How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

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R
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How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Nowadays there are over 3000 vectrix hanging around.
The older units are 3.5 years old. That's a lot of time! I'd like to know how many vectrix have reached the 30.000 km mark (18641 miles), and if they are still working fine!

mikemitbike
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Hi, mine was registered Okt 2008, because of battery issues lasting from late Nov. 2008 till June 2010
I only put 1200 km on my own bike. Now battery is fine, and my V has about 5000km on the odometer.
Normaly I´m riding only down to 128v before I recharge, or if bike is needet for a greater disatnce
it´s topped up from 132v or 134v after shorter trips.

Season might bee good for another 60 days of riding ;-) stay tuned.

Greetings Mike

snail
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Mine is a July 08 machine. Just passed through 9000 miles (14400km). I still get up to 145/146V after a monthly "deep" discharge.

PT-Volt
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Mine has 33000kms. Still working fine. New battery since 23000kms.

myvectrix2008
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Mine was purchased in September 2008 (2007 model) and I have covered over 10,300 miles / 16,500km.

It's on the original battery, always charges fully to 148/149V, last bar is usable, gauge always in sync, no issues apart from a blown fuse replaced for 200A version and a couple of software bugs that resolved itself.

michaelt
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

What range are you getting? very similar to mine, Jully 2007 purchased end of 2008 but down to 20-25k's per charge.

Cheers

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Judging by the replies none have actually been capable of reaching 30,000 k on the original battery, kinda says it all don’t it.

If this was anything other than an electric motorcycle I suspect it would be plastered all over the media with complaints about reliability.

Not only don’t these bikes get anywhere near their supposed battery life but the batteries seem to be a constant pain in the butt.

If it ain’t one thing it’s another from what people keep saying and yet they persist with them, what is so wonderful about a motorcycle that constantly breaks down, has no official repair manual, has badly laid out electronics and is slow.

Ok so it’s cheap to run, when you can get it running of course, except it’s not so cheap because when the warranty runs out you are then stuck with huge bills for spare parts, which I might add seems highly likely ending up a bottomless pit because it is so unreliable.

You sweat when it runs out of power because the likelihood is you will run out at a point where you can’t recharge it and then of course there is the two or more hours of waiting around while the thing recharges.

Please someone tell me what is so great about these bikes because I started off wanting one, but now I just can’t see the point to them.

So you don’t have to pay for gasoline, big deal, but you do have to push it when it runs out of power unexpectedly due to software issues or dodgy batteries.

Someone give me some kind of idea as to what is so great about these bikes because I just can’t see it any more.

like i said, not even a proper official work shop manual, now how mad is that?

snail
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Judging by the replies none have actually been capable of reaching 30,000 k on the original battery, kinda says it all don’t it.

Talk about baiting the audience...

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know absolutely nothing about ownership of an EV. I'll allow others to wade in with other points, here's one for starters:

Just because nobody has yet reached 30,000km (from this limited response thus far) in no way implies the technology is unable to achieve it. Most motorcyclists average less than 10,000km per year, so as the oldest V on the road is only just three years old, it's unlikely many will have achieved this target yet. My V only comes out when it's dry, so in the UK it stays in the garage for 2/3 of the year...

One of the reasons I enjoy riding it so much is the way it accelerates through and out of corners - one of the many reasons why I only get 35 miles from a charge.

Someone give me some kind of idea as to what is so great about these bikes because I just can’t see it any more.

Frankly, you shouldn't even be "just_looking". Try it before judging it.

Brian

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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

If this was anything other than an electric motorcycle I suspect it would be plastered all over the media with complaints about reliability.

...has no official repair manual, has badly laid out electronics and is slow.
... there is the two or more hours of waiting around while the thing recharges.

Please someone tell me what is so great about these bikes because I started off wanting one, but now I just can’t see the point to them.

like i said, not even a proper official work shop manual, now how mad is that?

