In school, a buddy borrowed me his electric bike for some time while he travelled abroad. In the beginning, I didn't have a clue that there were electric powered bikes, but I was in need of transportation and I knew how to ride a bike. Therefore I wondered why not?My friend explained that he had found a small motorcycle on eBay, removed the engine and gas tank. He then added a new motor using electrical batteries. He assured me that this was perfectly secure and was maintenance free. In the beginning, when I saw the bike, it looked just like a kid's toy.When I got on top of it, it even felt rickety. The idea that it weighed less than me didn't help matters. But I believe most of a motorcycle's weight is due to the engine and gas tank.
Operating the electrical type of a motorcycle was a little challenging in the beginning. There was definitely a throttle to go or maybe go quicker. Once you generate the throttle, you just coasts unless you hit on the brakes.There is no clutch. It took me some time to understand how to use a clutch on a bicycle and unlearning in the first place seemed so difficult I continued to use the clutch in the middle of a ride, or to modify equipment. Sometimes I was so preoccupied I believed I would damage.But after a few days, I simply forgot about the clutch and just enjoyed the smooth ride. I also learned that the thing could ride fast very quickly. If you power the throttle to maximum, you could go from standing still to 50 miles per hour in a few minutes.
The other known fact about an electric bike is that there's almost no disturbance.At first it can be disconcerting, especially if you are looking to show off. But is indeed awesome to listen the road around you on silent country streets. It was exactly like operating a very fast bike without needing to pedal. Looking back, it was probably more secure too, there are plenty of moments when you can't hear the cars approaching behind you while you're driving a gas powered bike.
The bicycle wasn't ideal however. Whatever I did, I couldn't get it going above 50 mph. Even though I rode it downhill, it was impossible to get about the mid 60s. I think this was because of the poor aerodynamics of the bike and not endemic to all electric motorcycles. More, the bicycle couldn't go very far on a complete charge, most of the times I get 40 miles before I ran out of juice. The toughest aspect is I could never really tell how complete the battery power were. Thankfully I has a short commute but I had a power cable to stop for a bite and a charge in case I was running low.The worst was that the bike tires were like scooter tires.Since the bike had to be light, my friend had put special tires on it. I discovered this when I blew a tire on a nail and thee tire couldn't be fixed.Luckily I found some tire coupons and got a pair of replacement tires pretty cheaply.
Overall though, the electric powered motorbike was fairly amazing. I never had to pay for gas and though I had to price it every night, I only saw a little jump in my electric bill.Even better I never had to worry about an oil change or air filters etc. The bicycle was generally easy to sustain. The bike always started-except the time I broke a cable loose. All round, I look back and I give thanks to my friend. Not only did he help me out of a jam when I required it, but also revealed me the long run of riding a motorcycle.
Operating the electrical type of a motorcycle was a little challenging in the beginning. There was definitely a throttle to go or maybe go quicker. Once you generate the throttle, you just coasts unless you hit on the brakes.There is no clutch. It took me some time to understand how to use a clutch on a bicycle and unlearning in the first place seemed so difficult I continued to use the clutch in the middle of a ride, or to modify equipment. Sometimes I was so preoccupied I believed I would damage.But after a few days, I simply forgot about the clutch and just enjoyed the smooth ride. I also learned that the thing could ride fast very quickly. If you power the throttle to maximum, you could go from standing still to 50 miles per hour in a few minutes.
The other known fact about an electric bike is that there's almost no disturbance.At first it can be disconcerting, especially if you are looking to show off. But is indeed awesome to listen the road around you on silent country streets. It was exactly like operating a very fast bike without needing to pedal. Looking back, it was probably more secure too, there are plenty of moments when you can't hear the cars approaching behind you while you're driving a gas powered bike.
The bicycle wasn't ideal however. Whatever I did, I couldn't get it going above 50 mph. Even though I rode it downhill, it was impossible to get about the mid 60s. I think this was because of the poor aerodynamics of the bike and not endemic to all electric motorcycles. More, the bicycle couldn't go very far on a complete charge, most of the times I get 40 miles before I ran out of juice. The toughest aspect is I could never really tell how complete the battery power were. Thankfully I has a short commute but I had a power cable to stop for a bite and a charge in case I was running low.The worst was that the bike tires were like scooter tires.Since the bike had to be light, my friend had put special tires on it. I discovered this when I blew a tire on a nail and thee tire couldn't be fixed.Luckily I found some tire coupons and got a pair of replacement tires pretty cheaply.
Overall though, the electric powered motorbike was fairly amazing. I never had to pay for gas and though I had to price it every night, I only saw a little jump in my electric bill.Even better I never had to worry about an oil change or air filters etc. The bicycle was generally easy to sustain. The bike always started-except the time I broke a cable loose. All round, I look back and I give thanks to my friend. Not only did he help me out of a jam when I required it, but also revealed me the long run of riding a motorcycle.
About the Author:
I'm an auto enthusiast who loves working on cars. In my spare time, I contribute and write at tirecouponshq.com where we post about tire savings. Save money at @TireCouponsHQ.
