BMW F800 Forum banner

14,600 km trip on a Zero SR/F across the EU on a electric motorcycle

4K views 30 replies 10 participants last post by  Lighning 
#1 ·
Here is a link to a short illustrated summary of a trip by a fellow who rode his Zero SR/F a distance of 14,600 km through 15 European countries. During that trip he had to recharge 160 times at a cost of 350 Euros. The only failure that he had on his Zero was a dead on-board charger, a common failure on all models of Zeros. Fortunately for him he owned a "premium" model that comes with three chargers, so he was able to continue his trip home. It just took a little longer: https://thepack.news/who-said-you-c...n-43-days-on-a-zero-sr-s-with-sebastian-goes/
 
#2 ·
If I did the math correctly, that means he was recharging every 56.7 miles.

14,600 km equals 9072 miles. 9072 miles / 160 charges = 56.7 miles per charge. On some roads, that would mean recharging every hour.

Chris
 
#3 ·
Sounds about right. And 350 Euros equals $415 USD the last time I checked the exchange rate.
 
#4 ·
Just seems like he was constantly stopping and not getting anywhere.

The pictures made it look like he couldn't just leave the bike plugged in and play tourist. So his stopping every hour to get recharged were on top of any stops to take pictures and take in the sights.

I guess that explains why it took him 43 days.
 
#5 ·
Interesting that he found inoperable recharging stations and failures of his own equipment. Getting free charges at Hostels and hotels doesn't give the comparable costs of the trip.
Yes you can travel like that but it's not as convenient as a gas powered cycle.
 
#6 ·
Electric motorcycle riders seem to feel that riding their bikes long distances from charging station to charging station in the hopes that they will be working when they arrive and not occupied by a Bolt or similar vehicle while the owner is at the nearby theater watching the latest Bond movie is part of the adventure. [uhoh]
 
#7 ·
I think "E" makes way less sense for motorcycles then it does for cars,,. Where have you ever seen a ICE bike trip where the focus of the journey is on filling stops,,. Maybe an electric scooter for inner city commute's might work but anything that involves adventure touring of any sort just would be fraught with range anxiety, its easy enough to have issues with a 300 Km range ICE with service every 100 kms,,.

The Zero bike in the thread link is a real looker and so is the attached Black Forest ADV, it ticks many of the boxes for features and performance however I've read where in actual use the things range drops off rapidly when you start to goose it, so now your sitting in the middle of no where looking for a tow? Doesn't work for most ADV'ers,,!!

Wheel Tire Fuel tank Automotive fuel system Vehicle


https://advrider.com/zero-unveils-2020-black-forest-dsr-adventure-bike/
 
#8 ·
And if you're sitting in the middle of nowhere and out of "fuel", with an ICE, you can get gas from a passerby and be on your way in 5 minutes. With an electric vehicle...the longest extension cord in the world won't help...especially in California where the area might be in a brown-out.

I plan my rides based on scenery and fun roads. I don't plan for where I will spend an hour or more topping up my battery.
 
#9 ·
And if you're sitting in the middle of nowhere and out of "fuel", with an ICE, you can get gas from a passerby and be on your way in 5 minutes. With an electric vehicle...the longest extension cord in the world won't help...
Didn't some have a similar rational when the first ICE vehicles started to replace horse drawn vehicles?

Following this train of thought, why bother with petrol engines, you'd never be too far away from a bag of oats and the excrement is a wonderful fertilizer for your garden!
[emoji90]

Sent from my moto g(8) power lite using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
Cheap though, by my maths with UK fuel cost you'd need to get over 180 miles to the gallon to do that trip for the same cost.

I'm absolutely confident the infrastructure will arrive and much faster than we may think.
 
#17 ·
Cheap though, by my maths with UK fuel cost you'd need to get over 180 miles to the gallon to do that trip for the same cost.
Cheap? Only, if you only consider fuel.

How much time was spent sitting in a parking lot waiting for the bike to charge?

