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It's pretty dangerous riding a motorcycle. And I just mean the danger from other motorists. Imagine if your motorcycle was silent. I know people raised the sam

It's pretty dangerous riding a motorcycle. And I just mean the danger from other motorists. Imagine if your motorcycle was silent. I know people raised the same concerns about electric cars back in the day, but people are far more likely to not "see" a motorcycle. Maybe mitigate with a strobe light, but I find those very distracting when I drive by a cyclist.

aianus 10y ago
I commuted daily on a motorcycle in Saigon and it's not as dangerous as it is here in North America (well, sometimes it is, but mostly because of idiots riding drunk with no helmet while texting). Everyone drives slower (~40km/h at most) and cars actively look out for motorcycles and make slow, smooth controlled changes in direction that everyone can anticipate.
- damian2000 10y ago
  Yeah I agree with that - traffic in Saigon looks initially completely disorganised in areas such as large junctions, but it really works well and is even safe for pedestrians. Its absolutely different to traffic in many other countries where the car is 95% of the traffic and the lowest speed anywhere is 60km/h.
DigitalJack 10y ago
Really like to hear the rationale for downvotes, just because it's surprising to me.
- _s 10y ago
  I didn't down vote but from a different perspective: - Not being able to hear / audible warning is a terrible argument for many reasons - The danger is understood, but that's because of a lack of training for all road users; no amount of visual warnings will mitigate the lack of education / training I think the downvotes stem from the lack of critical thought portrayed by the comment? I can't really say - to me it doesn't add anything meaningful to topic at hand and detracts from the intent of the article itself without giving tangible reasons.
  - DigitalJack 10y ago
    I've got 145,000 miles on my motorcycle. I have some experience. Call it a terrible argument if you want, but you are wrong. I was replying to a comment with a kickstarter about an electric motorcycle, seems pretty relevant to me, hence my surprise.
    - _s 10y ago
      Before you go accusing folks on the internet; perhaps consider that they too might know a thing or two about the subject at hand? And I was attempting to articulate why someone may have down-voted you by being overly critical; I didn't feel negatively towards your original comment either way.
- zeckalpha 10y ago
  It's not a motorcycle.
- Shebanator 10y ago
  I don't think you deserved downvotes for your original post, fwiw - it isn't particularly well argued, but it isn't offensive. On the other hand, your followup comment "Call it a terrible argument if you want, but you are wrong." does mark you as a bit of a jerk.
- Gibbon1 10y ago
  People downvote stuff when they dislike the implications of something even if it's true, actually especially if it's true. As to your point, a friend of mine has an electric motorcycle. He said that it's silent is scary because in traffic cars don't notice he's there. He has to always be on guard for people merging into his lane.
  - Retric 10y ago
    Adding a speaker would not take a lot of power.
    - Gibbon1 10y ago
      That's what they do for some electric cars.
  - chillwaves 10y ago
    The idea that people will hear you on a motorcycle and that will protect you is absurd. The only way to ride safe is to ride as if cars do not see you.
    - Gibbon1 10y ago
      I don't even know how to respond to this politely.
Hondor 10y ago
This "motorcycle" can only do 40km/hr so it can't even reach the speed limit. A lot of e-bikes used in China are much faster than that. Safety there isn't the problem you'd expect because they often move in packs and drivers are slower and more cautious than in the west. Also, streets are built to accommodate them. I don't really understand why this is a kickstarter. Just buy a well established e-bike brand with the specs you want.

aianus 10y ago

I commuted daily on a motorcycle in Saigon and it's not as dangerous as it is here in North America (well, sometimes it is, but mostly because of idiots riding drunk with no helmet while texting). Everyone drives slower (~40km/h at most) and cars actively look out for motorcycles and make slow, smooth controlled changes in direction that everyone can anticipate.

damian2000 10y ago
Yeah I agree with that - traffic in Saigon looks initially completely disorganised in areas such as large junctions, but it really works well and is even safe for pedestrians. Its absolutely different to traffic in many other countries where the car is 95% of the traffic and the lowest speed anywhere is 60km/h.

DigitalJack 10y ago

Really like to hear the rationale for downvotes, just because it's surprising to me.

_s 10y ago
I didn't down vote but from a different perspective: - Not being able to hear / audible warning is a terrible argument for many reasons - The danger is understood, but that's because of a lack of training for all road users; no amount of visual warnings will mitigate the lack of education / training I think the downvotes stem from the lack of critical thought portrayed by the comment? I can't really say - to me it doesn't add anything meaningful to topic at hand and detracts from the intent of the article itself without giving tangible reasons.
- DigitalJack 10y ago
  I've got 145,000 miles on my motorcycle. I have some experience. Call it a terrible argument if you want, but you are wrong. I was replying to a comment with a kickstarter about an electric motorcycle, seems pretty relevant to me, hence my surprise.
  - _s 10y ago
    Before you go accusing folks on the internet; perhaps consider that they too might know a thing or two about the subject at hand? And I was attempting to articulate why someone may have down-voted you by being overly critical; I didn't feel negatively towards your original comment either way.
zeckalpha 10y ago
It's not a motorcycle.
Shebanator 10y ago
I don't think you deserved downvotes for your original post, fwiw - it isn't particularly well argued, but it isn't offensive. On the other hand, your followup comment "Call it a terrible argument if you want, but you are wrong." does mark you as a bit of a jerk.
Gibbon1 10y ago
People downvote stuff when they dislike the implications of something even if it's true, actually especially if it's true. As to your point, a friend of mine has an electric motorcycle. He said that it's silent is scary because in traffic cars don't notice he's there. He has to always be on guard for people merging into his lane.
- Retric 10y ago
  Adding a speaker would not take a lot of power.
  - Gibbon1 10y ago
    That's what they do for some electric cars.
- chillwaves 10y ago
  The idea that people will hear you on a motorcycle and that will protect you is absurd. The only way to ride safe is to ride as if cars do not see you.
  - Gibbon1 10y ago
    I don't even know how to respond to this politely.

Hondor 10y ago

This "motorcycle" can only do 40km/hr so it can't even reach the speed limit. A lot of e-bikes used in China are much faster than that. Safety there isn't the problem you'd expect because they often move in packs and drivers are slower and more cautious than in the west. Also, streets are built to accommodate them. I don't really understand why this is a kickstarter. Just buy a well established e-bike brand with the specs you want.