Kawasaki Motorcycles To Be All Electric by 2035

resetjet wrote:

Whats interesting is this: “The goal is to completely switch over to electric motorcycles by 2035 in Japan, Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia. The company...

Whats interesting is this:

“The goal is to completely switch over to electric motorcycles by 2035 in Japan, Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia. The company plans to launch hybrid and all electric versions. It also plans develop engines that run on hydrogen.“

A hydrogen powered hybrid is the answer that is not talked about.

OrangeJuice158 wrote:

Hydrogen is interesting, really high energy for its weight but not that great per volume. Cryogenics are a pain to deal with also, but it works...

Hydrogen is interesting, really high energy for its weight but not that great per volume. Cryogenics are a pain to deal with also, but it works well for really big rockets!

quadzrulebro wrote:

How about hydrogen as a fuel for power plants? I know nothing about hydrogen as a fuel. Is that a possibility?

mxtech1 wrote:

Pretty sure the stat you are looking at is the median age of owner for all motorcycles, which would include street bikes. This absolutely skews the...

Pretty sure the stat you are looking at is the median age of owner for all motorcycles, which would include street bikes. This absolutely skews the data and isn’t relevant to the off-road discussion. Just an FYI, sometimes when you are Google searching, you have to go beyond the first link that pops up in the search queue 🙄

Your stat also doesn’t pass the smell test.

In 2020, Honda sold CRF50s at a nearly 4:1 ratio when compared to 450/250Fs. Similar trend for other OEMs.

When looking at the data for the the Top 10 Off-road models sold from all OEMs in North America, the 1st thru 5th best selling models are mini bikes and 6 of the top 10 on the list are minis. I did the math from this list and mini bike sales accounted for 73% of the new model off-road sales.

Johnny Ringo wrote:

I didn’t know 6 year olds were buying their bikes. Who buys the bikes for the kids? Their 35-40 year old parents. That age group purchases...

I didn’t know 6 year olds were buying their bikes. Who buys the bikes for the kids? Their 35-40 year old parents.

That age group purchases the majority of motorcycles sold. You can try to spin it or strawman it but that is a fact.

soggy wrote:

Obviously a 6 year old isn’t buying his own bike but plenty of parents are buying there 6 year old an electric model. I’m sure ktm...

Obviously a 6 year old isn’t buying his own bike but plenty of parents are buying there 6 year old an electric model. I’m sure ktm has a 65 equivalent on the way and so on.

What are you even trying to argue?

I know a couple guys that are in love with the electric ktm’s. The 50cc are headaches to keep running for a lot of people. Electric is way easier.

theycallmeebryan wrote:

I had 2 Altas, now 1. My lawnmower, weed wacker, and leaf blower are electric. My house has solar. Were about to get a Tesla Model...

I had 2 Altas, now 1. My lawnmower, weed wacker, and leaf blower are electric. My house has solar. Were about to get a Tesla Model Y for my fiance and ill be getting either a CyberTruck or F150 Lightening.

The lack of maintenance, reliability, and the performance of electric is the main appeal for me. Less moving parts, ultra reliable, quiet, and no vibrations.

The decision to go electric had nothing to do with "going green". I knew id be using a generator at the track to charge the bikes. (If tracks had 240V RV hookups, no generator would be needed). I bought my first Alta brand new back in 2018 a week after i hit false neutral on my KX125 on the face of a jump in a race at Pala and did a front flip and was lucky to walk away just seeing a few stars.

190 hours on my Alta MXR and it still performs like the day i bought it 3 years ago. Only minimal maintenance required like suspension rebuilds, tires, drivetrain, etc. Show me a gas mx bike that can claim that.

I still own gas bikes. I still enjoy riding them. But the maintenance required with gas bikes is way higher than my Altas, and nothing comes close to the experience i get riding the Alta.

Those of you who are blindly REEEEE'ing about this with no experience with electric powerplants are missing out on a lot of great fun. Your loss.

Boomslang wrote:

Curious....what will the average life span be of one of these motorcycle batteries and once the battery has reached the end if its life, how and...

Curious....what will the average life span be of one of these motorcycle batteries and once the battery has reached the end if its life, how and where do they dispose of the nasty bits n pieces?

All these dead batteries will need recycling / waste management plants....which I assume will generate pollution.

