Getting close!

[Sibbo]

But, glass is so heavy. So many much lighter options available today.

It would be very thin, it's really just displacing air and not at high speed, range would be the important objective.

[Zombie Master]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

[Sibbo]

I think a full aero fairing is primary for an electric bike. A good fairing could halve the drag and thus double the range. Lowering the normal profile of a bike would help proportionally too. Unless batteries get twice as compact and recharge facilities appear everywhere it seems the only way to go.

All the current electric bikes share the same horrible drag coefficient numbers that standard bikes do.

[Bamboo812]

I'm surprised nobody's come up with a plug and play battery pack for these things. No waiting for a charge and/or carry a spare and double your mileage.

[BobW]

It was strange walking through the paddock at Barber and seeing an electric cable plugged into the gas tank-at least where the gas tank should be. They were racing in their own class. Who knows what the future holds.

Bob

[Major Softie]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

What in the world is the point of the two wheel drive? More weight, more complexity, less efficiency. I can't imagine why.

[Sibbo]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

What in the world is the point of the two wheel drive? More weight, more complexity, less efficiency. I can't imagine why.

A design concept department with too much money ?

[Zombie Master]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

What in the world is the point of the two wheel drive? More weight, more complexity, less efficiency. I can't imagine why.

Would certainly hold the road or dirt better. What's the use of a concept bike, if it doesn't push the status quo?

[Major Softie]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

What in the world is the point of the two wheel drive? More weight, more complexity, less efficiency. I can't imagine why.

Would certainly hold the road or dirt better.

I don't know that it would "hold the road" any better, and it's not a dirt bike, so that's not applicable.

What's the use of a concept bike, if it doesn't push the status quo?

What's the use of a concept if it serves no purpose?

[Zombie Master]

http://www.cnet.com/news/yamaha-electri ... otorcycle/

What in the world is the point of the two wheel drive? More weight, more complexity, less efficiency. I can't imagine why.

Would certainly hold the road or dirt better.

I don't know that it would "hold the road" any better, and it's not a dirt bike, so that's not applicable.

What's the use of a concept bike, if it doesn't push the status quo?

What's the use of a concept if it serves no purpose?

There have been two wheel drive motorcycles forever. Yamaha was racing a TWD bike in the Dakar with good success. The Rokon has been a useful tool. So an electric AWD concept bike is hardly without purpose. I have never ridden a AWD bike, but I would think, with the kind of rider assistance currently being implemented, that TWD would be fabulous on slippery roads. The proportioning system used on the Yamaha TWD is very interesting IMO. In the car world Subaru has AWD on it's high performance models that are highly rated. I can't see why AWD electric motorcycles would not have a purpose for those who can afford it.