrading to a more or less brand new bike within the next 2 years and that hopefully will see me through to a point where petrol wont be on sale anymore
What's on the shopping list then Dude?
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Bike wise? More than likely a Kawasaki Ninja1000sx (the new one) unless I can get a good deal on an old stock current model (z1000sx)
Its everything I need in a bike, fast and sporty when you want but comfy and practical when you dont. The 2020 one has the fancy full LCD dash and all the rider aids etc
The 2019 one is still more than good enough but if I'm going new(ish) then may aswell get the facelift version
Car wise itll be some kind of small SUV. Either the Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tuscon as the main family car. Then I'll be looking at leasing a small city car (i10, aygo, KA etc) so that I can start being a summertime biker 😎😎
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Could I persuade you to go and try something a little left field?
Go and try an R1250R or R1250RS :eek
Last year I test rode an MT10 and the new CB1000R. I wasn’t really convinced by either. So then I decided to try the R1250R. I was only trying it because I was disappointed with the MT10 and CB1000R. I didn’t expect to like it, but it blew me away. Fantastic bike. And it’s seriously and effortlessly quick. The low-down grunt is just outrageous, and unlike the old air cooled boxers it’s got plenty up top too.
You might surprise yourself.
Car? I’ve had my Yeti 4x4 for almost 4 years now. The primary reason was getting a car I could get my late mother in and back out of. It wasn’t really what I wanted, but I’ve really grown to like it. And I love 4wd, bring on the snow!
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Could I persuade you to go and try something a little left field?
Go and try an R1250R or R1250RS :eek
Last year I test rode an MT10 and the new CB1000R. I wasn’t really convinced by either. So then I decided to try the R1250R. I was only trying it because I was disappointed with the MT10 and CB1000R. I didn’t expect to like it, but it blew me away. Fantastic bike. And it’s seriously and effortlessly quick. The low-down grunt is just outrageous, and unlike the old air cooled boxers it’s got plenty up top too.
You might surprise yourself.
Car? I’ve had my Yeti 4x4 for almost 4 years now. The primary reason was getting a car I could get my late mother in and back out of. It wasn’t really what I wanted, but I’ve really grown to like it. And I love 4wd, bring on the snow!
Haha yes I remember the thread and while they are nice looking bikes (especially the new one with matching headlights) they just aren't my cup of tea. Really not a fan of boxer or twin engines. I'm a sucker for a good old inline 4 plus I'm a big believer in Japanese build quality over euro bikes. I know it doesn't make much difference these days but I hear of a lot less problems with jap bikes than I do of beemers (cars included)
I've ridden loads of different bikes to try and figure what I wanted next and nothing has really impressed me. All I could work out is that I want my bike but with more practicality, I cant bring myself to buy the FZ1-S then do all the mods again so the Kwak is the next best (better) thing. I will more than likely mod the engine again to eek some more BP out of it but leave the rest standard to make insurance a lot simpler
I'm actually a fan of the yeti, ever since I got back on the bikes I've started liking practical cars more and more Haha
We need a slightly bigger vehicle now the kids are growing, I'd love an estate but it's a joint car with the missus so we have to compromise. We both like the Hyundai and Kia so unless anything new comes out I'd think itll be one of them
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Mazda best cars I've ever had.
Obviously you have to desire the retro styling, but a mate who's in the trade went to the Birmingham show mainly to have a look at the 2020 Z900rs. He said the build quality and attention to detail is superb. He reckons it's better than Honda. I think it looks great, especially in the green/yellow.
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I tried to buy one at the end of August. But they couldn’t get me a new one until the end of October. So might as well get one for the spring. They offered me the demo model, but it was fully loaded with tat, and I don’t want to pay for crap like rider modes, quick shifter, keyless ignition, alarm, emergency call etc etc. The sales staff didn’t seem impressed with me slagging off the extras – I mean keyless ignition – I told them I would pay extra not to have it.
BMW were the best for test rides. Got 2hrs, and only a 250 quid excess on the insurance.
The BWM’s are still odd-looking bikes, but that 1250 shift cam boxer engine blew me away. Yeah I still want one.