Geezuz, how I wish we could turn back time to the 1980's....life was much better.

Zoom wrote:

The average life span of the Alta battery pack was estimated to be 3000 hours.

mxtech1 wrote:

KTM Ag will be well ahead of 2035. They may not be 100% EV, but I think they will have EV models in each size bike...

KTM Ag will be well ahead of 2035. They may not be 100% EV, but I think they will have EV models in each size bike for all disciplines before 2030. They are already MILES ahead of the competition with their e50s.

Kaw, Yam, Suz, Honda will be slower to adopt, but they are further ahead at this point, as all 4 companies already have EV domain and power train experience with other applications within their corporation.

I fully believe Triumph will debut with EV bikes. Do a little research on their EV partnership and research projects with Williams Engineering (yes, F1 Williams)

The OEs that are really going to struggle with this technology adoption are the small, niche manufactures like Beta, Sherco, TM, etc. The R&D investment is so large that I’m not sure how they will keep up.

Personally, I’m excited. This is the next technological revolution in the history of our sport and is fantastic for the sustainability of our future.

Boomslang wrote:

Curious....what will the average life span be of one of these motorcycle batteries and once the battery has reached the end if its life, how and...

Curious....what will the average life span be of one of these motorcycle batteries and once the battery has reached the end if its life, how and where do they dispose of the nasty bits n pieces?

All these dead batteries will need recycling / waste management plants....which I assume will generate pollution.

Geezuz, how I wish we could turn back time to the 1980's....life was much better.

Zoom wrote:

The average life span of the Alta battery pack was estimated to be 3000 hours.

Boomslang wrote:

That's a pretty good lifespan. Thanks for enlightening me.

Zoom wrote:

The average life span of the Alta battery pack was estimated to be 3000 hours.

Boomslang wrote:

That's a pretty good lifespan. Thanks for enlightening me.

davis224 wrote:

How many full motor rebuilds would that be on a 250f? How many years for the average rider?

Boomslang wrote:

That's a pretty good lifespan. Thanks for enlightening me.

davis224 wrote:

How many full motor rebuilds would that be on a 250f? How many years for the average rider?

Zoom wrote:

Average racer rides about 100 hours a year.

Jeff_Brines wrote:

Just a few more thoughts... 1) Anything with a time horizon past a decade is more a PR stunt and less something you should plan around...

Just a few more thoughts...

1) Anything with a time horizon past a decade is more a PR stunt and less something you should plan around. I say this as a guy who works in news/finance for a living. Really what we care about, depending on the industry is the next 1-5 years. Past that, its so much a craps shoot, nobody really puts much stock into it (no pun intended). They didn't sign on some dotted line or somehow guarantee this is what they will do. They have good reason to believe by this point technology will be there, performance will be there and overall incentive will be there, but don't misread - this is 100% a PR stunt. They (like all other powersports cos) are already playing with electric (look at job postings if you don't believe me)

2) Think about what else will happen in FOURTEEN years. You'll likely see a company or two get acquired or die off. Maybe a new one comes along. Bla bla bla.

3) Think about how much your own perception will slowly change over this amount of time. Everyone here acting like they are coming for your ICE bikes tomorrow, they aren't, clearly. But I'd bet every dollar in my bank account a good number of those who are against an electric powerplant give a second look when they are faster, easier to ride and ultimately more fun. That hasn't happened yet, so of course we have some bellyaching to do!

4) By this point, (14 years from now) you'll have a more open minded group buying bikes (this is what I was originally implying). A number of you will own EVs, your lawnmower will be electric, the bike you bought for your kid when he was 7 was electric, etc. As a result you won't have this knee jerk reaction of "oh man I can't buy one of these cause they are different/unknown" will be absent

5) An electric bike will require less wrenching. This will bring people back into the sport, not the other way around. I'll be almost 50. If things are going REALLY well in my life, this won't impact me, as I can spend my days wrenching on bikes and playing with my kids. But The truth is, I probably will have a bazillion other commitments outside my hobbies, less wrenching is a great sell to the wife to let me keep this silly expensive dangerous thing in the garage...