Hi,
triky to answer. Well you love elektric mobility or you hate it, you love your V or you hate it ;-)
An official repair manual exists on www.vectrixservice.com unfortunately you need a log in :-/
It isn´t slow - in my opinion- it depends what you want to use it for. I use it for the daily
trip to work, no highway so no need to be faster than 65mph (most of the trip speed is reduced to
aout 45 or 50 mph. I recharge during work or after work, leaving the bike having some time for other
things or my Job. I only got stranded on time 500metr before work because of the damaged cell, once
I returned back home when I realised it would not reach work. You have deal with the subject then you
usualy not strandet. Only VERY tricky thing are spareparts (Cells, MC, Encoder).

It is a very beautiful bike with good handling during driving, but you have to accept it is no hayabusa
And at this forum you get lot of help!

;-)

Greetings Mike

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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Please someone tell me what is so great about these bikes because I started off wanting one, but now I just can’t see the point to them.

During 3.5 years of vectrix ownership I tested all kind of electric motorcycles in the market: Quantya, Zero S, Goelix, Emax, teycars, Govecs. None of them could give the superb feelings nor the incredible carrying capacity of the vectrix. Despite the fact the V's battery was under-engineered due to lack of development, in terms of technology the V was 5-6 years ahead the rest. I suggest you make a Test drive with it, open full throttle and feel how 22.500 watts of power propels you to the XXI century. Then you'll understand. Life is not as simple as the logical of maths.

Vectrix is pure passion, this is the reason why there's over 11.000 posts in this forum. Despite having some break downs, the owners are happy with the vectrix, and instead of selling it they want to fix it as soon as possible, in order to keep it running. On the other hand, visforvoltages usually write in this forum to solve problems, portraying lack of reliability, etc.. but I'm sure there are thousands of happy owners around the world without any incident (my brother is one of them).

I've been offered to sell my V when it gets the battery replacement. But for me, my vectrix is still the best electric motorcycle in the spanish market. No way, I'll keep it and upgrade to lithium when possible!

I'm sure you wouldn't regret owning it. ;-)

what is so wonderful about a motorcycle that constantly breaks down,

The Vectrix is more reliable than it could seem in this forum, especially the 2009-2010 units. With the exception of the battery, all these bikes are fully reliable, because the minor design problems have been solved. The battery problems are still unsolved, it will only last 12.000-25.000 km. However in october there will be some interesting vectrix news.

has no official repair manual,

That's not true. Vectrix offers to all dealers an online repair manual with all the procedures described in detail.


Has badly laid out electronics and is slow.

The only badly electronics inside the Vectrix is the lack of BMS. This battery technology is lasting in the Toyota RAV-E over 350.000 km. With BMS this battery technology could have lasted over 100.000 km.

On the other hand, I personally think that the vectrix is a blast to ride. Why do you say it's slow, 110km/h is not enough?

Ok so it’s cheap to run, when you can get it running of course, except it’s not so cheap because when the warranty runs out you are then stuck with huge bills for spare parts, which I might add seems highly likely ending up a bottomless pit because it is so unreliable.

That's true. Nobody said the electric tech is cheaper. It is greatly expensive. But as years go by, it is becoming cheaper and more reliable. I paid over 11.000 EUR for this bike. OH! no rebates avaiable by that year! Now you can get one with rebates for only 6000 Eur! Any small electric car hi-way capable costs around 35.000-40.000 eur. Believe me when I tell you that the vectrix is a "cheap" hi-way capable electric vehicle.

So you don’t have to pay for gasoline, big deal, but you do have to push it when it runs out of power unexpectedly due to software issues or dodgy batteries.

