TT Zero

FocusZing

"As defending champion Michael Rutter starts the
2013 SES sponsored event from the pole position
on the all-new 013 e1pc. The MotoCzysz team
believe this year’s entry is capable of a sub
20:35 lap – putting them on target for an
average lap speed in excess of 110mph.

To put that ambition into perspective Michael’s
lap record from the Lightweight TT on a 650cc
Kawasaki stands at 115.554 mph."

Electric bikes are evolving pretty quick.

Kowalski675

But would you ever buy one? I wouldn't. I didn't spend £700 on my Arrow exhaust just for the weight saving and extra power...

Chunkers1980

He's a mong, he would, please don't feed the mong.

FocusZing

Kowalski675 wrote:

But would you ever buy one? I wouldn't. I didn't spend £700 on my Arrow exhaust just for the weight saving and extra power...

I probably would if they could get the price right, but the battery tech still seem pretty prohibitive at the moment. Yes, that lack of noise and mechanical engine characteristic would definitely be a draw back to me.

I like seeing the development though, it would be great if Cern could use the billions ploughed into it to create/generate cheap electric.

Northwind

Why are they choosing to compare with Lightweight 650s? That lap time was set on a Kwak ER6, the Eeyore is a 70bhp commuter/beginner bike. Not slow, in Lightweight or Minitwin spec but still, hardly a high benchmark for a purpose-built race bike

FocusZing

Northwind wrote:

Why are they choosing to compare with Lightweight 650s? That lap time was set on a Kwak ER6, the Eeyore is a 70bhp commuter/beginner bike. Not slow, in Lightweight or Minitwin spec but still, hardly a high benchmark for a purpose-built race bike

I guess they want to give it a bit of PR and encourage the in vogue 'green' aspect.

Kowalski675

FocusZing wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

But would you ever buy one? I wouldn't. I didn't spend £700 on my Arrow exhaust just for the weight saving and extra power...

I probably would if they could get the price right, but the battery tech still seem pretty prohibitive at the moment. Yes, that lack of noise and mechanical engine characteristic would definitely be a draw back to me.

I wouldn't have one given. If it was a choice between an electric bike or no bike at all then I'd do without. Leisure motorcycling's pretty much in endgame phase anyway - it won't exist in twenty years time in any form we'd recognise today.

Kowalski675

Northwind wrote:

Why are they choosing to compare with Lightweight 650s? That lap time was set on a Kwak ER6, the Eeyore is a 70bhp commuter/beginner bike. Not slow, in Lightweight or Minitwin spec but still, hardly a high benchmark for a purpose-built race bike

Ryan Farquhar's ER6 had 100hp at the rear wheel (with a hand built wafer thin Arrow system that's so thin and light that it only lasts a few races) and is a highly developed race tool that would embarass most supersports 600 trackday riders. If you'd seen how fast he was round Oliver's Mount on it you'd never suggest it was a donkey.

Northwind

Cor. That's fantastic, from the standard bore- last time I paid attention they were knocking on 90, guess that's the SV's arse firmly kicked at last! But still an awfully long way from a senior's superbike.

Kowalski675

Northwind wrote:

But still an awfully long way from a senior's superbike.

True, but he transformed it into a blinding little bike - I'd love to have it for an afternoon round Cadwell or the roads I ride on. He made the rest of the field in that class at Olivers Mount look like they were very slow when I saw him there a couple of years back (interestingly, the few true race bikes (RS 250s) in the race were at the back, but maybe they were just slow riders). He built his own engines to his own spec.

compo

Superbikes have no place on the Isle of Man. Just too powerful and the better races seem to be on the twins or 600s.
Last year proved that the power of the big bikes is just too much.

Having said that... they do sound nice, look nice, and bring in the crowds so, they can stay if you ask me

YeehaaMcgee

Kowalski675 wrote:

Leisure motorcycling's pretty much in endgame phase anyway - it won't exist in twenty years time in any form we'd recognise today.

You reckon? What makes you think that?
North Wales certainly still seems to have a regular influx of bikers on our fabulously twisty, uppie-downy (bit lke focusmong) but badly surfaced roads.

cat_with_no_tail

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Leisure motorcycling's pretty much in endgame phase anyway - it won't exist in twenty years time in any form we'd recognise today.

You reckon? What makes you think that?
North Wales certainly still seems to have a regular influx of bikers on our fabulously twisty, uppie-downy (bit lke focusmong) but badly surfaced roads.

This.

Not sure if I've mis-understood, but I'm not quite sure what makes you say that. I think, if anything, that motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular.

thekickingmule

^ This. Me and a friend are looking at getting bike licenses this summer. I was in the Peaks over the weekend, and loads of them fly round there, the roads are superb, like in Wales, Scotland and the Lakes. They can be cheaper than cars too if it's for a short commute!

FocusZing

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Leisure motorcycling's pretty much in endgame phase anyway - it won't exist in twenty years time in any form we'd recognise today.

You reckon? What makes you think that?
North Wales certainly still seems to have a regular influx of bikers on our fabulously twisty, uppie-downy (bit lke focusmong) but badly surfaced roads.

A lot of bikers seem to hangout around Abergavenny car park when I've gone to the Sugarloaf. Many seem to go up past PenYfan too.

