The problem for electric motorcycles is the battery weight.

That can be offset by not requiring the same sort of range that's typically assumed to be required.

While I'll be likely be riding my ICE bikes for decades because one of the things I do on them is trips with 1000 or 1500km days, truth is the vast majority of my riding is sub 25km round trips from my place. Most of my friends places, a lot of the places I shop or socialise, and the office (which I pretty much never go to any more) fit inside that range. And most of those trips take place on roads with a 60kmh or slower speed limit. _Maybe_ a few short sections of 80kmh.

For all of those short trips, I probably don't even need 2kWHr worth of battery, maybe only 1. The electric motorcycles available around here seem to start at 7 or 8kWHr, and go up to over 20.

The downside to that is the smaller the battery capacity, the smaller the short term peak power it can deliver. The sort of cell chemistry and construction typical in those sort of bikes seem to be limited to 10 or 15C peak discharge, so while their 8kWHr battery can peak at 80kW or just over 100hp, if they downsized the same pack to 1kWHr it'd probably only deliver 10kW peak power.

On the other had, alternative cell chemistry and construction can look way better. I have a few LiPo drone battery packs rated at 60C continuous and 120C peak. A 2kWHr pack of those would give me 120kW continuous and 240kW peaks. Quite likely though at the expense of much greater risks of catastrophic fire. I've had a few of those pack catch fire while charging and one that self combusted in an almost explosion like fashion when I slammed the drone into a concrete pole at about 120kmh. I can totally see why an electric motorcycle manufacturer with warranties and safety reputation and legal/regulatory obligations wouldn't want to accept that risk.

I'd love an electric motorcycle that's "fun" enough to ride, and gets 25km or so reliable range. But it'd need to be at least a bit price and "fun" competitive with my little bikes, a 117kg 125cc ~25kW two stroke and a 138kg 250cc 24kW fourstroke. I have no doubt it'd be possible, perhaps even easy to build an electric bike with the same "fun" power to weight ratio, but right now not down to the sort of price that'd make me take on a project like that.

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kube-system 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

25km range is department-store electric scooter territory. A motorcycle that can do highway speeds could expend that entire range in 15 minutes or less, which would be quite a high discharge rate and also an unusual user experience for most.

Maybe what you want is a large electric bike like a Surron or similar?

	▲	DANmode 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Also came to recommend Surron and alternatives.

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loeg 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> That can be offset by not requiring the same sort of range that's typically assumed to be required.

It really can't be offset by that (with current tech). All existing electric motorcycles are both overweight and very limited on range.

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jacquesm 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Indeed, more so because that weight tends to be further off the ground than in a car.

	▲	loeg 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		Well, and the fun ones are power-to-weight monsters. Making them 100 lb heavier (and neutering range) is a recipe for a less exciting motorcycle. Might work for something like a Gold Wing (though limited range would also be a problem there).

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DANmode 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Ten years ago it was a problem.

Good, even some great, stuff out there, today.

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loeg 2 days ago | parent [-]

It's still a problem today, 2025. I think the LiveWire S2 models come closest, but they still have anemic range. (And we're ignoring cost, which is also much higher.)

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DANmode 2 days ago | parent [-]

Problem implies “it’s not happening”.

Cost is a challenge.

These things go 175 miles, up to 450+ miles if you have money.

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loeg 2 days ago | parent [-]

I mean, sales are largely "not happening." Livewire sells ~600 bikes a year. Buyers have the same objections I do.

> These things go 175 miles, up to 450+ miles if you have money.

Only the heaviest models, ridden extremely conservatively.

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DANmode a day ago | parent [-]

> Buyers have the same objections I do.

Buyers don’t know they exist, if they’ll struggle to register them, or how to work on them!

The heaviest ones seem like the same weight as a 600cc or 1000cc crotch rocket - am I missing something big?

	▲	loeg a day ago \| parent [-]
		Buyers are aware they exist and registration isn't a problem. Ability to repair is another big problem / question mark. > The heaviest ones seem like the same weight as a 600cc or 1000cc crotch rocket - am I missing something big? Livewire One is 560 lb! Energica Ego was 570! 600s and liter bikes aren't anywhere close to that -- low 400s lb for 600s, and 430-440 lb for a liter bike.