It sure don't look or sound like a Harley, but apparently it is

cootertwo said:

Poor Eric.............................

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Have you seen the bikes they are producing now, EBR Eric Buell Racing
They are selling them at the dealer in town where I got my Rockets...

http://www.erikbuellracing.com/

I can see it now.........Hells Volts M/C.

Electric cars (and bikes) will remain a blip on the landscape so long as the range (at any reasonable speed) is limited to about 200 miles or so and the recharge time remains between 1 hour and 9 hours. I can ride my Rocket from my front door to Daytona (about 250 miles) in 3 1/2 hours and gas it up along the way in 5 minutes or so, after which it's good for another 200+ miles. As a transportation device it remains superior to any electric vehicle, including the Tesla (or the late and unlamented Fisker). As intra-city messenger vehicles they may be great, or if you have a very short commute, like 20 miles or so, but as transportation devices - they're a joke.

The above is subject to change if someone invents a battery system delivering the necessary power and can be fully charged (or swapped out) in less than five (or even ten) minutes. Then electric vehicles may be worth talking about.

If you're really looking for an old technology which could be adapted to modern conditions, we should be looking at steam rather than electric. And I don't mean the complex steam systems which were on the old Stanleys, but more advanced systems like those on the cars built by Abner Doble in the 20's and 30's. While an old Stanley might take 10-15 minutes for sufficient pressure to build in the boiler (from cold) and require adjustments of thirteen or more valves prior to depating, on a Doble you would have 750# of pressure in the boiler 30 seconds after turning a key on the dashboard. And those old steamers could FLY - very high performing.

ksquared said:

Electric cars (and bikes) will remain a blip on the landscape so long as the range (at any reasonable speed) is limited to about 200 miles or so and the recharge time remains between 1 hour and 9 hours. I can ride my Rocket from my front door to Daytona (about 250 miles) in 3 1/2 hours and gas it up along the way in 5 minutes or so, after which it's good for another 200+ miles. As a transportation device it remains superior to any electric vehicle, including the Tesla (or the late and unlamented Fisker). As intra-city messenger vehicles they may be great, or if you have a very short commute, like 20 miles or so, but as transportation devices - they're a joke.

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20 miles is wildly under the useful commuting range for an EV. Even the most basic ones can do far more than that, and a Tesla with the large power pack has a 265 mile range. Sure, not enough for everyone - just 99% of the population or so I'd guess.

Motorcycles have a size problem to really increase their range - small vehicles can only carry small batteries, but even so the maximum range of a Zero S is 171 miles, easily enough for the commute of almost everyone, especially if one arranges to have charging possibilities while parked at work.

ksquared said:

If you're really looking for an old technology which could be adapted to modern conditions, we should be looking at steam rather than electric. And I don't mean the complex steam systems which were on the old Stanleys, but more advanced systems like those on the cars built by Abner Doble in the 20's and 30's. While an old Stanley might take 10-15 minutes for sufficient pressure to build in the boiler (from cold) and require adjustments of thirteen or more valves prior to depating, on a Doble you would have 750# of pressure in the boiler 30 seconds after turning a key on the dashboard. And those old steamers could FLY - very high performing.

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Complex, unsafe, expensive and how do you fire the boiler? Can't burn stuff and pollute with at least. Use electricity to heat the water? Huge efficiency loss compared to using the power directly in an electric motor.

Just love the claims by the electric and hybrid cars and bikes that they are near 0% emissions, but no one talks about the emissions they produce while manufacturing them, some batteries are being made in 3rd worlds because anyone with a brain would not allow the toxic waste they produce. Also the amount of emissions that is produced during the re-charge from power stations... As long as there is oil to be had they will not take off...

ROCKETHEAD said:

Just love the claims by the electric and hybrid cars and bikes that they are near 0% emissions, but no one talks about the emissions they produce while manufacturing them, some batteries are being made in 3rd worlds because anyone with a brain would not allow the toxic waste they produce. Also the amount of emissions that is produced during the re-charge from power stations... As long as there is oil to be had they will not take off...

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Respectfully, all of these claims have really been de-bunked already. Even if we make all our electricity with coal (which is insane and kills tens of thousands a year) EV's are still cleaner than gasoline powered cars. If we make the power with thermal solar, it's not even a debate anymore.

Talking about the pollution from making the cars and the batteries, why doesn't anyone talk about the pollution from creating the oil and gasoline? Not to mention the unbelievable amount of electricity required for the refining process, the refining process itself requires a power plant that more often than not these days is burning coal.

Every gallon of gasoline created requires a full 4.5 KW/h of electricity to create; refineries in the UK alone used 5600 GWh of electricity in 2005. In addition to all the other environmental damage from drilling, transporting and refining oil.

cr0ft said:

Respectfully, all of these claims have really been de-bunked already. Even if we make all our electricity with coal (which is insane and kills tens of thousands a year) EV's are still cleaner than gasoline powered cars. If we make the power with thermal solar, it's not even a debate anymore.

Talking about the pollution from making the cars and the batteries, why doesn't anyone talk about the pollution from creating the oil and gasoline? Not to mention the unbelievable amount of electricity required for the refining process, the refining process itself requires a power plant that more often than not these days is burning coal.

Every gallon of gasoline created requires a full 4.5 KW/h of electricity to create; refineries in the UK alone used 5600 GWh of electricity in 2005. In addition to all the other environmental damage from drilling, transporting and refining oil.

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Sure what I was trying to convey is that it ain't that green as they make it out to be... we still have people preparing food with open flame from trees and there countries are the ones producing these high tech batteries and car components...
We can debate and assume all we want, the 1% money whores runs the show....

been working in the oilfield for close to 30 years raising my family all I can say is if you don't like the benefits of oil &gas quit using them includes gas/oil for youre bike/cars/heating the house/cooking to start with the extreme basics. let me know if you can make/produce the parts for the thermal/solar energy without the use of any oil/gas

So Harley is going from this......

To this?!?!