[eastbay]

Well look what I found! Anyone interested in motorcycle fuel economy must read this.


I'm thinking of trading in my 150 cc Derbi scooter for a Honda 250 Nighthawk which was recently rated at 90 mpg by Cycleworld magazine. My scooter is only getting 85 mpg and the Nighthawk gas tank holds 4.3 gallons offering a range of over 350 miles which will mean less waiting time in the soon-coming gas lines.

[Ferretlover]

Electric bikes provide greener commute 15 Aug 2008
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')EW YORK (AP) The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.
Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.
… Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in Germany. …

[yesplease]

220mpg hybrid scooter for $2800.

[criticalmass]

Unless you are driving 20 plus miles on your scooter a day, there seems to be no point in making it a hybrid when you can just plug it in. Plus, why bother with all the extra weight and moving parts unless you really need an ungodly long driving range?
Also, with a small array of batteries (likely no larger a system than 72 volts) you should be able tu fully charge that little squirt over no more than 3.5 hours. Plug it in at work.
Add lithium batteries to the equation and make that scooter lighter with more "zap" and you'll increase the range and make it fast- gas powered, 250cc fast as an estimate.

Hybrids for LONG range only. Automotive or cycle. If you want to put on 150 miles on your moped/ scooter in a day, you should be thinking about a bigger bike for sanity's sake.

[yesplease]

The hybrid system would also help out if a large enough portion of a commute was on higher speed roads, especially w/ the high drag coefficient of a scooter.

[eastbay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yesplease', 'T')he hybrid system would also help out if a large enough portion of a commute was on higher speed roads, especially w/ the high drag coefficient of a scooter.

[yesplease]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'M')ost scooter miles are local and urban typically at 40 mph and under making their aerodynamic inefficiencies a very minor issue. The Chinese mass production of a very low cost small hybrid scooter is no doubt a very timely marketing move and I'll be on the lookout for one with a 150 cc or thereabouts engine.

The 85 ish mpg I'm now getting out of my 150 cc Derbi is starting to get old. I want more!

[criticalmass]

Tip of the day:

Don't be afraid to "gawk" a bit alongside houses and garages in your area. There's plenty of people out there that have no idea what they have and are willing to discard a perfectly good little 70's motorcycle for a case of beer and a $50 bill.

You can often have a nice little high mileage daily driver for less than $300 if you do the majority of the resurrection yourself.

[iBiker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', '[')url=http://hubpages.com/hub/Hypermile-your-motorcycle-up-to-179-MPG-No-snake-oil--no-scams]Well look what I found![/url] Anyone interested in motorcycle fuel economy must read this.

[Plantagenet]

Its a lot easier to build an affordable electric motorcycle then it is to build an affordable electric car.

This motorcycle looks pretty groovvy.....four hours to recharge and 60 mile travel distance on a charge.

groovy electric motorcycle

[TheDude]

And only $7450, $3500 cheaper than the Vectrix, which apparently didn't work too well, they're having trouble raising capital too. Start-ups are racing to get electric motorbikes to market - Los Angeles Times covers Mission Motor, who's debut green hog will set you back $68k, cough cough. Easy to remember their promised numbers: 150 miles on a charge, and 150 mph.

[Mesuge]

The definition of "affordable" certainly varies, the segment of Zero S is very light <250ccm/102kg type of bike, although certified in practice not freeway dedicated performer ala HD or asian >250ccm for half the price..

Also the specified range of Zero S "up to 60mi" will be in reality more like <30mi in combined cycle, they are using 4kWh battery pack.

Sorry guys, but real pricing for the Zero S (street legal bike as pictured) is $9,950 and qualifies for a 10 percent federal tax credit, so $9k. There might be some local/state incentives to push it even a bit lower..

There is the Enertia, and other startup or traditional motorbike companies, incl. the japanese, entering this arena. So, the "mass" manufacturing of e-motorcycles might be realized sooner than for cars.

Vectrix has got also lower end, cheaper NEV like model (VX2 @ 45km/h @ $5k). Taiwanese e-scooter companies in the same league mini-maxi scooters or in full motorcycle segment are also on the offensive..

In addition, there is one small start up, which is about to compete on quality, price and performance with asian maxi scooter imports, certainly beating the smaller Vectrix and probably get closer to the big one performance/price wise: http://www.evmfg.com/rev/blog.html

[Jotapay]

I've been waiting for an electric motorcycle to come to market for over a year now. There just aren't any good ones yet. So I started looking at conventional motorcycles in the mean time and picked up a 2007 Yamaha V-Star 650cc for $4K this week. It will get me 40-50 mpg until a decent electric is released.

[efarmer]

Putting my bike up in the railcar with me as I ride gives
me long distance clout as well as great local mobility.
Remember that if you don't have a candy bar to give
to the rail guards, you end up riding your bike along
the tracks way out in the boonies often with a boot print
on your hiney or a black eye. I get the very best
mileage with the monster Snickers.

[Narz]

I'd be curious to hear how the eBike industry has evolved over the past few years & if anyone has any suggestions.

Is there a new thread on this subject?

[Shaved Monkey]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', 'I')'d be curious to hear how the eBike industry has evolved over the past few years & if anyone has any suggestions.

Is there a new thread on this subject?

[Narz]

Discouraging.

[SeaGypsy]

There's loads of them in Melbourne, including the Post Office (Australia Post) converting a lot of their fleet over to e bikes. (What is an 'unfixable electrical problem'? E bikes aren't space rockets.)

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'T')here's loads of them in Melbourne, including the Post Office (Australia Post) converting a lot of their fleet over to e bikes. (What is an 'unfixable electrical problem'? E bikes aren't space rockets.)

[KrellEnergySource]

ShareRoller, Rubbee, and Add-e are three solutions to the "bad controller" and "unfixable" problems. These are three units that clamp onto a standard bicycle and convert it into an eBike. They can be quickly removed and carried inside to your place of business or home, a great thing when it comes to reducing theft risk while parking your bike in an outdoor rack and for recharging indoors.

Have a problem with one of the devices? Remove it and send it in to a central location for repair/replacement. You still have a working bicycle while that's being done.

I'm personally pulling for the ShareRoller device, but time will tell if the indiegogo campaign results in deliveries (always expected in 'a few more months'). The devloper says units will go on sale at the same time the 'funders' deliveries begin. Rubbee is keeping its new unit under wraps but could be something practical and solid. We'll see.

I just can't see spending a few thousand dollars on a dedicated e-bike when these other units seem so much more practical. Heck, you could even buy a bike at Goodwill if you don't want to have a decent bike and plan on just using the add-on motor/battery. Me, I already have a decent Diamondback with an 8 speed internal hub that is all that I need in terms of a bicycle. Throwing a ShareRoller on it on hot days could turn it into a most-weather commuter for my job 4 miles up the road via residential streets.

Brian