Cross posted from a forum member over at
electricmotorcycle.com:
Motorcycle.com
loads up another slam in disguise for electric motorcycles. My comment below:
Tree-hugging vegetarian EV owners? Really you guys? I realize you were poking fun but that's still kind of a crap attitude and perpetuates a BS stereotype. I can tell you that my Zero S does just as well on runs for brisket and burgers, thanks, and while your ilk are stopping for fuel, I'm getting my 100% animal product ice cream home before it melts on my genuine cow hide leathers.
I don't know why the motorcycle media can't wrap their heads around the idea that these bikes aren't about draining the battery for everything that it's worth every time you throw a leg over it. They're about keeping up with the general daily use that the typical motorcyclist is likely to throw at it, and doing it better than gas bikes. After over a year of my Zero S with the baby 8.5kwh battery pack being my primary vehicle, I can't stress enough how convenient it is to walk out to the garage, unplug the bike, ride to work, ride around on my lunch break, run some errands on the way home, pull back into the garage with well over half the charge left, plug it back in, and repeat the next day and the next with no drama whatsoever. In over 3000 miles (would be double that but I don't commute anymore), Fuel stops, 0. Oil changes, 0. Chain maintenance, 0. Carb cleans, 0. Coolant flushes, 0. The only maintenance I've done with this thing is to adjust the tire pressure a couple times. Other than that, it's all about the riding, and the riding is incredibly good.
Yes, sometimes I want to ride farther than the Zero can reach, so I jump on my Honda Magna and curse it for not idling right because the carbs have clogged (again). I then jump on my $2,500 Versys, ride it until my butt can't stand it anymore, then bring it home and park it for another month while I list the Magna on Craigslist and scramble around town on the Zero to pick up oil, chain lube, Seafoam and/or Sta-Bil, and a battery tender for the Kwak.
Guys, seriously, get your heads out, and quit bashing on these bikes even though you're heaping praise on them for their rideability and convenience. Are you so afraid that your readers are going to disagree with you and poo-poo your love for something different? Maybe that's why I'm paying more attention to Lanesplitter these days...