After 3.5 years I was forced to push it two times:
1- in June2007 because of FW desync with the display (the FW was not designed to do a gauge reset, Fw upgrade solved the issue).
2- In the 2008 because of a 125A fuse blown (upgraded to 200 A since oct 2008)
After all this months riding it, I haven't pushed it too many times... ;-)

But after one single test drive with a Zero S I was forced to push it in the middle of a hiway:
When the Zero's battery depletes, it does not have the ability to decrease the power intensity like the vectrix, it simply cuts the energy when reaches low voltage!!... my good, what a scrap design! It leaves people in the middle of hi way with no choice but to push (I assure you it is not fair)!!!! The Zero may have a nice BMS lithium battery, but uses brushed engines, and the electric components are elemental, with no inter-connexion like in the vectrix. Its design is really underdeveloped, I estimate 1-2 years left to technologically overtake Vectrix.

ps: My vectrix is a may 2007 unit, over 27000 km on the odometer... I have only 20 km of range, but I'm still a really happy owner!

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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Some things cant be explained, they just have to be "experienced".... although this forum is a good source of information, it is by no means the majority body of Vectrix owners. It is entirely possible that the remainder of Vectrix owners are getting their money's worth out of their ride. The tendency is for those who have no complaints to not be vocal about a subject, but when the item breaks down, or performs in an unexpected way, they ask "is this normal?" or make some other inquiry as to their problem. Maybe the Vectrix does have its problems in design, or implementation, but , consider the age of the technology:
Two wheeled vehicle== been around over 100 years
Electric motor== Been around for about as long
Battery systems== Still Evolving!! there's chemicals going into those things now that would have never been thought of 10 years ago. This part is and will continue to improve until probably the walls of chemistry and physics can be pushed. I imagine that if current battery technology had existed at the time of initial planning of the Vectrix, there's no way they'd have chosen the chemistry they did.
Computer Control System== Still Evolving!! And as long as there are humans at the center of their programming, there will always be room for improvement.
This is still a new field of transportation, if you can build a better bike, then do it! The manufacturers would probably welcome the competition, as it would give them someone to measure against, and if it truly was a better bike, there's obviously a market for them.
The time has come, get on and ride, and experience the bike first hand, then you can possibly answer your own questions, or you can say "it really wasnt that impressive to me" History is full of naysayers who saw something and said "what's the point?", I've done it myself,,, then i experienced, and understood. (Not on a Vectrix, bot other items)

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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

I just want to add that my only expense in the last 33000kms were tires.

rewski
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

But after one single test drive with a Zero S I was forced to push it in the middle of a hiway:
When the Zero's battery depletes, it does not have the ability to decrease the power intensity like the vectrix, it simply cuts the energy when reaches low voltage!!... my good, what a scrap design! It leaves people in the middle of hi way with no choice but to push (I assure you it is not fair)!!!! The Zero may have a nice BMS lithium battery, but uses brushed engines, and the electric components are elemental, with no inter-connexion like in the vectrix. Its design is really underdeveloped, I estimate 1-2 years left to technologically overtake the Vectrix

Someone who owns both a Vectrix and a brand new 2010 Zero DS I can attest to the refinement of the Vectrix. True the battery tech in the V is not current. But that aside, the ride, throttle, acceleration, braking, storage, and comfort are amazing for a machine that was essentially engineered 10 years before an actual product came to fruition. Vectrix definitely ran into some trouble, but I believe it was a matter of timing. The technology and the cost of it when the original V came out were too early and too expensive for mainstream. But look at the current market...Nissan, Chevy, Brammo, Zero, just to name a few.

However, to clarify the comment above about the current Zero, it does not cut energy completely when reaching low voltage...it reduces power. Also the new Zero software keeps a "reserve tank" of energy should you ever get into a situation where you run out of power. You are not supposed to use that "reserve" much if at all, but it it there for emergencies. Also, just an FYI I was able to travel 35 miles on the Zero and only use 2.8 kWh of energy!

Looking forward to what Vectrix has in store for the new models. They really need to step their game up for the 2011 season or they may get left in the dust!

Adam

Adam - Denver, CO
2007 Vectrix VX-1 charged with the power of the sun = zero carbon footprint

R
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

it does not cut energy completely when reaching low voltage.

