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Someone showed me this because I bicycle, but this seems like a good idea for navigation when you're loving around in backroads but eventually trying to end up somewhere: https://beeline.co/collections/beeline/products/beeline
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Oct 16, 2018 18:36
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I’m riding all the time right now but nobody wants to hear about my Jetsons-sounding electric motorcycle so I keep it to myself. It’s so good guys.
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Dec 28, 2018 16:42
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Do what I do: get a copy of this book and start checking off the rides one by one... https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Motorcycling-Colorado-Definitive/dp/1884313922
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Feb 27, 2019 19:39
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Kastivich posted:I think I want a Zero for commuting. I spend too much time waiting at red lights and something about just sitting there in silence sounds really appealing. Anyone here got an FX or FXS? Ripoff has a FXS. I have an SR but I’m eyeing the SR/F already. FXS looks fun but I need the range of their bigger models, if I had a commute the FXS would be great for it though.
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Apr 22, 2019 01:08
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Kastivich posted:Is there anything special to consider when looking at used models? I've bought a lot of used gas motorcycles, but have never even seen a Zero. Do the usual checks of fork seals, brakes, tires, and so on (those are standard parts). Check that the belt isn't frayed, cut, etc (assuming it doesn't have a chain conversion). With the kickstand up check that there are no codes on the display (or if the kickstand is down, ensure that only code 045 is showing). You'll probably have to play with the two display buttons to get it to show codes (it'll show 000 for no codes). With kickstand up you should have a solid green light. With kickstand down you should have a blinking red light (the blinks should be regular, not blinking morse codes). The weakest part on these bikes seems to be the 110V charger, so make sure that works. (It's likely that for an FXS it will be the only charger unless they also have the Quiq charger option). The charger is a component mounted on the bike, just plug the cord into a wall and make sure it shows a reasonable time-til-charged and that the % goes up after a few minutes. Unfortunately Zeros can have electrical gremlins (they are susceptible to water until you jam dielectric in some known-to-be-vulnerable connections) but that's not something you'll see in an inspection, just something you should know going in. Most people never have trouble, and if the trouble is water-related drying out fixes the problem. The FX/FXS in particular have a quirk where the headlights will lens sunlight onto the plastic below enough to leave suntrack streaks. Every FX/FXS that's been in the sun can have this so don't sweat it. Everything "exotic" on the bike is solid state and can potentially work forever, with the exception of the battery. The good news is the battery is really pampered in these and I've never heard of anyone having trouble with batteries dying due to use. EDIT: The warranty on all Zero batteries is 5 years, and they still seem fine past that. Ulf fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Apr 22, 2019 |
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Apr 22, 2019 03:47
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I could see it happening for air-cooled vs water-cooled batteries. The current Zeros are all air cooled which saves a lot of weight and complexity (the brake fluid is the *only* fluid on the entire bike), but it means charge time of an hour instead of 5-10 minutes. As L3 chargers roll out and battery tech improves the next gen will be fluid cooled for that sweet charge time and I’ll be a nostalgic graybeard for how much simpler things used to be as glycol leaks all over my floor.
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Apr 23, 2019 14:57
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Nice! Too bad the IBA won’t certify it, they require a fuel stop every 350 miles to make it harder to spoof. I’ve done an Iron Butt on that same CBR250R and my knees ache just thinking about it. Hope the rider wasn’t too tall. Going the full day without walking and stretching must have been rough.
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Aug 7, 2019 05:50
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So is there a reason for the LiveWire’s motor orientation (like to fit a longer motor?). One of the best parts of the Zero is the minimalism of not having any oil / coolant / transmission fluid on the bike, and adding a 90deg mitre gear or whatever means you’ve added gear oil and a few % energy loss for what? Is it just to add gear noise?