I’d agree with you that the Japanese stuff is still the most reliable, but I think the Euro stuff is catching up.
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Talking to a friendly RAC man, last time our family vehicle broke down (that we sold not long after), he said he hardly ever gets called out for mechanical breakdowns with Japanese cars (if he did, it would be down to an owner error, such as running out of fuel, flat battery etc)......
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I wouldn’t argue with that F4celess.
I just find a lot of Japanese motors, well, uninspiring. And lots of em look really weird.
I do like VAG stuff. My last car was a VW Bora, had it for ten years with very few issues. Well other than the engine management light being on for 7 years. :lol Did try initially to figure out what was wrong with it, but gave up and just kept driving it. 8) Boys at work slagged me for keeping it so long and called it the Boring Bora, but stone me it was a decent motor.
Had the Yeti for almost 4 years now from very nearly new (pre reg job). Great spec, decent 150hp diesel engine so it’s nippy enough, and 4wd. And I love my leather heated seats. Had the horn fail – common fault, but that’s the only issue I can think of that I’ve had so far – again fingers crossed.
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Also there was a quote from someone saying "Why should I get an automobile and risk running out of gasoline when I can get hay for my horse at any farm?"
Just been reading a copy of The Vintage Motorcycle club journal from Dec 1996 and came across this quote...
"If the horse hadn't been invented first, there wouldn't have been anything for the automobile to replace"
- Groucho Marx
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I wouldn’t argue with that F4celess.
I just find a lot of Japanese motors, well, uninspiring. And lots of em look really weird.
I do like VAG stuff. My last car was a VW Bora, had it for ten years with very few issues. Well other than the engine management light being on for 7 years. :lol Did try initially to figure out what was wrong with it, but gave up and just kept driving it. 8) Boys at work slagged me for keeping it so long and called it the Boring Bora, but stone me it was a decent motor.
Had the Yeti for almost 4 years now from very nearly new (pre reg job). Great spec, decent 150hp diesel engine so it’s nippy enough, and 4wd. And I love my leather heated seats. Had the horn fail – common fault, but that’s the only issue I can think of that I’ve had so far – again fingers crossed.
:thumbup
The thing with European cars, German in particular, they are ALL bland shapes, hence there's not a lot there for people to grumble about. "Safe" styling.
Plus alot is about the influence of the BADGE / reputation... If it has VW or AUDI on it, it could be a polished turd on wheels, it'll still sell like hotcakes! :)
One of my previous cars was a 5 series BMW (I thought I'd give it a try :rolleyes). Rust was soon springing up all over it (particularly sills and wheel arches which were expensive to fix economically), so I ended up giving it away as Scrap! Also paid a small fortune on various mechanical parts in the engine bay that chose to give up, at the most inconvenient times. Certainly "paid" dearly driving that premium brand!
At least the Japanese think outside the box with their car designs, rather than starting their design AS a box or rectangle, just with a few sharp edges curved off - " That'll be a Golf ". :)
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Japanese cars used to be terrible rust buckets in the 70s of course, until they worked it out.
My old Ford keeps running along. Turns 15 next year.
However what really old family cars do I regularly see on the road? Volvos. They know something about rust proofing!
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Japanese cars used to be terrible rust buckets in the 70s of course, until they worked it out.
My old Ford keeps running along. Turns 15 next year.
However what really old family cars do I regularly see on the road? Volvos. They know something about rust proofing!
We actually do have a Volvo as our family car. :lol
We took that in to a Volvo MAIN DEALER last year, as it was going into Limp mode randomly (plus on the motorway, a vehicle dropping to 40mph by itself for no good reason, becomes not funny :eek).
Volvo had it for a day and after a SECOND "test drive" by one of their service staff, they actually told us while we sat in their showroom, "sell this vehicle as soon as you can - honestly - its seriously underpowered - theres some major engine issue going on!" plus "we cant guarantee it wont blow up at some point". :eek "Which will cost a couple of grand for us to strip down the engine to begin some diagnosis!.... another option is to buy a replacement engine?"
