New HD electric bike looks ready

[RandyR]

[Sylvester]

Good video Randy, would love to try one.

 

[GrahamLFCkeeper]

Looks good... but at $30,000 we can assume sales may be slow

[Freebird]

I agree that it looks good but not for me. I'm long past the sport bike styling and it would kill my back. Nope, maybe I would be more interested if it were a full touring bike with at LEAST 500 miles range but until then, it's a no go for me.

[bpate4home]

I'm just not into EVs as they do nothing for me. One way or the other, I'm not against them either, what ever you want. I ride ~70 miles round trip to work every day. I love this time on the bike, even in heavy stop and go traffic when the ride can be grueling hot in Houston. My schedule permits me to miss the height of rush hour but it is not uncommon for me to be on the road more than an hour one way. I agree 100% with Freebird, my back would kill me on an sport bike. Also, while there are a few garages that have plug ins for EVs, mine does not. Who knows they may add them.

 

I work with a few people who say I'm polluting the air and they can't wait to see everyone using EVs. It's always a fun conversation for me because I love to discuss conflicting views. I get to learn and hopefully I get to teach but for some reason a few of the EV crowd still seem to believe that they add to pollution too. I asked one where he thought his charging power came from and he said the building. After I spewed my coffee and quit laughing I still could not get him to understand that his power came from either nuclear, coal, natural gas and to a far lesser extent solar and wind.

[RandyR]

I work with a few people who say I'm polluting the air and they can't wait to see everyone using EVs. It's always a fun conversation for me because I love to discuss conflicting views. I get to learn and hopefully I get to teach but for some reason a few of the EV crowd still seem to believe that they add to pollution too. I asked one where he thought his charging power came from and he said the building. After I spewed my coffee and quit laughing I still could not get him to understand that his power came from either nuclear, coal, natural gas and to a far lesser extent solar and wind.

 

And add to that the mining of lithium and asst heavy metals that go into battery manufacture. I predict that in 20 years battery disposal (pollution) will be in the top 10 environmental problems (if its not, already).

[sandman]

For a mere $3500 more HD will put a playing card and clothes pin on it so it still sounds like the big twin.

[Tennessee]

This new electric bike from HD has a few problems many levels in the world of electrics...

1. Too big.

2. Too expensive MSRP $29,799 (I believe you can have a Toyota Prius for less). Zero motorcycle, their main competition, Standard $18,995, Premium $20,995. Still a chunk of coin.

3. Too few miles between charges on the HD.

4. Its main competitor, the Zero SR/F, goes farther, is about 60 lbs lighter, and is about $10,000 less money. It also uses a lighter motor, non-water cooled. The HD requires a water cooling jacket around the motor, which then brings in a water system, and a pump, etc., etc. And the Zero has been out there for a couple years already, debugging first year jitters.

5. The HD charges faster, but since you have to stop more often, who cares?

 

The only thing that HD offers, and it's kind of a big thing, is the dealer network. Zero, well, almost zero. HD, thousands of dealers. But is it worth $10K more? Not on my best day.

 

The major problem with electrics is they are already pushing the battery technology about as far as they can. And I agree with above, battery disposal in the future will be a huge environmental problem. When someone shows me how we're going to move the current 95% of all freight in this country that moves by diesel powered semi tractor trailer, and replace that with electric movement, then I'll listen. Till then, electric is not much more than a fad at this point. None of these people pushing electric technology will ever mention the freight problem, because they have absolutely no solution nor technology to tackle it.

 

So your new electric motorcycle will be delivered by a diesel powered semi, most likely. It might spend some time on a diesel powered train.

[zagger]

Pretty amusing that HD cannot actually make a break from the traditional motorcycle appearance and sticks on a fake gas tank. At least the fake gas cap has some function but I think that they should have been brave enough to just ditch the traditional look.

zag