‘The target buyer is young, debt free and has six figures of expendable income. She is a green environmentalist, but always wished to enter competitive power sports. Lives in the city, but has a garage...’ Perfection.
@@perrycalabrese3475 Ryan is not making fun of high income people. He is merely pointing out that the motorcycle industry is targeting a very small and specific minority with EV bikes, thus it is unsurprising that they sell so little.
@@I_Santos_ he's more taking a stab at the fact these people don't actually exist. The people who do buy these bikes are those not afraid to experiment. Everyone else wants to know it'll work.
I think manufacturers simply don't want to accept that the average price will have to go down. That's why they keep offering high end high margin bikes. they'd rather it fail than set a standard for affordability they don't want.
@@JB-1138 Those aren't electric and omg don't get one of those dumb mini bikes 🤦♀️. Spend the relatively tiny bit more a get a cb300r. Same style but it's actually a bike you can use and not look like a dork on lmao
In Taiwan (which has a very high motorcycles/scooters number per capita for a developed country) Gogoro has become THE scooter brand of the moment despite not being especially cheap. And it is an EV. They have battery swapping stations everywhere in big cities and we are a relatively small but densely populated country.
Yep. Works amazingly well. It's the swapping stations that really make it work. Faster than filling the tank with gas. Cities need to help commit to the infrastructure, but the stations are just small kiosks that don't take up a ton of space so it's not difficult especially in most large spread out N. American cities with tons of space. I think the biggest issue would be convincing N. Americans to get out of their cars and ride a scooter. Winters in colder cities don't make that prospect much fun but it could work amazingly well in warmer southern cities.
You would do even better with electric bycicles. Cos those do allow some fitness exercise and are better handling usually. People buy motorcycles for adventure, open road outside city. You don't need such high horsepower to weight ratio in city.
@@FortNineWell well well... now I'm not only JUST curious, I'm also slightly aroused. Which I think all of us can blame that on Ryan's personal "aerodynamic" design language 👌🏼🔥 🤣
@@FortNine I've heard of a nuclear battery being developed in California that will be available to buy in 5 years... whether that is true or not we will have to wait and see!
Elon musk needs to start building motorcycles. Current Motorcycle companies are notoriously slow at upgrading. TW200 is still the most practical motorcycle made from back in the '80s without any upgrades.
This is one of the smartest videos I've probably ever seen. Engineering, market analysis and a business case all packaged in not even 9 minutes of a video. I'm seriously impressed, hats off.
Harley is a luxury brand. I dont think this is the reason. The same way Bentley sells their SUV for $177.000 and the SUV market is not failing because of this
In Europe e-scooters are quite popular especially in urban environments. They reach 70km/h for a total of 100km which is plenty for city commuting in addition to noise reduction and great acceleration.
@@Timmehhhhhh Because most people drive mopeds. A motorcycle license is relatively expensive. And a moped is often allowed on the cycle paths. So most people opt for the moped
@bkdmx 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Not at all. Only Holland, Belgium, germany and a few others have a specific 25 kmph catagory.... And in germany and belgium Ive only seen the moped catagory, so Im guessing it isnt even that popular. Only reason a big part of 50cc bikes in holland are in the 25kmph catagory is because its one of the few countries with proper bicycle infrastructure
@@zUJ7EjVD My struggle is I live very rural so I need something more substantial then an e-bike. I am also a bigger guy so I need something that's going to be equivalent to a 400-600cc bike. I travel less then 20-40 miles a day. Everything I could find was 10,000$ plus. When you compare that to a traditional gas bike your looking at closer to 5000.
@@Mikey__R I don't foresee the EU banning IC bikes anytime soon: They only applied Euro5 emissions standards to bikes NINE years after they did for cars. A ban is decades away, if ever, given how the engine is such an important part of the experience.
Agreed, for most urban use it's fine... Here's the thing, a lot of cities in the UK are not flat unless you're living on the east side of the country, so what's that thing like taking on hills?
I totally agree, I have been wondering for a while why the big motorcycle manufacturers aren't realizing they can make good money in the mean time with e bicycles until the density of batteries get to a point where it has more energy or the charging gets fast enough to make sense and they become easier to use as well.
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Chinese electric scooter manufacturers realized few months ago :D
@ All those cheap electric scooters have a battery that, when it fails (still happens too often), is more expensive than the complete scooter
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@@Nightdare But it is still very affordable, easy to ride for anyone without motorcycle driving licence - everything said about why electric motorcycle are failing. (for me it is not reason to sell my KTM, but neither reason to not ride electric scooter as well)
This is the video that made me buy my electric scooter. Was seriously tempted to build my own like this, but with no real workshop and whole bikes becoming quite affordable, I bought one. Quite similar to this one in specs I now realize. Battery looks to be about the same size, though the engine and top speed are limited to 1000W and 25kmh to abide by local regulations. Works perfectly, even fits in my elevator and tiny apartment.
@@guessundheit6494 Thank you for proving my point. Ugly AF. Putting blue LED accents and making it look like an Apple product doesn't make it "cool". If you want to ride this George Jetson Vespa be my guest. Noone will look at it twice other than to point and laugh.
Agreed, had to build my own and managed to do it for 1/3 of the cost. The claims of not being able to drive from town to town in Canada is debatable though, and bike type/riding style plays a big role in this too. Some bikes like the Zero S and my custom build can provide slightly over 100 km/charge with a 4-6 kWh battery (which is relatively small, producing a light curb weight of ~300 lbs compared to their ICEB counterparts like the 350 lbs CBR300) while others like the SR/F can do 200 km's with a similar power to weight ratio as an R6, and guess what? An R6 only gets a max 200 km's per tank fill up too. So I don't see the problem in terms of range. Buy what suits you, if you can afford it lol. Whether or not you make it from town to town depends on the same factors as an ICEB; your batt capacity, your route and how many charge stations you want to ignore along the way. Contrary to popular belief (which seems to hinge on information and technology from 5-10 years ago 90% of the time), the charging network in Canada is massive and growing everyday. There are multiple level 1 and 2 charging stations in every major town and city. Google 'Canada ev charging network map'. According to my math, if a person has a 12-14 kWh battery to play with then they shouldn't run into any problems from either direction until they get into Ontario - even petrol vehicles run out of fuel on that stretch of highway if a person isn't careful. But they'd do really well to make it across Ont. on most e-moto's without getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. Other than that, there shouldn't be a problem. Not here in NB or the rest of the Atlantic provinces, anyway. Charge time shouldn't be much of an issue either. Most battery tech today is capable of 2 or 3C charging. Hell, my sponsor Grepow can build their batteries with 5C charging capability. That's. Fast. Like, plug it in, sip a coffee for 15 minutes and it's time to go again. I don't know about anyone else, but after a couple hundred klicks on a bike I'm ready to take a break and stretch my back and legs, take a leak, have a bite to eat/drink, etc. There's a reason why my naked sport only has a 4 kWh battery; it's mainly a commuter and I don't plan on being bent over for more than 100 km's at a time. 23 years working construction + a leaning posture just doesn't allow it. With that said, the # 1 complaint that I've gotten over the years promoting these things is the lack of sound. #2 is style/cosmetics. I referred to Zero motorcycles here, but I can't stand the look of them or 99% of other e-motos on the market. They're just too goofy. Even with subpar backyard build quality, the styling on my DIY build is so much better. #3 is range. Put sound generators and >12 kWh batteries in the right bikes for an affordable price, and they'll sell. Electrifying cruisers and touring bikes makes as much sense as electrifying 18 wheelers. It's not worth it, you'd be lugging too much weight around to get the range that you want without having to charge up more than once/day. But for sport bikes, street bikes, mopeds/scooters, anything that most people aren't spending 4-8 hrs/day on would benefit from an electric drivetrain if the manufacturers would smarten up and make them more appealing. The price will come down in time as infrastructure pays for itself and investors get their return, just as wind and solar tech costs have dropped dramatically this past decade. Battery tech isn't far behind. Riding e-motos the past few years is the most fun I've had on anything with a motor and wheels. But to each their own. I certainly don't judge anyone for opting to not get one...but you should consider it, or a conversion. It's nowhere near as complicated as it might seem, and it's so much fun.
There are some crazy ebikes put there. Some of them are basically motorcycles you don't need a license, registration, or insurance for. You can even take "shortcuts" on bike trails
@@pnblondon1087 In the US there are virtually no cities with bike-friendly roads, and with half of people on the road looking at their phones, you're greatly increasing your risk of major injury.
In the bay area they are very abundant. Not much electric motorbikes, but a bunch of electrically assisted bicycles. Really great for commuting. Technically they are limited to 20mph to be compatible with bike trails, but I'd bet some people are quietly modding them beyond that limit, not sure.
this is actually a really interesting idea for someone looking to refurb an otherwise junked classic bike. There's a ton of old hondas and kawasakis in my area that look alright cosmetically but have rusted tanks, junk engines and disintegrating wiring harnesses. With old stock drying up this could be a great way to get a second or potentially even third life out of these 40-60yr old bikes.
Ev conversions are a wonderful, although really small, part of the motorcycle community you can even find a guy who straight up made his own from scratch
The old frames typically can't take the extra torque. I've been advised not to swap my '79 750 for a 1100 bc it'll bend the frame. And if a 40yo 1100 could do that I wonder what a modern electric motor would do.
This is spot on. Here in Southeast Asia, EV scooters are exploding. They're selling like hotcakes at just around $300 a pop. Tiny bike, with tiny range - perfect for just jetting back and forth between the wet marker and home.
Except, now we have people who just drive like a maniac in these things because they think regular road rules do not apply to them. Seriously, they actually need to be licensed by this point.
@@CrossfeetGaming Because when the laws disrespect you, you disrespect the laws. We need to stop treating everything not on a sidewalk like a car. We need rules & infrastructure tailored to different modes of transportation.
You singlehanded do what the entire production of BBC top gear (the good one) tried to accomplish. Factual, stunning cinematography, entertaining and never forced.
i hope you mean tried to accomplish in the sense of they tried to achieve this and succeeded, because in reality, the good BBC top gear really did succeed in doing this
This is legitimately one of the best channels on TH-cam, even if you aren't interested in the subject matter. I don't own a motorcycle, and never have, but I love supporting this channel because it's the very best the site has to offer. Incredible deadpan humor, informative, factual, flawless production, straightforward and to the point, wonderful pacing that draws you in right until the end... Just amazing. Thank you Fortnine.
I rode my Zero DSR over 600 miles on a two week trip this summer in the European alps and was surprised at how well it went. It’s a different way of travelling compared to the 1200RS my dad was on and used to, but we had a great time riding together regardless. Riding an electric motorcycle works, but requires a change in riding behaviour.
Regarding the single gear point, all brushless hub motors are capable of star delta switching. What this means is that they effectively have two electrical gears. You do need access to all 6 power wires not just the normal three but that’s nothing a soldering iron can’t fix. One mode is high torque and the other is high speed. When you run out of speed it isn’t that you lack power as such, for any winding configuration there is a top speed related to your voltage, as you approach that point the motor generates an equal and opposite voltage to the battery meaning that at that rpm no power is drawn. Of course in practice you will never reach that zero power point on flat ground.
@@slayerficated its common to find it as a basic soft start for large industrial machinary but i would expect if your bike is stock they would have just done it all with PWM control. are there 3 or 6 power wires?
