BSA's modern retro electric motorcycle ‖ What we know...
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- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2024
- BSA Motorcycles is leading a consortium managed through the Advance Propulsion Centre UK to develop a modern retro electric motorcycle with 'retro' levels of torque. It will be a middleweight classically styled machine, with advance battery technology and telematics. I'm really interested in how this will turn out and if it will be a viable alternative to BSA's petrol powered motorcycles and indeed other brands electric offerings. Estimated to be here in 2025...
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I always find people’s reactions to electric motorcycles interesting. To me the joy of motorcycling is in motorcycling riding a powered two wheel vehicle. Yes there are huge hurdles to Cross to make ev motorcycles effective but they are still a motorised cycle and therefore give a good riding experience.
As a motorcyclist and somebody who has built electric bicycles I'm fascinated by the middle ground, unfortunately UK legislation is stifling innovation due to the 250w limit.
The irony is that the 250w limit only applies to law abiding citizens, the local drug dealers are doing 40mph plus on 2000w Ali express bikes.
Thanks TT, I think it's the engine and vibration that makes it special. In a way my Pugeot 206 gti was more fun than my M5, the M5 felt uninvolved until you were at silly speeds whereas the little pug was like a go kart... maybe that's a bad example but I was engaged with one more than the other for sure. Thanks for the comment.
@@MindfulMotorcyclistI get it, after 40 years of riding motorcycles and driving everything from minis to 40 footers I am definitely a petrol head. But then I remember the excitement as a child of finding a good long hill on a pushbike and coasting all the way down. That was still fun and is more what I would liken the experience of an electric bike to.
Having taken a fair few electric motorcycles for test rides around London I can say there's huge interest in them amongst young people, who don't share the same preconceptions as older geezers, who are currently riding ebikes or eScooters, but want a bit more power.
And I find that hugely exciting, because more than anything motorcycling needs young motorcyclists, whether they ride ICE or EV.
Another great comment. I like to get both points of view about EV on here. I guess approaching 40 I'm neither young nor old so I almost have a foot in both camps 🏕 😂
Will be interesting to see how it does, the Harley Davidson livewire didn't fare well.
Might do ok with commuter's.
Most bikers are petrol heads.
Yes most of us are petrol heads. Even if EV bikes are forced on us imagine the value of desirable petrol machines, its sure to skyrocket
I fear that electric motorcycles (of any type) will simply turn bikers off of biking. It certainly does me.
We might have to have heard. Stu Fillingham did a few vids on it.
It was promised this year but who knows. But what I find really interesting is that this is being kept incredibly secret, there’s no teasers, no herald fanfare dawning the start of a new age. And the return on investment requires a huge sales success meaning world market demographics. So how are they making the numbers stack up?
It's all very strange Lumpy, as par for the course. These collabs and business incubators don't always work smoothly perhaps there's been some roadblocks or bumps along the way, maybe they cant deliver the obvious customer needs like price point and range and are worried. BSA have a 350 that they really need to release too, been a 1 bike company since 2021. I think a smaller cc cheaper bike would do wonders to get more folk involved in the brand.
@@MindfulMotorcyclist maybe they want to extend their channel reach first? USA will be very important to get up and running.
Yes it will and I gather that's well underway, emissions regs almost signed off for the GS. Perhaps the electric bike project will be abandoned who knows as you say its all very hush hush 😯
Sean I will have to wait and see
I do look at electric sales from time to time they are not great, I wouldn't be investing in said companies 🤔
There's a fair few retro electric motorcycles on the market now, just not in the UK, but they all tend to be the equivalent of small capacity ICE bikes.
Then again, given range/capacity of current batteries, EMoto equivalents to 125 make perfect sense for city riders.
That's a fair point Alex I guess to be correct I should have said there's no EV retro bikes from the major brands. Yes city riding the Maeving makes total sense and that's why it's sold so well, same as super soco I expect. Cheers, Sean
@ 72 y.y. I will definitely die out as a petro head as I have 5 motorcycles in my stall which is enough to last out my lifetime. I have a gut feeling that the majority of guys my age & around 10-15 years younger will lean this way also. But that is just my opinion. Have a great day! Cheers!! Illinois, USA
Hi Larry, it's funny that the electric bike videos seem to polarise people. I actually meant this to be a video about BSA specifically but the EV bike topic in general seems to get more response. I doubt I'll be switching to EV but mainly as I think these mandates and forcing us to change over is poor form from the government. If it does come to a formal ban in Europe if be one of those people who bought a good 2-3 year old popular petrol model with lots of spare parts and industry knowledge and then just keep it. I've got two bikes now and probably keep those... thanks Sean
Excellent presentation MM, the key will be attractive design, exchangeable (at petrol stations) universal battery packs, and effective, exciting marketing to young men. If these motorcycles are just forced on the market in a heavy handed way, they are doomed to very low volume sales.
Thanks Moto a gogo. Appreciate the comment. Yes this whole fixed battery thing is a scam because batteries degrade over time so being removable means way easier for the vehicle to last and be as powerful in the future... Sean
I love my retro twin and wouldn’t swap it for an electric any time soon. Not because I’m anti electric but because there ain’t anything out there yet that compares. It would need to be something quite spectacular from a styling point of view, power and torque equivalent plus and it’s a big plus a lot more range. And I don’t just mean the official range but some real world range in cold conditions that would easily exceed 120 miles or so. I suspect that current production batteries are unlikely to fit the bill so we will have to wait for solid state technology to come up with the goods and that is still several years away from mass production.
