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I’ve been wanting an electric motorcycle for years. But every time I look at the pricing I just can’t justify it. An entry level electric bike for $25k or a to

I’ve been wanting an electric motorcycle for years. But every time I look at the pricing I just can’t justify it. An entry level electric bike for $25k or a top of the line BMW for $18k. It’s just not even a comparison.

leetrout 3y ago
Where are you getting the top BMW for 18? Or are you talking about the ones they farm out?
- mmh0000 3y ago
  https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/sport/r1250rs.html https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/sport/r1250rs.html Okay. 20k. Still less than an electric and more powerful with more features.
  - subhro 3y ago
    1250RS is not top of the line for sure in any of the segments it is marketed at. I would say a K16 would be more towards the top.
    - leetrout 3y ago
      Yep. Or the flagship of adventure bikes - R1250 GS also a bit more than the RS or RT.
    - mmh0000 3y ago
      I disagree, the 1250RS is basically a redesign of the K1200S (my current bike). Just swapping out the inline-v for the BMW boxer motor. Top of the line, in it's class. A sports bike, with shaft drive, linked brakes, traction control, and heated grips. Find me an electric bike with those features for anywhere near a comparable price. Specifically, I will not even consider a bike without a shaft drive (or in the case of an electric, a hub drive would be acceptable.) I am done maintaining chains and belts.
      - dharmab 3y ago
        Belts are less maintenance intensive than shaft drives. A shaft drive needs an oil change every 10,000 miles. A belt needs a change every 60,000 miles or so, depending on storage condtions. The disadvantages of belts are efficiency (especially compared to chains), off road durability and trailside serviceability.
        mmh0000 3y ago
        I might just be a bad bike parent, but, my current shaft drive bike has ~42,000 miles on it. It had the shaft-oil replaced once at 800 miles (per manual, break in period). My bike has been rock-fucking-solid. Its been in the shop once for a real break in 16 years for a busted fuel line. (not including tires and engine oil changes). Its really hard for me to believe another bike could be as reliable.
        dharmab 3y ago
        In my experience most Suzukis other than the 2000s GSXRs have superior reliability to BMW at the tradeoff of lower sophistication. Though the new VStroms and Hayabusa are competitive with BMW on rider aids. Certain Kawasakis are uo there too, like the Versys and KLR.
        vladvasiliu 3y ago
        I'm too lazy to grab my Honda's manual to check, but I'm pretty sure the recommended shaft oil change interval is way more than 10k miles. I'm thinking 48k km, which something like 30k mi.
        dharmab 3y ago
        On a current Gold Wing it's every 3 years. https://cdn.powersports.honda.com/documentum/MWOM/ml.remawmom.2022_gl1800_gold_wing_owner_s_manual.pdf https://cdn.powersports.honda.com/documentum/MWOM/ml.remawmo... On an R1200/R1250 it's 12,000 miles or 2 years.
rabuse 3y ago
The range is also typically laughably bad also. I just can't justify having to perfectly calculate a trip, or ending up stuck on the side of the road with no quick ability to just gas it back up.
driverdan 3y ago
Your numbers are completely wrong. Zero has a bike for $12k https://zeromotorcycles.com/model/zero-fx https://zeromotorcycles.com/model/zero-fx and BMW sells bikes that go well into the $20k ranges. You can get a Surron for under $4k, but it's more like a cross between a bicycle and motorcycle. I do agree with the general premise, that electric is more expensive. There needs to be more competition to drive prices down like is happening for cars.
- notatoad 3y ago
  >but it's more like a cross between a bicycle and motorcycle. and that's kinda the reason that the value proposition for electric motorbikes isn't very good. if you can give up the requirement of "i want to drive on the highway", an electric bicycle is going to do what you need for a fraction of the cost. electric motorbikes lean more towards toys than practical tools, so they're priced like toys.
  - chefandy 3y ago
    Maybe more like a cross between a motocross bike and a street bike— it's a dual sport like the Honda CRF450. I wouldn't take it on a road trip but I'll bet it would handle an average highway commute just fine.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - bastawhiz 3y ago
    My FXE goes fifteen over the speed limit on the freeway. There's no universe where that's not good on the highway.
    - notatoad 3y ago
      yeah, that's what i'm saying. an FXE is an e-motorbike, not an e-bicycle. if you didn't need highway speed, you could have got a top-tier commuter-style ebike for $3k instead of the $12k an FXE costs. but i'm sure the FXE is way more fun.
Mengkudulangsat 3y ago
Taiwan is doing electric bikes right. They're not a $25k toy, they are $2k tool.
- throwaway290 3y ago
  Motorbikes in general are a toy in the west and a cost efficient tool in all of Asia. Electric motorbikes are not any special. Electrics seem more rare in Taiwan now compared to China a few years ago but they are catching up I guess.
itsZero 3y ago
Agree that it’s expensive and the range sucks, but I still love my Energica EVA Ribelle. It’s super satisfying to ride! So far the furthest I’ve ridden is from Bay Area to Big Sur and back, which needs to fast charge like 2 times each way.
- mmh0000 3y ago
  I'm a little jealous you have that bike. I did a test ride of it about a year ago and loved it. Sadly, as I said in another comment, I don't want a chain or belt drive bike. But, the EVA Ribelle is almost perfect.
- bastawhiz 3y ago
  I love my Eva Ribelle as well! I'm envious that you get to ride it around in the mountains in CA. I'm thinking about hauling mine out to the tail of the dragon at some point, but that's a still a long journey for me.
bastawhiz 3y ago
My 22 Zero FXE was $13k. My Energica was more than double that, but what you get for that is range and 40mph higher top speed. If you're looking for a commuter bike, you don't need to kill yourself on price. If you're looking to scare the shit out of yourself every time you send it, you'll pay Ducati prices.
squarefoot 3y ago
For $25k I would buy an Arcimoto Roadster (3 wheels), which unfortunately isn't available in the EU, and there are no similar equivalents (2 spaced front wheels, electric, not bicycle sized) over here. Patiently waiting for a EU distributor to appear.
matsemann 3y ago
No market for electric motorbikes. Based on my experience the reason for buying a motorbike is to be obnoxiously loud and disturb your whole city block. Can't do that with electric.
- barrkel 3y ago
  Classic availability bias. This can be replaced by electric: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn36na62uyho31.jpg https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn...