@@Hurc7495 Oh yeah only 3 coming out of the motor. Damn I'd love to have a button to switch over, I'm surprised I haven't heard of an E moto taking advantage of that technique.
@@Uruz2012 I don't understand the technical details but if you go down in sprocket size (on these bikes; surron telaria eride etc) you can't get much higher of a top speed than what you get on stock gear ratio. I would all day take a motor setup for high top speed and a 5 speed transmission or even some kind of heavy duty mtb derailleur, I like just shiftin.
I agree with every comment in this thread. Usually my comments are longer. I'll use the extra space to ask everyone to view the Playlists on My Channel, not for my benefit but for ours.
These are straight facts. i went into the industry trying to build an e motorcycle with a 100 amp battery but nobody wants it, so I started building moped/ cafe style electric bikes that can have modular batteries/motors added by the buyer at their own discretion if they wanted to add some spice to their builds. You have to cover a wide range of interests with one bike model, you can't expect to win out everyone in that 0.04% category with a flashy 1 ton bike
I spent a couple months in Beijing and electric bikes of one design or another are ubiquitous. It is baffling to me why, in the age of CAD and better batteries/motors, that we can't design a sleek, practical, high-performance e-bike in the US. The market and tech are there, so what gives? Oh, and the majority of the e-bikes in Beijing were very ugly. They look like those old archaic lawn mower engine-powered mini bikes, only larger and retrofitted to electric components. Atrociously functional.
@@brentwalker3300 the market is mostly with simple ebikes. motorcycles fall off in interest when people realize they can't lift if off the ground if they fall off due to battery weight lol. Chinese design companies just poop out what they think americans will be interested in due to a handfull of popular brands at the best bang for their buck, i don't blame them. I design from the usa but I know everything will have to come from china to make a profit so I also have to use semi generic hub motors and components.
@@Timbodacious Interesting. Thanks for the reply. Is using a hub motor really the best topology? I haven't looked into e-bike tech much but I would think there is a better approach. Also, given the higher efficiency due to lower weight per occupant, I would think that e-bikes would be able to provide sufficient range/speed for them to be really competitive as a daily commuter. Also, placing the batteries low provides good low center of gravity and stability.
@@brentwalker3300 hub motors are best bang for your buck and good for bikes that are just for cruising. hub drives leave a bit more room for batteries in a bike also.mid drives are best for trails and hilly locations but with bicycle chains anything over 2kw starts to eat gears and chains. Range is the problem that plagues ebikes and motorcycles. at low speeds they can be a great value to invest in but at freeway speeds you're only getting a 60 mile round trip on average with most brands
Having lived in China, I can tell you the cheap electric scooter is the most popular mode of transportation except in cities where they have been banned. I lived in Guangzhou, where they were banned because they were so popular they clogged the streets and caused gridlock. Traveling to smaller cities like Zhanjiang, the electric motorbike was the most affordable option for many families. I often saw entire families riding down the street on a scooter meant for two. The most I saw on a scooter was six, two adults, and four kids, one being a baby in a papoose-like carrier. I had a cheap scooter at a friend's house I kept in a storage closet plugged into a regular outlet to recharge. The only thing I saw that made them a little dangerous, besides whole families riding one, is they are silent. Many times I was almost run over crossing a street at night because a rider was not using his lights to conserve battery. The silent scooter with no lights on has taken out many people who never knew what hit them.
Best thing I ever buy accept from my gaming PC I never knew they existed till 6 months ago I now have 3 will be buy my next one when I cam afford it then am calling it a day they amazing and love always and going off road
"The most I saw on a scooter was six, two adults, and four kids, one being a baby in a papoose-like carrier." So, three child policy + 1 as crumple zone 😁👌
About carrying more than normal on motorbikes or scooters. This particular one I observed in Nigeria - Africa. But could have been in any other African country or most of Asia. Three ADULTS one man (rider) and two women (passengers). NOW the cream of the crop. One entire, live and not so young calf!! The poor thing was somehow tied up, on it's side, over the head light/steering/tank. in a position that can only be called torture! Rather horrific scene, the poor calf eyes were a good tell tale! With most of the body literally hanging over all those metal bits! Anyway it was a pretty common scene! Also commonly seen with chickens, goats, more Humans all sorts of cargo, etc. While all this procession was passing on the dirt road. The driver was happily using it's phone!! LOL 😂 Definitely can't be judged by developed countries standards. ;-)
Close to a dream e-motorbike. Cheap, light, looks fine as all get up and practical. I've been bitten by the two wheel bug since getting a pedal e-bike, it's amazing to get around on and take back trails and shortcuts but I'd love something faster I can have on the road. It's a smart way to get around and I do like the idea of having an electric for ease of use and low maintenence but I think I definitely want an ICE bike as well
E mortor bikes can't go on highways, and most speed ways for local commute sure, but the mortor cycle demigraphic has all but killed it (for mass adoption).
The other day I seen someone sitting at a traffic light, wearing full riding gear and standing on a electric unicycle. I thought he was just weird but after looking into the electric unicycles and finding out they can hit speeds of 60mph, I now want one. Things are crazy.
FortNine has another video about how people are getting seriously hurt on these because they don't wear gear - they think of it like a bicycle, but it's more like a motorcycle.
As fun as those may seem, just hope you never run into a panic braking situation. At least with 2 wheels, dumping it tends to be an option rather than a given.
@@sMv-Afjal you talking to him or me? Guessing it’s him just clarifying. I find them kind lame lately so I’m not about to hit f5 and watch again, more like alt+f4 or control+w or command+Q on Windows, Linux, or Mac respectively
@@Fee.1 actually ctrl+w works on PC to close a browser tab as well. Alt+F4 closes the whole browser. Nevertheless, you're entitled to your own opinion. Personally I can just really appreciate the work they put in and wanted to express that. Not trying to change anyone's mind per se.
Great video as always 😊 but i need and love the sound of a roaring petrol engine. Call me an environmental jerk, but i would rather pay trice the price on petrol than ride an electric mc 😊 i ride a v-strom dl 650 XT 2020 with great milage and won't trade the (although perhaps boring sound) with the silence of the electric "engine". Thank you sir for the great video(s) 💪
i built my own custom electric bicycle, it goes 40-45mph, i think the biggest thing that needs to be added to electric motorcycles is 1. chains, i will take a chain over hub motor any day, it has more torque and a mid-drive motor drives a crank instead of the wheel itself giving it more power 2. using a mid-drive motor and a chain could allow for gears on the wheel similar to a bicycle, allowing faster speed in high gears and high torque in low gears, it would help with the problem of a rear hub motor trying to put out more torque the faster you go. there is so many ways electric motorcycles could be improved and built
If you chopped the top of the tank and reattached it with small hinges and a lock you could use that space as small storage (once again a useful addition for an accurate target market of an office worker).
Clever cookie for what? Anyone watching the ebike market knows it's had big growth. What these cookies have done is the research to give us cold hard data to quantify the growth.
Yeah, I got an E-bike, and I have to agree. It works as a short-range city bike, but not if you're doing any significant traveling to and from a location.
I bought my five year old daughter a Razor electric “dirt bike” to ride around the cul de sac. It taught her balance and throttle control tool. Bought her a bigger one when she grew taller. She absolutely loves it. If those things were available when I was a kid, I would have never gotten off it except for a daily recharge.
Highly recommend it. The 1970s project bike is a never-ending game of whack-a-mole... it usually takes a professional to get the thing all working at once. But anyone can rip everything out and install a battery and hub motor. It's oddly satisfying. ~RF9
What's funny to me is this is that the bike he made its very similar to the Scrambler style ebikes already on the market, the only major difference is they have pedals
Just wanna pop on in and say something you have probably heard before, the production quality of your videos are some of the best I've seen especially for TH-cam.
Hit the nail on the head! For condo and apartment dwellers, there's no place to plug in at night. And that's the main dwelling of your typical urbanites.
Yep. While I do like the low rumble of the Triumph Speedmaster that I've been oogling for a few months now, in the end it comes down to feasibility. I can refuel the Speedmaster. I couldn't recharge anything else than an e-bicycle with a battery that can be taken out of the frame.
@@FortNine While I think they're still a bit too pricey, and in case of "non-urban" bikes still lack range... Yeah. The charging infrastructure just isn't there.
Looks like you could get about 4x the amount of battery in there if you wanted to. I'd be interested to know what range you get on your electric motorbike
@@nightarrow7473 While i agree that a lower center of gravity = better, i don't think it would make much of a difference as the gas tank when full of gas would weigh more than what the battery does.
@@barklordofthesith2997 But when the tank is full of gas, it usually has a much heavier engine directly underneath it. This thing is just a steel frame with wheels
Anyone can. Benjamin Nelson on TH-cam, has a playlist on how to build an electric motorcycle. You can start with cheap parts first, like a basic controller, lead-batteries, and a cheap motor, then later upgrade to Lithium batteries, a liquid-cooled motor with radiator & pump, and a fully tunable controller with Brake-Regeneration.
@@THESLlCK I am above & beyond sick of pedaling. I hate the limits of the human body. I want pegs or floorboards, and knee groves my legs can hold onto. I want a effing motorcycle. I'm sick of being poor, I'm sick of degenerates & bullies sabotaging me. I hate NYC. I'm trusting no one, staying away low-quality people, and just focusing on earning money, and leaving this garbage city.
They're out there. Typically around $2000-$3000 depending on what you're looking for. QS motors out of china is the big one for overseas and price / performance.
Link is literally in the description. But flawed: I refuse to buy Chinese (for obvious reasons as well as safety. I will not store or charge a Chinese battery in my home!) and all proper stuff that is reliable, safe and not made with slave labor is too expensive. I'd rather work on a CNG motorcycle or one that runs on E85
@@pistonburner6448 "I will not store or charege a chinese battery in my home" I guarantee you already have multiple. Mobile phones, or if you dont have one of them a cordless home phone will use chinese batteries.
@Professor Frog he isn't wall wrong about the battery (not sure about this one), if its in a diy kit you probrably want a affordable diy kit because otherwise you probrably wouldn't do it diy. And cheap batterys are more dangerous
There's that, but there's also electric bikes that did it better. You're not going to go on a decent road trip with an electric motorcycle and in town, you might as well save money and get an electric bike. Most people around here don't even have the ability to charge one at home, but charging an electric bike at home is doable for anybody with a home.
A good chuck of the mileage on my Cb500x has been commuting, some of the roads I take are 80+kph, so an e-bike is not ideal but could easily be done on a Zero and I would gladly do so! but the cost being double the bike I already use means it makes little sense. For an affordable price for what they offer in capabilities I would be happy to have an electric motorcycle as a 2nd bike for commuting. But they are all a long way from that price for it to be viable.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade This sort of misses a major niche. E-bikes are great for urban commuting, but a large portion of Americans and Canadians are surburban dwellers, having a 30km or so commute requiring maybe not freeway speeds but would want something that could do 100 km/hr. This is the niche nobody's sought to capitalize on, the suburban commuter. So far there's a huge gap between basically a scooter (not enough speed or range) and the super-expensive high-performance offerings (too expensive). I just hope someone will make that before they all just give up on electric motorcycles entirely. With gas at US$3/gallon, I think that could sell super well. Market it to non-motorcyclists, tell them how much money in gas they could save each year - "Pays for itself in six months!" Market it not as a toy but the money-saving ecologically-responsible alternative to a car. Offer package deals to take the MSF course as part of the purchase, maybe gear bundled in as well (making it all much more approachable to non-motorcyclists), "US$4,500 and three days, and you're set to ride!"
