OnMyWay Posted July 23, 2023 Author Posted July 23, 2023 1 hour ago, GeoffH said: The main advantages of E-bikes IMO are that you don't have to pay registration, pay insurance, have a license or pedal as hard. The disadvantages are, as you said, lack of weather protection, slower speed of travel and relatively poorer braking and handling (yes even compared to typical motorbikes which mostly have wider tyres and stronger brakes). I can see an advantage for (fitter) tourist expats without a local driving license who live in cities, it's possible to load an e-bike into an elevator and store it in a condo (which isn't really practical with a petrol motorbike). They have e-scooters available on the street in Kuala Lumpur and I would love to try them, but I am not sure they would be safe for us. I will investigate when we arrive. Maybe in KLCC park it would be safe. I think they have e-bikes and scooters in BGC? I saw a lot and that is the nice type of place for those. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 16 hours ago, GeoffH said: It took me a while to understand what you were talking about, most times when people are talking about fossil fueled cars the acronym ICE is used (Internal Combustion Engined) FF and ICE are both acronyms which I wouldn't immediately associate with cars. Gas/Petrol or Electric or Hybrid are surely much more commonplace? I associate ICE with a US government agency related to illegal immigrants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffH Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 3 hours ago, hk blues said: FF and ICE are both acronyms which I wouldn't immediately associate with cars. Gas/Petrol or Electric or Hybrid are surely much more commonplace? I associate ICE with a US government agency related to illegal immigrants. ICE is generally used by the motoring industry (and associated media who cover that sort of thing), since I come from a transport insdustry background that's the term/acronym I've encountered most. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy F. Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 8 hours ago, GeoffH said: The main advantages of E-bikes IMO are that you don't have to pay registration, pay insurance, have a license or pedal as hard. The disadvantages are, as you said, lack of weather protection, slower speed of travel and relatively poorer braking and handling (yes even compared to typical motorbikes which mostly have wider tyres and stronger brakes). I can see an advantage for (fitter) tourist expats without a local driving license who live in cities, it's possible to load an e-bike into an elevator and store it in a condo (which isn't really practical with a petrol motorbike). There are 3 classes of ebikes (in the US at least). Class 1 is throttle with no pedaling required. The other 2 are pedal assist. My Trek PowerFly has 4 assist levels and in levels 3 and 4 very little effort is required on the pedals. All the ebikes I've seen have disc brakes, which are very effective. Handling is superior to any motorcycle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted July 23, 2023 Author Posted July 23, 2023 12 minutes ago, Guy F. said: There are 3 classes of ebikes (in the US at least). Class 1 is throttle with no pedaling required. The other 2 are pedal assist. My Trek PowerFly has 4 assist levels and in levels 3 and 4 very little effort is required on the pedals. All the ebikes I've seen have disc brakes, which are very effective. Handling is superior to any motorcycle. I'm curious, how much does the Trek weigh? I have had a couple of Trek bikes and they were great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy F. Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 36 minutes ago, OnMyWay said: I'm curious, how much does the Trek weigh? I have had a couple of Trek bikes and they were great. About 54 pounds, which of course would be unacceptable for a strictly pedal-powered bike. I love it- it makes me feel 40 years younger. Class 1 ebikes are not allowed on the better trails such as on National Forest lands. The people at the the bike shops never mentioned this. I'm fortunate to have done some research before purchasing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffH Posted July 24, 2023 Posted July 24, 2023 (edited) 14 hours ago, Guy F. said: All the ebikes I've seen have disc brakes, which are very effective. Handling is superior to any motorcycle. The effectiveness of brakes is directly related to contact patch area and the size of the disk, motorbikes are generally fitted with larger tyres and larger brakes than ebikes and I'm not aware of ABS being available on an ebike (but correct me if it is please). As to handling I've ridden MotoGP race tracks at over 250kph on my motorbike in Australia (track days are great fun) in relative safety with the brakes and handling to allow that, that's something that is completely outside the handling envelope of any ebike (there are a very small number of electric motorbikes which can do it though). I have to ask how much experience you have with motorbikes you actually have? I've been riding for over 50 years and I've owned more than 50 motorbikes during that time. Don't get me wrong, ebikes do have their place... but it's NOT outhandling or outbreaking sports motorbikes. Edited July 24, 2023 by GeoffH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy F. Posted July 24, 2023 Posted July 24, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, GeoffH said: The effectiveness of brakes is directly related to contact patch area and the size of the disk, motorbikes are generally fitted with larger tyres and larger brakes than ebikes and I'm not aware of ABS being available on an ebike (but correct me if it is please). As to handling I've ridden MotoGP race tracks at over 250kph on my motorbike in Australia (track days are great fun) in relative safety with the brakes and handling to allow that, that's something that is completely outside the handling envelope of any ebike (there are a very small number of electric motorbikes which can do it though). I have to ask how much experience you have with motorbikes you actually have? I've been riding for over 50 years and I've owned more than 50 motorbikes during that time. Don't get me wrong, ebikes do have their place... but it's NOT outhandling or outbreaking sports motorbikes. On an ebike you aren't going any faster than 28MPH. Usual speed is between 12 and 18 MPH. Just yesterday I had an emergency stop which took me from about 10 MPH to full stop in about 6 feet, including reaction time. I've been riding mountain bikes for 45 years. I've been on plenty of trails that a dirt bike would be suicidal to use upon. I've ridden a small motorcycle on the Phils for a total of maybe 6 months. You can't tell me the turning radius of a motorcycle, even a dirt bike, is as good as that of a bicycle. Edited July 24, 2023 by Guy F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted July 24, 2023 Author Posted July 24, 2023 2 hours ago, Guy F. said: I've been on plenty of trails that a dirt bike would be suicidal to use upon. Suicidal? Maybe. This was me a few weeks ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy F. Posted July 24, 2023 Posted July 24, 2023 Which has the shorter wheelbase and therefore the shorter turning radius? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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