Nice area Abergavenny.

bennett_346

I think he means increasing legislation and clamping down of "above the law" fun. Although right now you can get away with doing 120mph if you know where to go, it's looking increasingly likely that in 20 years time we will have mandatory gps tracking chips on our cars and bikes and harsher penalties for speeding etc.

You can see it happening already, more and more insurers are turning to the tracker box type thing and although its voluntary now, if all the insurers got together and decided it was in all their interests to all suddenly require a tracker fitted then motorcycling as a hobby in its current form would be dead as the dodo.

The licensing process has already changed to a 3 stage instead of 1 stage affair, and the EU is trying to currently blanket ban aftermarket parts on bikes and cars.

Soon enough i reckon that motoring of any kind as a recreational affair will be impossible. It's happened to off road motoring (that's basically impossible now whereas 15 years ago it was easy), and it'll happen to on road.

YeehaaMcgee

You know, there are roads, where even reaching 60mph is near impossible, but it's fun to try. A lot of bikers like to play on them, completely within the law, but still getting that trhill of danger.
Wink wink, nudge nudge.

bennett_346

Never said there wasn't.

YeehaaMcgee

I never said you said there wasn't. It's called conversation.

cat_with_no_tail

He never said you said he said you didn't, there isn't or wasn't.

bennett_346

Is it?

YeehaaMcgee

I'll never not is it you ever in a minute.

Anyway, in other bikey related goings on, Italian MotoGP this weekend. Cal was doing well in practice, wonder if he'll grab another podium?

bennett_346

I'd quite like to see Rossi come first for once again. Been a good few years since he's pulled that off now, Ducati ruined him.

YeehaaMcgee

Definitely - I'm sure that Rossi still has it in him (much like Sheep's mum), but it's going to take a little bit of development to get the Yammy just the way he likes it.

Kowalski675

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Definitely - I'm sure that Rossi still has it in him (much like Sheep's mum), but it's going to take a little bit of development to get the Yammy just the way he likes it.

I don't really care who wins (I haven't had any particular alliegance since Schwantz retired), as long as we see some good racing (which has been sadly lacking from the travesty that Moto GP has become over the last few years), but I really wanted Rossi to come back with guns blazing. The opening round was great (a long time since a Moto GP race has held that kind of interest) and had me thinking that the old man still had it, but now I'm not so sure. Whichever way you look at it, Marquez is a once in a generation phenomenon. Shame that BT have just signed an exclusive deal for Moto GP coverage for at least the next five years - no BBC coverage, no Eurosport, no free way to watch Moto GP until at least 2019.

YeehaaMcgee

you seem a particularly negative person, I don't believe that the racing has gone downhill in MotoGP at all - it's still as exciting as ever, with some bloody great battles.
I don't have any allegiance, so maybe that's it, I just want to see a good race - and at the moment, we have (realistically) Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Marquez capable of winning anything, and yet we also have Rossi, and Cal within striking distance as well. Not only that, but there's some really banging racing going on further down the field with some of the CRT riders showing the main teams how it's done, and also Ducati starting to head in the right direction again.

However, I am concerned about this BT thing you speak of - I've not heard anything about that before, and if true, then that's going to be a massive kick in the teeth.
I've not seen any decent WRC coverage in the last few years, since it moved exclusively to some sky based sports channel that I otherwise have no interest in, I'd hate for MotoGP to do the same, since that would leave us with... er, well, nothing really, of any note to watch in terms of motorsports on telly.

Kowalski675

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

you seem a particularly negative person, I don't believe that the racing has gone downhill in MotoGP at all - it's still as exciting as ever, with some bloody great battles.

Moto GP has been dire for years, utterly tedious processions with no depth of talent (and no personalities), not helped by the (thankfully defunct) awful 800s (bring back the 2 stroke widowmakers...) or Ezpelata and Dorna running round in circles draughting new misguided rules every five minutes to try stop the dwindling grids and plummeting viewing figures before the last bored rigid spectator finally switches off.

However, I am concerned about this BT thing you speak of - I've not heard anything about that before, and if true, then that's going to be a massive kick in the teeth.

It is true - it's all signed, sealed and finalised.

bennett_346

Kowalski675 wrote:

Shame that BT have just signed an exclusive deal for Moto GP coverage for at least the next five years - no BBC coverage, no Eurosport, no free way to watch Moto GP until at least 2019.

What the fark???

Does anybody even have that piece of shit BT vision crap?

Bah.

YeehaaMcgee

Kowalski675 wrote:

Moto GP has been dire for years,

We'll have to agree to disagree on that then. It won't matter anyway, since nobody's going to be able to watch it from next year then

Now, about your claim about dwindling recreational biking...

Kowalski675

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Moto GP has been dire for years,

We'll have to agree to disagree on that then. It won't matter anyway, since nobody's going to be able to watch it from next year then

Now, about your claim about dwindling recreational biking...

I wrote a two paragraph reply to that, but when I clicked to post it something went awry and it vanished. Can't be bothered saying it all again, lol.

This isn't a sarcastic or argumentative question, but have you watched GPs for donkey's years, or just in the recent Moto GP era?

YeehaaMcgee

about 5 or six years regularly, sporadically before then.