Agreed though, no rust issues, plus actually built like a Tank. :)
So based on all of the above. I'd welcome an electric vehicle - MUCH less to go wrong! At least I've got my trusty Fazer for my 'happy motoring'. :thumbup :lol
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Japanese cars used to be terrible rust buckets in the 70s of course, until they worked it out.
Was there any cars that weren't rust buckets in the 1970's? :lol .
They've all cracked that issue now haven't they. You don't see rusty cars on the road any more really do you.
They're all much of a muchness nowadays I reckon, but those reliability surveys are worth reading. Usually the Japanese brands leading the way and it's often surprising how low down some of the 'Trendy Badge' cars come.
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They're all much of a muchness nowadays I reckon, but those reliability surveys are worth reading. Usually the Japanese brands leading the way and it's often surprising how low down some of the 'Trendy Badge' cars come.
Not necessarily. Skoda is just about always in the top ten, if not sitting on the no.1 spot in any given category. The Japanese no longer dominate the reliability results.
https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-family-cars/n20053 (https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-family-cars/n20053)
I think the truth is it’s hard to buy an unreliable car these days.
Though there are still lemons out there. My pal bought a brand new Ford Transit (OK not a car – but hey) for his business. In the first year he had 8 trips to the dealer to fix faults, and a further 7 the next year. He absolutely hates the thing with a vengeance, has complained bitterly about it, and eventually decided to bite the bullet and trade it in for a Merc van.
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The Japanese no longer dominate the reliability results.
If you keep going through all the different sections of car types/sizes in your link you come to a brand reliability chart on page 11. That's an overall reliability list I guess. The top 3 in that are all Japanese although I'm pretty impressed with Kia's results all the way through. Surprised Honda isn't nearer the top also.
https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n20069 (https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n20069)
The mystery to me is why so many people lust after the trendy 'prestige' brands when some of them seem to score so poorly :\
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The mystery to me is why so many people lust after the trendy 'prestige' brands when some of them seem to score so poorly
Cos they are nice.
Not sure what to get next. Quite a fancy a BMW with the 3.0 twin turbo diesel.
But the SUV has surpised me, I quite like my little Skoda YETI. Don't like the BMW SUVs
Maybe Tiguan biturbo diesel.
Though need to run the Skoda another couple of years - so who knows what electic stuff might appear in 24mnths.
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They're all much of a muchness nowadays I reckon, but those reliability surveys are worth reading. Usually the Japanese brands leading the way and it's often surprising how low down some of the 'Trendy Badge' cars come.
Not necessarily. Skoda is just about always in the top ten, if not sitting on the no.1 spot in any given category. The Japanese no longer dominate the reliability results.
https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-family-cars/n20053 (https://www.whatcar.com/news/2019-what-car-reliability-survey-family-cars/n20053)
I think the truth is it’s hard to buy an unreliable car these days.
Though there are still lemons out there. My pal bought a brand new Ford Transit (OK not a car – but hey) for his business. In the first year he had 8 trips to the dealer to fix faults, and a further 7 the next year. He absolutely hates the thing with a vengeance, has complained bitterly about it, and eventually decided to bite the bullet and trade it in for a Merc van.
a good building mate bought a new tranny two years back. he had two engines replaced under warranty, then gave up and went for a Peugeot. My old mk7 transit has 170k up now, still runs good. I read once that small ends generally go in the engine ive got, and its getting more rattly running as it gets older... I just turn the raddy-o up...;-)
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I think many/most cars are mongrels now anyway. Sharing engines and other components across brands. Difficult to work out who to blame!
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a good building mate bought a new tranny two years back. he had two engines replaced under warranty, then gave up
My pal had the injectors out, cleaned, then replaced, then replaced again, and again. The thing kept going into limp mode and showed multiple errors. It was a disaster.
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Aren't Skoda's based on VW's, yet they've got a better reputation for reliability than VW haven't they?. How the foc has that come about? :rolleyes
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Electrickery.