These videos are so well made your almost the only reason I still watch TH-cam anymore ❤ love the channel and keep up the amazing work to all the people making Fortnite possible 😊🥰
I’m running a 2.5k watt mid drive so I can use the cassette to switch gears. There’s literally no point to being below third gear cuz the torque throws you offf lol
imo the main reason bikers don't buy bikers is cause of the sound, 90% of the reason some bikers ride is just for the sound, ex harley riders, i doubt harley riders would ever ride harleys if they didnt have their noise, which seems pretty obvious honestly
Back when I lived outside of Cleveland, i once saw a zero motorcycle and thought it was very interesting. I told my dad about it and he did some research and decided to get a Zero motorcycle for going to work, getting groceries, etc.
I did the same, except with a EUC. pretty cool having 100miles of range and if I need to top 50mph I can... just not often doing that in the urban settings
I'm a city girl. I have myself an Eagle E-motorcycle Made in Korea. It's a motorcycle just retrofitted with electric engine and wiring. It even has a gas tank. Cost 3000. Goes up to 55 kilometers an hour. And the landlord allows me to bring it on the elevator twice a year for winter storage. I love it. Booting around town on it is some of the most fun I've ever had. But I have never driven any other motorcycle so no basis of comparison.
I found the statement about the landlord allowing you so frustrating. what a shit world we live in where adults needing permission to do basic things is increasingly becoming the standard. landlords are parasites. Without them, and with reasonable zoning laws, purchasing would be affordable.
@@6sfoOh yea dude. I feel real empathetic about some dude raking in profits from other people's sufferings having to pay a grand every few years to have a next to maintainance free elevator looked at... Let's just ignore the fact that collectively people are paying far in access of any of their costs _and_ don't get any equity in return The tone deaf things some people say
@@DD-ne3rl if something is within weight and dimension capacity of the elevator, should not bother anyone around. Now, keeping legally hazardous materials like petrol, oil and tyre rubber in the living space (balcony included) - that is a problem, even if you dragged it up the 20th floor by the stairs
@@zUJ7EjVD Yes. With the e-bicycle limitations, it is best to get a scooter. And you see that in big cities. People drive e-scooters, and the amount of electric bikes is rising superfast. But is harder to see an electric bicycle. I actually see more e-bicycles outside the city. People use them for what they were intended. To help someone do those long cycling rides that their physical condition would not allow them to do in a regular bike.
Bought an e-scooter for my commute. Gets me there about the same time as a car if it's rush hour and I paid about 450 USD for it. Carry it indoors and charge it through the wall socket. In my garage, which has no electricity, is a combustion engine motorcycle for entertainment. Why on earth would I buy an electric motorcycle?
I never thought I'd be coming to a motorcycle informative video to get the wit, humor, and sarcasm I love. You clearly have a great knack for sharing your passion for bikes, yet in a way that entertains. Hell even those wacko's who don't care about motorcycles enjoy your stuff (just ask my buddies who are often forced to sit through my video choices when chilling with me)! Keep up the good work, always look forward to your vids.
@@PeterKoperdan Hey, if they are still sticking around when I decide to watch some TH-cam vids then that's on them! They know where the door is, lol. Point is they don't even ride and like his vids
I love the screensaver on the Mac being the endless tubes. Everyone appreciates the lines, but there are so many subtle visual points (in this case a jab) as well.
Absolutely loving this, and agreeing with you on all points. Though couldn't you help some of the problems along with a center mounted electric motor with gears and a chain? Would make it slightly more efficient on low and high speeds right?
“All from China, and since we’re dealing directly with the factory, the children offered” Sir, that was absolutely comedy gold. I absolutely lost it 😂 This guy is the American Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson is a British conceited egocentric narcissist ! Ryan is an intelligent unassuming, down-to-earth, informative (In the world of motorcycles) and a Canadian which has nothing to do with Americans.
@@lasagna5934 I understand you completely, It is a shame that Clarkson is British and Gordon Ramsay (another low life) is unfortunately, also British but *ssholes come in a wide variety of nationalities. Which one are you ?
This is so true. Just for another example: in India, unlike (i imagine) North America, motorcycles and scooters (mopeds) are seen not as a hobby or a niche, but as the cheapest motorised personal vehicle. Most people can't afford a car, seeing as even the cheapest cost more than an entire years income, or indeed much more. Most people don't have parking spaces in cities. Cars are expensive, large, difficult to store, and very very slow in traffic. 2 wheelers are cheap, efficient (2-3 times the range for the same amount of petrol), easy to park, and quick to weave through traffic. It simply makes too much sense. I see the electric 2 wheeler market exploding in the next few years, CONTINGENT ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE keeping up. People are going to need charging stations, because so many people park on the road. I fully agree that the way to do it is to appeal to convenience and practicality, not some imaginary customer with "passion" or a hobby. Great video, keep it up
@@cheetah694 yeah, the problem is though that when the time comes to produce and finally recycle all those batteries you'll realise that they are far more toxic for the environment than releasing a few ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere that are actually greening the planet as we speak! Moreover, if a 150kms range rocks your boat by spending about as many kwhs of energy as the daily needs of a Western house, be my guest, but don't call yourself an ecologist.
It’s actually crazy how uneconomically expensive EV-motorcycles are, for the price of most zero’s you can get a nice sports bike, dirt bike and a cafe.. oh yeah and your not restricted to your neighborhood
That's exactly the problem I keep running into as well. I COULD save up and go for a Zero (if I wanted one in the first place), or I could go and get a nice naked bike, a cruiser and some pretty old timer. That's not even a decision.
Leaf Bike! The website is a bit opaque and their catalog changes constantly, but customer service from the factory was the most attentive I've ever had. 10/10 would buy again. ~RF9
Late to the party here, but as a follower of the movement for years now, i can say that for all the electrical vehicles, motorcycles make the MOST sense because of lightness. There's an inverse curve of weight to torque to aerodynamics, and at some point, like Tesla is finding out, you just reach a plateau where you're brute forcing more range with more weight. Superlight motorcycles, at or under 100kg can have that hundred miles of range, but they have to accept that a LOT of motorcycle classic features and styles just can't be thrown on a vehicle where rider weight matters, let alone curb weight.
One limiting factor is the wintertime and snow. I think something resembling a Honda trail 70 but with better suspension and more suspension travel is what's needed. Large comfortable seats are good also.
Well good thing then we heated up our planet with combustion engines, eh? My daughter is 8yo and seen ONE winter snow so far. For a week. And we live in "cold" Poland.
@@MarcinWojtczuk It's that flaming ball of fire in the sky. I live in a high-elevation place and the snow each winter is about the same. It's dry here and we always want rain, every year since I was born it's about the same. I remind my kids about how Al Gore said they would never see snow in their lifetime as we shovel several feet deep of it each winter.
1:04 I own a Zero DS! It's perfect for a work commute with *plenty* of power (59hp peak) and a running cost of about £52 (63 USD) per year. It's price tag (~£8k) and range are really the only downsides to it. It's limited range (of about 120 miles) means I can't consider going on road trips as, without the charger accessory, it needs up to a 9 hour break to charge up. And the power bank accessory only adds about 20 miles. No charge point needed though, it's just a UK mains to IEC cable and the charger is built in... not always a good thing, I've already had one charging circuit break and had it replaced under warranty - for which my bike was out of commission for several months. But I could theoretically park outside a friends house and charge it on an extension cable, and throw them a couple bucks for the electric. It sounds like a UFO, so that's cool too.
"batteries of power just to put down enough torque to fight the wind" -- I fell out of my chair laughing. Now PLEASE tell me you said that just to see who was paying attention
In our Bangladeshi cities though, where range in km matters less than cost per km due to traffic stops and top speed matters even less, electric scooters are gaining traction. They are cheap junk from disreputable manufacturers, but you'll find them everywhere.
My son loves his Niu N-GTS and it does his urban journey to work perfectly. Has a bosch motor, GPS tracking and a great app with heaps of info. Batteries are easily removable to charge indoors if you lack a garage. Only downside we've experienced so far is the lack of dealers.
Me too. I'm going to buy a Yamaha MT-03 in august (not too expensive for my budget), but if I could have the same distance range at the same price, I would go with a Zero.
Agreed I thought zero bikes would be expensive at first, then as manufacturing ramps up the price would go down. I’m not a fan of large corporations but I wouldn’t mind Tesla buying zero and proceed to inject zero with some more vision and drive.
Funny thing is that there are many fast ebikes that could be considered as electric motorcycles but getting them roadworthy is pretty expensive so people ride them illegally because they have no other choice. Also it means that you can ride bike paths and some trails when limited to ebike speeds.
@@gustavusadolphus4344ep, in my country you can have an e bike up to 1000w without registration, and up to 4000w but you gotta do all the stuff you said, it really depends if you are really interested, why bother wasting time and money when you can simply buy a 125/150cc bike that gets 50km/l for really cheap
Great video and spot on! I think the electric bicycle market will be the sector that eventually moves the bar for electric motorcycles. The Ariel Rider Grizzly or the Surron ebikes are so darned close I could imagine them taking the next step in a few years.
@@tdk99-i8n no, they can extend range by quite a lot I'd say 30% more range if you assist with peddling. And if you run out of battery it helps you get home much easier.
I should be sleeping right now. I woke up to use the toilet, was about to fall back asleep to spoken Reddit videos, then saw a notification about this video, put my glasses back on, sat up watched. Then made a passionate comment, because I love EVs, but I am sick of the BS. Tesla not offering an electric motorcycle, scooter, or e-bike, even though they clearly want EVs to takeover, but many people can't afford or don't want a car. Tesla still isn't selling their great batteries direct to DIY people, who build their own electric cars, motorcycles, and e-bikes, which many have chosen out of poverty or preference. And the electric motorcycle/ scooter market, at least at the overpriced city where I am, is flooded with Chinese bikes of sketchy quality & support for repair/maintenance parts. I need to go to sleep for work.
As someone who bikes (not an e-bike!), there is a lot of conflation with two wheels = dangerous. I would need to regularly go about 50 miles at one go in order to even start thinking about it.
Also, people need to realize this: Bikes aren't dangerous. A death box weighing 2,500 pounds, made out of steel, going at a high speed on the road (cars) are dangerous.
Exactly. I'm not a motorcycle guy, but would be interested in an electric one for commuting. Has to look cool and futuristic, go about 100kph (really no more needed) and maybe 80-100kms of range. Sell it for under 10k bucks and you'll have a best seller for urban environments
They would have to be damn efficient to unseat 125-300cc scooters. i ride a sh125 which tops out at 120kph and i shit you not averages about 70km/l. Which is 160mpg. Oh and that cost 3500€ brand new. Walking is more expensive than using a 125 scooter
the problem still with electric motorcycles is that they're too quiet. Especially with places that allow lane filtering, they are a lot more likely to hit peds passing through a traffic in between lanes. Since they're quiet, peds wouldn't even know they're coming
@@Nightdare LIES! You also FAIL at Chemistry & Biology. Everything in this simple LiFePO4 & Electric Motors setup is several times less toxic based on LD50 than Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons that comes from Oil Production. These are the Scientific Facts, which overrides your silly agenda.
