ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2012 and older => Topic started by: MostlyBonkers on July 18, 2014, 01:01:02 PM
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How do you guys think the performance of the 2012 bikes affect your riding style?
As many of you may know, I'm the proud owner of a Gen 1 Fazer 1000. It's a strong bike with plenty of mid range torque and bags of top end. It makes it fun to ride and I enjoy it the most when I'm in the mood to give it some beans. It's a riding style I consider to be lively, a notch or two below hooligan mode. I do occasionally hoon around, but it's rare and I do it as responsibly as I can.
If I'm feeling a bit off or tired I employ a much more leisurely riding style that the group of advanced motorcyclists I'm with would be proud of.
Riding a 2012 Zero will enforce some limitations that mean there will be very little in the way of 'lively' riding. I should be able to keep up with traffic but overtakes will be rarer. I think having plenty of power on tap adds a level of safety; getting away from the idiots and leaving most of the traffic behind. How do feel about safety on your Zeros?
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I'm in the processes of fitting additional discrete side lighting to my bike to aid with night time riding.
Generally from an acceleration & agility point of view I find my Zero to be a lot better than my petrol bike.
However I've been riding for about twenty five years now, mostly commuting, and I have a fairly conservative riding style as a result.
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Thanks Justin. I'm currently waiting for the RAC at a Shell garage on the A1. It was either a puncture or a blowout. I know it went down very quickly! Glad it wasn't the front tyre...
By side lighting, is it more light facing forward for night vision?
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Glad your ok, I had a front tire blow with associated tank slapper followed by a spot of road surfing while out on my Divvy a couple of months back, not much fun.
The side lighting is for improved visibility, and only illuminates the sides of the vehicle (as its yellow light) as I'm sticking to the lighting regs. As the side lighting is made up from el-tape, its not going to illuminate much, but will be good for improving visibility.
The plan is for the side lighting to look something like this... :)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/714x405q90/674/bb7fbf.jpg)
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I rode my 2012 Zero S the way I ride my 2002 Yamaha FZ1 (Fazer 1000). Slow. ;)
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The strips on the wheels will look good Justin. As long as you use a steadier hand than you did in Photoshop! [emoji6]
Road surfing is a sport I want to avoid for sure. The RAC were great yesterday. (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/19/munyqeze.jpg)
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I just installed yellow reflective tape on the wheels of my yellow 2014 S. I bought the tape from Motorcycle Superstore when they ran a daily special two weeks ago. The tape was on sale for $11 for each roll (if you don't make a mistake in application like I did one roll will do both wheels). I bought two rolls of tape and since I had a $20 customer appreciation coupon, I got both rolls for only $4. The tape was designed to be applied to motorcycle wheel rims and came installed on an applicator. Unfortunately, there were no instructions showing how to use the applicator and after making a tangled mess of the tape during my first try on the rear wheel, I finally just applied it by hand. It came out better than Justin's Photoshop job, but not by much. ;) The tape doesn't bend very wheel when being stuck to the curved rim. :(
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A few years ago I bought a full roll of 3M's "retroreflective" self-adhesive vinyl to make my bicycle more visible at night; Google "brightbike" to see some examples. It's a very unusual material; it looks just like normal vinyl in diffuse light, but is highly reflective to directed light (such as from headlights). It really pops and is the same stuff that makes stop signs so visible at night. It's available in just about every color, even black, which I still have a hard time wrapping my head around (it's black during the day, and shines white, brightly, at night).
It's not at all flexible side-to-side, but it comes in wide rolls, so you can cut shapes out of it to fit just about any surface. It won't conform well to a surface that's curved in two axes, but anything curved in only one axis (like bicycle frame tubes) are a piece of cake. It sticks very well and should be tough as nails; it's designed for sign-making.
Since the roll I bought is black, I could cover some of my 2014 SR's surfaces and not change its appearance much. I'll have to think about it...if I can do it and not make it look cheesy, it might be a very good safety addition to the bike.
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That retroreflective vinyl is fun stuff. We had a little fun with it on my Versys. Doesn't pop as well in pictures as it does to the eye.
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The sun came out today and I washed my bike. So far the tape is still sticking to the wheel rims. Photo attached. :)
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Very nice.
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In eco mode (most of the time) I ride defensively and smoothly. I get a certain satisfaction out of that. I put it in sport mode at the weekend to put a grin on my face. Overall I feel completely safe with two reservations. Firstly, the restricted acceleration from standstill is potentially hazardous. Secondly, the front feels squirmy on wet roads. I would replace the tyres now if I thought that would help. Maybe another thread there...
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Looking good Rich!
(Thanks for the kind words about my photoshop skills as well... ;D :P )
The yellow strips I've been looking at for my bike I believe are pre-curved.
http://rhok.com.au/wheel%20lights.htm (http://rhok.com.au/wheel%20lights.htm)
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Looking good Rich!
(Thanks for the kind words about my photoshop skills as well... ;D :P )
The yellow strips I've been looking at for my bike I believe are pre-curved.
http://rhok.com.au/wheel%20lights.htm (http://rhok.com.au/wheel%20lights.htm)
Pre-curved would definitely be the way to go. :)
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I think having plenty of power on tap adds a level of safety; getting away from the idiots and leaving most of the traffic behind. How do feel about safety on your Zeros?
There are 2 ways to separate yourself from traffic: speeding up or slowing down. Putting space between your motorcycle and the cagers is easily done on an EBike and reading traffic and defensive riding does not require a lot of power.