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My pal had the injectors out, cleaned, then replaced, then replaced again,
My diesel Mondeo (probably the same engine) started to splutter on start up. Bit like fouled plugs on a petrol. Dealer downloaded an update to EMS, but it soon came back. Solved with doses of injector cleaner every 4 or 5 tanks. So £4 or so every 1500 miles. Seems to have improved my mpg too :)
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aren't Skoda's based on VW's, yet they've got a better reputation for reliability than VW haven't they?. How the foc has that come about?
Yup, Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi all the same, more so today since VAG introduced their MBQ platform. Oh, the Porsche SUV’s are MBQ as well.
Each brand is run as a separate concern. Apparently VAG have been bit peeved at times with at Skoda getting better reviews and scores for reliability than it’s more upmarket VW brand.
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My pal had the injectors out, cleaned, then replaced, then replaced again,
My diesel Mondeo (probably the same engine) started to splutter on start up. Bit like fouled plugs on a petrol. Dealer downloaded an update to EMS, but it soon came back. Solved with doses of injector cleaner every 4 or 5 tanks. So £4 or so every 1500 miles. Seems to have improved my mpg too :)
Is this the stuff you put in your tank or into the air cleaner while running?
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Stuff you just put into the tank with >20 litres of fuel. I'm using Wynns version. 'Diesel Injector Cleaner'. Cheap and seems to work fine. BTW mines an old diesel with no particulate filter.
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Stuff you just put into the tank with >20 litres of fuel. I'm using Wynns version. 'Diesel Injector Cleaner'. Cheap and seems to work fine. BTW mines an old diesel with no particulate filter.
I like to pour some of this stuff into the tank every now and then. Especially on a long motorway run, when you know the whole tank (plus additive) is going to be consumed.
Also found in the past running the car on "premium" (higher octane) fuel made a difference to performance/economy too.
It's also documented the higher octane fuel contains additional additives (much like the Wynns), which help clean out the engine of deposits.
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Also found in the past running the car on "premium" (higher octane) fuel made a difference to performance/economy too.
Bear in mind that using 98 RON in an engine rated for 92 RON can only reduce performance.
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I don't think RON drives diesels :D
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Da Doo Ron Ron Dah Doo Ron Ron, Day do don't day do.
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If Trevor Jackson, who owns Austin Electric and the rights to use the Austin Motor Company logo, is successful in his fuel cell venture, then that could certainly steal a march over the limitations of lithium ion batteries.
He, apparently has invented a non toxic electrolyte that is triggered by scrap aluminium. He claims a car could be converted for around £3,500 with a running cost around 7p/mile, turning any car into a hybrid. A Tesla S is claimed to have a battery range of 370 miles, whereas a fuel cell of equal weight would give a range of 2,700 miles, no need for charging points, fuel stations could become fuel cell retailers as he claims a very quick cell change time. Currently he's supposed to be making fuel cells for tuk tuks in the Far East and also for bicycles. If this comes off, the range of vehicles would be far more acceptable to what's on offer at the moment.
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A Tesla S is claimed to have a battery range of 370 miles, whereas a fuel cell of equal weight would give a range of 2,700 miles, no need for charging points, fuel stations could become fuel cell retailers as he claims a very quick cell change time.
Gosh, it’s hard to imagine that much energy stored in one small unit.
But if that is possible, and it’s possible to mass produce – well it would be revolutionary.
Just think of the possibilities for motorcycles. Super light, super-efficient and super fun bikes.
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I don't know how to attach links to articles but if you google the guys name or Austin Electric you'll get to the article. He's confident it could power trucks, buses even a plane.
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Don't want to keep banging on but.... not emission free.
Please explain why not.
At last, maybe the whole picture will start being considered:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/tyre-emissions-1000-times-worse-than-exhausts/ar-BBZujaa?li=AAnZ9Ug&ocid=mailsignout (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/tyre-emissions-1000-times-worse-than-exhausts/ar-BBZujaa?li=AAnZ9Ug&ocid=mailsignout)
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Maybe the report above will start to get people to think about new tyre compounds or even flying vehicles.
Tyres are predominantly made from carbon products that wear down over the distance they travel leaving behind tiny particles which get washed into the rivers and sea when it rains. Maybe some sort of vegetable based solution will be found in the future to take food away from the vegans or food away from my food. Perhaps the flying cars we all saw on Tomorrows World in the 70's will be come a reality and we wont have a need for tyres that have any real wear at all.
