The Future of the Adventure Rider :
THINKING
NEXT
30
FOR THE
YEARS
Major manufacturers , like Yamaha and
KTM , have all shown an interest in the electric bike market . It makes sense . The world is changing , we ' ve accepted that fossil fuels can ' t sustain the future of transport . Can electricity ?
While motorcycle manufacturers are busy trying to capture the riding public ’ s imagination with street , sport and commuter machines that can all be plugged in and recharged , what about
Zero Motorcycles DSR the adventure market ? It ' s a market that seems least likely to make the switch to electric motors and will stay as long as possible using fossil fuels .
Sounds negative ! Perhaps . The truth is electric technology just doesn ' t have the capacity , at the moment , to succeed in a world of long distance travel and quick turnarounds . In some remote parts of the world there ' s just no way you could plug in and recharge your bike , and lets face it current recharge times are extremely long . So what does the future hold ?
KTM offer , probably what is the most capable of all the electric adventure bikes , that is , if you ' re into enduro style riding . Yet there ' s one major drawback . The Freeride will only give you one hour of charge time , then you have to plug in . Certainly not practical for travellers or the trail rider .
California based Zero Motorcycles seem to be on the right track , or at least getting somewhere near it . Starting with the DS ( Dual Sport ), Zero claim that a standard battery pack will guarantee 225km per charge , more if you add their Z-Force Power Tank . The Z-Force motor is something to behold , generating up to 70hp and requiring no regular maintenance . The motor also gains power by regenerating energy that would normally be wasted while braking . But again there ' s a downside . Charging stations aren ' t placed everywhere throughout the world .
Will we see electric adventure bikes as a mainstream in the next the 30 years ? Yes , I think we will . Will they replace conventional internal combustion engine bikes ? No , I don ' t think so . Adventure motorcyclists like to be remote , challenged by isolation , will this be possible on an electric bike in the next 30 years ? Probably not , at least not everywhere .
TRAVERSE 9