My big point here is we should all take a deep breath and realize there will be a lot of changes over 14 years. Its cool to think there will be a material change in that time, which I'd suggest is needed to keep breathing some life into the sport. Technology isn't the only thing that drives a sport, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

Alan Dove wrote:

Less wrenching isn't a good thing. Take karting as an example. In 1997 the sport went largely from engines that needed to be rebuilt ever hour...

Less wrenching isn't a good thing.

Take karting as an example. In 1997 the sport went largely from engines that needed to be rebuilt ever hour or so (top end) to 20+ hours. It went from a selection of 10 manufacturers in a class... just literally one standard built by Rotax FR125. It went from bump starting to starter motors. We went from guys running themselves to hiring mechanics in teams

From 97 numbers continued to decline.

We saw growth in historic racing. The KEY component is culture. Having to wrench is a GOOD thing. It develops dedication and commitment to a sport.

Also an electric bike can still snap your back if it wanted too. One you remove all the dirty/oily elements you left with silent death traps. If you think modern generations are averse to wrenching, what do you think this market will think of regular trips to A&E.

8500rpm wrote:

I don't have any statistics...just a thought. Right now, or 5 years from now as urbanization continues, the youth have less disposable income(?incorrect maybe?), I'm sure...

I don't have any statistics...just a thought.

Right now, or 5 years from now as urbanization continues, the youth have less disposable income(?incorrect maybe?), I'm sure it will benefit Sales!!! if mx/dirt bikes are easy to maintain and don't need a 'race shop' and greasy fingers.

Said it before in other posts...will say it again.

MX is a Sport for me! ...not a engine building hobby.

If I want to build engines in a garage I can also venture into vintage cars, vintage bikes, steam trains and all kinds of things from the past... it's a GREAT hobby if that's the hobby you want and have the premises (garage).

...but now, off the my cellar to do some workout, as the Sport MX requires you to be fit

8500rpm wrote:

I don't have any statistics...just a thought. Right now, or 5 years from now as urbanization continues, the youth have less disposable income(?incorrect maybe?), I'm sure...

I don't have any statistics...just a thought.

Right now, or 5 years from now as urbanization continues, the youth have less disposable income(?incorrect maybe?), I'm sure it will benefit Sales!!! if mx/dirt bikes are easy to maintain and don't need a 'race shop' and greasy fingers.

Said it before in other posts...will say it again.

MX is a Sport for me! ...not a engine building hobby.

If I want to build engines in a garage I can also venture into vintage cars, vintage bikes, steam trains and all kinds of things from the past... it's a GREAT hobby if that's the hobby you want and have the premises (garage).

...but now, off the my cellar to do some workout, as the Sport MX requires you to be fit

Alan Dove wrote:

You have to look at the sport as a whole. If you take the engine builders completely out of the equation you take out a huge...

You have to look at the sport as a whole. If you take the engine builders completely out of the equation you take out a huge part of the sport.

90% of the comments on this forum are comparisons between manufacturers and teams right. Remove that 'aspect' of the sport you diminish the whole sport. You remove conversation. Conversation fuels interest. Take F1 or any top motorsport. The 'wrenching' part is a key driver of interest.

Also, this 'youth' talk is a red-herring. The youth might also be becoming far more risk averse. Ecoism, in my experience, seems to run side-by-side with risk aversion in general. There's some psychological correlation. Wrenching is old fashioned, as so is risking your back and neck on a motorbike.

I really don't think anyone really is taking into account the risks involved for the sport here. You can get into bed with electric propulsion, but be wary of what that means for the sport. Maybe it is inevitable, but I don't think the 'youth' is gonna suddenly turn up on masse.

gt80rider wrote:

Never happen

We went to 4 strokes how long ago because smokers were gonna be banned???

bayodome wrote:

Manufacturers preemptively made the switch because of an EPA regulation change. The rule basically said that if 2-strokes were found to be operating on public lands...

Manufacturers preemptively made the switch because of an EPA regulation change. The rule basically said that if 2-strokes were found to be operating on public lands illegally, the US Gov't had the right to revoke that OEMs ability to sell said motorcycle in the country.

ex. If Joe Schmoe was caught riding a YZ250 at Hollister Hills without the proper stickers, the US authorities could say that Yamaha was no longer allow to sell the YZ250 in the United States anymore. Period.

I don't think that rule has ever been enforced but it lit a fire under the OEMs and the YZ400 was born. Then lo and behold, 4-strokes were suddenly better performing bikes anyway and easier to ride, so here we are in this modern era.