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Sod it ------------- I will no longer be a participant in polluting the earth.-- I have just fitted a pair of environmentally sustainable wooden wheels. :lol
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And I'm doing my best to help conserve water. I now take my Scotch neat without ice :D
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None of this stuff is new. Whether it tyres, emissions, rubbish chucked from windows. Its been known about for decades. I recall reading a report 20 years ago regarding pollution from catalytic conversion, a university had measured the levels of palladium, rhodium and the other precious metals and found that some were at the levels at which they could be economically mined from the roadside verges
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a university had measured the levels of palladium, rhodium and the other precious metals and found that some were at the levels at which they could be economically mined from the roadside verges
So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
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So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
Keeping unemployment down?
Seriously though, people on community service or in open prisons should be doing that work.
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So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
Keeping unemployment down?
Seriously though, people on community service or in open prisons should be doing that work.
:agree ... :thumbup ...
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At last, maybe the whole picture will start being considered:
Did you watch the video in the article that you linked to?
Electric cars are about a reduction in CO2 emissions. It’s a about decarbonisation. We don’t have a choice in this – the world needs to drastically reduce it’s use of fossil fuels.
An that’s a 5-year-old video. In the UK, which has made fairly rapid advances in decarbonising electrical generation the difference between and electric and petrol/diesel will be even greater – considerably so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=K9m9WDxmSN8&feature=emb_title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=K9m9WDxmSN8&feature=emb_title)
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It’s a about decarbonisation. We don’t have a choice in this – the world needs to drastically reduce it’s use of fossil fuels.
...says someone who drives a diesel car and rides 2 motorbikes which have little or no emission controls :rolleyes
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...says someone who drives a diesel car and rides 2 motorbikes which have little or no emission controls
My diesel is Euro 6 compliant. This year I will be riding a Euro 4 compliant motorcycle.
Obviously I will consider electric vehicles when upgrading my car or bike. Progress seems slow at the moment in terms of available vehicles and infrastructure – far too slow.
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So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
Seriously though, people on community service or in open prisons should be doing that work.
So the bloke who is employed to do it is out of a job...
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So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
Seriously though, people on community service or in open prisons should be doing that work.
So the bloke who is employed to do it is out of a job...
Do Councils still employ people to do that? Not around here they don't. Streets are awash with litter, old road signs fro previous works going back 10 years, dog shit, roadside drains not emptied for years so when it rains the poor buggers down the hill get flooded
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At last, maybe the whole picture will start being considered:
Did you watch the video in the article that you linked to?
Electric cars are about a reduction in CO2 emissions. It’s a about decarbonisation. We don’t have a choice in this – the world needs to drastically reduce it’s use of fossil fuels.
An that’s a 5-year-old video. In the UK, which has made fairly rapid advances in decarbonising electrical generation the difference between and electric and petrol/diesel will be even greater – considerably so.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=K9m9WDxmSN8&feature=emb_title[/url] ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=K9m9WDxmSN8&feature=emb_title[/url])
I've told you before, it not gonna happen till they've melted the Antarctic ice sheet. ;)
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I will consider electric vehicles when upgrading my car or bike. Progress seems slow at the moment in terms of available vehicles and infrastructure – far too slow.
Yes, I've occasionally looked at the situation regarding electric motorcycles, but at the moment the cost and limited range is a real drawback :(
Even though I mostly ride for pleasure, the current (sorry!) state of the art gives around 100 miles of riding but then an hour recharging to get back.
This isn't great if I want to go surfing in Croyde which is 190 miles from Portsmouth and about 5 1/2 hours on the twisty route as it would add at least an hour to my journey time.
When they can make an electric bike with a 200 miles range, ie equivalent to many road bikes and bring the price down to something affordable to the average rider, I think things will definitely improve.
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So that's what the bloke is doing with the litter picker and black bag. I always wondered.
Seriously though, people on community service or in open prisons should be doing that work.
So the bloke who is employed to do it is out of a job...