The test drive was done with a 2009 S model. 2010 solved! that's nice!
myvectrix2008
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

What range are you getting? very similar to mine, July 2007 purchased end of 2008 but down to 20-25k's per charge.

I'm down to around 30 miles per charge when used for commuting to and from work simply because around two thirds of my journey are 55+ mph, maxing out at 62mph wherever possible. At the weekends, I sometimes go for a social ride and at a much gentler pace. In this mode, I could do 40-45 miles, maybe more if I really tried - but that wouldn't be fun!

For anyone that doubts the Vectrix. I had never ridden a motorcycle of any sort before, let alone anything electric. Within 30 seconds of my initial test ride I knew I wanted one. Having owned it for coming up to 2 years now, I wouldn't swap my Vectrix for anything.

AndY1
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

For anyone that doubts the Vectrix. I had never ridden a motorcycle of any sort before, let alone anything electric. Within 30 seconds of my initial test ride I knew I wanted one. Having owned it for coming up to 2 years now, I wouldn't swap my Vectrix for anything.

Same feelings here, even though I've ridden many motorcycles before. My last motorcycle before the Vectrix was Yamaha R6.

Mik
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Grillino did over 40,000km (but with a number of batteries).

http://visforvoltage.org/forum/6535-maximum-kilometres-or-miles#comment-50424

That's two!

This information may be used entirely at your own risk.

There is always a way if there is no other way!

tom5007
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

I have 12300miles so far. First set of batteries and only had to replace one back tire. Still get my 40-45miles with a full charge using the latest SW (not the 68miles upgrade).

Norman

eyeinthesky
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

What's the point of discussing to a common petrolhead.
Only a few individual innivative trendsetters knows the "feel good" of
driving/riding alturnative power.
29,000 klms of exileration in three years, so what, if shit happens!, its all fixable.!
And to think every improvement does not require a new bike just improved technology and updated software,
by the way, Love the 110kph software.
IMG_1507.jpgme.jpg
Happy ridin all VECTRIX OWNERS
Peter

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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Off topic: I see that you have Michelin Gold Standard tires. How are they? Better then Pirellis? I plan to replace my Pirellis with Michelin City Grip next year.

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Ok then by reading all the replies it seems that none of the vectrix have been able to reach the magical number on one battery.

I used to own a small electric scooter and it was fun for a while but the battery kept running down after a short ride and it got shorter and shorter, the motor used to over heat and so on it was rubbish.

I know the vectrix is the best electric bike on the market but that just says all the rest are pretty awful.

The only reason I can see for people to persist with their electric bikes are because they invest so much money in them in the first place and finding a buyer for it at anywhere near what they paid for it is next to impossible.

In the UK a vectrix costs around £6000, for the same money I can get a very good ultra reliable motorcycle capable of over 100 mph giving me around 50 to anything up to around 80 mpg the chances of it breaking down within the first 33000 miles not kilometres is most unlikely if I rode it like you have to ride a vectrix.

I’m sure I would like the ride on a vectrix right up until everything kept passing me on the motorway or people started getting irate on the A roads because the wind kept slowing me down to around 30 mph going up hill or some other such issue.

In the UK the govt depts for the roads seem to be on a witch hunt against motorcycles at the moment, so here is my vectrixs runs out of power just as I enter the city I’m pushing it I find a willing individual to give me some free power at a coffee shop, along comes pc plod or rent a cop or for that matter someone sitting in the cctv room decides my electric bike shouldn’t be parked on the pavement while charging so they give me a ticket for being parked on the pavement so now my free electric has cost me £120 for illegal parking or whatever it is.

Not very cheap is it?

My petrol bike on the other hand I get a warning that I’m running out of fuel, I then have around 20 or so miles before I need to worry about finding fuel I have never had to push it to find fuel the reliability is second to none.

I can ride my bike to anywhere in the country with no real problem, but a vectrix or any other electric bike for that matter would be a real head ache, I wouldn't even have anywhere to charge it at home, I couldn't take the battery out to charge it either.