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Aug 11, 2019 19:15
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The bike from Akira is a recumbent e-bike
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Oct 4, 2019 00:01
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The Zero owners that I know about here are myself (SR), Ripoff (FX or FXS, I can never remember) and LodeRunner (at least I assume he has one or two). Nfknblvbl has an Energica Ego too. Zero SR verdict: it is a lot of fun and somehow riding it is very different from riding my gas bikes. It is incredible in the city, to the extent that I wish I had a job in the city to ride to every day. You know the phrase "drop a gear and disappear"? With a Zero you skip that first bit. That said it's still just a straight-line shooter and doesn't feel as nimble in turns as other bikes I've ridden. I bet the SR/F and the FX/FXS are better on that score. You'll also want to be ginger on cold tires and wet parking lots as it will happily give you as much torque as you want in all the wrong situations. SR/F has TCS which might have saved me there. Luckily fixing it up after a 5mph slide was relatively cheap.
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Oct 9, 2019 01:45
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They seem like the only way I can get highway pegs on my nighthawk, so I've thought about them once or twice.
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Dec 10, 2019 18:00
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Use a rear stand to level the bike and lift the rear, then use that jack to lift the front of the bike (get as far forward of the CG as you can, so it won't tip forward). What that jack brings that most don't have is those pegs to hold the bike up by its frame rails, otherwise you might have to pull the exhaust off to get access to a clean flat liftable area. The jack orients crosswise to the bike, if that was the question. EDIT: While looking for photos to show the orientation I see a lot of people don't use a rear stand, they just lift the entire bike w/ a scissor jack, but I'm a scaredy who wants things super-stable. Plus I think with Slavvy's stand you'll need rear support regardless. If you're pulling the swingarm off that's not possible, and I'd use a front stand and move the scissor jack back. Ulf fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Dec 26, 2019 |
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Dec 26, 2019 18:57
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M42 posted:Got my first bike 7 years ago today. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhZC5vz89kQ I was bored and re-read this entire thread last year.
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Mar 1, 2020 00:53
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I think it’s usually the rider checking for a puddle  Ulf fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Mar 1, 2020 |
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Mar 1, 2020 18:27
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Yeah, my Zero claims 3.4s though I haven’t timed it. I am loving this discussion, hope Sam Baker (New Zeroland) got his deposit back though. EDIT: Just found your thread w/ him on EMF (he's "mistasam" there). Welp. Ulf fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Mar 31, 2020 |
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Mar 31, 2020 01:08
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As a Denver rider it's jarring and a little bit funny to see my boring daily rides as some kind of adventure destination. Their first gathering spot is the call-n-ride parking lot at DIA. The first breakdown in the mountains is actually the Lookout Mountain exit of I-70, a mile west of my old apartment in Golden. Not saying that as a knock against it, we have great riding here, just takes a lot of the production gloss off of it for me. I haven't gone past episode 1 but I've done some scenic riding past Telluride and the rest of southern Colorado (all paved) so I'm betting I would recognize more.
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Apr 6, 2020 17:56
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Slavvy posted:How tall are the kerbs where you live? Anything with normal sized wheels and no fairings (cruisers aside) will happily climb a curb if you go perpendicular. Ulf fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Apr 11, 2020 |
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Apr 11, 2020 15:54
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That reminds me, went to my local dealer and they had the full Zero lineup in stock, including the first SR/S that I’ve seen and a Black Forest. I was a little worried last year when they were down to only a few demo bikes but I guess they’re committed again.
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May 23, 2020 07:00
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I spent a year and 10,000 miles on a CBR250R and here is the exhaustive list of what was bad about it:
Ulf fucked around with this message at 15:45 on May 27, 2020 |
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May 27, 2020 15:39
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:kink-shame 
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Jun 5, 2020 19:23
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Search for “short throw throttle”. That pulls up options like this, no idea if it’s garbage: https://www.motionpro.com/c/rev2-throttle Another hit: https://www.motosport.com/g2-ergonomics-quick-turn-throttle-tube Edit: oh hay some guy says the R6 throttle fits on the R3 and shortens the roll. https://www.yamahar3racing.com/product/yamaha-r6-oem-throttle-w-grip-short-throw-throttle-yamaha-r3/ quote:By replacing the OEM Yamaha R3 throttle tube with this Yamaha R6 throttle tube, you eliminate both of these problems. This R6 throttle tube will shorten the throttle throw by 15-20%. Ulf fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jun 5, 2020 |
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Jun 5, 2020 20:13
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Slavvy posted:Pro tip: clean the poo poo out of the bar where the tube goes, and run a rag through the tube. Spray some non-sticky lube on the bar and a little bit of chain lube on the eyelets for the cables, as well as on the other end at the TB, and you'll have a magic no-resistance throttle. In fact everyone should try this, it's mind boggling how much heavier the throttle gets after even a year of use. If it applies to all bikes then I know what I’m doing this weekend... even though putting the Zero’s rheostat throttle back together is a complicated spring dance that takes three hands.