Actually, the batteries are built by machines as LiFePO4 has to be built that way. Nothing toxis in LeFePO4, one of the CEOs building those batteries (robots) took a drink of the electrolyte used in their construction. No problems, the electroyte is inert. Those batteries are also fully recyclable because the lithium is worth money. Electric motors are fairly simple, the brushless ones (prefered) need electronic controllers but they are far simpler than banks of computer boards for ICE. Hell, my battery operated drill uses a brushless motor and all in it weighs 3 pounds. Electric motors are valuable to recycle, neo magnets and copper--good money in that. The entire motorcycle industry chased the baby boom generation and now they are retiring. If you looked at the crap they sold from 1990 to 2010, there was little to no innovation for bikes less than 500 cc (beginner bikes) so GenX either bought old used small bikes but those dried up and the motorcycle industry STILL tend to go "up market". Basically, a motorcycle is a toy, not real transportation and the end game is to end up with a 100 HP or higher bike that weighs 600 pounds. Off roading? Get this 700 to 1200cc "adventure bike" because you need a dinosaur that weighs 3 or 4 times more that your body weight to go on a simple trail. Cost? 10 grand or higher! Sorry, I dodged the bullet with motorcycles years ago, have been riding bicycles for decades and will electrify my Norco dirt jumper to electric so I can go trail riding and general screwing around. You can keep your plastic covered pig cycles, I go trail riding for fun and prefer something very light--not a giant tank of a thing to go 100 MPH in tight mountain trails. Yeah, fell in love with trail riding on mountain bikes and the electric versions don't start forest fires, are not loud and annoying to non-riders, won't scare the pee out of people and won't DESTROY the trails. Motorcycles don't sell because they are now toys, not a form of transportation so to hell with them all. Electrified bikes make sense, the Honda Cub 70/90/110 of present day. You can't go on a highway with a small bike and just like lawn equipment, all those 2 stroke weed wackers, push mowers etc. are being replaced with superior electric versions. The motorcycle companies are sticking to the Kodak plan...Kodak invented digital cameras and refused to move in that direction and kiss them goodbye. Electric beginner bikes, folding versions with anti-lock breaks and ability to add/swap battery packs for increased range makes sense. Keep one battery at home and another one and work and swap as needed. I just need around a 2KW/h pack to fit in my Norco...the drive runs through the modified gearing for a 3-speed, low for off-roading massive torque, 2nd for"legal" street speed and the high gear shift for "off road only". No worries....good point about your electric bike--the motorcycle industry thinks its the 20th century and will go away. Nobody will shed a tear, I didn't cry when Kodak went bankrupt. Seems they see the writing on the wall and now want to make expensive toys--good luck with that!
it is an old video, but i was planning on doing a similar thing with a project bike, but a way bigger battery and motor. (had found a 27kw motor at 72V from a small excavator XD for a great price) but the two main problems were i couldnt find a good donor bike for its frame (and didnt want to splash extra for one in operation and have to deal with selling of its engine and working parts and two i didnt/dont have a garage to work on it (nor the tools... but space being the main issue, as tools can be slowly acquired if you have where to put them and use them) still a dream project 6 years later
‘The target buyer is young, debt free and has six figures of expendable income. She is a green environmentalist, but always wished to enter competitive power sports. Lives in the city, but has a garage...’
Perfection.
And has a unicorn. That’s really important, although why anyone would want a unicorn is beyond me. Their teeth would put a shark to shame.
Ryan makes these comments while wearing $1k of riding gear and... "The net worth of FortNine's channel through 6 Jun 2021. $1,106,380.
Interesting.
@@perrycalabrese3475 Ryan is not making fun of high income people. He is merely pointing out that the motorcycle industry is targeting a very small and specific minority with EV bikes, thus it is unsurprising that they sell so little.
@@I_Santos_ he's more taking a stab at the fact these people don't actually exist. The people who do buy these bikes are those not afraid to experiment. Everyone else wants to know it'll work.
@@dcaonoek exactly.
I think manufacturers simply don't want to accept that the average price will have to go down. That's why they keep offering high end high margin bikes. they'd rather it fail than set a standard for affordability they don't want.
Which suits me fine, since a bunch of no name startups are now eating the big boys lunch
@@JB-1138 True. But those aren't electric.
@@JB-1138 Those aren't electric and omg don't get one of those dumb mini bikes 🤦♀️. Spend the relatively tiny bit more a get a cb300r. Same style but it's actually a bike you can use and not look like a dork on lmao
Isn’t capitalism beautiful
@@WhoTFVotedBiden yes. it gives me freedom and wealth
"hardware, spyware all in"
"the children offered to build the motor axle to match my swingarm width"
Can always count on F9 for these lines lol
And self hating rhetoric
The trump logic is stong in america.
@@Baleur The irony is weak where you come from.
@@Baleur Rent free. Kek
@@Baleur Quiet from the gulag.
In Taiwan (which has a very high motorcycles/scooters number per capita for a developed country) Gogoro has become THE scooter brand of the moment despite not being especially cheap. And it is an EV. They have battery swapping stations everywhere in big cities and we are a relatively small but densely populated country.
Yep. Works amazingly well. It's the swapping stations that really make it work. Faster than filling the tank with gas. Cities need to help commit to the infrastructure, but the stations are just small kiosks that don't take up a ton of space so it's not difficult especially in most large spread out N. American cities with tons of space. I think the biggest issue would be convincing N. Americans to get out of their cars and ride a scooter. Winters in colder cities don't make that prospect much fun but it could work amazingly well in warmer southern cities.
What's about SYM? Do they have E motor I've always wonder.
@@IronKurone I think they have some e scooters too. And I think they have swappable batteries as well but I don't know the details.
Wouldn’t work in America. People don’t like to cooperate and the homeless would steal the batteries for their curbside shanties.
You would do even better with electric bycicles. Cos those do allow some fitness exercise and are better handling usually. People buy motorcycles for adventure, open road outside city. You don't need such high horsepower to weight ratio in city.
Ryanf9:
put a 2 stroke engine on a bicycle
Also Ryanf9:
Converts 2 stroke motorbike into an EV
Future Ryanf9:
Nuclear powered CanAm
Shhh... the plans for the Ballistic Beaver are still secret. ~RF9
@@FortNineWell well well... now I'm not only JUST curious, I'm also slightly aroused.
Which I think all of us can blame that on Ryan's personal "aerodynamic" design language 👌🏼🔥
🤣
@@FortNine I've heard of a nuclear battery being developed in California that will be available to buy in 5 years... whether that is true or not we will have to wait and see!
@@americanfarmer2779 testicle cancer
@@FortNine No sooner do you start talking about electric motorcycles and someone had to bring up poor Ishmael.
Ryan: *releases this video*
The motorcycle industry: "Write that down, write that down!"
Nope. They're trying their best to have TH-cam suppress the video and de-platform Ryan.
@@jcwoods2311 is that for real?
Elon musk needs to start building motorcycles. Current Motorcycle companies are notoriously slow at upgrading. TW200 is still the most practical motorcycle made from back in the '80s without any upgrades.
yeah sure buddy
@@raymgriff nah
This is one of the smartest videos I've probably ever seen. Engineering, market analysis and a business case all packaged in not even 9 minutes of a video. I'm seriously impressed, hats off.
And great comedy on top of that👏👏
I subscribed because of this video, excellently made
@@Sopixil Same.
yep!
I’m also seriously impressed!
@7:43 I just noticed the 'stick' stand. Simply lovely.
“Since we are dealing directly with the factory, the children offered to build.....” lol.
Spyware included ! Thanks China
That was funny!
Oohh... now I get it
Yeah, totally unlike the US wich uses mexican children for that. Oh, the irony.
@@LightCrasher they get paid better than the chinese.. ironically the chinese outsource stuff to mexico too.. fentanyl production
“Big motorcycle” will put a machine with _air conditioning_ to market before they consider a practical business strategy.
😆 Sometimes on hot summer days I wish I had a hose bringing A/C inside my helmet, I wouldn't be too mad if they come up with something like that 😅
Filling your helmet with liquid nitrogen could be the solution good sir.
Well, I do have what is basically a heater for my legs and feet on my Goldwing LOL
@@viel.anthony My first thought was the Goldwing leg heaters too. Honda is decades ahead of the punchline
@@Kurvan Love my 1500. It's an SE so it's got the toe warmers as well. I can ride at midnight even it's 4 celsius out there and it feels good.
I'm going to guess it has something to do with Harley selling theirs for $30k
Not just them, Zero ain't exactly cheap...
Hmmmm Harley being Harley
Why buy a 30k electric Harley when you can buy a comfortable and nice 30k Tesla?
Harley is a luxury brand. I dont think this is the reason. The same way Bentley sells their SUV for $177.000 and the SUV market is not failing because of this
Of course!!!!
In Europe e-scooters are quite popular especially in urban environments. They reach 70km/h for a total of 100km which is plenty for city commuting in addition to noise reduction and great acceleration.
I'm from the Netherlands, and i don't think i have ever seen an e-scooter that fast...🤔
@@Timmehhhhhh they probably are legally constrained to 50kph
@@Timmehhhhhh Because most people drive mopeds. A motorcycle license is relatively expensive. And a moped is often allowed on the cycle paths. So most people opt for the moped
@bkdmx 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Not at all. Only Holland, Belgium, germany and a few others have a specific 25 kmph catagory.... And in germany and belgium Ive only seen the moped catagory, so Im guessing it isnt even that popular. Only reason a big part of 50cc bikes in holland are in the 25kmph catagory is because its one of the few countries with proper bicycle infrastructure
@THDevill they have 25kmph catagories?
I looked into getting one but the prices are just obscene for what they are offering. I was really disappointed.
@@zUJ7EjVD My struggle is I live very rural so I need something more substantial then an e-bike. I am also a bigger guy so I need something that's going to be equivalent to a 400-600cc bike. I travel less then 20-40 miles a day. Everything I could find was 10,000$ plus. When you compare that to a traditional gas bike your looking at closer to 5000.
@@Mikey__R ayo stop scaring me, I live in the EU
For the price of some of these electric bikes you can buy a fully loaded plug-in hybrid car. It’s insane.
@@Mikey__R I don't foresee the EU banning IC bikes anytime soon: They only applied Euro5 emissions standards to bikes NINE years after they did for cars. A ban is decades away, if ever, given how the engine is such an important part of the experience.
Agreed, for most urban use it's fine... Here's the thing, a lot of cities in the UK are not flat unless you're living on the east side of the country, so what's that thing like taking on hills?
That side stand at 8:00 is only for legends.
LOL totally missed that
Anything to keep the weight down!
@@jasonhalljaxyt shut up
It's organic, the kids will love it...
I totally agree, I have been wondering for a while why the big motorcycle manufacturers aren't realizing they can make good money in the mean time with e bicycles until the density of batteries get to a point where it has more energy or the charging gets fast enough to make sense and they become easier to use as well.
Chinese electric scooter manufacturers realized few months ago :D
My girlfriend’s Haibike e-bike has a Yamaha motor🤔
@@backcountyrpilot yeah I saw that too, but why is there no r125 equivalent electric city bike/dirt bike
@
All those cheap electric scooters have a battery that, when it fails (still happens too often), is more expensive than the complete scooter
@@Nightdare But it is still very affordable, easy to ride for anyone without motorcycle driving licence - everything said about why electric motorcycle are failing.