I’m not trying to knock the vectrix down, as a motorcycle it looks good but is only good as a town bike, and in comparison to other none electric bikes it just is not worthy the name motorcycle, as an electric bike it is the best.

But I still can’t find any good reason to own one, and I have been looking with an open mind on this, they are restricted in parking, very restricted in range, restricted greatly in speed, and they seem very unreliable, none have been capable of doing as the first posting inquired, which makes them a waste of time.

I haven’t seen any good reasons for actually owning one and it seems its just a case of “you either love them or you don’t” which is not a good reason to invest around £6000.

So if anyone has any real good reasons for owning one of these electric bikes over an conventional petrol bike I would really like to know because I just can’t see any.

As for handling my bike does a great job and I don’t have to worry about the winter affecting the bikes performance.

If I lived in a hot country where the batteries would not suffer then fine, except the batteries over heat so i'm lead to believe so still no advantage to them.

I was very close to buying one of these at one time, but considering the problems i will have with recharging and just how unreliable they seem to be especially the batteries i just can't see any point at £6000 had it been £2000 i might have taken the plunge but i suspect it would have been off the road more than on.

I'm really serching for some positive reasons to buy one, something that makes it worth my while having electricity installed into my garage for it.

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

R

Your post suggests the bike is good as a toy and nothing else, it does not come accross as a serious motorcycle or for that matter a serious commuter, perhaps in time it may become worth while but i'm sure that will come with a huge price tag.

as i have said before, for the same money you can buy some very reliable and comfortable and much faster machines, with running costs which will be much lower than these types of bikes.

also spare parts will be much more available for them.

As for the work shop manual or service manual being on line for the dealers, that is not of any use to someone that has a bike that has broken down and is in need of some repair information, so officially there is no service manual for anyone that owns one of these bikes, and you can't go to your local dealer and purchase spares either, true they are newish to the market but that is all the more reason to have servicing information available to the owners.

To be honest i have not tested one of these bikes yet, i have considered taking a trip up to coventry as one of the posters here is a dealer and suggested i do this.

I guess the bike does have a decent ride but the problem still remains that this ride will last no more than an avarage of 35 to 50 miles if lucky, so you couldn't take it out for a good run, and you will always be sweating over the problem with the batteries if they have actually charged at all.

i'm trying to keep an open mind on them still but i must admit my open mindedness on them is dwindling, which is no surprise when the batteries can't do anything near what the official claims make.

oh and by the way it seems you can't even open the throttle up else you blow a fuse, ehm i still wonder about the issue of rain, how many still ride well in the rain?

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

AndY1

As a Yamaha veteran R6 can you tell me what is so great about these bikes over a petrol bike?

Clearly compared to an R6 the vectrix is not in its league but something must be dragging you onto it over your R6 so what is it that makes you want your vectrix rather than your R6.

You don’t the range, you don’t get the same speed, its not as reliable, it’s no cheaper to run in fact more expensive, in fact the only up side is that it is cleaner assuming you recycle the batteries of course.

Why didn’t you go for a Honda tourer around the same price that will have a much better resale value and enable you to travel where you want when you want over the vectrix with its limitations?

rewski
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

I'm really serching for some positive reasons to buy one, something that makes it worth my while having electricity installed into my garage for it.

It seems pretty obvious you are looking for reasons not to own one rather than reasons to own one. I'll give you my take in a few of sentences. I've had an electric bike (Vectrix and now a new Zero DS) for two years without any problems (minus the new rear tire for a puncture). I plug it in at work, plug it in at home. Fill gas in my car MAYBE every three months. To clear things up, a plug in electric vehicle is not meant for LONG DISTANCES...it is meant for a "normal" commute (Studies in the US show ~90% drivers commute less than 40 miles per day). As for the Vectrix reliability piece, just wait for a lithium/BMS version...you worries about battery reliability, range anxiety, cost of parts will be gone! Good luck!

