Tag Archives: motorcycles

Superstition is the way for motorcyclists

Superstition is the way for motorcycle riders probably because we are so vulnerable to the weather, road conditions, wildlife and livestock and other motorists. We need all the help we can get! 

Even multiple world champion racer Valentino Rossi (image above from MotoGP.com) is superstitious.

He goes through a set routine before every race squatting next to his bike’s footpegs and plucking his leathers out of his undies as he exits the pits. Or is that just a matter of comfort!

Scientific studies have shown that adhering to a superstition creates a placebo effect that luck is on your side, giving you the illusion of control.

They found that those who adhere to a superstitious ritual or object generally exhibit more confidence. In turn, this affects performance.

However, we would suggest an advanced riding course is better than resorting to superstitions.

Motorcycle superstition

There are many motorcycle superstitions. We have looked at just a few here:

Guardian bells

The mediaeval legend of the guardian bell says that the bell attracts evil spirits who get trapped inside.

The evil spirits or gremlins are driven insane by the constant ringing of the bell as you are riding and lose their grip, falling to the ground.

That stops them causing you to crash or your bike from developing mechanical problems.

Some say the guardian bell doesn’t work if you buy it yourself.

They say it only works or has twice the power if bought by a friend.

It also helps build camaraderie among riders.

St Christopher

Catholics would say it is not superstitious to carry a St Christopher statue, prayer card or medal, but simple religious belief or faith.

St Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, protecting them from the elements.

However, Catholics might also carry a statue, card or medal of St Frances of Rome who was declared the patron saint of motorists in 1952 by Pope Pius XI.

Underpants

Bamboo Textiles products
Click here to buy your bamboo underwear 

Mum always told us to wear clean underpants whenever we leave the house in case we are involved in some sort of accident.

However, some racers have a pair of lucky underpants that they always wear when they race.

It is often the pair of undies they were wearing when they won their first race.

Riders who’ve had a near-miss often declare the underpants they were wearing at the time as their lucky pair.

If you ask me, my Bamboo Textile underwear doesn’t smell after a couple of days and that’s lucky!

Dropping your helmetMotorcycle Helmet doctors scan superstition

Obviously a dropped helmet may be damaged and fail to provide adequate protection in a crash.

But that is not why it is considered bad luck by riders.

It has more to do with the possibility that if you are that clumsy or uncaring about your helmet, you may be more likely to crash through similar inattention while riding.

Dropping your helmet may not damage the helmet, depending on how far the drop is, but it’s considered unlucky not to replace it if you do.

Click here if you would pay to have your helmet scanned after being dropped to see if it still safe to wear.

Rear footpegs

Never ride with the rear footpegs down … unless you have a pillion, of course.

It is believed that having them down invites evil spirits to hitch a ride, causing you to crash.

If there is any real correlation between crashing and rear pegs it could be that a rider who forgets to put the pegs up after their pillion gets off is more likely to also forget other things such as vital bike maintenance.

However, if you ever ride in a funeral cortege, the reverse is true. It is considered reverential to put the rear pegs down as you are inviting your departed friend for a last ride.

Green motorcycles2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400 superstition

Pragmatists might say green bikes are harder to see against a backdrop of green countryside.

However, the superstition is believed to come from medieval times when green was considered evil.

It has roots in the automotive world thanks to several notable racing car crashes.

In 1910, a race car crashed and rocketed into a grandstand killing several spectators. A decade later, Gaston Chevrolet, younger brother of Chevrolet founder Louis, crashed his green car in a Beverly Hills race.

The most notable death was that of Formula 1 driver Jim Clark who crashed his green Lotus in 1968 at Hockenheim circuit.

Unlucky green motorcycles have their roots in crashes involving riders who bought damaged army-surplus motorcycles after World War II.

But just try telling a devoted Kawasaki rider that green is unlucky!

What superstitions do you have when riding?  Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Did cop get speeding tickets wrong?

A Brisbane magistrate has found a rider guilty of speeding, despite video evidence seeming to show he was the only one of four riders travelling together who was not speeding.

Steve, whose surname has been withheld, says the Pine Rivers Magistrate took more than three hours to view the video evidence, but declared he could not see the second rider, thinking he was just a bunch of leaves.