(for me it is not reason to sell my KTM, but neither reason to not ride electric scooter as well)
This is the video that made me buy my electric scooter.
Was seriously tempted to build my own like this, but with no real workshop and whole bikes becoming quite affordable, I bought one. Quite similar to this one in specs I now realize.
Battery looks to be about the same size, though the engine and top speed are limited to 1000W and 25kmh to abide by local regulations.
Works perfectly, even fits in my elevator and tiny apartment.
Pretty simple: affordable ones consistently have terrible styling and the cool ones are ridiculously expensive.
also small range, won't even make it from town to town here in Canada
@@guessundheit6494 ...said the person posting a 6 year old video
@@stevejeffrey11 Cars won't make it without refueling between towns in Canada. It's just like Australia.
@@guessundheit6494 Thank you for proving my point. Ugly AF. Putting blue LED accents and making it look like an Apple product doesn't make it "cool". If you want to ride this George Jetson Vespa be my guest. Noone will look at it twice other than to point and laugh.
Agreed, had to build my own and managed to do it for 1/3 of the cost. The claims of not being able to drive from town to town in Canada is debatable though, and bike type/riding style plays a big role in this too. Some bikes like the Zero S and my custom build can provide slightly over 100 km/charge with a 4-6 kWh battery (which is relatively small, producing a light curb weight of ~300 lbs compared to their ICEB counterparts like the 350 lbs CBR300) while others like the SR/F can do 200 km's with a similar power to weight ratio as an R6, and guess what? An R6 only gets a max 200 km's per tank fill up too. So I don't see the problem in terms of range. Buy what suits you, if you can afford it lol. Whether or not you make it from town to town depends on the same factors as an ICEB; your batt capacity, your route and how many charge stations you want to ignore along the way. Contrary to popular belief (which seems to hinge on information and technology from 5-10 years ago 90% of the time), the charging network in Canada is massive and growing everyday. There are multiple level 1 and 2 charging stations in every major town and city. Google 'Canada ev charging network map'. According to my math, if a person has a 12-14 kWh battery to play with then they shouldn't run into any problems from either direction until they get into Ontario - even petrol vehicles run out of fuel on that stretch of highway if a person isn't careful. But they'd do really well to make it across Ont. on most e-moto's without getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. Other than that, there shouldn't be a problem. Not here in NB or the rest of the Atlantic provinces, anyway. Charge time shouldn't be much of an issue either. Most battery tech today is capable of 2 or 3C charging. Hell, my sponsor Grepow can build their batteries with 5C charging capability. That's. Fast. Like, plug it in, sip a coffee for 15 minutes and it's time to go again. I don't know about anyone else, but after a couple hundred klicks on a bike I'm ready to take a break and stretch my back and legs, take a leak, have a bite to eat/drink, etc. There's a reason why my naked sport only has a 4 kWh battery; it's mainly a commuter and I don't plan on being bent over for more than 100 km's at a time. 23 years working construction + a leaning posture just doesn't allow it.
With that said, the # 1 complaint that I've gotten over the years promoting these things is the lack of sound. #2 is style/cosmetics. I referred to Zero motorcycles here, but I can't stand the look of them or 99% of other e-motos on the market. They're just too goofy. Even with subpar backyard build quality, the styling on my DIY build is so much better. #3 is range. Put sound generators and >12 kWh batteries in the right bikes for an affordable price, and they'll sell. Electrifying cruisers and touring bikes makes as much sense as electrifying 18 wheelers. It's not worth it, you'd be lugging too much weight around to get the range that you want without having to charge up more than once/day. But for sport bikes, street bikes, mopeds/scooters, anything that most people aren't spending 4-8 hrs/day on would benefit from an electric drivetrain if the manufacturers would smarten up and make them more appealing. The price will come down in time as infrastructure pays for itself and investors get their return, just as wind and solar tech costs have dropped dramatically this past decade. Battery tech isn't far behind. Riding e-motos the past few years is the most fun I've had on anything with a motor and wheels. But to each their own. I certainly don't judge anyone for opting to not get one...but you should consider it, or a conversion. It's nowhere near as complicated as it might seem, and it's so much fun.
E-bikes could be one of the primary modes of travel in dense urban zones along with OG bikes and public transport. That would be so sick
I've got news for you. E-bikes are already one of the primary modes of travel in the Netherlands!
There are some crazy ebikes put there. Some of them are basically motorcycles you don't need a license, registration, or insurance for. You can even take "shortcuts" on bike trails
@@pnblondon1087 In the US there are virtually no cities with bike-friendly roads, and with half of people on the road looking at their phones, you're greatly increasing your risk of major injury.
In the bay area they are very abundant. Not much electric motorbikes, but a bunch of electrically assisted bicycles. Really great for commuting. Technically they are limited to 20mph to be compatible with bike trails, but I'd bet some people are quietly modding them beyond that limit, not sure.
@@pnblondon1087 One of the few places in the world where e-bikes are a negative development.
this is actually a really interesting idea for someone looking to refurb an otherwise junked classic bike. There's a ton of old hondas and kawasakis in my area that look alright cosmetically but have rusted tanks, junk engines and disintegrating wiring harnesses. With old stock drying up this could be a great way to get a second or potentially even third life out of these 40-60yr old bikes.
Ev conversions are a wonderful, although really small, part of the motorcycle community you can even find a guy who straight up made his own from scratch
I have a restoration project in my garage that I've been "getting to" for some time now. Ev conversion actually makes a lot more sense...
Check out the 50s Jaguar -> Tesla swap in progress on SuperFastMatt's channel
Get an old Honda Cub brought back to life with a cheap electric motor and battery. Nice!
The old frames typically can't take the extra torque. I've been advised not to swap my '79 750 for a 1100 bc it'll bend the frame. And if a 40yo 1100 could do that I wonder what a modern electric motor would do.
This is spot on. Here in Southeast Asia, EV scooters are exploding. They're selling like hotcakes at just around $300 a pop. Tiny bike, with tiny range - perfect for just jetting back and forth between the wet marker and home.
Except, now we have people who just drive like a maniac in these things because they think regular road rules do not apply to them. Seriously, they actually need to be licensed by this point.
@@CrossfeetGamingregular road rules should not apply to them
@@CrossfeetGaming Because when the laws disrespect you, you disrespect the laws. We need to stop treating everything not on a sidewalk like a car. We need rules & infrastructure tailored to different modes of transportation.
You singlehanded do what the entire production of BBC top gear (the good one) tried to accomplish. Factual, stunning cinematography, entertaining and never forced.
But full of BS.
No, the BBC tried to do that part too, though they may have achieved that part 😂
The second top gear with Clarkson was simply racist drunks
i hope you mean tried to accomplish in the sense of they tried to achieve this and succeeded, because in reality, the good BBC top gear really did succeed in doing this
@@tayruynedits yes. That is a better way of putting it, thank you
This guy's on-camera skills are fantastic. What a joy to behold. Reminds me of early day Clarkson.
and now time james may , ow wait , all time james may
camera skills are also very prime top gear. the shots of the rides give you that joy and longing to hit the road
"I'm no physician". It's the little things in these videos that get me.
Thanks! I got it upon second viewing.
is he a physician
He's a knob who thinks he's smooth. Won't help sales either.
I'm no science rocket but I totally agree with you
He probably needs a physician!
This is legitimately one of the best channels on TH-cam, even if you aren't interested in the subject matter. I don't own a motorcycle, and never have, but I love supporting this channel because it's the very best the site has to offer.
Incredible deadpan humor, informative, factual, flawless production, straightforward and to the point, wonderful pacing that draws you in right until the end... Just amazing. Thank you Fortnine.
I want that ElectroSuzuki, You should go into production...
Check out Huck Cycles, they basically make the same thing as in the video
@@user-de4cq6uk6l yeah for 10x the price...this hipster shop is NOT the answer
@@Industrious420 exactly, if someone could mass produce ebikes like that for $500-$800 a pop it would be a massive success
@@user-de4cq6uk6l I think something in the 2-4k range would sell like hot cakes 🔥
Not that tekky to make they have similar kits for regular bicycles
The tubes screensaver brought me back to a simpler time
On an iMac no less lol
That was 100% intentional. These guys really add a lot of depth to their content, phenomenal production work.
@@two_motion Anal-retentive. That’s a hyphen, NOT a dash...
@@shshnkbhskr that was the cherry 👌
5:54 "$1400 from China. Hardware, SPYWARE, all in." LOL! I'm dead!
"Since were working directly with the factory, the CHILDREN offered to build the motor to match the frame rails!" Savage!
That is so true.
Every app on the market you get thats Chinese, is 100% spyware.
My clothes are following my every move.
@@zoyka2126 Everything you get even made in America is 100% spyware.
@Google Account Pretty funny coming from Google.
I rode my Zero DSR over 600 miles on a two week trip this summer in the European alps and was surprised at how well it went. It’s a different way of travelling compared to the 1200RS my dad was on and used to, but we had a great time riding together regardless. Riding an electric motorcycle works, but requires a change in riding behaviour.
Well, I have an Energica EVA, and I went 710 km last weekend alone....went very well
"Sure, the physics favors urban use; but I'm no physician." #DadJokeGold
Fort Nine is an international treasure, truly one of the most talented content creators to ever walk the earth
He really takes things to another level
I think Quinten Tarantino is his Daddy.
Must be Canadian.
i mean its not just this one guy. the channel is run by a canadian company
he's like the scott the woz of automotive youtube
"hardware, spyware all in" good thing I didin't drink anything at this moment
Ryan has a way with words
"and the children even matched the colors" dude knows what china is 😂
@@geesegoose6174 I'm a bit disappointed about the lack of vinnie the pooh jokes though
Regarding the single gear point, all brushless hub motors are capable of star delta switching. What this means is that they effectively have two electrical gears. You do need access to all 6 power wires not just the normal three but that’s nothing a soldering iron can’t fix. One mode is high torque and the other is high speed.
When you run out of speed it isn’t that you lack power as such, for any winding configuration there is a top speed related to your voltage, as you approach that point the motor generates an equal and opposite voltage to the battery meaning that at that rpm no power is drawn. Of course in practice you will never reach that zero power point on flat ground.
That's rad. I assume that's already implemented in motor controllers like the one on my Talaria right?
@@slayerficated its common to find it as a basic soft start for large industrial machinary but i would expect if your bike is stock they would have just done it all with PWM control. are there 3 or 6 power wires?
@@Hurc7495 Oh yeah only 3 coming out of the motor. Damn I'd love to have a button to switch over, I'm surprised I haven't heard of an E moto taking advantage of that technique.
Why not just add gears? Seems like the sort of thing that would be easily solved with a CVT.
@@Uruz2012 I don't understand the technical details but if you go down in sprocket size (on these bikes; surron telaria eride etc) you can't get much higher of a top speed than what you get on stock gear ratio. I would all day take a motor setup for high top speed and a 5 speed transmission or even some kind of heavy duty mtb derailleur, I like just shiftin.
“misunderestimate” my favorite non-word.
Mine too! Thanks George Dubya!
Hey Juan, big fan here,awesome that you watch this great channel too
I agree with every comment in this thread.
Usually my comments are longer. I'll use the extra space to ask everyone to view the Playlists on My Channel, not for my benefit but for ours.
This and he made absinthe legal in the States again. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Your comment perhaps, has some value - if wrong forgive my amisunderestimation . Non-words do have a worthvalue in my mindsetopinion.
