A Brammo Enertia, an all-electric motorcycle.
It’s not really surprising that most people buying an electric motorcycle these days are not current owners of an internal combustion motorcycle. Many people who ride motorcycles just don’t get the idea of an electric motorcycle. The objection usually goes something like this: I can pay $9,000 for a motorcycle that will make 125 horsepower, will take me 200 miles on a tank of gas and I can refill it in five minutes on just about any street corner. Why would I pay more for a motorcycle that takes me 25 miles and then I have to recharge it for four hours?
A hundred years ago, those people’s ancestors were pointing out that those early production automobiles weren’t really much faster than a horse, were more prone to get stuck in the mud since few roads then were paved, and weren’t as reliable. Surely cars would never catch on.
The key to understanding electric motorcycles is not to compare them to internal combustion motorcycles that have more than a century’s head start in development. Electric motorcycles are not an immediate replacement for gasoline-powered motorcycles, but rather another transportation alternative. To get to work you can drive a car, ride a bicycle, take the bus, walk, ride an internal-combustion motorcycle, and now ride an electric motorcycle, etc. Choose the tool for the job. All have their strengths and weaknesses as forms of transportation. They all complement each other as much as they compete with each other.
Do you really need to haul a two-ton metal cage with you to go 15 miles from your home to work or would a 350-pound motorcycle make more sense? Would you rather pay a dollar extra on your energy bill for a week of commuting or $18 for a tank of gas for your motorcycle? Planning to ride coast to coast? Well, in that case, unless you want to match speeds set by the wagon trains, better not go electric.
It’s all about choosing the tool for the job. No answer is right or wrong for every question.
So with tongue only partly in cheek, here’s the quick guide to deciding if you’re electric motorcycle material.
| Maybe you should buy an electric motorcycle if you… | You probably shouldn’t buy an electric motorcycle if you… |
| …live in the city, have a short commute or take lots of short trips (especially if there’s an unattended outdoor electrical outlet near your parking spot at work). | …commute 50 miles one-way to work, live in the country 20 miles from the nearest town and therefore rarely leave home for just a short trip. |
| …adopt the European and Asian view of motorcycles as another viable transportation alternative. | …call your motorcycle a “toy” and consider it mainly useful for impressing your friends and potential dates. |
| …looked at the first Apple Macintosh computer in 1984 and said, “Hmmm, I wish I could do more with it, but this thing has the potential to open up whole new possibilities.” | …looked at the first Apple Macintosh computer in 1984 and said, “But if I wait 17 years, I can get one with 15,000 times as much memory at half the price!” |
| …were in diapers in 1984. | …are now thinking, “Macintosh? I prefer Granny Smith.” |
