A gasoline motorcycle on EV Rider? What the heck is up with that? Yep, it’s true. I bought a gasoline motorcycle. But no, my 2020 Zero Motorcycles SR/F is not going away, and it doesn’t mean I’m going back to primarily gas, although obviously I’ve retreated just a bit.
While I continue to be a huge believer in EV’s, in my opinion – for my riding style – it turned out that EV motorcycles just aren’t quite there for every riding scenario I encounter in 2022.
My Zero SR/F is a fantastic city and regional motorcycle, but where I’ve run into issues is when I’m traveling. The charging infrastructure just isn’t strong enough yet.
When you combine the weak availability of Level 2 chargers – especially in rural communities – and the 2020 SR/F’s smallish (by 2022 standards) 14.4 kWh battery and combine that its relatively slow 6 kW peak Level 2 charging speed, the Zero just wasn’t cutting as a solo bike for my particular use case.
There have been too many motorcycle group rides that I’ve sat out because there are no charging stations in the locations that I’m riding to.
My Zero has what’s known as level J-1772 charging. EV motorcyclists with Energicas and LiveWires with CCS DC fast charging will say will likely say, “wait a minute, it’s no big deal. They charge up nice and fast.” But here’s the thing, while CCS and a bigger battery on a brand new 2022 EV motorcycle would be an improvement; it still would require traveling compromises for my use case.
I’ll give you an example. I’ll be going to Alachua, FL. It’s a small incorporated city outside of Gainesville. There are no DC or J1772 chargers in the center of town. I could detour from my motorcycle group to charge it back up for the return ride, but that would defeat the purpose of the ride, which is to spend time riding with friends.
What I often do to get around charging challenges is plan my group’s rides so they include a natural lunch or other recreational stop next to a charging location.
Let’s say we’re going to Gainesville, which is approximately 85 miles from Jacksonville, that’s no big deal. I would go ahead and plan a stop at a fun place near a charger. But there are many occasions where I can’t go to a destination because there are no chargers within walking distance of traveling stops.
In a car it doesn’t really matter because EV automobiles – in general – charge much faster than motorcycles and come with larger batteries, meaning most can easily travel 200 miles or more before needing to stop to refuel.
My Zero has about 100 miles of range on slower secondary roads but that number drops to 80 miles or less on the interstate. However, no compromise EV touring is almost here. For example, the Energica Experia has a 22.5 kWh battery with an estimated highway range of about 130 miles, according to the manufacturer.
Given it also has CCS fast charging and lower-end Level 2 charging, for many riders the Experia will hit the sweet spot needed to make the switch to an EV.
However, the bottom line for me, as this post is written, there are no regular production EV motorcycles at the moment that meet 100% of my EV riding scenarios. So, I decided to get myself an old school 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 900 LT.
I’ll be using it for rides where there aren’t convenient charging options available and on longer trips where it would be inconvenient to wait for an EV bike to recharge to make it to the next stop.
My choice doesn’t mean you can’t do long distance touring on an EV motorcycle. I’ve got a friend who has ridden his Zeros from coast to coast, and I’ve ridden my SR/F more than 350 miles in a day.
Energica and Livewire owners have also been doing cross-country touring. However, when you’re traveling with a group of riders, refueling becomes more challenging on an EV motorcycle.
If you’re considering an EV motorcycle, chances are you’ll love it. Around town and on regional jaunts they’ve got plenty of advantages over gasoline bikes, which I get into in some of my other motorcycling videos.
If you live in a state with a robust charging infrastructure like California or if you live in some parts of Europe with robust charging, it’s not nearly the concern that it is in rural states and areas.
Anyway, you get the idea. Now that I’ve got two motorcycles, I’ll be comparing their strengths and weaknesses. Even though my Vulcan and SR/F couldn’t be more different, I’m going to do the comparison. Stay tuned for that episode and if you’ve enjoyed this EV Rider post and video, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.