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Jun 6, 2020 02:35
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I dunno, I see him all the time in Denver and he looks like he'd be ok in an off. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/have-you-heard-of-colorado-captain-hes.html
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Jun 17, 2020 23:30
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I got a photo today that I've been thinking of for months.
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Jun 29, 2020 02:05
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epalm posted:Well done. Which Honda? '97 Nighthawk 750. Great bike though it's just a budget model of the 80s 650, which I kind of want for the amazing dash. Ulf fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Jun 29, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2020 02:45
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I dropped my first (adult) bike three times, and haven’t dropped any other bikes since.
1/3 stupidity, 1/3 bad kickstand design, 1/3 newbie mistake. That’s why we don’t suggest nice bikes to newbies I guess. Edit: 0mph drop damage is usually cheap to fix. My 250 had parts costing in the $10-20 range but that was a really cheap bike. But even my Zero was cheaper than I thought to get like new after lowsiding it. Here’s hoping you’ll have the same experience. Ulf fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Jul 11, 2020 |
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Jul 11, 2020 23:16
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If there’s any doubt then yeah, I think you’ll be miserable. Take it from someone who’s had to bail on rides in the middle of July from being chilled to the core, always go heavier on heat than you think you’ll need. Not sure what temps you’ll hit but this time of year I don’t go on long rides without packing (a) a heated vest and (b) full body windblocking (usually in the form of rain gear). With those two tools I’ve made it through every weather emergency up to and including a light blizzard.
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Oct 12, 2020 00:23
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Supposedly LiFePO4 is less susceptible to fires than the Li ion chemistries you have in cars now. A half-decent BMS would prevent it anyway short of a crash bad enough that it pierces the battery case.  I think the “susceptible to fires” is just fear of a new thing, considering how often motorcycles catch fire just fine on their own.Two things that appeal to me from lithium are the slow self-discharge (you could leave one for six months and it’ll still crank fine, assuming no parasitic draw on your bike) and the feature that some BMS boards have to “reserve” enough emergency capacity to start your bike with a button press in case you left an accessory running (my understanding is this is activated by a button on the battery). The lightness argument is already lost on my bike which weighs 500lbs.
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Apr 23, 2023 15:28
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Finger Prince posted:They'll keep selling ICE/hybrids/EVs to the rest of us, There's a lot of debate about exactly what's going on with Japanese auto makers right now. Some think that since they make the "best" little ICE engines, they're loathe to give up the one thing they excel at to move into EVs. Others think that since Japanese consumers generally don't have a way to charge their cars, the JDM market is making them blind to what's possible in US and Europe. Finally, there's some that think they're getting orders from on high in the Japanese government to make hydrogen happen, I don't really know much about this angle though. From a tech side hydrogen autos don't really make sense. The advantage is quick refill but there's three major strikes against them in terms of low energy density, atrocious energy losses in making/compressing the hydrogen, and lastly the lack of hydrogen infrastructure. These would also apply to hydrogen motorcycles. EV fans are watching the Japanese auto makers with some mix of pity, curiosity, and schadenfreude as they head into what appears to be a dead end.