leetrout 3y ago

Where are you getting the top BMW for 18? Or are you talking about the ones they farm out?

mmh0000 3y ago
https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/sport/r1250rs.html https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/sport/r1250rs.html Okay. 20k. Still less than an electric and more powerful with more features.
- subhro 3y ago
  1250RS is not top of the line for sure in any of the segments it is marketed at. I would say a K16 would be more towards the top.
  - leetrout 3y ago
    Yep. Or the flagship of adventure bikes - R1250 GS also a bit more than the RS or RT.
  - mmh0000 3y ago
    I disagree, the 1250RS is basically a redesign of the K1200S (my current bike). Just swapping out the inline-v for the BMW boxer motor. Top of the line, in it's class. A sports bike, with shaft drive, linked brakes, traction control, and heated grips. Find me an electric bike with those features for anywhere near a comparable price. Specifically, I will not even consider a bike without a shaft drive (or in the case of an electric, a hub drive would be acceptable.) I am done maintaining chains and belts.
    - dharmab 3y ago
      Belts are less maintenance intensive than shaft drives. A shaft drive needs an oil change every 10,000 miles. A belt needs a change every 60,000 miles or so, depending on storage condtions. The disadvantages of belts are efficiency (especially compared to chains), off road durability and trailside serviceability.
      - mmh0000 3y ago
        I might just be a bad bike parent, but, my current shaft drive bike has ~42,000 miles on it. It had the shaft-oil replaced once at 800 miles (per manual, break in period). My bike has been rock-fucking-solid. Its been in the shop once for a real break in 16 years for a busted fuel line. (not including tires and engine oil changes). Its really hard for me to believe another bike could be as reliable.
        dharmab 3y ago
        In my experience most Suzukis other than the 2000s GSXRs have superior reliability to BMW at the tradeoff of lower sophistication. Though the new VStroms and Hayabusa are competitive with BMW on rider aids. Certain Kawasakis are uo there too, like the Versys and KLR.
        vladvasiliu 3y ago
        I'm too lazy to grab my Honda's manual to check, but I'm pretty sure the recommended shaft oil change interval is way more than 10k miles. I'm thinking 48k km, which something like 30k mi.
        dharmab 3y ago
        On a current Gold Wing it's every 3 years. https://cdn.powersports.honda.com/documentum/MWOM/ml.remawmom.2022_gl1800_gold_wing_owner_s_manual.pdf https://cdn.powersports.honda.com/documentum/MWOM/ml.remawmo... On an R1200/R1250 it's 12,000 miles or 2 years.