Adam

Adam - Denver, CO
2007 Vectrix VX-1 charged with the power of the sun = zero carbon footprint

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

rewski

So based on the idea that you will not travel more than 40 miles return journey they are ok to ride then.

But what if you have to travel 41 miles ie 20,5 miles per day that means you have to push your vectrix the extra mile in order to get to your destination.

I could purchase a Honda 125 cc motorbike for around £500 and travel around 200 miles to a tank of fuel, no need to push it anywhere.

It’s not about trying to find reasons not to buy, but here there are many owners that seem proud of their electric bike so I’m just trying to find out if there are any real good reasons to actually own one, other than as a toy of course that you don’t mind losing a lot of money on.

It is surprising how willing people are to spend a huge fortune on toys even if they are ultimately useless.

This bike as with all the electric bikes at the moment does not deserve the title alternative commuter because it seems to be unreliable and very expensive.

For some people reliability is crucial because if they turn up late for work they lose a day’s pay, so for them this bike can’t even be classed as a reliable commuter.

The simple thing is that if there are any really good reasons other than a very expensive toy then I suspect I would have been inundated with masses of good reasons to own one of these bikes, as it stands the only good reason to own one now is that it is clean to work on, but you will have to work on it a lot with no service manual, unless you are a dealer.

just_looking
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Oh I will be keeping an eye out for any updates on the vectrix but unless it is something really radical I just can't see the point.

The price of the bikes are way above anything comparable, so i don't expect the price to slump to a reasonable level (probably will rise in price) the distance may improve by 10% if lucky perhaps but the battery price will sore as usual making the bike even less likely to be purchased.

There are bound to be other software issues or motor issues or electronics issues and all will be expensive to fix, or the bike will be off the road more than on.

How future proof are they being made, will they be ready for battery swap which is being tested in hong kong now for cars? probably not.

So you will still be stuck waiting for the batteries to charge up, and still sweating when the battery meter jumps from full to empty or the batteries start to wear.

No easy replacement for the parts on the bike and you still won't be able to open it up knowing that you will still be able to get where your going.

Come on guys and dolls if these bikes are so great lets see just what is so great about them, i'm still considering buying one second hand as a toy to play around with, but i can't see them being worth anything like the original price from new.

I'm still just looking.

robert93
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Well, there's always steam power.... all it requires is a little water and ... some hot air

myvectrix2008
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

Ok then by reading all the replies it seems that none of the vectrix have been able to reach the magical number on one battery.

How can you come to this conclusion? This forum probably represents a small percentage of total Vectrix ownership. Motorcycles, electric or not, do not cover anywhere near the amount of mileage as a car.

Your comment is no different to going to a superbike forum and asking if X bike is capable for doing, lets say 190mph. If all of the responses state they have only managed 165mph so far, would you then say the bikes are obviously not capable of achieving this figure?

snail
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Joined: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 14:15
Points: 79
Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

So based on the idea that you will not travel more than 40 miles return journey they are ok to ride then.

But what if you have to travel 41 miles ie 20,5 miles per day that means you have to push your vectrix the extra mile in order to get to your destination.

I could purchase a Honda 125 cc motorbike for around £500 and travel around 200 miles to a tank of fuel, no need to push it anywhere.

It’s not about trying to find reasons not to buy, but here there are many owners that seem proud of their electric bike so I’m just trying to find out if there are any real good reasons to actually own one, other than as a toy of course that you don’t mind losing a lot of money on.

It is surprising how willing people are to spend a huge fortune on toys even if they are ultimately useless.

This bike as with all the electric bikes at the moment does not deserve the title alternative commuter because it seems to be unreliable and very expensive.

For some people reliability is crucial because if they turn up late for work they lose a day’s pay, so for them this bike can’t even be classed as a reliable commuter.

