sherconoob Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 the battery life seems to be getting very good with these and i love the idea of practicing in the backyard without annoying anyone. the only issue i could see is if wanting to ride all day the battery would eventually go, and it would be expensive to buy a second one. but seems you can recharge them to 80% capacity very quickly so would be an interesting idea to hook it up to a solar panel over the lunch break. :-) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwhy Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 you would need a very very very big solar array to fast charge.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guys Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 If I had the money I wouldn't hesitate one second to buy one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 They do seem like a good idea and probably what everyone will be riding 30 years down the line. The price is the only real issue, and how they'd cope with water/ mud in the lovely climate of the uk. I wonder if you could take one onto bridleways/ cycle paths, how is it any different to a push bike in that situation? If you can afford one I'd say go for it, hopefully if these bikes become more affordable maybe city trials will develop further and get more kids interested in trials... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totty79 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Legally I think it's if it's motorised that matters not the type of motor. I think it would generate a lot fewer complaints, in part due to low noise but also in part due the prejudice against motorbikes not being applied to it by the general public. If I could get one for the same money as my evo I'd have one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tobeee Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 How much are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Legally I think it's if it's motorised that matters not the type of motor. I think it would generate a lot fewer complaints, in part due to low noise but also in part due the prejudice against motorbikes not being applied to it by the general public. If I could get one for the same money as my evo I'd have one. That's a shame about the bridle ways, could you imagine taking one of these to a nice rocky beach too? No sound, no pollution- what's the harm? At any rate, if everyone does go electric in the future land availability might increase for trials with as you say less complaints. 5695 in splat shop uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwhy Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) In water and mud (if well designed) Electric bikes should actually be better than a gas bike for reliability. to have spare battery's or a fast way of charging is the key to get the most out of a electric bike. The cost of battery cells are coming down and should only get cheaper and better, as long as the battery manufacturers pass these savings on then everyone will be happy.. or you could make your own battery's if you really wanted to have a spare battery for as low cost as possible. The problem with riding a EM5.7 is it still looks very much like a motorcycle but unless you are actually seen then the chances are it will be fine for riding anywhere you like but it will not be legal. If you want some thing "more" legal to play with and something that don't look like a motorcycle ( and just as much fun ), then something like this fits the bill ( just for the record this is a home made bike and nothing to do with gasgas ) Its going to be something like this that will make urban trials more acceptable initially. The cost will also be so much cheaper and this will open the sport up to more people . Edited February 6, 2015 by gwhy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_t Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I helped out a bit with a local university group that built an electric trials bike using an old TLR 200 as a starting point. Great fun to ride! I am also really interested in the EM5.7. You can get them with lights and blinkers... hard to know how the department of highways would consider them. Bottom line an electric trials bike would be perfect for practicing in the city and given my riding ability more than enough bike to compete in local events. They do take a bit of getting used to... the one the University made had no clutch... the EM5.7 has a clutch but it is just an on/off switch (better than nothing) you wouldn't think it was needed but when things get hairy it sure is nice to be able to pull in a clutch lever to cut power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherconoob Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 hoping to get a test ride in the next week or so, will post my thoughts on it all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_t Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Please do ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwhy Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 hoping to get a test ride in the next week or so, will post my thoughts on it all. If you have never ridden a electric before then I know you are going to like it once you get used to the differences ... yes please do report back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraldkealakai Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) the battery life seems to be getting very good with these and i love the idea of practicing in the backyard without annoying anyone. the only issue i could see is if wanting to ride all day the battery would eventually go, and it would be expensive to buy a second one. but seems you can recharge them to 80% capacity very quickly so would be an interesting idea to hook it up to a solar panel over the lunch break. :-) I've had one since the fall of 2013. With the battery life, I'd ride up the mountain for about an hour, then down the mountain for another hour or so - this is with some stops along the way to loosen up the cramping muscles. The motor regenerates and partially recharges the battery on the downhill sections - you can program how much regen you want. The battery would be low at the end of the ride, and I'd be happily tired anyway. Always rode with earplugs. You don't get the engine sound of a gas engine, however you get the whine of the electric motor and the drivetrain. It sounds like a remote controlled toy truck that you see some people playing with, but louder. Overall though you could definately play with it in public areas without much complaint. More likely people would be fascinated. To recharge, seem to remember that it was maybe about three or four hours to a full charge. Photovoltaic recharging (you said "solar") is not realistic as you wouldn't get the amps required unless you had a large photocell array. If you had a large photocell array, it would be mounted on the roof of your house, so you would just replug the charger into your house circuit anyway. If you wanted to recharge the battery in the field you would use a gas powered generator - but somehow doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of having an electric trials bike?? Edited March 17, 2015 by geraldkealakai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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