| Author |
Message |
    
Guell
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 07:44 am: | 
|
Yea, who said anything about running syn3 froggy, and 339 retail for a rear corsa? I bet the dealer loves it when you go in. I can get 2 tires installed for 339. Just take the rims off the bike....
And my truck gets about 19mpg on the highway, so the bike becomes even more economical at that point |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 09:49 am: |
|
I'd ride an electric bike more often in colder weather because I wouldn't have to concern myself with condensate splooge. It would be my cold weather choice. When the outside temps get down to under 55 F I am disinclined to go for long rides because it isn't fun to shiver my as.s off. I like to jump on the bike to go the 5 miles to Golds to work out but that isn't the best on the ULY engine or tranny. An electric would be perfect. No warm up, no problem. No oil checks or worrying about what the price of gas is today. Electric seems like an ideal way to go for most of my riding. 100 miles to the charge is very reasonable considering that most of my rides aren't even 50 miles total. My long trips, I'd use the ULY or Electraglide but the short trips would be relegated to the Electric. |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 09:55 am: |
|
Motorcycle superstore has Corsa III's for $228. I guess if I put the most expensive tires, oil, battery, gas, and bought the most expensive gear, I wouldn't think riding a bike was economical. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 10:20 am: |
|
I really like the Zero advertising claim of how long their batteries last and the cost per mile. 308,000 miles and $.01 per mile. I've been riding since the end of the 1960's and have owned many bikes and all toll my mileage is only around 300,000 miles. That's like a lifetime battery. 100 miles on the ULY uses around 2+ gallons and that is more than $6 and that isn't including amortizing the oil cost. A Zero would only be 1 dollar in electric costs. That isn't bad. My ULY has cost me AT LEAST 35,000/50 x $3.25/gal = $2275 in just fuel. That same 35,000 miles would only cost 35,000 x $.01 = $350. Granted the electric wouldn't have been used on probably 1/2 those miles so I'll figure .5 x (2275 + 350) = $1313 in gas costs or a saving of $972 in fuel. Of course this doesn't account for the added insurance for the electric bike. Many of us have more than 1 motorcycle. We've got 5 in our garage already. |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 11:28 am: |
|
I don't think anyone would argue that, what I am saying is that riding my Uly 60 miles round trip to work is cheaper than my car. If there was an electric bike that was affordable, I would have to pay it off before it really benefited me considering that the only thing the Uly costs me is gas and other operating costs. An electric bike would have cheaper operating costs, but would have a monthly loan and insurance payment to go with it. |
Bluex
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 03:07 pm: |
|
I ride for the fun/thrill of riding. Getting better MPG, allowed on car-pool lanes, ... are just fringe benefits of riding in CA. But truthfully, I can't really use any of these for justifying my riding. How can I say it's cheaper to ride when I own two bikes! But when electric bikes like this Zero or the Empulse, are available, I'll be lobbying hard for one to use in my commute. Not having to go to the pump is good! I also plan on getting some kind of solar charger hooked up so I can get a few free miles while the thing parked all day at work- another fringe benefit for being in CA... |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 03:43 pm: |
|
Pro's of living in CA: lane sharing, riding in carpool lane.
Con's of living in CA: higher taxes, everything is illegal! |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 04:50 pm: |
|
Thank God for catalytic converters and fuel injection. When I left Marine boot camp from MCRD San Diego back in Sept 1975, me and 3 other Iowa Jarheads shared a Moon cab to LAX airport. Catalytic converters were just being mandated so hardly any cars if any at all had them and our drive to LAX airport was hell. I couldn't even keep my eyes open because the freeway smog was burning them so bad and another of the guys got sick from it. Hopefully the air is better there than it was back in 75'. |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 06:30 pm: |
|
It's not. I lived there in Riverside my entire life, moved to NM in '06. I go back there every year to visit family and just before we start to enter the valley you can see a huge brown tinge. I know what you mean, love the air in Albuquerque. |
Paul56
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 01:35 am: |
|
The air in the LA Basin is incredibly better now than during the 60's-70's when I was growing up. Very rare now to have Smog Alerts, the San Gabriel mountains are visible from San Pedro most days- just a great improvement overall. However, when returning to the basin (like down the 5 from the Central Valley) you definitely see the brown soup in the air as you approach.
Problem is, the easy and highly effective solutions have already been implemented. All that's left now are more and more costly fixes for ever diminishing results. It will never be "clean" as long as there are any internal combustion engines or any kind of manufacturing going on. 12 million people in such a small space surrounded by mountains just means dirty air. Period.
Hijack off |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 11:03 am: |
|
I'd bet that the people of LA would pay for some kind of massive device that would suck in LA air and exhaust clean air. We take unfit water and turn it into potable water so why not clean the air. We certainly know how to f it up in mass quantities. Now is the time to actively clean it up. Not just reduce pollutants like we do with catalytic converters under cars but to actually make it pristine. |
Blake
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 03:37 pm: |
|
How long until the gov't figures a way to add fuel tax onto electric vehicles when they recharge? Taxes at the pump account for fifty cents or more of the cost of a gallon of gasoline or diesel, in some states I think it's close to 80 cents/gal. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 05:22 pm: |
|
Probably as long as it takes to tax purchases made through the internet. Amazon.com will probably go under when that becomes law (where they have to collect taxes on purchases). I would think very hard about paying taxes and believing they would actually come back to my state and not just increase the online purveyor's bottom line.