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May 19, 2023 03:21
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I won’t say it’s impossible. I had a long technical screed here but deleted it. There’s a long list of things to “solve” with hydrogen automobiles as it currently stands, with no proof that the problems are solvable, and I am not sure even the combined effort of every Japanese automaker will make enough of a dent in the problem to catch up with already-working ICE and EV solutions. Fair point about not assuming I know what’s best for other nations and their automakers but I’m going to keep  ’ing at the Japanese auto industry as it seems set to spend two decades steering into an iceberg.
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May 19, 2023 04:16
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Slavvy posted:Wtf why It’s just not the place for it. I don’t believe hydrogen will be relevant for motorcycles in my lifetime (vs trucking, shipping, aviation, and maybe autos, all of which are more likely to use it). Anyway it’d just be a repeat of what hydrogen skeptics write up regularly in EV or energy circles. To give you a taste: if you want “green” hydrogen (to compare 1:1 against EVs), you’re going to make it using electrolysis, which means you lose about 40% of your energy in step one. Compressing the hydrogen to get it into a vehicle is going to take away another 20-30% on top of that!
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May 19, 2023 05:29
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Invalido posted:25 hour service interval and a weight of 4.4 kg
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May 19, 2023 20:32
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Risk is wildly disproportionate with speed. These stats are for pedestrians hit by the front of cars, but the chart I’m looking at says: code:
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Jun 3, 2023 21:42
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knox_harrington posted:Lol this isn't relevant. What the gently caress? TheBacon posted:I think it was trying to illustrate that fatalities/danger escalates exponentially with speed Yeah, I should have quoted someone for context. The point I was getting at was someone riding a scooter in 20-30 mph traffic all day probably shouldn’t think much about safety gear. Or if you’re objecting to me using pedestrian stats, it just seemed like a good proxy for data about squishy humans bouncing off things in traffic.
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Jun 3, 2023 22:53
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You can also use a fuel antifreeze like heet which allows water to intermix with the fuel and burn. (The tank on my bike is impossible to fully drain by hand so that’s what I have to do)
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Jun 11, 2023 16:43
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Hey CA, I haven't been posting much lately but I've been doing plenty of riding and moto-camping. This year I wanted to see more of Colorado so I went to visit every one of the state's corner survey markers. If you're not from the US, Colorado is the (other) state that is completely rectangular so this meant four stops. I can't describe what an adventure hitting some of these were, especially getting to the NW corner on a street bike on 100/0 tires in a wet year where the muddy ruts were 3-4 feet deep. I spent two days getting the bike through 40 miles of mud, ruts, bogs, and Rocky mountains and never saw a soul. What a blast. 
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Oct 9, 2023 18:58
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aw shucks, thanks buddy Glad you are still riding! At least I assume you're back on two (motor)wheels if you're in CA
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Oct 9, 2023 19:15
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LodeRunner posted:n one case one of the motels said, "Electric bikes? Sure, bring them in the lobby to charge!" so they wheeled them in overnight.  There’s something about a bike with no* fluids that makes it feel clean enough to put it on carpet. The tires are cleaner than my boots, at least. * the only liquids on the bike are in the brakes and the shocks. If either of them leak out I’ve got Problems.
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Nov 21, 2023 02:52
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My Zero charges at 6kW, and gets an hour of riding from an hour of charge, ish. Most of the big bikes built after mine are capable of DC fast charging (typical equipment goes up to 150kW but the bikes will cap much lower), and should hit your 15 minute goal, though not your price goal quite yet. Unfortunately the Zero FX/FXE go in the other direction, they have smallish batteries, middling range, and tiny chargers, to keep the price and weight down. You’re not going to have your light flickable supermoto that charges fast anytime soon. You can still have a crazy fun commuter though, even if you don’t have a power plug at work it’ll probably have the range needed. It’s still early days for electric motorbikes. They get trickle down tech from the cars and the cars are able to paper over the flaws by throwing weight (huge batteries and cooling systems) at the problem.
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Nov 26, 2023 06:00
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Tut tut, not even a proper mixte frame, what is {maker} thinking, they were so close to getting it right etc.
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Jan 18, 2024 17:29
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