Good point about the batteries Nigel, we are quite far away from the tech required. I believe energy density doubles every 10 years or so...
If you see what’s happening in the electric car market with second hand values plummeting, range problems, high insurance, I’d be nervous buying an electric motorcycle.
Great points Pete, yes electric cars do have their issues! Thanks, Sean
Well Well, who'd have thought that the Wallace and Grommet creators would turn out to be influencers of motorcycle design 20 + years on!
I had AI make that image for me 😀, very weird what it will create!
@@MindfulMotorcyclist I hope it doesn't get to make real bixe!
07:58 " *but let's see, this is still very far in the future....probably 2025, so let's see how it develops* "
Mate, that's next year - nine months' time.
Good point bud!
It will be interesting to see the reaction to this. The appeal of modern classics, I think, has a lot to do with authenticity and relative simplicity. You can get relative simplicity out of an electric, but not authenticity. Trying to make cases that mimic traditional motorcycle features to house the electric motor and batteries would be seen as phony, I think. If they want to maintain a classic design, then they may consider hiding the batteries with a retro-correct fairing. Or simply go for a clean look that acknowledges the fact that it's a battery powered motorcycle, but plays up classic BSA design cues and emblems as much as possible. So long as it looks right, which is the tricky bit!
That's a great comment Mark, I think you either go totally retro or make it obvious that's this is a 'futuristic' bike. Something like the Kawasaki z650rs that looks retro but has modern touches. BSA have done a good job on the Goldstar it does look quite authentic, to my eyes anyway. One thing I do like about electric bikes is the simplicity of them and I would guess although there's probably not enough real world data but to guess they are likely reliable. Just a battery, a motor and some electronics. I expect when they do go wrong it's a lot harder to get fixed vs a petrol where there will be a bike mechanic in your town or city.
This is like comparing a finely crafted mechanical watch to a smart watch. Yes, the smart watch probably can do everything much better with no moving parts but if you ask any watch enthusiast what he/she would rather have, it will always be the mechanical watch. There is something extremely rewarding in riding a motorcycle with a finely tuned ICE engine with all of its moving parts working in perfect harmony. You will never ever feel this on an electric bike…..period.
I just need to learn how the watch works now 😃. To continue your clever analogy there are rolexs (and other brands I'm sure) from the 1950s that are restored and refurbished by skilled craftsmen, into fully working order. There are even RUclips videos on this. I don't think anyone has any interest in fixing a first generation apple watch that doesnt turn on. They are just chucked into landfill...
I think a lot of the negativity regarding electric vehicles is from older riders/drivers who see a future comprised of only electric vehicles. They’re trying to hold onto this negative connotation in hopes it will either prevent or slow the growth of electric vehicles. Unfortunately, progress occurs despite those trying to prevent it. We recently purchased a used electric car. Thanks to massive depreciation and government tax rebates in the US, the car cost us $14,000. This for a vehicle with a new battery and an 8-year, 100,000 mile battery warranty. So far, after 5 months of daily commuting, it’s costing about 1/4 per mile to operate compared to the gas-engine car it replaced. I only considered it since it can be garaged and charged at home. I would not buy any electric vehicle that had to be charged at a public charger. Our vehicle has a 200 mile range and is perfect for our needs. As far as motorcycles, I would only use one for commuting, and there are a number of electric scooters (and e-bikes) that might serve the purpose. I can’t see spending thousands on something that has a limited range and can’t travel at least 150 miles on a charge. Technology will certainly need to advance to allow electric motorcycles to become even remotely mainstream.
Thanks Alvin for the comment, very well put. At the end of the day everything has a value and a deal is a deal regardless if it is petrol or battery powered. It sounds like you are getting an excellent vehicle covered under warranty for your $14k, even that seems a lot less than most electric cars...
You look like you’ve been taken hostage.
🤣- that was in the yard... no garden here.
Not for me not enough range, far to expensive and are soulless.
Fair comment Ian. I think you're not alone in that opinion! Cheers
The problems for me is that the poor range of electric bikes would make doing a tour a slow and painful experience. Furthermore they could copy the style of a Panigale who's bodywork would cover the gubbins completely and give a low drag factor but no......we get the ghastly Maeving
I actually like Maeving but each to their own. I did however learn that the were funded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre which is a UK government funded consortium to push EVs. Not quite the ex triumph men in a shed we were lead to believe.
@@MindfulMotorcyclist The plucky inventor in his shed was a better marketing ploy than taking taxpayers money. But twin rear shocks and tube tyres are the worst of the past not the best!! Car drivers never had nostalgia for old motorbikes so they will never be impressed and no weather protection is not going to encourage them to give up their tin boxes after they have arrived at the office with wet shoes and socks a few times. Proof that governments should never try to pick winners
Sorry but motorcycles are about passion, emotion and escapism. I don't want a mobile washing machine that tracks my every movement. If this is the future then motorcycling is dead.
Thanks Mike for the comment, I mean this is exacty why I bought the BSA. Passion and Emotion...
Electric bikes and cars.....no thanks, not for me! 🇮🇲
Fair 😀
Just don't buy electric bikes. It will put a stop to all this nonsense overnight. Do I think this will happen ? Well i wont hold my breath. People will continue to buy this virtue signalling crap amd carry on moaning about it. People forget that it is us the people that hold the power
And yet it's all in the so called western democracies that all this is pushed on the population... the irony 🤣
NO, NO, JUST NO!!!
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