These are straight facts. i went into the industry trying to build an e motorcycle with a 100 amp battery but nobody wants it, so I started building moped/ cafe style electric bikes that can have modular batteries/motors added by the buyer at their own discretion if they wanted to add some spice to their builds. You have to cover a wide range of interests with one bike model, you can't expect to win out everyone in that 0.04% category with a flashy 1 ton bike
no one wants to speed the extra money and training on insurance and other things,
I spent a couple months in Beijing and electric bikes of one design or another are ubiquitous. It is baffling to me why, in the age of CAD and better batteries/motors, that we can't design a sleek, practical, high-performance e-bike in the US. The market and tech are there, so what gives? Oh, and the majority of the e-bikes in Beijing were very ugly. They look like those old archaic lawn mower engine-powered mini bikes, only larger and retrofitted to electric components. Atrociously functional.
@@brentwalker3300 the market is mostly with simple ebikes. motorcycles fall off in interest when people realize they can't lift if off the ground if they fall off due to battery weight lol. Chinese design companies just poop out what they think americans will be interested in due to a handfull of popular brands at the best bang for their buck, i don't blame them. I design from the usa but I know everything will have to come from china to make a profit so I also have to use semi generic hub motors and components.
@@Timbodacious Interesting. Thanks for the reply. Is using a hub motor really the best topology? I haven't looked into e-bike tech much but I would think there is a better approach. Also, given the higher efficiency due to lower weight per occupant, I would think that e-bikes would be able to provide sufficient range/speed for them to be really competitive as a daily commuter. Also, placing the batteries low provides good low center of gravity and stability.
@@brentwalker3300 hub motors are best bang for your buck and good for bikes that are just for cruising. hub drives leave a bit more room for batteries in a bike also.mid drives are best for trails and hilly locations but with bicycle chains anything over 2kw starts to eat gears and chains. Range is the problem that plagues ebikes and motorcycles. at low speeds they can be a great value to invest in but at freeway speeds you're only getting a 60 mile round trip on average with most brands
Having lived in China, I can tell you the cheap electric scooter is the most popular mode of transportation except in cities where they have been banned. I lived in Guangzhou, where they were banned because they were so popular they clogged the streets and caused gridlock. Traveling to smaller cities like Zhanjiang, the electric motorbike was the most affordable option for many families. I often saw entire families riding down the street on a scooter meant for two. The most I saw on a scooter was six, two adults, and four kids, one being a baby in a papoose-like carrier. I had a cheap scooter at a friend's house I kept in a storage closet plugged into a regular outlet to recharge. The only thing I saw that made them a little dangerous, besides whole families riding one, is they are silent. Many times I was almost run over crossing a street at night because a rider was not using his lights to conserve battery. The silent scooter with no lights on has taken out many people who never knew what hit them.
Best thing I ever buy accept from my gaming PC I never knew they existed till 6 months ago I now have 3 will be buy my next one when I cam afford it then am calling it a day they amazing and love always and going off road
"The most I saw on a scooter was six, two adults, and four kids, one being a baby in a papoose-like carrier."
So, three child policy + 1 as crumple zone 😁👌
About carrying more than normal on motorbikes or scooters. This particular one I observed in Nigeria - Africa. But could have been in any other African country or most of Asia.
Three ADULTS one man (rider) and two women (passengers). NOW the cream of the crop. One entire, live and not so young calf!!
The poor thing was somehow tied up, on it's side, over the head light/steering/tank. in a position that can only be called torture! Rather horrific scene, the poor calf eyes were a good tell tale! With most of the body literally hanging over all those metal bits! Anyway it was a pretty common scene! Also commonly seen with chickens, goats, more Humans all sorts of cargo, etc. While all this procession was passing on the dirt road. The driver was happily using it's phone!! LOL 😂
Definitely can't be judged by developed countries standards. ;-)
I've seen entire families on scooters a lot in Greece. No electric though. It's all 2 stroke so you definitely know they're coming lol.
@@wigletron2846 ‘whispering death’ (originally applied to trolley buses) vs ‘loud pipes save lives’.
Close to a dream e-motorbike. Cheap, light, looks fine as all get up and practical. I've been bitten by the two wheel bug since getting a pedal e-bike, it's amazing to get around on and take back trails and shortcuts but I'd love something faster I can have on the road. It's a smart way to get around and I do like the idea of having an electric for ease of use and low maintenence but I think I definitely want an ICE bike as well
E mortor bikes can't go on highways, and most speed ways for local commute sure, but the mortor cycle demigraphic has all but killed it (for mass adoption).
The other day I seen someone sitting at a traffic light, wearing full riding gear and standing on a electric unicycle. I thought he was just weird but after looking into the electric unicycles and finding out they can hit speeds of 60mph, I now want one. Things are crazy.
It's a shame those weren't invented back in Evil Knievel's day, right? Seems like something only someone w/a deathwish would truly appreciate lol
FortNine has another video about how people are getting seriously hurt on these because they don't wear gear - they think of it like a bicycle, but it's more like a motorcycle.
Anything that moves faster than you can run needs a helmet while riding.
As fun as those may seem, just hope you never run into a panic braking situation. At least with 2 wheels, dumping it tends to be an option rather than a given.
Yeah i knew a commuter who road one, could take it on the train to seattle aswell
I cannot describe these F9 vids as anything short of perfection.
I can
Try f5 to refresh.
@@sMv-Afjal you talking to him or me? Guessing it’s him just clarifying. I find them kind lame lately so I’m not about to hit f5 and watch again, more like alt+f4 or control+w or command+Q on Windows, Linux, or Mac respectively
@@Fee.1 actually ctrl+w works on PC to close a browser tab as well. Alt+F4 closes the whole browser.
Nevertheless, you're entitled to your own opinion. Personally I can just really appreciate the work they put in and wanted to express that. Not trying to change anyone's mind per se.
Great video as always 😊 but i need and love the sound of a roaring petrol engine. Call me an environmental jerk, but i would rather pay trice the price on petrol than ride an electric mc 😊 i ride a v-strom dl 650 XT 2020 with great milage and won't trade the (although perhaps boring sound) with the silence of the electric "engine". Thank you sir for the great video(s) 💪
The windows screensaver on the mac was hilarious
i built my own custom electric bicycle, it goes 40-45mph, i think the biggest thing that needs to be added to electric motorcycles is 1. chains, i will take a chain over hub motor any day, it has more torque and a mid-drive motor drives a crank instead of the wheel itself giving it more power 2. using a mid-drive motor and a chain could allow for gears on the wheel similar to a bicycle, allowing faster speed in high gears and high torque in low gears, it would help with the problem of a rear hub motor trying to put out more torque the faster you go. there is so many ways electric motorcycles could be improved and built
If you chopped the top of the tank and reattached it with small hinges and a lock you could use that space as small storage (once again a useful addition for an accurate target market of an office worker).
Or move the power regulator into the fuel tank and put a storage compartment where the engine was.
@@TomFoolery9001 this guy gets it!
I knew this comment would be here.
"I ain't gettin' any more aerodynamic..."
Oof, I felt that.
I'm trying to get to a very ideal round shape but even this way there is some significant drag at high speeds :D
@@kornelkovacs5662 same!
this guy is a clever cookie. he probably deserves a round from every motorcycle manufacturer
Clever cookie for what? Anyone watching the ebike market knows it's had big growth. What these cookies have done is the research to give us cold hard data to quantify the growth.
motorcycle dealers don't even give him bikes to review.. let alone tours to manufacturers.
Yes I agree his humor is great.
Yeah, I got an E-bike, and I have to agree. It works as a short-range city bike, but not if you're doing any significant traveling to and from a location.
What is your opinion after a year tho? Has it changed?
@@sadisticneko3459 Opinion is still the same. Especially with how the battery capacity has gone down. It is just not suitable for out of city trips.
I bought my five year old daughter a Razor electric “dirt bike” to ride around the cul de sac. It taught her balance and throttle control tool. Bought her a bigger one when she grew taller. She absolutely loves it. If those things were available when I was a kid, I would have never gotten off it except for a daily recharge.
The recharge, small range, and lack of power is why I graduated from my 38mph 48v 1000w ebike of 11 years to a 150cc scooter.
i had brammo empulse, it drove ok. parts were near impossible to find..and last year it burned down whilst charching....so back to dinojuice.
Ryan builds an electric motorcycle.
Everyone who has a project motorcycle: We're going electric!
Bruh not gonna lie, I'm considering it.
@@AlexSmashX3 I'm totally doing it now.
I wanna buy a project bike just to make it electric, like where are the links to the products used
@@vascomarum if all i need is a divers license for a build like this, then im for it too. I wonder what the insurance would be for this?
Highly recommend it. The 1970s project bike is a never-ending game of whack-a-mole... it usually takes a professional to get the thing all working at once. But anyone can rip everything out and install a battery and hub motor. It's oddly satisfying. ~RF9
The reason they don't sell is that they're quiet. In my experience, riders seem to make it their goal to deafen all pedestrians within 3 blocks.
Ryan just went full Thanos:- "Fine, I'll do it myself."
What's funny to me is this is that the bike he made its very similar to the Scrambler style ebikes already on the market, the only major difference is they have pedals
Just wanna pop on in and say something you have probably heard before, the production quality of your videos are some of the best I've seen especially for TH-cam.
Hit the nail on the head! For condo and apartment dwellers, there's no place to plug in at night. And that's the main dwelling of your typical urbanites.
Yep. While I do like the low rumble of the Triumph Speedmaster that I've been oogling for a few months now, in the end it comes down to feasibility.
I can refuel the Speedmaster.
I couldn't recharge anything else than an e-bicycle with a battery that can be taken out of the frame.
Niu has a detachable battery you can bring in office, coffee shop or condo charging. :)))
@@FortNine While I think they're still a bit too pricey, and in case of "non-urban" bikes still lack range... Yeah.
The charging infrastructure just isn't there.
@@rjgallman4916 I actually asked my boss about charging my (at that point hypothetical, never bought it) ebike-battery in the office.
He wasn't a fan.
Thats where portable batteries come in
Looks like you could get about 4x the amount of battery in there if you wanted to. I'd be interested to know what range you get on your electric motorbike
Don't forget that batteries are heavy though and adding weight (and cost) if your range is already sufficient for city riding is kinda useless.
Love the touch of the old screensaver at 4:20. Well thought
Pipes!
Yes love these little details. And on a Mac. Good one.
Modifying the tank to be a glove box/storage compartment would be the icing on the cake.
You could use it to store cake icing..
Would be interesting to see one modded to where the 'gas tank' IS the battery box.
@@barklordofthesith2997 bad idea, due to the high center of gravity of course.
@@nightarrow7473 While i agree that a lower center of gravity = better, i don't think it would make much of a difference as the gas tank when full of gas would weigh more than what the battery does.
@@barklordofthesith2997 But when the tank is full of gas, it usually has a much heavier engine directly underneath it. This thing is just a steel frame with wheels
North American companies fail to launch a small cheaper electric commuter bike
*Ryan in Thanos voice: Fine I’ll do it myself
Anyone can. Benjamin Nelson on TH-cam, has a playlist on how to build an electric motorcycle.
You can start with cheap parts first, like a basic controller, lead-batteries, and a cheap motor, then later upgrade to Lithium batteries, a liquid-cooled motor with radiator & pump, and a fully tunable controller with Brake-Regeneration.
