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eHarley?

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:tab I think the sound issue has to do with how we perceive power. Think about almost anything that we think of as powerful: guns, locomotives, combustion engines (especially the big radial piston engines on aircraft!), jet engines, lightning, volcanoes, etc,... Sound is usually a BIG aspect of the experience. In general loud = powerful. I think about NHRA drag racing. Sound is a HUGE part of that experience! The thought of watching electric dragsters, despite mind blowing 1/4 mile times, just leaves me kind of... whatever... :shrug:

:tab Maybe they can put speakers on the electric vehicles and we can pick engine sounds like we pick ring tones :-P
 
Electric motors do make noise and a lot of it. Its just a different noise. When I go into some spaces hearing protection is required due to the volume of the noise. Granted some of the motors are 3000hp and operate via VFDs or 1500hp running in sync with up to 5 other motors connected by a gear box again VFDs and most of the noise is from the auxiliaries.
 
Traxx said:
Mehhhh, I can dig the silence.
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I'm hip. My dad drag raced motorcycles in the 60s and I spent a fair amount of time at Green Valley. He could stand on the starting line and watch the fuel cars run, but I couldn't even with hearing protection. Too much pain. The wife and I just returned from Europe and we were struck by two things in Germany. First was the speed and effectiveness of the electric trains, weather the U-Bahns or the ICE high speed trains. Quiet and FAST. The second was the lack of noise in the city. They have traffic jams just like us, but a half a block from the freeway and you never hear the noise.

Electric cars will probably initially be a family's second car. One gas powered car for general work and the electric for running around. Lots of the farmers in La Grange have a hybrid simply because they are cheaper to operate than their farm trucks. As for bikes, well they are toys in the States, so who knows how that will play out.
 
Jarrett said:
Seems like a Zero can be had for $14k less:

https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=204
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I wish them luck and success, but it seems typical of Harley pricing. They have brand loyalty and ego to command their high prices compared to superior machines from other makers, but the electric crowd isn't likely to be the bar and shield faithful. Even Energica, which carries Italian Exotica, significantly more power, more range, better components and some Aprilia engineer work as well as racing to develop the product, can be had for between $19k - $25k. Admittedly different bikes, but still . . . $30k won't sell many of those LiveWires.
 
Tourmeister said:
In general loud = powerful.
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Yeah, I used to think Harley's were fast :)

They revved up one of those Energica's as we walked past their booth at the show and I thought someone's commercial vacuum cleaner got away from them.
 
$30,000 for a machine that can't go from Houston to Dallas without stopping twice to recharge? The company has called LiveWire and electric vehicles “the future of Harley-Davidson”. Not good.
 
The e-bike guy.
GTY_electronic_cigarette_sr_140423_16x9_992.jpg
 
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