Harley Davidson is committing to the electric motorcycle market with their new standalone brand and the first model is the LiveWire ONE, branded as LiveWire, not as a Harley Davidson. They also make something very clear, this is a motorcycle for the urban rider: ... it is an electric bike built for the pursuit of urban adventure. ... a bold new understanding of … [Read more...]
Electric Motorcycles – a Non-Serviceable Appliance?
How many appliances do you own? Let's see, refrigerator, washer, dryer, TV and maybe a few things like a blender and a toaster. These are things you buy to use, but when not in use, they're turned off until needed. Do you ever spend an evening working on your refrigerator to modify it, customize it or tune it for more performance? How about your TV? Put a turbo on your washer … [Read more...]
Marvelous Magnetic Machines – Building Model Electric Motors From Scrap
The weather is cold or wet or it's late and all you want to do is tinker with a small project on your workbench. You turn on some tunes low in the background, spread out a few tools, maybe a cold adult beverage off to the side and you have some parts of various types sitting on the bench in front of you. You slide your stool over and sit yourself down, and with the light … [Read more...]
Triumph Motorcycles Reveals TE-1 Electric Prototype Design
Project Triumph TE-1, which began in 2019, is the company's move into developing their own electric motorcycle along with all of the related technology necessary for an electric lineup in the future. They've now revealed the powertrain and battery plus sketches of the prototype's design which draws from current models like their Street Triple. It looks good, very … [Read more...]
Gasoline for the Win – Electric Power Struggles to Catch Up
After the previous half dozen articles on electric powered motorcycles and bicycles, it might appear that I've become an advocate for electric power in all vehicles, all the time and it isn't true. I've looked at the pros and cons, the current electric technology and the various use cases for batteries in place of gas tanks and in my view, gasoline is the better choice now and … [Read more...]
Honda KTM, Piaggio and Yamaha Motor Intend to Develop Swappable Batteries
For a long time, many have suggested developing a standard battery that could be quickly and easily swapped so electric vehicles would be able to deal with the persistent issue of range and recharge time and now, four manufacturers, Honda KTM, Piaggio and Yamaha, announced their signing of a letter of intent to do just that. The focus is on what's called the L-category; mopeds, … [Read more...]