The simple thing is that if there are any really good reasons other than a very expensive toy then I suspect I would have been inundated with masses of good reasons to own one of these bikes, as it stands the only good reason to own one now is that it is clean to work on, but you will have to work on it a lot with no service manual, unless you are a dealer.

Wow, you really are "glass half empty" aren't you?

Seriously, don't buy an alternatively powered motorcycle. You clearly are either not equipped with the necessary tools, or will spend your entire ownership period in a complete state of paranoia that you will never complete your journey.

My V has never broken down in three years of ownership, and I suspect most others would have similar stories. That's good enough for me, it's not my only mode of transport and that's the point - if it ever does break, at worst I lose a few hours of my life. That's the same amount of time you'll use if you have to call a tow truck for your car because one of the million components breaks.

Your obsession with the perceived drawbacks of using and owning an EV are blinding you to any benefits. If you can't cope with the limitations, draw a line under it and move on. The vast majority of users here understand how to get the most from their investments and generally enjoy every moment.

Sure, you can buy a £500 125cc motorcycle and travel for 200 miles on a single tank. Have you tried travelling for 200 miles non stop on a motorcycle? I promise you, it's not possible if you value your body at all. You'll want to get off and push it, just to get some relief from the pain racking through you. Seriously, the vast majority of people commute less than 20 miles per day on their journeys to work. If this isn't you, walk away and move on. But make sure you do some better research to help you decide (and try to get the information constructively...)

Oh, and "ultimately useless" is just about the most banal comment I think I've ever read on these pages.

Brian

AndY1
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Joined: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - 04:29
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Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

AndY1

As a Yamaha veteran R6 can you tell me what is so great about these bikes over a petrol bike?

Clearly compared to an R6 the vectrix is not in its league but something must be dragging you onto it over your R6 so what is it that makes you want your vectrix rather than your R6.

You don’t the range, you don’t get the same speed, its not as reliable, it’s no cheaper to run in fact more expensive, in fact the only up side is that it is cleaner assuming you recycle the batteries of course.

Why didn’t you go for a Honda tourer around the same price that will have a much better resale value and enable you to travel where you want when you want over the vectrix with its limitations?

R6 is impractical for 11.5km ride to work and 11.5km back:
- to short distance traveled for the engine health
- oil changes every 6000km
- the engine and the exhaust pipes heat my legs in autumn and spring, that might be fine, but not at summer time
- vibrations (I went test riding BMW R1200 GSA and Multistrada 1200. It was such a joy riding home with my Vectrix. A silent, vibrations free ride)
- constant gear changes in city driving
- no wind protection (I ride up to 0°C outside temperature with my Vectrix)
- gas costs 1.2 EUR/l here, I pay 0.25 EUR/100km with Vectrix
- Vectrix is always 'fueled up' when I leave home. No stops needed at the gas stations, maybe only for occasional tire pressure check.
- no exhaust fumes I have to breathe at the traffic lights
- I don't ride my bike for weekend journeys anymore, since I have a family now and we journey together in a car. So I need motorcycle only for riding to work and back and for errands and short journeys. Maybe when my kids are old enough, I'll be able to ride long journeys again, but by that time, batteries will last for hundreds of kilometers and charge stations will be everywhere.
- it's not all about money. I don't need a better resale value. I like to taste the future today.

rewski
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Last seen: 10 years 4 days ago
Joined: Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 15:09
Points: 165
Re: How many vectrix reached 30.000km?

- it's not all about money. I don't need a better resale value. I like to taste the future today.

Well put! Anyone willing to purchase an EV now is going to pay a premium in regards to money, but everything listed above I "second"! Also, depending on where you live, there are many significant rebates for EV, because both National and State Government see this transportation as the future. In Colorado, for example, and new Zero DS/S cost $10,000.00 US. First you get back $1500.00 from the US government, and you get back another $4300.00 from the State government, bringing the actual cost of ownership down to $4200!!!

Adam

Adam - Denver, CO
2007 Vectrix VX-1 charged with the power of the sun = zero carbon footprint

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