The Magistrate also said he could not discern the differences between the bikes, despite them being substantially different styles.

“No matter how many times we zoomed in and screened it, he said ‘I don’t see any evidence of a bike there’,” Steve says.

“My legal team was prepared for every argument, but not for the judge not seeing my bike. He thought I was a bunch of leaves.”

Police video

Steve sent us the police video which seems to show that he was the second rider travelling about 60km/h in a 60km/h zone.

The video was also referenced in our article last week about how police fine riders speeding in groups. Click here for our article.

The four friends were riding on Mt Glorious Rd heading east toward Samford village when police officer Senior Constable John Wilkins passed them in the opposite direction in a patrol car.

The video was subpoenaed from a police body camera.

It shows the varying speeds of each rider.

The officer then does a u-turn over solid double white lines and chases them down at speeds up to 130km/h, stopping only the first three riders. The fourth rider continues past.

Speeding fine police
Police pass rider 4 who was not stopped

The video shows the first rider at about 76km/h, then Steve at about 60 and rider three at 80km/h. The fourth rider is only seen after the u-turn.

However, it is difficult to know at what point the radar picks up the rider’s speed. 

After the first rider goes past, the speed quickly drops to about 60km/h, but as Steve (rider 2) passes the car, the speed jumps up to 75km/h.

Steve believes that is the speed of rider 3 as it does not change even after he passes the car.

Steve claims he was booked for the third rider’s speed.

Speeding fine ‘mistakes’Speeding fine police

He also says Wilkins made several other mistakes, apart from letting the fourth rider go.

“He wrote out all three tickets for the same speed; 76kmh in a 60kmh zone but then made a mistake with the third ticket which had a time 10 minutes later than the first two and has documented rider 2 travelling at 80km/h,” Steve says.

“The body camera is actually dated the day before at 10pm. How many mistakes are they going to allow?”

Steve says Wilkins mistakenly told the court rider 2 was doing 80km/h and the third rider was doing 79km/h. However, there is no evidence of another motorcycle after the one doing 80km/h and before the u-turn.

Also Wilkins is seen to be apparently turning off the radar antenna locking the display at 79km/h.

Steve has spent more than $5000 to reach the unsatisfying verdict.

He has now started a GoFundMe campaign to support his campaign to “expose the truth” and says he would do it again for the sake of justice.

Now you’ve seen the video, was rider 2 been correctly accused of speeding at 80km/h and is any rider guilty of speeding at 80km/h? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Two riders die, pillion injured in 4WD head-on

Two male riders have died, and a female pillion is in a critical condition after a head-on crash with a 4WD near Young, NSW, yesterday (Friday March 1, 2019).

NSW Police are asking for anyone with information about the crash to contact Crimestoppers.

The accident happened about 2.10pm on Murringo Road, near Swamp Road, Murringo, about 20km east of Young.injured

Police have been told a motorcycle, travelling with a pillion passenger, has collided head-on with a 4WD Landcruiser.

There are no details yet about which vehicles were on the wrong side of the road.

The Landcruiser then rolled and crashed into a second motorcycle.

The two motorcyclists, a 59-year-old man from Ungarie and a 57-year-old man from Girral, were unable to revived and died at the scene.

The pillion passenger, a 57-year-old woman from Ungarie, was treated at the scene. She was airlifted to Canberra Hospital in a critical condition for treatment to internal injuries.

The 27-year-old male driver of the 4WD was also taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment for a fractured arm.

A third motorcycle stopped at the scene without incident.

Officers from the Hume Police District established a crime scene and have begun inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.

NSW police advise that information provided to Crime is treated in strict confidence. They also reminded members of the public not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

KTM Australia announces 790 prices

KTM Australia has announced the pricing for all their 2019 adventure models, including the new 790 Adventure and Adventure R, arriving in June 2019.

The 790 models start at $21,195 ride away and an extra $1500 for the R model at $22,695.

That compares with the BMW F 850 GS which starts at $17,990 (plus on-road costs) and goes up to $22,305 for the Rallye X model. 

The KTMs arrive several months before its major new mid-mid-sized competitor, the Yamaha Ténéré 700.