There are other videos about how to make an electric motorcycle, by converting a gas one.
And vids of bikes people made, to inspire you.
Aren't they Japanese companies tho?
who really wants them when you can get an E-bike for less?
@@THESLlCK
I am above & beyond sick of pedaling. I hate the limits of the human body. I want pegs or floorboards, and knee groves my legs can hold onto. I want a effing motorcycle. I'm sick of being poor, I'm sick of degenerates & bullies sabotaging me. I hate NYC.
I'm trusting no one, staying away low-quality people, and just focusing on earning money, and leaving this garbage city.
These videos are ridiculously good.
Sales pitch: a DIY kit to build your own ev bike for a sensible price
They're out there. Typically around $2000-$3000 depending on what you're looking for. QS motors out of china is the big one for overseas and price / performance.
Link is literally in the description.
But flawed: I refuse to buy Chinese (for obvious reasons as well as safety. I will not store or charge a Chinese battery in my home!) and all proper stuff that is reliable, safe and not made with slave labor is too expensive.
I'd rather work on a CNG motorcycle or one that runs on E85
Everyone at IKEA : write this down! WRITE THIS DOWN!!!
@@pistonburner6448 "I will not store or charege a chinese battery in my home" I guarantee you already have multiple. Mobile phones, or if you dont have one of them a cordless home phone will use chinese batteries.
@Professor Frog he isn't wall wrong about the battery (not sure about this one), if its in a diy kit you probrably want a affordable diy kit because otherwise you probrably wouldn't do it diy. And cheap batterys are more dangerous
Honestly, its cost.
If the Zero was more like $6k CAD to compete with many of the small ICE commuter bikes, I would totally buy an EV
There's that, but there's also electric bikes that did it better. You're not going to go on a decent road trip with an electric motorcycle and in town, you might as well save money and get an electric bike. Most people around here don't even have the ability to charge one at home, but charging an electric bike at home is doable for anybody with a home.
Exactly. Also used. I can get a used honda which is 100% fantastic and lasts for ever for 1k......
A good chuck of the mileage on my Cb500x has been commuting, some of the roads I take are 80+kph, so an e-bike is not ideal but could easily be done on a Zero and I would gladly do so! but the cost being double the bike I already use means it makes little sense.
For an affordable price for what they offer in capabilities I would be happy to have an electric motorcycle as a 2nd bike for commuting. But they are all a long way from that price for it to be viable.
@@Zonkotron Yes, used motorcycles have gone up but they are still very affordable. Plus you can get a brand new Ninja zx6-R for $10000.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade This sort of misses a major niche. E-bikes are great for urban commuting, but a large portion of Americans and Canadians are surburban dwellers, having a 30km or so commute requiring maybe not freeway speeds but would want something that could do 100 km/hr. This is the niche nobody's sought to capitalize on, the suburban commuter. So far there's a huge gap between basically a scooter (not enough speed or range) and the super-expensive high-performance offerings (too expensive). I just hope someone will make that before they all just give up on electric motorcycles entirely. With gas at US$3/gallon, I think that could sell super well. Market it to non-motorcyclists, tell them how much money in gas they could save each year - "Pays for itself in six months!" Market it not as a toy but the money-saving ecologically-responsible alternative to a car. Offer package deals to take the MSF course as part of the purchase, maybe gear bundled in as well (making it all much more approachable to non-motorcyclists), "US$4,500 and three days, and you're set to ride!"
3:42 "Sure the physics favors urban use, but I'm no physician"
Me: *eye twitch*
I feel like that was definitely on purpose lol
*wet paint*
It was definitely on purpose for Ryan. The question is was it on purpose for the character he was portraying?
These videos are so well made your almost the only reason I still watch TH-cam anymore ❤ love the channel and keep up the amazing work to all the people making Fortnite possible 😊🥰
This is why for now, a diy ebike is the way to go. I have an internally geared rear hub on mine, it's awesome.
How did you get your rego?
Any tutorials I can use?
The reasons to build your own far outnumber the reasons to buy one manufactured.. You can buld a whole bunch of bike(or bikes) for $3500-$5000..
They are not. Impractical, Expensive, and a nightmare to service. It's a chore
I’m running a 2.5k watt mid drive so I can use the cassette to switch gears. There’s literally no point to being below third gear cuz the torque throws you offf lol
I just stumbled upon this channel, I can’t believe i found a younger version of technology connections
Just imagine if they make a collab LMAO
AHAHAHAHA
@@rennypd6434 I think it'd cause some kind of tear in reality from thoroughness, wit, and production values.
you just sold me this channel.
I think they're pretty much the same age, lol. That age being max 30
Hardware, Spyware, All in.. from China 😂😂
Better than American or Indian ones
@@temporaryyoutube2062 Nothing good ever came out of China
@@unsafe_at_any_speed Crispy duck?
Not to mention parts made from chinese explodium.
@@1998TDM "duck"
imo the main reason bikers don't buy bikers is cause of the sound, 90% of the reason some bikers ride is just for the sound, ex harley riders, i doubt harley riders would ever ride harleys if they didnt have their noise, which seems pretty obvious honestly
Back when I lived outside of Cleveland, i once saw a zero motorcycle and thought it was very interesting. I told my dad about it and he did some research and decided to get a Zero motorcycle for going to work, getting groceries, etc.
I did the same, except with a EUC. pretty cool having 100miles of range and if I need to top 50mph I can... just not often doing that in the urban settings
I'm a city girl. I have myself an Eagle E-motorcycle Made in Korea. It's a motorcycle just retrofitted with electric engine and wiring. It even has a gas tank. Cost 3000. Goes up to 55 kilometers an hour. And the landlord allows me to bring it on the elevator twice a year for winter storage. I love it. Booting around town on it is some of the most fun I've ever had. But I have never driven any other motorcycle so no basis of comparison.
I found the statement about the landlord allowing you so frustrating. what a shit world we live in where adults needing permission to do basic things is increasingly becoming the standard. landlords are parasites. Without them, and with reasonable zoning laws, purchasing would be affordable.
@@6sfoOh yea dude. I feel real empathetic about some dude raking in profits from other people's sufferings having to pay a grand every few years to have a next to maintainance free elevator looked at...
Let's just ignore the fact that collectively people are paying far in access of any of their costs _and_ don't get any equity in return
The tone deaf things some people say
@@BeefIngot Hello, bringing a motorcycle into the building and into the elevator should never be a « basic things » ever… My point of view 😉
@@BeefIngot use the stairs then nerd
@@DD-ne3rl if something is within weight and dimension capacity of the elevator, should not bother anyone around. Now, keeping legally hazardous materials like petrol, oil and tyre rubber in the living space (balcony included) - that is a problem, even if you dragged it up the 20th floor by the stairs
If electric motorcycles feasibly only work in urban environments (for now)...might as well just buy an electric bicycle
Pretty sure that's what's happening
Or a e-scooter.
Hell, if you want some adrenaline, even an EUC
@@zUJ7EjVD Yes. With the e-bicycle limitations, it is best to get a scooter. And you see that in big cities. People drive e-scooters, and the amount of electric bikes is rising superfast. But is harder to see an electric bicycle.
I actually see more e-bicycles outside the city. People use them for what they were intended. To help someone do those long cycling rides that their physical condition would not allow them to do in a regular bike.
Which is what kids do. Then they upgrade the motor and battery pack...suddenly you have the perfect, if slightly illegal, way to get around town. 😉
Bought an e-scooter for my commute. Gets me there about the same time as a car if it's rush hour and I paid about 450 USD for it. Carry it indoors and charge it through the wall socket. In my garage, which has no electricity, is a combustion engine motorcycle for entertainment. Why on earth would I buy an electric motorcycle?
i need a step-by-step build guide for that thing, my man.
I never thought I'd be coming to a motorcycle informative video to get the wit, humor, and sarcasm I love. You clearly have a great knack for sharing your passion for bikes, yet in a way that entertains. Hell even those wacko's who don't care about motorcycles enjoy your stuff (just ask my buddies who are often forced to sit through my video choices when chilling with me)! Keep up the good work, always look forward to your vids.
Ryan is excellent
You force your buddies to watch videos about topics they are not interested in? Jesus..
@@PeterKoperdan Hey, if they are still sticking around when I decide to watch some TH-cam vids then that's on them! They know where the door is, lol. Point is they don't even ride and like his vids
@@yeahright9001 Fair enough ;-)
I love the screensaver on the Mac being the endless tubes. Everyone appreciates the lines, but there are so many subtle visual points (in this case a jab) as well.
Oh, the 90s...
Now I remember why it takes you guys so long to upload! Great stuff guys!
Absolutely loving this, and agreeing with you on all points. Though couldn't you help some of the problems along with a center mounted electric motor with gears and a chain? Would make it slightly more efficient on low and high speeds right?
“All from China, and since we’re dealing directly with the factory, the children offered”
Sir, that was absolutely comedy gold. I absolutely lost it 😂 This guy is the American Jeremy Clarkson
I think he is Canadian unless you mean America the continent
Jeremy Clarkson is a British conceited egocentric narcissist ! Ryan is an intelligent unassuming, down-to-earth, informative (In the world of motorcycles) and a Canadian which has nothing to do with Americans.
@@palco22 what British hurt yoy
@@lasagna5934 I understand you completely, It is a shame that Clarkson is British and Gordon Ramsay (another low life) is unfortunately, also British but *ssholes come in a wide variety of nationalities. Which one are you ?
@@palco22 one of the british colonies lol
4:30 that windows 98 screensaver on Mac. perfect!!!
the whole vid was great, but that touch was pure gold
So subtle. I missed it the first time around.
😂🤣😂
FortNine: builds an own eletric Motorcycle
Germany: "TÜV SAGT NEIN"
Die Akku hat keine Kühlsystem, ich wurde es nicht so gerne fahren wie eine Chinesische...
TÜV sagt immer nein 😔
It's a Moped with the 1.5kw motor at best. So no TÜV for the time being .... :D
actully you can swap your petrol engine against an electric one on any
fingers to TUV....they´re working for China...
This is so true. Just for another example: in India, unlike (i imagine) North America, motorcycles and scooters (mopeds) are seen not as a hobby or a niche, but as the cheapest motorised personal vehicle. Most people can't afford a car, seeing as even the cheapest cost more than an entire years income, or indeed much more. Most people don't have parking spaces in cities. Cars are expensive, large, difficult to store, and very very slow in traffic. 2 wheelers are cheap, efficient (2-3 times the range for the same amount of petrol), easy to park, and quick to weave through traffic. It simply makes too much sense. I see the electric 2 wheeler market exploding in the next few years, CONTINGENT ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE keeping up. People are going to need charging stations, because so many people park on the road. I fully agree that the way to do it is to appeal to convenience and practicality, not some imaginary customer with "passion" or a hobby. Great video, keep it up
But it doesn't go vroom vroom
"BuT iT dOeSn'T hAvE a SoUl."
Just like linus said on WAN Show he love going though the gears on his bike and why he didnt end up buying a electric one.
Does in my head.
@@normang3668 Yeah, horses have soul. Let’s get back on horses.
@@cheetah694 yeah, the problem is though that when the time comes to produce and finally recycle all those batteries you'll realise that they are far more toxic for the environment than releasing a few ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere that are actually greening the planet as we speak!