I have ridden powerful motorcycles in the past and now I only own a Zero FX and a 250 and I can ride both safely in traffic.
You do not need decal peeling acceleration to be safe on a motorcycle.
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Fair point WindRider. I know which is more fun though! ;-) Your approach is the safer of the two and will probably result in a longer riding career. We've had two deaths near us in the last week. :-(
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My feeling is that, while hi-vis is worthwhile, riding smart in traffic and keeping abreast of what everyone else is doing around you, is the best approach when riding in an urban area. Loud pipes do not save lives. All they do is irritate pedestrians and homeowners that you pass.
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My feeling is that, while hi-vis is worthwhile, riding smart in traffic and keeping abreast of what everyone else is doing around you, is the best approach when riding in an urban area. Loud pipes do not save lives. All they do is irritate pedestrians and homeowners that you pass.
+1
I wear high vis riding gear these days. I figure it can't hurt, but I still ride assuming I'm completely invisible. I've never subscribed to the "loud pipes" theory. With all the sound deadening and thousand watt stereos in modern cars, all but the loudest pipes will be isolated, drown out, and just plain ignored. Hyper attentiveness to traffic patterns, doing your best to keep an escape route, and assuming that everyone is out to kill you is the best way to make sure they don't, IMO.
Pedestrians bring up another issue I've experienced now that I'm riding an EV. I've had a few now step right out in front of me and cause some pretty close calls. It's not so much an issue in parking lots or neighborhood roads as the bike makes just enough noise to get people's attention, but on a city street where the ambient noise drowns out the motor and belt whine, someone buried in their Facebook app has no way to know your'e there ('cause you know they're too busy to look).
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No I'm not a huge fan of the Loud Pipes theory either, mostly because apart from what you say (which is true) exhausts pump nearly all their noise to the REAR of the bike, if loud pipes really saved lives I'd expect its advocates to lobby for their exhausts to point forwards... ;)
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All the studies I've read about say the same thing -- a loud bike is no safer than a quiet bike. You'll never convince a Harley rider of that, though. I have a couple of Harley-riding friends that refuse to use their front brakes, because they're convinced it'll throw them right over the bars.
That said, when I'm splitting lanes on San Diego freeways, I definitely find that the cars make way much better when I'm following a Harley with open pipes. That seems to be the one circumstance when it's clear that a loud bike is better-recognized by drivers.
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I rode my 2012 Zero S the way I ride my 2002 Yamaha FZ1 (Fazer 1000). Slow. ;)
+1
You do not need decal peeling acceleration to be safe on a motorcycle.
+1
I've never subscribed to the "loud pipes" theory. With all the sound deadening and thousand watt stereos in modern cars, all but the loudest pipes will be isolated, drown out, and just plain ignored. Hyper attentiveness to traffic patterns, doing your best to keep an escape route, and assuming that everyone is out to kill you is the best way to make sure they don't, IMO.
+1
In my riding career, everytime I've had a close call it's because I've been aggressive. I totally subscribe to the "hyper-attentive/assume you're invisible/take-it-easy" style. Loud pipes (on bikes or cars) are obnoxious.
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In my riding career, everytime I've had a close call it's because I've been aggressive. I totally subscribe to the "hyper-attentive/assume you're invisible/take-it-easy" style. Loud pipes (on bikes or cars) are obnoxious.
It's a bit of a different story here in Austin. Sure, I've had close calls that were my own fault, but the number of cars pulling out in front of me, trying to merge into me, drifting into my lane because their mobile is more important, and locking the brakes up behind me is almost enough to make me quit riding, and that's not to mention those who are actively tailgating and actually trying to crowd and scare me. But I'm glad to hear that CO traffic is still better than it is here, I'll be riding there again in a few weeks! ;D
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My feeling is that, while hi-vis is worthwhile, riding smart in traffic and keeping abreast of what everyone else is doing around you, is the best approach when riding in an urban area. Loud pipes do not save lives. All they do is irritate pedestrians and homeowners that you pass.
Yes Richard. I have a hi-vis helmet and jacket. So far so good, although you do have to watch pedestrians not looking when they cross roads in busy areas. But normally going very slow and they mostly very predictable.
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That said, when I'm splitting lanes on San Diego freeways, I definitely find that the cars make way much better when I'm following a Harley with open pipes. That seems to be the one circumstance when it's clear that a loud bike is better-recognized by drivers.
If your splitting/filtering then the engine noise from the Harley will reflect off the cars to the sides, that'll help push some of the sound forwards. :)
But in those circumstances the harley engine is also not having to fight through the engine and road surface noise being generated by the car itself, so the drivers also have a better chance to hear the bike.
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Around here, car drivers seem to be looking more in their rear view mirrors and many will move over to let you filter by when they see you. I think that is because some motorcycle riders are knocking off very expensive car mirrors as they speed by and the word is starting to get around that if you want to keep your mirrors, it is a good idea to move over. Personally, I only filter when the traffic is stopped and am very careful of lane changers, especially when a gap in traffic opens up to either side of me.
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In the UK we have IAM, the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Do you have an equivalent in your country? I've got an observed ride with my instructor this evening as it happens. They're slowly moulding me into being a better rider. :-)
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In the UK we have IAM, the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Do you have an equivalent in your country? I've got an observed ride with my instructor this evening as it happens. They're slowly moulding me into being a better rider. :-)
If there are any "Advanced Motorists" in the U.S. I haven't seen them. ::)
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I think "Advanced Motorists" are the ones that stop at thea stop light, and then begin inching up to and past the white line markers.
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Haha, so that's a no then!