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Why did they go for paddle shifting instead of a standard foot shifter?? For the extra 134 pounds over the original Ninja 400 you get a whopping 7.5 miles EV r

Why did they go for paddle shifting instead of a standard foot shifter?? For the extra 134 pounds over the original Ninja 400 you get a whopping 7.5 miles EV range Why not just get a full electric like the Zero?

davidthewatson 3y ago
I've ridden a friend's zero. Love the bike. The price is right, but comes with compromise since my weekend trips are beyond the zero's range. My friend has had problems which are all fixed at manufacturer cost under warranty; however, having the kevlar belt break at speed is not a place I ever want to be.
- stavros 3y ago
  What happens when the belt breaks?
  - ce4 3y ago
    The most obvious thing is: you will lose power transmission immediately. That once happened to me on a vintage Moto Guzzi LeMans while overtaking (the cardan drive's joint broke apart, but didnt block the rear wheel). That was absolutely not funny. Apart from that: it depends if the snapped belt just flies away or if it obstructs/blocks the rear sprocket (very dangerous instant blockage of the read wheel). A chain is probably more prone to that than a belt.
    - stavros 3y ago
      Hm yeah, instant blockage is very not fun, but loss of power transmission doesn't sound that terrible. It should be fine to coast to a stop, even if you're overtaking (you can probably fall back into your old position, no?).
      - guenthert 3y ago
        > but loss of power transmission doesn't sound that terrible On a m/c it is, particularly when leaning in a turn. An experienced rider should recover, but it won't be fun. Also, other traffic participants don't expect a m/c to suddenly stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. Never had such a drastic mechanical failure, just ran out of gas (on the GG bridge of all places) and had a blown main fuse (fortunately on the down-hill section and was able to coast through multiple lanes of traffic to a stop at the side of the road).
- remlov 3y ago
  Are the belts that zero motorbikes come with sup bar? I've owned a BMW F800S and its final drive kevlar belt lasts as long, if not longer, than a chain.
vladvasiliu 3y ago
> Why did they go for paddle shifting instead of a standard foot shifter?? As far as the rider is concerned, this seems similar to Honda's DCT bikes: automatic dual-clutch transmission, which can be either fully-auto or (mostly) rider-controlled. I'd argue that it's better for muscle-memory to have a different setup. My regular bike is of the DCT persuasion, so having different controls allows me switch my mind when I ride a regular bike. I once rode a rental with a quickshifter [0], and after longer stretches I'd forget to grab the clutch when stopping or starting. --- [0] A quickshifter isn't an automatic gearbox, but an augmentation of a manual one. Since motorbikes gears are unsynchronized, you can do clutchless gear changes by accelerating or cutting the gas briefly and simply pushing or pressing on the gear control. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickshifter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickshifter
lm28469 3y ago
> Why not just get a full electric like the Zero? Same reason I still like the idea of hybrid cars. In the cities, where people live and breath, you remove most of the pollution/wear on the engine, and on the highway you get more range and keep the engine at its sweet spot

davidthewatson 3y ago

I've ridden a friend's zero. Love the bike. The price is right, but comes with compromise since my weekend trips are beyond the zero's range. My friend has had problems which are all fixed at manufacturer cost under warranty; however, having the kevlar belt break at speed is not a place I ever want to be.

stavros 3y ago
What happens when the belt breaks?
- ce4 3y ago
  The most obvious thing is: you will lose power transmission immediately. That once happened to me on a vintage Moto Guzzi LeMans while overtaking (the cardan drive's joint broke apart, but didnt block the rear wheel). That was absolutely not funny. Apart from that: it depends if the snapped belt just flies away or if it obstructs/blocks the rear sprocket (very dangerous instant blockage of the read wheel). A chain is probably more prone to that than a belt.
  - stavros 3y ago
    Hm yeah, instant blockage is very not fun, but loss of power transmission doesn't sound that terrible. It should be fine to coast to a stop, even if you're overtaking (you can probably fall back into your old position, no?).
    - guenthert 3y ago
      > but loss of power transmission doesn't sound that terrible On a m/c it is, particularly when leaning in a turn. An experienced rider should recover, but it won't be fun. Also, other traffic participants don't expect a m/c to suddenly stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. Never had such a drastic mechanical failure, just ran out of gas (on the GG bridge of all places) and had a blown main fuse (fortunately on the down-hill section and was able to coast through multiple lanes of traffic to a stop at the side of the road).
remlov 3y ago
Are the belts that zero motorbikes come with sup bar? I've owned a BMW F800S and its final drive kevlar belt lasts as long, if not longer, than a chain.

vladvasiliu 3y ago

> Why did they go for paddle shifting instead of a standard foot shifter?? As far as the rider is concerned, this seems similar to Honda's DCT bikes: automatic dual-clutch transmission, which can be either fully-auto or (mostly) rider-controlled. I'd argue that it's better for muscle-memory to have a different setup. My regular bike is of the DCT persuasion, so having different controls allows me switch my mind when I ride a regular bike. I once rode a rental with a quickshifter [0], and after longer stretches I'd forget to grab the clutch when stopping or starting. --- [0] A quickshifter isn't an automatic gearbox, but an augmentation of a manual one. Since motorbikes gears are unsynchronized, you can do clutchless gear changes by accelerating or cutting the gas briefly and simply pushing or pressing on the gear control. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickshifter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickshifter

lm28469 3y ago

> Why not just get a full electric like the Zero? Same reason I still like the idea of hybrid cars. In the cities, where people live and breath, you remove most of the pollution/wear on the engine, and on the highway you get more range and keep the engine at its sweet spot