Got on my GS500 today this morning to ride in. Foggy and drizzling outside, it'll be good to get in some wet weather riding practice. Temperatures at least are pleasant, mid 50s.
I reset my trip odometer each time I fill up (no fuel gauge). The odometer is sitting at 120 miles now; I have a 4 gallon tank and get about 50 mpg, so I try to fill up around 150 miles (giving me a bit over a gallon in reserve). My commute is 24 miles round trip, and I can fill up on the way back. No problem.
Gear up and ride off. Ginger with the throttle at first, but the bike is doing fine in the damp. I need to change out the rear tire soon, the tread is almost done and I avoid standing water.
Through the post gate and on to work. Riding well, little traffic this early and generally just enjoying my ride. Earlier this morning the fog had reduced visibility down to less than 50 feet; now it has lightened a bit, but still blankets and quietens the world. Headlights in the opposing lanes carve beams through the mist. Very peaceful.
I arrive at work and begin my teardown procedures to convert from a bulky biker dude to a mild-mannered cube dweller. Pat pockets to find badge. No badge. Check, and double check. Nothing.
Stomach flip-flops. I think know what happened; I must have fat-fingered the badge and either missed my pocket or not securely tucked it in. Curse my inattention and my thick gloves! I swing back onto the bike and roar off towards the gate.
They haven't seen it. I make one, then two, then three passes over the initial stretch of road leading away from the gate. No badge. I eye my odometer; it's approaching 160 miles now. I know I can swing out and refuel off-post, but it's a 20 minute detour that I don't have time for this morning. I've spent too much time on this already.
I head to the provost marshal office and submit a lost badge paperwork form and head back to work, exceedingly late and pissed at myself. Bike is sitting outside with ~185 miles on the odometer. It should get me to a pump off-post after work; but it'll be closer than I like.
***
Gas bikes typically have a tip-top full range somewhere between 100-250 miles. Depending on your comfort level, you could start a commute with 50 or fewer miles of range remaining. We're already accustomed to having to fill up somewhat frequently; we're used to keeping an eagle eye on the fuel gauge or trip odometer (no fuel gauge for me) and making plans accordingly.
On an electric bike, I will start each morning having fully charged at home, overnight. An Empulse 10 should deliver around 80-100 miles at my commute speeds (45-55 mph); that's about how much range I had in the partially-fueled gas bike this morning, so please don't read this as an indictment of gas, but rather my carelessness which is testing my range reserve.
As with most range anxiety experiences (electric or otherwise), I had options to mitigate or avoid the issue. I could fueled up on my way out, I could have put a little more gas into the bike at home. I could have accepted the schedule slip and quickly fueled up off-post before returning. Without being able to charge at work and with very few level 2 charging posts in Huntsville (two that I know of), home is the only place I can conveniently add charge on an electric bike.
That said; with today's battery technology, I would be feeling less anxiety on an electric bike than on my present gas bike. With tomorrow's battery technology? A fifty mile detour on the way to work would not be a problem at all. Or a hundred mile detour .. to go wander in the fog : )
