Undecided - electric or gas?

dnute2006

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I just went out and tried a BionX motor on a bike. It was great!! Now I would like to see what a gas one is like. The BionX is so quiet!!! :LOL:

Since I don't know any place to try out a gas motor assist, I was wondering if there is someone that would meet me at Cherry Creek State Park for me to see their set up and how loud it is. I've been looking at the Golden Eagle with the EH035 engine set up. Is there anyone near the park in Denver/Aurora that would let me look at theirs and get a chance to see how loud it is? I'm not interested in riding, just looking at it and seeing what it's like and how loud it is. I would really appreciate it and it would help me decide on whether to go electric or gas.

Thanks!!
 
hi nute; welcome. it sort of depends your riding needs and wants. elec. is nice, quiet and clean, short range and batts. are expensive. an elec. usually costs as much as a subaru gebe set up. the 35cc subaru is around 50-65 decibles. this kit will last many years if the belt is kept true and you change oil. the kit gets 200-250mpg and will run 30mph. search--rack mount or gebe or robin subaru. i hope that helps. look up thatsdax it is near you.
 
Thanks stude13. I've checked the prices of both systems and found it would actually be cheaper for the GEBE. Getting 200mpg would be awesome!! I've looked up the 50 to 65 decibels and it says it's not as loud as a vacuum cleaner. Does that mean if you're riding your GEBE bike next to a regular bike without a motor on it that you can talk to each other without yelling?

I'll search the threads you suggested. Thanks.
 
stude13 makes valid points but I have to question the decibel level. I have a new Robin and while I've not put a decibel meter on it, it surely is louder than a vacumn cleaner. LOL. Actually, I'm thinking about ways to quiet it but that's just me....I want it real quiet...and yes I know what the HT and some of the other 2 stroke sound levels are and that's why I bought a Robin.

Your larger question is something I think about a lot. I personally think the gasoline operated MB may be in for future legal battles. If they attract the attention of state legislatures I feel they will be regulated and I'm guessing DOT compliance is probably where that will that will end. If that happens, rather than attempting to bring a bicycle up to DOT standards, I think I'd just get a small motorcycle.

Electric bikes seem to be getting a pass, at least from the feds and some states. The problem for me with electric has been the expense.....a good set-up with decent range, recharge time and battery life is gonna cost some bucks, IE: LI-ON batteries.

Just my rambling 2 cents/
 
That's a plus of the electric. It's sure quiet and I don't think that many people even notice that you have a motor on the bike. The range isn't what I could get with gas because I have to charge up. BionX says they have a range up to 65 miles on the lowest assist, but I'm skeptical of that. I'd say it's more logically half that. That's one of the problems I see is the range. With the gas I can just fill it up and continue on. The BionX is expensive and then you have to get another battery after so many years, but there is also the changing of oil and other things with the gas motor.

I guess you can tell I'm very undecided. Right now I'm wondering about the noise level of the gas, but also, which of them is better for getting this big body up some pretty big hills? When I test rode the BionX this morning there weren't any big hills to try it out on. It did great on the small hills though. I also plan on doing alot of riding in Western NY and I'm thinking that the GEBE is going to be very noticed where the BionX wouldn't. Plus, it's illegal in NY and having it unnoticed is a very good thing. But there are some big hills in NY and PA where I'm from and plan to ride besides Colorado.

I'll take anyones rambling on this. Thanks!!
 
Hey bud,

I have both an electric and a gasser. So I am unbiased.

The electric is nice to ride, but with the batteries its really heavy. Also to range on all of the electrics are woeful. Battery technology is a oxymoron, as there hasnt been any great leaps and bounds in their development for the last 50 years. The new Lipoly batteries are criminally expensive (about a grand and a half for a 48V setup) and they are still heavy and dont provide a decent range. And electrics arent silent, as the motor itself does make noise.

The gasser is lighter and does sound like a motor, cos it is, even the HT's arent intrusively loud though. And with the fuel usage it is very economical (literally like the old saying "it runs on the sniff of a oily rag").

Range for a full tank in a gasser is 10 times that of a electric. Also refueling it if need be is a painless affair. With the electric if you run out of charge you are pedalling a heavy bike home as you cant just plug it in and recharge the batteries in a minute, and I dont personally want to stop mid trip and plug in the bike for a few hours.

I know its not good news for the electrics, but its the battery technology that lets them down.

If a battery exists that is even just half the weight of existing batteries and can provide enough charge for say a 50 mile round trip, electrics would rule the roost. But in reality for ease of use and confidence a gasser wins hands down.
 
......If a battery exists that is even just half the weight of existing batteries and can provide enough charge for say a 50 mile round trip, electrics would rule the roost. But in reality for ease of use and confidence a gasser wins hands down.

The same reasons why electric cars are just pipe dream. There is going to have to be some sort of breakthrough battery technology, along with a clean way to charge those batteries before electric vehicles gain traction. What is the point of an electric car if it is charged from a coal or natural gas powered generator. It is still a vehicle powered by fossil fuel.
 
I run a Mitsubishi TLE43 2-stroke and it's not very loud at all. I can actually barely hear it over the wind in my ears when I'm up to speed. The only time I find the noise a bit irritating is if I have to gear my setup down to creep up a really long, steep hill or when I ride past a building that is right at the curb at full throttle and I get the engine noise plus the echo bouncing back in my right ear.
I also have both gas and electric and what you've read here is pretty much true. The electrics are better for an assist whereas the gassers can mostly be ridden like a moped and hardly pedaled at all if you wish. A good gas engine has almost no maintenance or repairs same with the electric except for the occasional battery replacement. My setup I literally just mix the gas/oil and a little stabilizer every gallon and clean my foam air filter for every gallon or so I put through it. Other than that its mostly bike and chain maintenance.
On a side note electric vehicles were already proven in California a decade ago and many high density/low cost batteries have been developed but are kept out of production for what I believe are obvious reasons.
 
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