790 AdventureKTM 790 Adventure

The much anticipated 790 Adventure is powered by KTM’s new-generation LC8c 799cc in-line twin-engine with 70kW of power (95hp) and weighing in at only 189kg.

KTM claims 400km of range from the 20-litre tank. And it should all be smooth riding with two balancer shafts and long service intervals of 15,000km.KTM 790 Adventure

Suspension is, of course, WP, with 43mm forks, 200mm of travel, 233mm clearance and an 850mm seat height, compared with the Ténéré 700 at 880mm.

The engine sits in a CroMo steel frame with an open-lattice swingarm.

Finally, a manufacturer has provided an easy-to-adjust handlebar. It can be set in six different positions with a 30mm adjustment range making it comfortable no matter what size the rider and whether standing or sitting.

Instruments are in a 5-inch TFT display with a wide range of configurable information. The display varies according to light and the rev counter blinks to indicate when to shift.

KTM 790 Adventure

Electronic rider aids include traction control, cornering ABS, and an off-road mode with a smooth throttle response.

Other tasty features are LED lighting, steering damper and hefty 320mm twin discs with four-piston radially mounted callipers.

Factory accessories include an up/down quickshifter, heated grips and cruise control, as well as the usual protection parts and luggage.

KTM 790 Adventure R
790 Adventure R

The R model adds longer-travel 240mm suspension, Karoo 3 dirt tyres, 48mm WP XPLOR forks, upgraded shock and different bodywork.

690 Enduro R

KTM 790 Adventure 690 ENDURO R
690 Enduro R

The 690 Enduro R which returns in 2019 with several updates will cost $17,595 ride away.

It was previously available at $14,695 plus on-road costs.

One of the best for long-range touring is the addition of two balancer shafts to smooth out the LC4 single.

It also now gets the super-duper fully-adjustable WP XPLOR suspension.

There are two changeable rider modes (off-road and street), cornering ABS and traction control.

Styling is now sharper and slimmer, with a redesigned seat.

KTM Australia has also confirmed ride-away pricing for the rest of their 2019 adventure range: 1090 Adventure R $24,295, 1290 Super Adventure Super Adventure S $28,395 and 1290 Super Adventure R  $29,195.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle festival and HOG rally in Walcha

A “freak show” of motorcycling will combine with the return of the national Harley Owners Group (HOG) rally in Walcha from November 15-17, 2019.

The Freak Show Festival of Motorcycles is being organised by Inside Line Events International who was behind the proposed TT events for either the Oxley Highway or the Sunshine Coast.

David Rollins on his Ducati Panigale - Getting an Aussie TT event over the line Walcha Freak Show motorcycles HOG rally
David Rollins

Founder David Rollins says those events have not been completely shelved, but they have given birth to this new event.

“We developed a good relationship with the people of Walcha in that time, we’ve earned their trust and now we want to repay it,” he says.

“The town is providing us with first-class facilities so that we can stage an event to remember.”

Among the attractions for the weekend will be a “Hell Climb” hillclimb, custom show, flat-track exhibition racing, stalls, music, outdoor cinema, trade show, globe of death, donuts and burnouts in a closed-off arena.

HOG will have guided rides and HOG members will lead off the Thunder Rally.

Punters will be invited to have a go at the flat track like Brisbane’s Dust Hustle event on a purpose-built track on vacant land next to the town’s racecourse.

“The Freak Show of Motorcycles will be like the Summernats for motorcycles,” David says.

“We’re expecting about 5000 attendees a day for the three days of the event.”

HOGs and more

National HOG rally to return in 2019
Thunder Run at the last National HOG Rally in Tamworth

HOG members should be glad to see the return of their national rally.

It was last held in 2015 at Tamworth and followed by open Harley Days rallies at Wollongong in 2016 and 2017.

HOG members were unhappy with the open format so there was no 2018 national rally.

Now the national HOG rally will return at Walcha to run alongside the Freak Show which is described as a festival of motorcycles of all types.

Harley-Davidson Australia customer experience manager Gaz Luxmore says the partnership between the Freak Show Festival of Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson is “a perfect way of bringing together different riding communities and incorporating the national HOG Rally”.

