11–20 of 53 posts
They'll probably need to make it louder. Without noise, a motorcycle isn't very intimidating. The booming sound let's everyone know it's coming. It could probably be called a safety feature.
Their reasoning seems to be gimmickry. I've read several excerpts that state that they are considering this because the "young crowd is demanding eco-friendly vehicles". This is a terrible reason to just build an electric vehicle. I think they need to take a cue from Tesla and make it all about the neat features that Electric vehicles can provide, such as quicker acceleration, no transmission, etc. Just my 2 cents an…
The biggest advantage of an electric bike is probably less maintenance. If the drivetrain was sealed, you'd only have to deal with tires and brakes.
That said, electric bikes have some pretty big disadvantages. Battery weight forces them to sacrifice range or increase weight (or both). At least in the near future, electric bikes are going to be worse at handling, braking, and accelerating.
It's a shame, because I'd love to have an electric bike with the same range, power, and handling as my Ninja 250.
Their reasoning seems to be gimmickry. I've read several excerpts that state that they are considering this because the "young crowd is demanding eco-friendly vehicles". This is a terrible reason to just build an electric vehicle. I think they need to take a cue from Tesla and make it all about the neat features that Electric vehicles can provide, such as quicker acceleration, no transmission, etc. Just my 2 cents an…
Yep. The whole "no transmission" thing really is a huge lure on a motorcycle. There's a huge segment of the population that doesn't even know how to use a manual transmission in a car, let alone on a motorcycle.
> sounds like a jet engine turbine Well, so much for the hope it might quiet down the disruption from at least some Harley riders. Where I live, the noise from them is simply awful. I wish the noise ordinances would be enforced against them. Very selfish people, who inflict that upon the neighborhoods they ride through. Plenty of other bikes perform just fine while keeping noise to tolerable levels.
As an owner of a fairly quiet motorcycle, I've actually considered swapping out the mufflers for something noisier just so drivers notice me. I've only been riding a few years, but I already can't count the number of times I've been cut-off or nearly hit by people in cars that simply didn't see me on the motorcycle. The benefit of loud Harley-style pipes is that other drivers will at least hear you when they don't se…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yep. The whole "no transmission" thing really is a huge lure on a motorcycle. There's a huge segment of the population that doesn't even know how to use a manual transmission in a car, let alone on a motorcycle.
Would you really want someone who could not be bothered to learn how to shift on a normal bike to be zooming around at 120mph+ on an electric super-bike? Besides, they already have sport scouters for that.
> sounds like a jet engine turbine Well, so much for the hope it might quiet down the disruption from at least some Harley riders. Where I live, the noise from them is simply awful. I wish the noise ordinances would be enforced against them. Very selfish people, who inflict that upon the neighborhoods they ride through. Plenty of other bikes perform just fine while keeping noise to tolerable levels.
They'll probably need to make it louder. Without noise, a motorcycle isn't very intimidating. The booming sound let's everyone know it's coming. It could probably be called a safety feature.
The "loud pipes save lives" excuse is a load of horse hockey, and everybody knows it.
Their reasoning seems to be gimmickry. I've read several excerpts that state that they are considering this because the "young crowd is demanding eco-friendly vehicles". This is a terrible reason to just build an electric vehicle. I think they need to take a cue from Tesla and make it all about the neat features that Electric vehicles can provide, such as quicker acceleration, no transmission, etc. Just my 2 cents an…
You can also design 2 wheel drive bikes! I honestly have no clue if it would be a good idea, but with electric power you can do that. It might be a death trap for all I know, but I think it would be really cool to have an all wheel drive bike.
The final advantage of electric bike is silence. That actually cuts both ways. You want to have a loud (reasonably) bike, so people notice you, and don't run you over. But riding full speed in near silence through a country road is quite surreal as well. Try getting your bike to 80+MPH on a backroad someplace, and kill the engine for a few seconds. It's quite an interesting experience.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an owner of a fairly quiet motorcycle, I've actually considered swapping out the mufflers for something noisier just so drivers notice me. I've only been riding a few years, but I already can't count the number of times I've been cut-off or nearly hit by people in cars that simply didn't see me on the motorcycle. The benefit of loud Harley-style pipes is that other drivers will at least hear you when they don't se…
Loud pipes save lives! I upgraded my pipes for performance reasons, but I'm not disappointed with the new sound.
Interesting that a company that's succeeded by selling... old technology is attempting to innovate again.
The V-Rod(attempt at innovation) was met meekly.
Buell, where they actually innovated, shut down a few years ago.
Harley Riders don't want innovation and change. They want noise and an image.
The 'young crowd' wants cheap bikes made to look tough and vintage. Hence the redesigning and marketing of the Sportster(entry model).
The rockstar lawyers want big heavy cruisers that can carry their leather shells loudly across the country.