He can have a job supervising the litter pickers. Instead of one picker, you have a team or 5-10. MEans 5-10 times as much rubbish gets cleared each day for the same price as before. Result I think
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He can have a job supervising the litter pickers. Instead of one picker, you have a team or 5-10. MEans 5-10 times as much rubbish gets cleared each day for the same price as before. Result I think
That's a hell of a lot of rhodium and palladium!
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A lot of electricity is made by burning coal.
Or destroying river ecosystems by building dams. In my country, there's a devastation of small mountain rivers by private "eco-friendly" power plants.
Solar and wind energy? Both take A LOT of space per KW produced.
Nuclear power, for all I know, is the cleanest of all - as long as all the safety measures are taken and the spent fuel is safely stored.
Very counter-intuitive. But still true.
Now we come to the vehicles. Sure, a battery run one will not pollute directly the city it is driven in. However, adopting many e-cars/bikes will require even more electricity.
Also - batteries. Even when they are recycled, there's a lot of pollution that comes with making them.
Another aspect is how much pollution building a car makes. Any car. Modern trend, that is favoured by capitalism, is getting a new, more eco-friendly car, at least once in 5 years. But this results with more waste made by making more cars. I still think that buying one Golf 2 diesel every 30 years, driving it only when really necessary (say 2000 km per year), is more eco-friendly than getting a new e-car every 5 years and going everywhere using the car.
The really eco-friendly option would be: banning privately owned cars and offering good public transport. And, of course, fewer humans - there's more and more of us each year. As well as more people "packed" in cities, globally, with villages being less and less populated.
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A lot of electricity is made by burning coal.
Not that long ago most of the electricity in the UK was made by burning coal.
The UK no longer uses coal to generate electricity.
Scotland’s electricity is now 70-80% renewable, the target is 100% and which much increased capacity to take care of increasing demand from, for example, electric cars.
At the end of the day the world has only one single energy source – the sun.
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A lot of electricity is made by burning coal.
Not that long ago most of the electricity in the UK was made by burning coal.
The UK no longer uses coal to generate electricity.
Scotland’s electricity is now 70-80% renewable, the target is 100% and which much increased capacity to take care of increasing demand from, for example, electric cars.
At the end of the day the world has only one single energy source – the sun.
The point is that renewable is not equal to "not damaging the environment".
Getting half the electricity we need from the Sun alone is still not realistically feasible for all I know.
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The point is that renewable is not equal to "not damaging the environment".
I don’t disagree. But right now the priority is that we decarbonise our economies – the environment and our future depends on it, but yes it must be achieved with minimal impact on the environment itself.
Getting half the electricity we need from the Sun alone is still not realistically feasible for all I know.
Scotland should be practically 100% renewable in terms of electricity in a matter of just a few years. The next big challenges for us will be decarbonisation of transport and decarbonisation of our homes – ie heating.
It’s all very doable.
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Meanwhile while we wait for those transport solutions and electric motorbikes to come online;
(https://silodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Motorized-Mongoose-BMX-Bike-13.jpg)
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At the end of the day the world has only one single energy source – the sun.
And the Earth (geothermal)... and the moon (tidal).
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I actually manufacture gears for a current production electric vehicle. Sales are far less than forecast (if I had to guess, because of the price). They are blooming fast things though. In the case of the vehicle I’ve been involved with the drive units are sealed units, nothing easily serviceable on it.
As has been stated, zero emissions but far from carbon neutral. I would be interested to see how the emissions would compare between having a brand new EV made at a factory and continuing to run our old Fazers.. how many years would it take before the EV “cost” less emissions.
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Actually the future is neither internal combustion or electric...the future is simply less cars, less bikes and much much less wasted energy :sun :sun :sun :sun :sun :sun
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Or could the future be.....Salt Water?.....
https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/car-runs-saltwater/amp/ (https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/car-runs-saltwater/amp/)
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At the end of the day the world has only one single energy source – the sun.
And the Earth (geothermal)... and the moon (tidal).
[/quAt the end of the day the world has only one single energy source – the sun.
And the Earth (geothermal)... and the moon (tidal).
zero point energy