“The lovely, motorcycle friendly town of Walcha and the fantastic roads of central NSW will create a magnificent backdrop for a truly unique and spectacular event,” he says.

Walcha crossroads

Walcha was chosen for the event because it sits at the crossroads of some of the best motorcycling routes in NSW taking in the Oxley Highway, New England Highway, Waterfall Way and Thunderbolts Way.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson says Walcha is “known for being popular with motorcycle tourists”.

The rally will be held in the Walcha racecourse and sale yards with various levels of camping right up to five-star “glamping”.

“All accommodation has been booked out in Walcha already, but there is still heaps in Armidale and Tamworth. Plus we will have on-site camping options from standard tents to Lawrence of Arabia style,” David says.

Shuttle buses to and from events, accommodation and the town centre will be provided.Walcha Freak Show motorcycles HOG rally

Harley Owners Group spokesman Andrew Kidd says Walcha is a “reasonable size town with good facilities”.

“Much like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the surrounding towns will be more than able to handle the volume of riders coming to the event,” he says.

“The local roads are renowned as some of the best riding roads in the country so come along and enjoy a great event and some fantastic roads.”

Protestors line up at Walcha Royal Cafe business on the Oxley Highway
Riders in Walcha at the Royal Cafe

David says the one ticket will gain access to all areas and sites that Freak Show Festival of Motorcycles has to offer.

Tickets go on sale at the end of March and David says they will be “competitively priced”.

Event website, Facebook and Instagram are now online.

David says they have major sponsorship support from Harley-Davidson Australia and the NSW Government’s major events agency, Destination NSW.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall says the motorcycle event will deliver more than $1.7 million in visitor expenditure to the region.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Will 5G networks make riding safer?

5G phone networks may make autonomous driving and vehicle sensors more sensitive and reliable, but will the faster networks also increase driver distractions?

A Spanish automotive company has demonstrated how 5G capability will improve inter-vehicle communication to detect vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists.

Ficosa used Barcelona’s 5G network to demonstrate its Bitax telematic platform which combines Wi-Fi and cellular technology to operate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) technology.

V2V and V2X uses sensors in each vehicle to detect the other, or an obstacle and then send alerts to the other vehicle to avoid a collision.

Ducati has been working with Bosch on a similar system and plans to introduce it next year.

Bosch radar warns riders of traffic autonomous 5g
Bosch radar warns riders of traffic

However, Ficosa is the first to launch the technology after connecting 500 vehicles in Denver, Colorado.

In its Barcelona demonstration, Ficosa showed how Bitax could detect a pedestrian via a thermal camera in traffic lights, a cyclist equipped with a “high-precision geolocation” unit and a car stopped by the roadside in low-light conditions.

The company says this proves the tech can also detect other vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists.5g V2V autonomous automated

“These use cases show how C-V2X technology offers a safer and more comfortable driving experience by allowing the vehicle to communicate with everything around it (other cars, traffic lights, traffic signals, pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, etc).

“For cars to ‘talk’ to the city, however, latency must be kept to a minimum. So, it is essential to roll out 5G capabilities.”

That means they need the higher-frequency signals of the next-generation network which has shorter range but less radio interference.

5G advantages/disadvantages

However, there are advantages and disadvantages in the faster network.

Speeds can be up to 10Gbps which is about 1000 times faster than most 4G signals. It is claimed it will download a movie in 10 seconds.

That would make it even faster than the best broadband network.

Great! So drivers will be tempted to watch Netflix instead of paying attention to the road.

Distracted drivers are already a major danger to riders.

St Paul Police Department has even axed its popular motorcycle unit over distracted driving crashes.

cops distracted drivers
Image from St Paul Police Department Facebook page

Apart from Barcelona, 5G has already been rolled out in some parts of the USA, South Korea, Sweden, Estonia, Turkey, Japan and China. Australia is expected to introduce 5G next year.

Samsung and several other Android brands will release 5G phones this year, but Apple will wait until 2020.

While 5G might help with the coming wave of automated and semi-automated vehicles using VC2V and V2X technology, it may not work in remote areas where riders are more likely to travel.

