WIth people pointing out the Varg ( or any electric thing) lacking the range they want or need . And many saying that they need 30+ 2 with extra for a restart at Pro level speed . It got me wondering how much gas is the average Poster is using each time they go out riding. Maybe this is info already in the polling that Vital puts out each year and I missed it. I remember questions about how often. But not anything about how much gas they really use.
Using tankfulls to measure riding time might be able to give a more specific idea of runtime for each person and the way they ride. Rather than saying Up to X amount of time on an MX track, or a minimum of X amount. Since so many variables go into the range , even with a gas MX bike. Then if an electric MX bike was stated to have the range of a full tank, or half tank it would be easier to have an idea of the range You could expect. Just an Idea.
1.5 tanks a day (90+ minutes of fairly hard riding).
*See how I shared info in one short sentence? (Even your thread title is wordy!)
Maybe 2.5-3 gallons. Hot doggin it pretty guud. Thing is, regardless of fill ups, I don’t have to bring my gas for my generator to put gas in my bike for 20 minutes. Let’s focus on the actual issue lol. Not to mention, most tracks are deep or moisssttttt in the morning so there goes nearly 3/4 tank between warmup/sight laps and first moto.
2-3 gallons here so 1.5 tanks would be a comfortable requirement.
1hr motos for me, split between as fast as I can go and then a slowdown and just endurance riding. I basically ride until I start getting worried about my fuel being low. Usually 2-3 sessions per day. MX. Im sure I could figure out how to make use of a Varg, but I enjoy gas for now. I don't take a long break between sessions so doesn't leave a long time for charging the bike. Hard to say how much gas i use because I don't let my tank get low and I can't see or measure anything. I guessed and selected 2 full tanks.
The Shop
I would have loved to see a Stark at NCMP yesterday. Track was super deep red clay and my 450 felt like a 250.
Wayyyy too slow and unfit to have to put fuel into a four stroke at the track, depressingly.
The irony here is that if you rode your bike long enough to put gas in it, you would become faster and fitter by default.
Warm up for a couple laps, then two 30+2 motos at whatever speed I happen to be in shape for at the time. Top up the tank between motos, but I don't keep track of the actual volume used. Didn't ever have to do a red flag restart, though, so it's fairly irrelevant for the future comparison to an electric bike...
Absolutely no idea, never totally fill my tank up, always pump a few gallons of 93 in my truck in the morning and get a random amount of gas every time I go, always dump the left over in my truck so my bike always has fresh gas
I try to get at least an hour of ride time every practice day. It’s probably 3-4 15 minute motos. I get pretty tired after 10 minutes anyway but I’m just out to ride and bs with my buddies.
I was thinking about the red flag restart's at a local level. I have not been to many local races for a few years now. But they do not seem as common as they are in Pro racing. Although my first race ever, I had 2 starts red flagged. It was a novice class and was because of the first turn.So it was stopped not even a half lap into the race each time. and the total race was 3 or 4 laps. I would bet that most local red flags that have a restart are from first turn pileups. But not all of them. NESC had a rule that after a certain % of the race if it was red flagged they would stop the race and the results came from the last green flag lap.
Not sure how most local racing handles them now. But it seems like in the case of a red flag and restarting a local moto, they could just adjust the race so the overall race length would never be longer than without a restart. It would also help keep the motos running on schedule . I think Electric will find its way into local racing before Pro racing so there will be some time for the run time to catch up as far as providing an extra lap. In Supercross they may need to have 2 batteries to be able to run the entire night program. But I would bet that many have a spare engine right now anyway. Maybe they could have a sponsor with a spec battery for the pro racing side.
So far it seems more like the runtime of an electric bike would iimpact Non racers more than racers . As far as the people who took part in the poll goes.Assuming the Varg is close to the range of a full tank on a 450. Most would only need to charge in between motos and there is plenty of time if You ride 1 class at the local races I have been to. if it takes an hour or 2 to charge from 0 to 100%. Practice days could be more of an issue with more time waiting to charge , but racing MX locally if you normally go through a tank or 2 You would have plenty of time to top off between motos.
I remember them cutting the race lengths when there was a mud race back when I was still racing, but then they started to cancel races when it was bad instead. Local racing. Sorry for the long post.
My reference to red flags was a joke about the ridiculous expectations of some in the Stark thread. Most vet riders I see at the track (likely the biggest market for Stark) do two or three 10 minute motos and call it a day. The Stark has more than enough capacity for them. And it seems to have plenty of capacity for the vast majority of riders out there regardless. Most of those who it won't work for are the same ones that it won't work for simply because there's no racing class for an e-bike yet.
It just made me think about the times I have seen or been in a restart at a local race, in classes that a varg would be able to run in. I wasn't meaning to call you out or anything. My point of this survey was to see how many people would really need the runtime some claim they would need. I was figuring that there would be people who hate electric that would not answer honestly and throw off the results , maybe not though. I just thought it could get people who were on the fence or did not realize how much gas a top pro can use in a 30+2 moto to see if a Varg would work for them . Or how it might impact their riding if they rode one. Give them a possible more realistic way to compare how far they can get from a charge VS tank full. Since a slow trailride you might get 6 hours and a trail rider might not realize that a top pro has trouble getting to finish a 30+2 on a sand track with the same amount of gas.
I figure the local Open and Vet classes will be the first places these bikes are let race . There will probably not be enough of them to have a dedicated Electric class right away. So unless people want to race themselves, or against Sur-rons those classes would be the easiest to fit them into right away like you were saying.
I remembered about what I was using at Southwick to race in the B class on an old CRF450. Not a very good b class racer. Top 5 was a good day for me. And I was able to go the entire day on a tank if they ran the shorter 4 lap first moto 20+2 second and with the 3 laps of practice they gave back then. I think the people who will benefit most from Electric are the riders with less skill. Not having to keep it in the correct gear, etc.. Things my 450 helped me do easier than my 2 stroke.that would be even easier with electric . I bet that the lap times for a slower racer will drop by more than the faster guys who can ride in the correct gear,etc.
Gordie also found that working on his 2 stroke bike was much more enjoyable than working on his electric bike. The simplicity of the 2 stroke engine made it easy for him to perform maintenance and make carburetor jet changes. He enjoyed tinkering with his bike and making it run just right. The electric bike, on the other hand, required specialized knowledge and tools that Gordie didn't have.”
What….complete fresh BS right there. Electric motors are simple……. Drive it and forget it. Meanwhile the rider can become excellent at suspension tuning.
Exactly , And they can build in so many variable "tuning options" into the software that controls the bike . And you wouldn't have to hunt around for the correct jets, or that special needle I remember needing to have for my CR 250 to run right .No driving to the dealer or ordering jets online only to find out you have the wrong jet. And then spend all that time learning how to jet a bike right , buying the special tools to change jets. Meanwhile the electric bike might have sliders in an app to change each parameter to finetune the power delivery. And you just download the app onto your phone and connect to the bike. Like the Yamaha app for their 4 strokes. It sounds complicated but electric motors are so much more simple than gas engines.
But again, if you wanna ride a 2 stroke, Awesome, 4 stroke that's great. Each type of bike has its advantages and disadvantages.
Post a reply to: How much do you ride ? And how many tanks of gas do you normally use in a Day of riding or on a Raceday.