this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
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Electric Vehicles
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Why is 80 mph / 130 kmh too slow for highways?
Can you point to a car that is limited to 130kmh? Add that to the range dropping dramatically when using these bikes at highway speeds where you would be lucky to see a 100km range.
Lower range means more recharging cycles, which means shorter battery life, which means higher running costs.
It's also too low because I'd rather not become a hood ornament for some road rager where the safest solution is to drop a gear and disappear.
That's not to mention the fun factor and taking it to a track. Even little bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Honda CBR300 have higher top speeds.
Also you can easily tell this isn't written by a motorcyclist because it isn't remotely comparable. That's less power than my 600cc single cylinder motorcycle puts out at 55 hp, and less than half of what my 600cc 4 cylinder ZX6R puts out at 113 hp.
In fact its reasonably close to the 45hp my FZR250 puts out, which as the name implies is a 250cc 4 cylinder, and that's a 30 year old motorcycle.
Yes someone could quote Harley's abysmal HP numbers for their oversized engines but they're quite literally 1950s tech and not remotely relevant to the discussion.
That's without even mentioning gearing which allows my 55 hp single cylinder motorcycle to reach 160kmh and my ZX6R tops out at 280kmh (gps measured, stock gearing).
TLDR: range, safety and fun are all missing.
Yes actually, the Smart Ev has a top speed of 120km/h
Never seen one, they must be popular
Not exactly 130km/h but plenty of cars are limited to 140km/h or very close to it, for example the Hyundai Inster.
You're not allowed to drive faster than 130 km/h here and more and more highways are switching to 100 km/h, so I'm not sure why my vehicle should be able to drive 280 km/h. Even more so on a motorcycle.
On a track? Sure, but I don't need my average commuter vehicle to reach those speeds.
Commuters don't buy a lot of motorcycles (comparatively) in Western countries which given the price tag, is where this is intended to sell.
Motorcyclists like me do commute on motorcycles but I'm an enthusiast and so are most of those other commuting motorcyclists.
No prizes here for guessing that you're not into cars or motorbikes. And why would someone own two vehicles when one can commute and hit the track unless you're particularly dedicated to track riding?
Lets put it this way... are you going to buy one? Because I'm not and I'm mad about motorcycles.
Fair point on a speed limited car, personally I also wouldn't buy one of them.
You said it is unsuitable for highways, I don't consider vehicles that go the speed limit on the highway unsuitable for it. Unsuitable for motorcycle enthusiasts? Probably.
Define "into". My car goes 230 km/h and I have driven that speed...once, maybe twice. Does not mean I don't enjoy accelerating up curvy mountain roads.
If my future car has the same acceleration but is limited to 140 km/h, I wouldn't care that much.
This one? Unlikely, but not because of the 130 km/h limit but because of the price. I consider motorcycles unpractical and unsafe for daily use, so the only use would be for fun. I would love one for sunny days but they have to get cheaper.
It’s unsuitable for highway use because car drivers are prone to murderous tantrums when they’re stuck behind someone actually doing the speed limit.
That’s just my opinion but too many motorcyclists who disagreed aren’t alive to argue the point.
Petrol powered motorcycles are plenty of fun and available cheap. If you were really interested in some weekend riding you could make that a reality any time.
I suspect you won’t regardless of price because most people don’t get into motorcycles, probably in part because most people just about shit themselves in terror the first time an SUV tailgates them at highway speeds.
How can they be stuck behind you on a highway thats very likely have 2 lanes? And if traffic is heavy enough they cant pass... you're likely not going 80mph either. Seems really silly.
Then I invite you to commute on a route with highways on one of these for a year and share your experiences because I’ve been riding for 20 years and Im speaking from my experience.
This seems comparable to the Evoke Urban Classic, which is a city commuter motorcycle.
As to similar cars, the Dacia Spring is a very popular car in my country that is somewhat similar. It costs more, since it is a car, and it has very slightly longer range. But it has also much slower acceleration. It is also intended as a city commuter.
These are not sports vehicles or for motor enthusiasts.
Compared to 8.9 kWh and 71 Nm from the Can-Am, as I said it isn't doing anything new or even doing anything better.
I agree and I expect they won't sell many as a result.