However, like current 4G phones, your next-gen phone will also be able to use previous generation signals for phone calls and data use.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Gold makes Indian Roadmaster an elite bike

As if the Indian Roadmaster isn’t special enough, the company has released an Elite version with a 600-watt stereo system and gold-leaf paint that took more than 30 hours to paint by hand.

Indian Australia spokesman Christopher Gale says they have already sold one of the $52,995 (ride-away) limited-edition bikes to a Perth customer. 

He says they do not yet know when they will be delivered or how many will be available in Australia.

The company has been releasing these special Elite models for the past few years and they have all sold out rapidly.

Last year Indian Motorcycle released a limited-edition Chieftain Elite in a hand-painted and “marbled” silver paint job at $47,995 ride away which was the same price as the 2017 hand-painted Chieftain Elite in Fireglow Red Candy with Marble Accents.

Indian Roadmaster Elite2019 Indian Roadmaster Elite

This range-topping costs $10,000 more than the “standard” Roadmaster and for that you get a whole lot more bike as well as exclusivity which is priceless.

The bike already features a host of features including rider modes, rear-cylinder deactivation, Ride Command infotainment system, heated grips and seat, electronic windscreen and more.

The Elite is hand painted in Wildfire Red and Black Crystal livery with real 24-karat gold-leaf badging that takes about 30 hours.2019 Indian Roadmaster Elite

If the paintwork doesn’t take your breath away, the 600-watt audio system with speakers in the fairing, top box, and saddlebags will.

It also features billet mirrors and passenger floorboards, full leather upholstery right down to the pillion armrests.

Indian will make only 200 of the Roadmaster Elite models.

2019 Indian Roadmaster Elite

Meanwhile, Indian Motorcycle Australia is running a promotion on 2018 model bikes, offering a 116ci big-bore kit for free. The kit costs $5250 fitted.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Indian riders head to Cooly Rocks On

Indian Riders Motorcycle Group members from around Australia will head to the nostalgic Cooly Rocks On Festival in Coolangatta from June 5-9.

Indian Motorcycle Australia spokesman Christopher Gale says the Coolangatta festival is a “national gathering at a preexisting event which complements our brand”, rather than a traditional motorcycle rally.

Chris says more details about the IRMG involvement at Cooly Rocks On will be released to members soon.

“It’s still a work in process,” he says.

Cooly Rocks On

Image from Cooly Rocks On Facebook page
Image from Cooly Rocks On Facebook page

Cooly Rocks On is an annual festival of nostalgic music, dancing, cars, motorcycles and fashion from the 1950s to ‘70s.

Indian Motorcycles is a sponsor at this year’s event which has in the past been sponsored by Harley-Davidson.

The event attracts tens of thousands every year to the Gold Coast.

IRMGIndian riders celebrate the first anniversary

IRMG was formed in 2015 and buyers of new Indian motorcycles have since been given free membership.

“A large proportion of our customers join IMRG and continue to renew their membership,” Chris says.

Members receive a gift pack including a special t-shirt, badges and patches.

When it was formed in 2015, brand manager Peter Harvey said the group would not have chapters and presidents.

“We want to keep it fairly informal, but it will depend on how the members want it to go,” he told us.

The Cooly Rocks On gathering follows other major national events to which IRMG members have been invited.

Ian Moss with Indian and Victory riders
Ian Moss

A highlight was the 2016 “Ride to Alice” for the Finke Desert Race. Among the riders was Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss. The ride aimed to raise awareness for the annual Black Dog Ride which Indian Motorcycles has sponsored in recent years.

Members have also been invited to other major events such as the opening of the Perth dealership.

Mostly IRMG members ride together at dealership level.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Witnesses sought over hit-run rider

Victorian Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a hit-and-run crash in West Melbourne left a motorcyclist with serious injuries.

The accident happened on Footscray Road at 5.10am today (February 28, 2019).

The 29-year-old male rider was treated by paramedics on scene and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police believe a white, early 2000s model Mitsubishi van, with registration plates WWX576, was seen leaving the scene travelling south on the Citylink, over the Bolte Bridge towards Port Melbourne.

