Topic: An Electric CB550....

[754]

I got to wonder if that 2 STROKE wannabe Whizzer does not pollute more than the battery chargers..??

[mark]

i just realised how much that air bag looks like an A$$

........ from a Monty Python sketch.... The Man with Three Buttocks


 

[dustyc]

I thought it was the rear end of a fat fetish sex doll.

[DarkRider]

Thank god it doesnt have a brown seam in the middle of it....that would take brown nosing to an all new level in the event of a crash..

[Terry in Australia]

I got to wonder if that 2 STROKE wannabe Whizzer does not pollute more than the battery chargers..??

Well, I imagine that all gas engines are gonna pollute to some degree, but considering that modern two stroke oils are much cleaner than they were back in the days of Whizzers, (once run in, I use a smoke free Opti-Blue oil that I run at 70:1 fuel/oil ratio in all my small 2 stroke engines) I imagine that it still pollutes, but with around 150 miles per gallon fuel economy (that's this guys daily commute for a week, with a little left over for a run to the pub on a Saturday night all for the price of a gallon of 2 stroke)  it's gotta be a hell of a lot better than riding a motorcycle or driving a car.

Also, considering that the "WW" only pollutes while it's actually running (as opposed to battery chargers that are probably running for say, 8 hours overnight to fully re-charge those two big heavy batteries for the next days 26+ mile commute) I'd be reasonably confidant that it'd compare quite favorably to that "lead sled", and while the LS pilot could certainly get some meaningful exercise pushing his several hundred pound machine home if he was unfortunate enough to miscalculate the optimum distance allowed as those truck batteries rapidly discharge, I'd much rather pedal my bike to the nearest gas station, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

http://cgi.ebay.com/80cc-Motor-bicycle-Motorized-Bike-Gas-Engine-Kits-Moped_W0QQitemZ270198960249QQihZ017QQcategoryZ64647QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Topher]

No offense Terry, but what kind of pollution comes out of the battery chargers in Australia? I can charge batteries in my closed shop all day long, but I can only run my bike for a few minutes before I start worrying about taking a dirt nap. As for commuting in Washington DC, where Chris lives, it's just not reasonable to try to navigate traffic on a modified mountain bike. It sounds like he could play with the gear ratio to find a better balance between acceleration and distance. Electric motors have all their torque at 0 rpms. I think in ten years, ALL drag racers will be electric.

I need one of those airbags that comes out of the back of my CB750, just to let someone know when they're too close

[dustyc]

Here in the states, the last I heard, most of our electricity comes from burning coal, so Terry might be right. 

[miles nowhere]

As for commuting in Washington DC, where Chris lives, it's just not reasonable to try to navigate traffic on a modified mountain bike.

Why not?

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, no offence taken mate, and yeah, I wasn't meaning that the actual battery charger pollutes, I meant the generation of electricity to power the battery charger............. 

As far as city commuting on my "Whizzer Wannabe", why not indeed? I was inspired by the hundreds of bicycle commuters I saw in the city (Melbourne) every day, so when I put the first "WW" together, I rode it in and out a few times, and I still would if not for a recent job change that necessitates "freeway only" commuting, and I'm way too chicken to take it on the freeway, ha ha!

In the city, the WW's light weight, narrow profile and superb manueverability was a real bonus, and I was getting around traffic that was bogging down even the bravest motorcycle courier! Cheers, Terry.

[edbikerii]

Ha ha, no offence taken mate, and yeah, I wasn't meaning that the actual battery charger pollutes, I meant the generation of electricity to power the battery charger............. 

Yeah, and don't forget the chemicals used in the production and disposal of the lead/acid batteries.  All the "green" electric vehicle advocates ignore the toll these things take on our environment.  We don't know the long-term effects of the newer battery technologies, either.

[Topher]

That's true, about emerging technologies. However, I'm encouraged by the amount of renewable power we are quietly amassing here in the US. Here in Portland, we have several years worth of wind turbines stacked up at the Port of Portland. They are shipping them as fast as they can install them. This is happening on the east coast too. I am very much a supporter of the the idea that if we are going to pollute, it's easier to control the pollution if it's created in a few places, rather than 150 million places! Also, most of our coal comes from our domestic supply, we don't have to ship it in from somewhere else or depend on another country for our fuel.
One of the prime reasons for purchasing my CB was to reduce pollution. That hasn't really worked out, though. Now instead of my typical 20 mile commute, I can't seem to drive less than 50 miles!
It's an illness.