How many extra hotel bills did it cost?

And how many extra meals did he eat?
 
#16 ·
Think you're right with the infrastructure, will take time but it's been noticeable the difference over the last 12 months.

As far as current UK cost of fuel, I noticed it at a fraction under £1.60 a liter heading back to the "high peaks" of Cambridgeshire from Hendon last night.(Norm of late near to home being around £1.30 a liter.)

For easy comparison that would be over 8 US dollars per US gallon. (E&OE)

Sent from my moto g(8) power lite using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
I would like to see how that journey compares, if he re-did it on an ICE Motorcycle. What else he would have visited, seen and enjoyed in that time period.

Like others have said, i could not see that being enjoyable simply charging station to charging station and then hanging around for an hour. And at a range of 60ish miles thats 3 hours per tank of fuel you'd have spent on the ST.

Until battery technology is better an EV bike doesn't make sense for Touring as the weight penalty (plus other negatives) are too great for a Motorcycle. Round town i can see the appeal, especially if you're able to charge it at Work/Home.
 
#25 ·
I would like to see how that journey compares, if he re-did it on an ICE Motorcycle. What else he would have visited, seen and enjoyed in that time period.

Like others have said, i could not see that being enjoyable simply charging station to charging station and then hanging around for an hour. And at a range of 60ish miles thats 3 hours per tank of fuel you'd have spent on the ST.

Until battery technology is better an EV bike doesn't make sense for Touring as the weight penalty (plus other negatives) are too great for a Motorcycle. Round town i can see the appeal, especially if you're able to charge it at Work/Home.
I don't dare express that opinion on the Electric Motorcycle Forum. [;)] Many of the enthusiasts who post there claim to be hard core electric motorcycle travelers and are willing to put up with a lot of (to me) inconvenience to use their EVs for touring instead of just commuting - which is what I think they do best. [:)]
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ123
#28 ·
Hah! I'll race you to Leavenworth. Oktoberfest is over, but I'll bet they still have some beer available. If you win, I'll buy you a beer.

Google Maps says it is 108 miles. :D That last 18 miles where you're pushing your Zero will give me a chance to catch up. :D If you get too tired, I'll let you ride bitch.
 
#29 ·
Ouch - 108 miles from here - You win! I hope your bike goes faster than 110, which is the max my Zero is set to. Next year I will race to Spokane on my Damon. They claim a 20 minute recharge sufficient to make the last 50 miles. In the mean time I am happy with the BMW for those longer trips.

Some quick specs:
HP: BMW 90, Zero 70, my ordered Damon Hypersport 200
Torque: BMW 63, Zero 116, Damon 173
Weight: BMW 470, Zero 414. Damon 440
Range: BMW 250+, Zero 90+, Damon 200-
0-60: BMW 3.6?, Zero 3.3, Damon <3
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=0+to+60+mph+for+zero+SR&&view=detail&mid=F5468F70FF4DEBCCF134F5468F70FF4DEBCCF134&rvsmid=8F39E412FB80C322DDAA8F39E412FB80C322DDAA&FORM=VDQVAP
 
#30 ·
Ouch - 108 miles from here - You win! I hope your bike goes faster than 110, which is the max my Zero is set to. Next year I will race to Spokane on my Damon. They claim a 20 minute recharge sufficient to make the last 50 miles. In the mean time I am happy with the BMW for those longer trips.
Actually, I do believe that it exceeded that speed...on a closed course with a professional rider. ;)

FWIW, a few years ago, the Michigan State Police tested the F800GT, along with some other bikes, for use in it's police forces. The F800GT was clocked at 137 mph.

Chris
 
#31 ·
137 is pretty good and actually faster than I even rode as a yout! I just remembered this morning that I have seen BMW F800GT police bikes in my white in San Diego county before.
Owing an electric VW I think the only way an electric motorcycle makes sense is if it is a big cruiser, preferably with a trailer. You need to find some place for hundreds of pounds of batteries down low to make it practical.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top