Moreover, if a 150kms range rocks your boat by spending about as many kwhs of energy as the daily needs of a Western house, be my guest, but don't call yourself an ecologist.
It’s actually crazy how uneconomically expensive EV-motorcycles are, for the price of most zero’s you can get a nice sports bike, dirt bike and a cafe.. oh yeah and your not restricted to your neighborhood
That's exactly the problem I keep running into as well. I COULD save up and go for a Zero (if I wanted one in the first place), or I could go and get a nice naked bike, a cruiser and some pretty old timer. That's not even a decision.
will you give us any details on where you got the parts to put it together.
Ditto
Ebay or Amazon probably
Leaf Bike! The website is a bit opaque and their catalog changes constantly, but customer service from the factory was the most attentive I've ever had. 10/10 would buy again. ~RF9
Late to the party here, but as a follower of the movement for years now, i can say that for all the electrical vehicles, motorcycles make the MOST sense because of lightness. There's an inverse curve of weight to torque to aerodynamics, and at some point, like Tesla is finding out, you just reach a plateau where you're brute forcing more range with more weight. Superlight motorcycles, at or under 100kg can have that hundred miles of range, but they have to accept that a LOT of motorcycle classic features and styles just can't be thrown on a vehicle where rider weight matters, let alone curb weight.
Dude looks more like Tarantino every time I check in on this channel
With a little Mr. Bean thrown in.
@Alex Berkman I think that says more about you than you realise.
@@ConradLarsonGaming hehe....
Every time, everything about these videos is absolutely fantastic.
Never can I immediately think of a way to make them better.
One limiting factor is the wintertime and snow. I think something resembling a Honda trail 70 but with better suspension and more suspension travel is what's needed. Large comfortable seats are good also.
depending on where you are ;)
i like your style
Well good thing then we heated up our planet with combustion engines, eh? My daughter is 8yo and seen ONE winter snow so far. For a week. And we live in "cold" Poland.
@@MarcinWojtczuk It's that flaming ball of fire in the sky. I live in a high-elevation place and the snow each winter is about the same. It's dry here and we always want rain, every year since I was born it's about the same. I remind my kids about how Al Gore said they would never see snow in their lifetime as we shovel several feet deep of it each winter.
@@ronwest7930 flaming ball of fire in the sky and the atmosphere between us and it...
1:04 I own a Zero DS! It's perfect for a work commute with *plenty* of power (59hp peak) and a running cost of about £52 (63 USD) per year.
It's price tag (~£8k) and range are really the only downsides to it.
It's limited range (of about 120 miles) means I can't consider going on road trips as, without the charger accessory, it needs up to a 9 hour break to charge up. And the power bank accessory only adds about 20 miles.
No charge point needed though, it's just a UK mains to IEC cable and the charger is built in... not always a good thing, I've already had one charging circuit break and had it replaced under warranty - for which my bike was out of commission for several months. But I could theoretically park outside a friends house and charge it on an extension cable, and throw them a couple bucks for the electric.
It sounds like a UFO, so that's cool too.
"batteries of power just to put down enough torque to fight the wind" -- I fell out of my chair laughing. Now PLEASE tell me you said that just to see who was paying attention
In our Bangladeshi cities though, where range in km matters less than cost per km due to traffic stops and top speed matters even less, electric scooters are gaining traction. They are cheap junk from disreputable manufacturers, but you'll find them everywhere.
My son loves his Niu N-GTS and it does his urban journey to work perfectly. Has a bosch motor, GPS tracking and a great app with heaps of info. Batteries are easily removable to charge indoors if you lack a garage. Only downside we've experienced so far is the lack of dealers.
You can get Niu in the United States without buying through an import service?
I drive a Niu with a normal drivers license here in europe with a 3100W hub motor. 1500 is barely enough to get you up a hill.
I would own a zero in a heartbeat if they were more affordable.
Amen to that.
Me too. I'm going to buy a Yamaha MT-03 in august (not too expensive for my budget), but if I could have the same distance range at the same price, I would go with a Zero.
they also need faster charge, so you can actually use them on a day ride. in one or two generations of batteries maybe.
Agreed I thought zero bikes would be expensive at first, then as manufacturing ramps up the price would go down.
I’m not a fan of large corporations but I wouldn’t mind Tesla buying zero and proceed to inject zero with some more vision and drive.
I'dd never want one of those. Ever sit on one? The saddle is horrible and they're quite small if you're 1.8m+
Funny thing is that there are many fast ebikes that could be considered as electric motorcycles but getting them roadworthy is pretty expensive so people ride them illegally because they have no other choice. Also it means that you can ride bike paths and some trails when limited to ebike speeds.
What does it take? A livence plate holder, lights and turn signals. What else so you need?
@@jurijokorn1283ou need to get a title for it, then registered, inspected (depending on country and state in us), and insurance
@@gustavusadolphus4344ep, in my country you can have an e bike up to 1000w without registration, and up to 4000w but you gotta do all the stuff you said, it really depends if you are really interested, why bother wasting time and money when you can simply buy a 125/150cc bike that gets 50km/l for really cheap
6:30 I like that attention to mini detail. That exhaust sound when throttling 🤙
Great video and spot on! I think the electric bicycle market will be the sector that eventually moves the bar for electric motorcycles. The Ariel Rider Grizzly or the Surron ebikes are so darned close I could imagine them taking the next step in a few years.
My man literally made an electric bike without pedals.....
with an overly heavy frame
Basically made an inferior Super 73
Pedals may be required for a legal moped.. depending on your laws.
The pedals are basically an alternative throttle
@@tdk99-i8n no, they can extend range by quite a lot I'd say 30% more range if you assist with peddling. And if you run out of battery it helps you get home much easier.
"LiveWire... Grounded!" I see what you did there 🤣
fortnine uploaded: "why electric motorcycles are failing"
*me: tapping the notification as fast as possible*
You need to get a life buddy.
I should be sleeping right now. I woke up to use the toilet, was about to fall back asleep to spoken Reddit videos, then saw a notification about this video, put my glasses back on, sat up watched. Then made a passionate comment, because I love EVs, but I am sick of the BS.
Tesla not offering an electric motorcycle, scooter, or e-bike, even though they clearly want EVs to takeover, but many people can't afford or don't want a car. Tesla still isn't selling their great batteries direct to DIY people, who build their own electric cars, motorcycles, and e-bikes, which many have chosen out of poverty or preference.
And the electric motorcycle/ scooter market, at least at the overpriced city where I am, is flooded with Chinese bikes of sketchy quality & support for repair/maintenance parts.
I need to go to sleep for work.
@@mrkhoros thanks, you too :)
As someone who bikes (not an e-bike!), there is a lot of conflation with two wheels = dangerous. I would need to regularly go about 50 miles at one go in order to even start thinking about it.
Also, people need to realize this: Bikes aren't dangerous. A death box weighing 2,500 pounds, made out of steel, going at a high speed on the road (cars) are dangerous.
I wonder how long these scripts take to write. They're SO good...
Amazing content, as always.
Exactly. I'm not a motorcycle guy, but would be interested in an electric one for commuting. Has to look cool and futuristic, go about 100kph (really no more needed) and maybe 80-100kms of range. Sell it for under 10k bucks and you'll have a best seller for urban environments
Look into super73 CX1 for preorder. Sounds like your bike
We have better in india for about 4k, ultraviolet f77, it looks cool too...
They would have to be damn efficient to unseat 125-300cc scooters.
i ride a sh125 which tops out at 120kph and i shit you not averages about 70km/l. Which is 160mpg. Oh and that cost 3500€ brand new.
Walking is more expensive than using a 125 scooter
The vespa electrica will also scratch that itch albeit it's much more of the mod look rather than the classic rocker bike.
the problem still with electric motorcycles is that they're too quiet. Especially with places that allow lane filtering, they are a lot more likely to hit peds passing through a traffic in between lanes. Since they're quiet, peds wouldn't even know they're coming
"The children offered to build the motor axle..." OMG.
he forgot to add "handling all those environmentally unfriendly substances we banned over here and exported to over there"
@@Nightdare LIES! You also FAIL at Chemistry & Biology. Everything in this simple LiFePO4 & Electric Motors setup is several times less toxic based on LD50 than Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons that comes from Oil Production. These are the Scientific Facts, which overrides your silly agenda.
after the trampoline session on the factory's suicide net, no less!!
Actually, the batteries are built by machines as LiFePO4 has to be built that way. Nothing toxis in LeFePO4, one of the CEOs building those batteries (robots) took a drink of the electrolyte used in their construction. No problems, the electroyte is inert. Those batteries are also fully recyclable because the lithium is worth money. Electric motors are fairly simple, the brushless ones (prefered) need electronic controllers but they are far simpler than banks of computer boards for ICE. Hell, my battery operated drill uses a brushless motor and all in it weighs 3 pounds. Electric motors are valuable to recycle, neo magnets and copper--good money in that. The entire motorcycle industry chased the baby boom generation and now they are retiring. If you looked at the crap they sold from 1990 to 2010, there was little to no innovation for bikes less than 500 cc (beginner bikes) so GenX either bought old used small bikes but those dried up and the motorcycle industry STILL tend to go "up market". Basically, a motorcycle is a toy, not real transportation and the end game is to end up with a 100 HP or higher bike that weighs 600 pounds. Off roading? Get this 700 to 1200cc "adventure bike" because you need a dinosaur that weighs 3 or 4 times more that your body weight to go on a simple trail. Cost? 10 grand or higher! Sorry, I dodged the bullet with motorcycles years ago, have been riding bicycles for decades and will electrify my Norco dirt jumper to electric so I can go trail riding and general screwing around. You can keep your plastic covered pig cycles, I go trail riding for fun and prefer something very light--not a giant tank of a thing to go 100 MPH in tight mountain trails. Yeah, fell in love with trail riding on mountain bikes and the electric versions don't start forest fires, are not loud and annoying to non-riders, won't scare the pee out of people and won't DESTROY the trails. Motorcycles don't sell because they are now toys, not a form of transportation so to hell with them all. Electrified bikes make sense, the Honda Cub 70/90/110 of present day. You can't go on a highway with a small bike and just like lawn equipment, all those 2 stroke weed wackers, push mowers etc. are being replaced with superior electric versions. The motorcycle companies are sticking to the Kodak plan...Kodak invented digital cameras and refused to move in that direction and kiss them goodbye. Electric beginner bikes, folding versions with anti-lock breaks and ability to add/swap battery packs for increased range makes sense. Keep one battery at home and another one and work and swap as needed. I just need around a 2KW/h pack to fit in my Norco...the drive runs through the modified gearing for a 3-speed, low for off-roading massive torque, 2nd for"legal" street speed and the high gear shift for "off road only". No worries....good point about your electric bike--the motorcycle industry thinks its the 20th century and will go away. Nobody will shed a tear, I didn't cry when Kodak went bankrupt. Seems they see the writing on the wall and now want to make expensive toys--good luck with that!
@@glowiever LOOOOOL
it is an old video, but i was planning on doing a similar thing with a project bike, but a way bigger battery and motor. (had found a 27kw motor at 72V from a small excavator XD for a great price)
but the two main problems were i couldnt find a good donor bike for its frame (and didnt want to splash extra for one in operation and have to deal with selling of its engine and working parts
and two i didnt/dont have a garage to work on it (nor the tools... but space being the main issue, as tools can be slowly acquired if you have where to put them and use them)
still a dream project 6 years later