EV motorcyclists from across the U.S. rode into Deals Gap, NC in April for Electrics at the Dragon.
This EV Rider post and episode is sponsored by the Historic Tapoco Lodge, a Deals Gap area tradition since 1930 that includes level 2 charging for guests with EV’s.
All the riders that attended had a few things in common: a love for electric motorcycles, comradery and exploring the great outdoors. Zero E-Michigan YouTuber Karl Bloss rode in from Michigan on his Zero SR/S, tallying well over 2000 miles in the saddle.
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“Last year, I trailored my bike down but this year I retired and I had time, so I took ten days to ride all the way down here,” Karl said.
John Lever also owns an SR/S and says out of all the motorcycles, he’s owned, the Zero ranks at the very top. “Currently I own a Ducati Multistrada. I’ve also owned two Honda Gold Wings, an [Honda] Africa Twin, Suzuki Burgman, a Yamaha FJR 1300 and a Tracer 900.”
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Rounding out our trio of SR/S owners is Bob Thurstans. Last year he rode in all the way from California. This year Bob decided to rent a SR/S from eMotor Powersports, in nearby Robbinsville, which is similar to his personal bike.
“Another feature that mine has is the Rapid Charger and the Double-J. I was able to ride it across from from California last year. I did the coast to coast, had a little help from Scott. He gave me a list of 29 chargers that I might potentially use on the drive across and I used about. 26 of them.”
Bob is referring to Scott Harkless, who invented the DJ Rapid Charge system which allows Zero SR/S and SR/F owners to use two J-1772 charging outlets simultaneously in conjunction with Zero’s, optional Rapid Charger setup. Scott is now turning his attention to Zero’s DSR/X lineup and hopes to get a DJ Rapid Charge into production for it by the end of the year.
“It’s in the works as much as it can be. The system will work because this [DSR/X] is basically the same drivetrain. It’s just the mechanics that need to be worked out. I’m working with Zero on that to get the parts I need to get that all worked out, so stay tuned,” Scott said. The system for current generation Zero Ss, SR/Fs and SR/Ss is available at eMoto Design.
Larry Bergsneider came in from Auburn, AL with his 2018 DSR, which he uses for a lot of off roading. “I try to keep up with the KTMs and the BDRs (Backcountry Discovery Routes) and the rallies. I try to keep up with them. I do OK,” Larry said.
This year, rather than ride or tow my personal Zero SR/F from Jacksonville to the Dragon, I decided to rent a Zero DSR/X from eMoto Powersports in Robbinsville, which is about 20 minutes or so from the Dragon.
eMoto Powersports owner Austin. Ammarell and his buddy Christian Mergner are the co-founders of Electrics at the Dragon. “We just came up here with two of us on our electric bikes. I had just gotten a fast charging system for an older version of this bike [Zero S] and he had a little Supermoto that went 40 miles on a charge,” Austin said, adding, “We kind of both said, ‘you know, it would be awesome if you had a whole group of us up here for a weekend.’ And so I posted in the Facebook group, right when I got home. I had eight people show up the first time, some on gas bikes, some on electrics, and it grew from there. “
The Tail of the Dragon is on U.S. 129. It features 318 curves in 11 miles, beginning in North Carolina and quickly winding its way into Tennessee. If you’d like to learn more about the Dragon, visit the official Tail of the Dragon website.