(Message edited by electraglider_1997 on November 16, 2011) |
Buewulf
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 05:50 pm: |
|
I doubt they will even look for a way to tax "fuel" for electric vehicles for a long time to come. I suspect that as they begin losing significant gas tax to electric vehicles that they will solve the revenue problem by just increasing the tax on gasoline further to make up for it.
Should a day come when electric vehicles have a resounding majority, then I imagine we'll see that "federal and state fees and taxes" line item on our utility bills. Or they'll check odometers during annual vehicle inspections for those of us impudent enough to generate our own electricity with solar panels and what not and just charge us by the mile during inspection time. Or they'll just make the few of us paying for all of the other entitlements enjoyed by others foot that bill as well. |
Paul56
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 11:14 pm: |
|
"I'd bet that the people of LA would pay for some kind of massive device that would suck in LA air and exhaust clean air. We take unfit water and turn it into potable water so why not clean the air. We certainly know how to f it up in mass quantities. Now is the time to actively clean it up. Not just reduce pollutants like we do with catalytic converters under cars but to actually make it pristine"
A few years ago Volvo patented a process whereby the air passing over a hot radiator was catalyzed by a coating on the outside of the radiator, cleaning the air just by driving through it. It was probably quite expensive and maybe only marginally effective, but still. What a cool idea! |
7873jake
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 11:30 pm: |
|
Seems like I recall reading that a building in Asia somewhere (I know, geographically precise) was painted with a paint that helped neutralize air contaminants and clean up urban air quality.
that + volvos has to equal something of significance |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2011 - 12:07 am: |
|
Jeremy (Buewulf),
I hope you're wrong about the taxes. It's something the media or the electric car proponents don't much mention. |
Buewulf
| | Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2011 - 10:05 am: |
|
Blake,
Jeremy or Buewulf, I answer to both. 
I may be wrong about where the taxes come from, but I think we all know they'll come from somewhere. I am still inclined to believe that it will initially come from higher taxes at the pump though. Less demand for gasoline due to electric vehicles would drive the price of gasoline lower which would be counterproductive to a government trying to push electric vehicles. They'll tax gasoline not only to make up for the lost tax revenue but also to increase the value proposition of the electric vehicles. That is my bet anyway.
Once there aren't enough ICE's left to fully make up the difference, who knows which route the fed and state governments will take? I think we will see it in our utility bills since that is where the demand from gasoline will shift to. We'll pay significantly more per kilowatt since demand will significantly increase, not to mention, in theory, all of this electricity should be coming from "green" power plants (otherwise what is the point of replacing gas-powered vehicles with coal-powered vehicles) which costs a lot more per kilowatt to begin with. And I imagine there will be supplemental taxes as well to replace those once footed not only by the consumer at the pump but by the oil industry as well. In addition to roads that need to be kept up, utility infrastructure (substandard in most parts of the country right now for this type of demand) will also have to be upgraded, built and maintained. Cha-ching.
When it is all said and done, our kids may be pulling up to the local Starbucks on their electric bikes 30 years from now envious of the fact that, for a pittance of $15, their parents'very powerful bikes could go 160 miles and fully "recharge" in 2 minutes.
Anyway, that is my theory if pure plug-in electric vehicles are indeed the replacement for ICE power. |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2011 - 05:36 pm: |
|
I think they are already starting that in CA, last I heard they were requiring all hybrid/electric vehicles to be fitted with gps units in order to impliment "highway user fees". Trust me, if the government is good at one thing, it's figuring out how to shake money out of the taxpayers pockets. |
Buewulf
| | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011 - 09:23 am: |
|
I heard they were requiring all hybrid/electric vehicles to be fitted with gps units
Is that even legal? |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011 - 09:28 am: |
|
I'd like to put gps units on my cats to see where the heck they meander to when they disappear for hours on end. |
Thejosh
| | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011 - 10:31 am: |
|
I don't know if it is legal, but before I left CA there was a debate on gas taxes and hybrid/electric vehicles. If you think about it, taxes on gasoline is used for road/highway maintenance (or so we are expected to believe) If the vehicles are evading these taxes, then there needs to be a way to implement these taxes. One of the ways that was considered was GPS units and tax the vehicle based on mileage. There is no free lunch. If you think you can evade gasoline taxes by buying an electric vehicle, you may be slitting your own wrists. |
Bluex
| | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011 - 12:09 pm: |
|
Though it's not perfect, it's a lot simpler just to put a surcharge in your registration fees if you have some sort of a electric/hybrid vehicle. DMV already has that data. Regardless, I don't mind putting in my share, as long as my riding gets the "fair advantage"! |
|
