NEW Electric GPR-S - $8000

This bike has been discussed earlier: http://visforvoltage.org/forum/4727-touched-gprs

Let me know when they put it on three wheels.

All:
I just took delivery of my new DOT approved GPR-S. It's the AC version with 20, 50AH cells. I think it's the first registered in Texas and will have the TAG "AC-001". I thought I would introduce it. The bike is about "250CC" size weighing in at 280 pounds. The frame is made by Tiger in Thailand (which also makes some Kawasaki frames). It comes with a backlited LCD dispay which shows speed, odometer, trip odometer and time. Mine also came with a Curtis Spyglass which also shows speed as well as BDI% (remaining battery), AMPS, Volts, controller temperature, and RPM. Mine has 20, 50AH HiPower LiFePO4 batteries, a Curtis 1236 controller and an AC-15 motor which I'm told can deliver about 36HP in this configuration. The bike has regen which provides very nice braking and gives a little energy back when stopping. Interestingly, the stop light is configured to activate when the regen is on. That's good as the regen provides good braking. Some other characteristics and performance points are listed below:

1. The craftsmanship, fit and finish of the bike is excellent. The only possible issue I have identified so far is the black cover on the access port on top of the tank which covers the cord storage area hinge that holds the electrical cord is weak. People will be breaking these off without much effort. The paint quality is excellent. The mechanical and electrical setup looks to be done with quality parts and workmanship. I wouldn't quite call it aircraft quality integration, but it's as good as my '08 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

2. The kickstand is great. It has a little handle that sticks out that makes it easy to kick it up. And it goes up and down a lot easier than the ones I rode in motorcycle school (which was a new bike with 600 miles). It is strong enough to rock the bike up on the kickstand and rotate the bike 180 degrees to get out of your parking spot. I have the lights on while riding and I can easily see the numbers on the main gauge which has MPH, Trip, Odo and clock.

3. The acceleration is relatively soft off the line but then comes on strong. The softness has it's advantages in that it makes for a very smooth and controlled take-off. This is programmed in the controller. There is good power after 20MPH and clearly acceleration per degree of throttle increase is much more at 35 MPH than it is at 5 MPH. I've got to do some additional testing to see if this degree of softness schedule is ramped with speed or time. I suspect speed. Top speed is said to be 80MPH, but I've only done 55 to date. There is still plenty of power left at that point. RPM at 55 is only 4300 of the 7500 authorized. The Spyglass indicates a max of 300AMPs at full throttle. A steady 30 MPH indicates a draw of about 30-32 AMPs. The regen is very strong. Under normal conditions in a housing area you don't use the brakes at all until you get below 3-5 MPH to get to the final rest. You can reduce power and not turn on the regen (or not hard), but when you turn the throttle all the way off it acts like a brake with about the same decel you would brake with under normal conditions. The regen and brake lights are activated by either applying brakes or throttle off. The Spyglass indicates -14 AMPs when the regen goes on above 30MPH. It was very windy today with wind steady at 15 gusting to 20. I could feel a little buffeting but it wasn't bad and tracked pretty straight.

4. When fully charged, the Spyglass indicates about 81 Volts. I did a very rough estimate of miles/charge but the numbers are so small they are probably not very accurate but so far I'm getting about 50 Miles Per Charge (MPC) based on the BDI percentage drop compared to miles traveled. I'm nervous about damaging the batteries so I probably won't take it down too low. I'm told it's best not to take the batteries down below 2.5 Volts which for me translates to 50 Volts remaining.

5. The seat is very comfortable and has a second seat and pegs for a passenger. There is no integrated storage for your helmet, but it does have an external lock with the same key as the main switch.

6. The noise generated by the motor / drive train is a little louder than I anticipated and has a turbine like sound. People in the housing area can hear me coming about 100-150 yards away. It's probably about the 75-78db level. It's a little louder when just taking off (5-15 MPH)and then quieter when cruising (25-40MPH).

7. The CG is low and it's very light and maneuverable so you feel like you can do anything on it.

On balance, a great bike!

ChuckJ

ChuckJ, have you had any problems so far with your GPR-S? How many miles do you have on it?

Antrey:
I ride it almost every day around town, but not to work as I am retired. I use it to suppliment my car and therefore I don't ride it in the rain, when the temperature is below 40 or above 100. I have almost 1000 miles on it. The only problem I've had with it is the charger (which they replaced under warranty). And I can't speak for the current production bikes in that regard as I have a different charging setup then the current ones.
I really have enjoy riding it.

ChuckJ

A good-looking electric motorcycle with decent specifications… I think this is ggod for those who are looking for an all-electric motorcycle with some performance and would prefer without the scooter look.