They cost more, cost more to fix and have more parts which all equals more revenue for the industry. Why wouldn't they go in that direction. Electric bikes will also cost even more, require even more specialty parts and training for mechanics and will (and already are) open entirely new markets for OEMs. Again, why wouldn't they make the switch?

Frank Tuesday wrote:

Companies pledge to do things all the time. It gives them good press for a little while, then everyone forgets and they don't have to follow...

Companies pledge to do things all the time. It gives them good press for a little while, then everyone forgets and they don't have to follow through. In another 10 years, they'll make a similar pledge and won't follow through on that either.

Frank Tuesday wrote:

Companies pledge to do things all the time. It gives them good press for a little while, then everyone forgets and they don't have to follow...

Companies pledge to do things all the time. It gives them good press for a little while, then everyone forgets and they don't have to follow through. In another 10 years, they'll make a similar pledge and won't follow through on that either.

queen of spodes wrote:

Honda pledged to never produce another 2-stroke due to environmental concerns. They seem to be following through and nobody stopped buying CRFs to protest. The sport...

Honda pledged to never produce another 2-stroke due to environmental concerns. They seem to be following through and nobody stopped buying CRFs to protest. The sport will do fine with e-bikes when they start being released.

mxtech1 wrote:

KTM Ag will be well ahead of 2035. They may not be 100% EV, but I think they will have EV models in each size bike...

KTM Ag will be well ahead of 2035. They may not be 100% EV, but I think they will have EV models in each size bike for all disciplines before 2030. They are already MILES ahead of the competition with their e50s.

Kaw, Yam, Suz, Honda will be slower to adopt, but they are further ahead at this point, as all 4 companies already have EV domain and power train experience with other applications within their corporation.

I fully believe Triumph will debut with EV bikes. Do a little research on their EV partnership and research projects with Williams Engineering (yes, F1 Williams)

The OEs that are really going to struggle with this technology adoption are the small, niche manufactures like Beta, Sherco, TM, etc. The R&D investment is so large that I’m not sure how they will keep up.

Personally, I’m excited. This is the next technological revolution in the history of our sport and is fantastic for the sustainability of our future.

M1000 wrote:

If the machine is better than the current machines. Then no problem. It seems to me that manufactures are putting kart before the horse. Where is...

If the machine is better than the current machines. Then no problem. It seems to me that manufactures are putting kart before the horse. Where is this consistent energy (power),coming from? Hydro, Coal, Wind, Sun, petrol, nuclear? Batteries store power. Battery Efficiency is becoming better by the week. Where is this energy coming from to power countries, cities, transportation, recreation, agriculture, etc? 10-14 years. It has Taken 100+ years to get where we are today. The politicians want to change energy source in 15 years?

lostboy819 wrote:

Yep, no question in my mind that the performance of the electric will be great but its charging them that will be the problem. People will...

Yep, no question in my mind that the performance of the electric will be great but its charging them that will be the problem. People will really cry when they have used their allotted amount of electricity for the month and are not able to get anymore or they will be metered down when you have reached a set amount for the month. The power grid cant even come close to handling now and it will take 20 or more years to build up the power grids and wont matter if its nuclear or steam or coal or solar. Its gonna be just like when we all switched to the metric system by a set date, it never happened. Most of you younger guys wont get the metric system line so google it.

Jonesboys819_828 wrote:

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/395811467991008690/pdf/104339-PUB-PUBLIC-ADD-doi-isbn.pdf | It's called a plan, its been underway for a while now. I call it extorsion, when you have one of the largest financial firms...

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/395811467991008690/pdf/1043… | It's called a plan, its been underway for a while now. I call it extorsion, when you have one of the largest financial firms in the world telling you to play ball how they want or never get funded for anything ever again, then you make business decisions.

It's not a questions if the tech is good or bad, or if performance is better or worse, or environmental factors, it's about control. The question is why.

VRR7 wrote:

Has anyone compared running of battery operated RC vehicles compared to Fuel RC vehicles ?

Fuel ones are much more fun !

lestat wrote:

Our track races 1/8 ebuggy and 1/8 gas buggy classes . Ebuggy is always faster and has three times the numbers entered . 🤷‍♂️