rabuse 3y ago

The range is also typically laughably bad also. I just can't justify having to perfectly calculate a trip, or ending up stuck on the side of the road with no quick ability to just gas it back up.

driverdan 3y ago

Your numbers are completely wrong. Zero has a bike for $12k https://zeromotorcycles.com/model/zero-fx https://zeromotorcycles.com/model/zero-fx and BMW sells bikes that go well into the $20k ranges. You can get a Surron for under $4k, but it's more like a cross between a bicycle and motorcycle. I do agree with the general premise, that electric is more expensive. There needs to be more competition to drive prices down like is happening for cars.

notatoad 3y ago
>but it's more like a cross between a bicycle and motorcycle. and that's kinda the reason that the value proposition for electric motorbikes isn't very good. if you can give up the requirement of "i want to drive on the highway", an electric bicycle is going to do what you need for a fraction of the cost. electric motorbikes lean more towards toys than practical tools, so they're priced like toys.
- chefandy 3y ago
  Maybe more like a cross between a motocross bike and a street bike— it's a dual sport like the Honda CRF450. I wouldn't take it on a road trip but I'll bet it would handle an average highway commute just fine.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- bastawhiz 3y ago
  My FXE goes fifteen over the speed limit on the freeway. There's no universe where that's not good on the highway.
  - notatoad 3y ago
    yeah, that's what i'm saying. an FXE is an e-motorbike, not an e-bicycle. if you didn't need highway speed, you could have got a top-tier commuter-style ebike for $3k instead of the $12k an FXE costs. but i'm sure the FXE is way more fun.

Mengkudulangsat 3y ago

Taiwan is doing electric bikes right. They're not a $25k toy, they are $2k tool.

throwaway290 3y ago
Motorbikes in general are a toy in the west and a cost efficient tool in all of Asia. Electric motorbikes are not any special. Electrics seem more rare in Taiwan now compared to China a few years ago but they are catching up I guess.

itsZero 3y ago

Agree that it’s expensive and the range sucks, but I still love my Energica EVA Ribelle. It’s super satisfying to ride! So far the furthest I’ve ridden is from Bay Area to Big Sur and back, which needs to fast charge like 2 times each way.

mmh0000 3y ago
I'm a little jealous you have that bike. I did a test ride of it about a year ago and loved it. Sadly, as I said in another comment, I don't want a chain or belt drive bike. But, the EVA Ribelle is almost perfect.
bastawhiz 3y ago
I love my Eva Ribelle as well! I'm envious that you get to ride it around in the mountains in CA. I'm thinking about hauling mine out to the tail of the dragon at some point, but that's a still a long journey for me.

bastawhiz 3y ago

My 22 Zero FXE was $13k. My Energica was more than double that, but what you get for that is range and 40mph higher top speed. If you're looking for a commuter bike, you don't need to kill yourself on price. If you're looking to scare the shit out of yourself every time you send it, you'll pay Ducati prices.

squarefoot 3y ago

For $25k I would buy an Arcimoto Roadster (3 wheels), which unfortunately isn't available in the EU, and there are no similar equivalents (2 spaced front wheels, electric, not bicycle sized) over here. Patiently waiting for a EU distributor to appear.

matsemann 3y ago

No market for electric motorbikes. Based on my experience the reason for buying a motorbike is to be obnoxiously loud and disturb your whole city block. Can't do that with electric.

barrkel 3y ago
Classic availability bias. This can be replaced by electric: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn36na62uyho31.jpg https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fn...