Mitsubishi van hit-run rider
Police are looking for a Mitsubishi van like this

The vehicle has damage to the front left side and a missing headlight from the hit.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

It follows the sad death yesterday of a 28-year-old rider in hospital after a collision in Tarneit on Sunday (February 24, 2019) about 8.45pm at the intersection of Bethany Road and Claire Way.

The motorcyclist from Tarneit was travelling east on Bethany Road when he collided with a BMW sedan as the vehicle was turning into Claire Way.

The driver, a 29-year-old Mount Waverly man, stopped and assisted at the scene.

The rider was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries but has sadly died.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Are electric motorbike range claims a hoax?

Electric motorcycles are coming on a wave of hype about range of more than 300km, but are the claims a hoax?

Traditional petrol-powered motorcycles are quoted in terms of miles per gallon or litre per 100km. It provides a reliable and realistic guide to the range from a bike’s tank. Riding hard or conservatively doesn’t make a huge difference to range.

However, the range calculations for an electric motorcycle are not as simple.

Vacuum sucks

We recently bought an expensive cordless vacuum cleaner which was claimed to have a battery that would last for a couple of hours of cleaning.

However, that was based on using the low-powered mode. If you want to really suck and use the boost mode, you are flat out getting about 20 minutes out of it. And six months down the track, that’s more like 15 minutes.

I also once drove an early Tesla sportster on a hot day around the Ipswich Motorway for only five laps before the fully charged battery overheated and I had to pit.

On another occasion, I rode an electric Zero DS with a claimed 290km of range from the Gold Coast to home and nearly ran out of battery because I was riding on the highway.

MotorbikeWriter and Zero DS police special electric motorcycle hoax
MotorbikeWriter and Zero DS

Electric hoax?

So is electric motorcycle range a hoax to rope in riders who want to be seen to be keeping pace with the modern world and showing their “green” credentials (that is, if they have access to clean power for recharging!).

Battery range in electric vehicles is subject to so many variables a range figure is almost a pointless hoax.

Factors that affect battery range include:

  • Extreme ambient temperatures;
  • Riding modes such as “eco” and “sport”;
  • Constant throttle at highway speeds that deplete batteries faster;
  • Brake regeneration extends range in stop-start traffic; and
  • Downhill sections conserve battery power.

Riders will have to think totally differently about electric motorcycles and almost disregard the salesperson’s claims about range.

For example, highway and city riding yield totally opposite range yields to a traditional petrol engine.

The latest Zero SR/F comes with this complex table of range calculations that vary from 132km on the highway to amiss double in the city! It’s enough to confuse any buyer.

Range

PREMIUM

STANDARD

City

259km

259km

Highway, 89km/h

159km

159km

Combined

198km

198km

Highway, 113km/h

132km

132km

Combined

175km

175km

Range (based on EU standard)

157km

158km

Electric sales

But the complex range claims have not stopped the surge of electric motorcycle sales, particularly in Asia and Europe.

Electric motorcycle and scooter sales will hit 55 million worldwide by 2024, according to London technology consultancy Navigant.

While more than 90% of electric bike sales are low-powered scooters and mopeds in Asian, Europe is surging ahead on the back of a host of financial incentives for the sale and use of electric bikes.

While motorcycle sales in Europe rose by 9.9% in 2018, electric motorcycle sales rose 81.5%, although they still represent only 0.75% of all motorbikes sold in Europe.

New range claims

Almost every day an electric motorcycle company makes outlandish clams about extended range.

Indian startup Mankame Motors claims it can make an affordable electric motorcycle capable of 480km range, beating the current (pun intended) longest range record of 360km by Zero Motorcycles.

A Chinese company claims it has a prototype power cruiser made of lightweight aluminium with  up to 400 km of range and charging from flat to full in just 15 minutes.

Battery life

As for the longevity of expensive batteries, there are few examples as electric motorcycles have not been around long enough.

However, Italian electric bike company Tacita says that in almost eight years their batteries have had more than 1700 recharging cycles with unchanged range.

They say they can guarantee 80% of the battery’s energy will remain after 4000 charge cycles.

I don’t say I disbelieve their claims, but they do make a mockery of my vacuum cleaner experience!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com