The Tesla Model M

[DonTom]

The Tesla Model M is going to be a motorcycle. Looks like Elon changed his mind! That will be neat, a plug-and-charge motorcycle that can use ANY of the Tesla Superchargers.

And I thought I was done buying vehicles!!! But it will have to be a touring bike, not a sport bike for me to be interested.

-Don- Kingsbury, NV--near South Lake Tahoe (Zero DSR/x ride)

 

[DonTom]

I thought Tesla did not advertise:

 

[DonTom]

I found out from the electric motorcycle forum that all the info. on the so-called Model M is fabricated nonsense which all has nothing to do with Tesla.

I should have known because of two things. Tesla does not advertise and the other is that it would all be too good to be true to have a motorcycle that can charge anywhere with anything.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

In the "Tesla" video, a muffler can be seen right at 54 seconds in when the bike stops.

The bike has been IDed as a ten-year-old gas Ducati motorcycle.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

There is always the HD Livewire. I test drove one once. Very interesting. Not gonna give up my Dyna but the livewire was pretty cool

https://www.livewire.com/

 

[DonTom]

There is always the HD Livewire. I test drove one once. Very interesting. Not gonna give up my Dyna but the livewire was pretty cool

I have also test-driven a HD LW. But I knew I wouldn't like it in advance for countless reasons. The LW is my least favorite electric bike of them all.

Reasons:

1. No level two charging (that is a biggie). On AC can only charge at 1.6 KW.

3.3KW on either of my Experias.

With my Zero DSR/x 6.6 KW (with 13.2 KW available if I want to give up some storage space for another AC charger).

2. No reverse. Both of my Energicas have reverse(another biggie).
3. Slow to charge even in a DCFC @ 13 KW max. My Energicas can each charge above 20KW. Almost twice the speed.
4. My Energica Experia has a 22.5 KWH battery. 15.5 KWH in the Livewire. That's another 50 miles of freeway range, or 100 miles more if riding at a slower speed.
5. no decent luggage available.
6. Energicas are more comfy, at least to me.

I cannot think of even one advantage the HD Harley has over the Energicas.

The price is about the same.

Try an Energica sometime!

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

I am not in the market for an electric motorcycle. The livewire is the only one i have ever seen in person. I cant speak to almost everything you posted. You know a lot more about them than i do. But not having reverse on a 2 wheeler doesnt bother me at all. In some ways i think if you need it you probably shouldnt be on a 2 wheeler

I am a cruiser guy just cause they are more comfy for long distance rides. I dont ride mine like a cruiser lol but i like the stance

 

[DonTom]

BTW, the Livewire is no longer made by Harley, they are independent. And they lowered the price down quite a bit. The HD LW was at 30K$. The non-HD LW is now priced at 16K$. And it has been redesigned, and it looks like it now does have Level Two Charging, but no Level Three. I am not finding any real specs, such as in KWs.

The Livewire.

They did NOT make it any better, just cheaper.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

But not having reverse on a 2 wheeler doesnt bother me at all. In some ways i think if you need it you probably shouldnt be on a 2 wheeler

The need is different than the want. Reverse is very handy, such as not needing to back in the garage at my Auburn house. I back in my ICE bikes so I can get them out easier up the driveway slope. With my electrics, I just use the garage door opener and drive in and don't even need to think about riding them back out. Reverse does that for me.

BTW, I rode my thousand lb Harley today, I had to be very careful every time I park it. I need to remember when I am NOT on an electric with a reverse.

I went up to here to see if they started the construction of the fast chargers, To my surprise, they have! That is a great location for my Energica for rides in the high Sierra Mountains.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

I agree that they can be handy at times. My Dyna is only around 750lbs and i figure that when i cant push it around anymore thats a sign i should consider not riding it anymore.

It is a safety feature.

 

[DonTom]

The livewire is the only one i have ever seen in person.

Did you try it in the sport mode on an open freeway? Most ICE bike riders are shocked when they do that with any electric motorcycle, even the smaller ones.

FWIW, I don't even use the sport mode on any of my bikes. The normal street mode is super fast as it is. The sport mode is ridiculously & scary fast.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

Did you try it in the sport mode on an open freeway? Most ICE bike riders are shocked when they do that with any electric motorcycle, even the smaller ones.

Unfortunately no. It was a closed course in the parking lot at a larger HD dealer when they first came out with it. HD was very protective of them back then.

 

[DonTom]

My Dyna is only around 750lbs

Which Dyna? You probably won't want to hear what I have to say about the NEW Dyna Switchback I rode for around a half hour.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

Unfortunately no.

Yeah, that is a bummer. Some ICE bike riders cannot see the excitement of electric bikes until they do. I let one of my buddies ride mine in Sport on the freeway with no traffic. He went 80 MPH, and then from 80 MPH, he went WOT. He then almost cracked his neck. He didn't expect it to go from 80 to more than 100 MPH almost instantly, very unlike any ICE vehicle.

BTW, they limit the WOT to some top speed in the computer, but it's well over 100 MPH.

The LW would also perform much like that.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

Unfortunately no. It was a closed course in the parking lot at a larger HD dealer when they first came out with it. HD was very protective of them back then.

The Rocklin, CA HD dealer said I could ride it for an hour, but they also said they preferred I NOT use the sport mode. And I didn't, but I knew what it would be like anyway.

BTW, I really didn't even want to go on the test ride, but they knew me at the HD dealer and they almost begged me into it.

I was not impressed, but I am very used to electric motorcycles and know what to expect.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

Which Dyna? You probably won't want to hear what I have to say about the NEW Dyna Switchback I rode for around a half hour.

-Don- Reno, NV

HD killed the Dyna line but they did keep some of the models alive. I didnt know they were still making the switchback. Thought they killed that one a while back. I never cared for the front tire/fender combo on it.

Im kinda old school. Some people prob dont care for my bike but it is seriously comfy to ride. I did several cross country rides onit and could easily spend 12-14hrs in the saddle as long as the weather was good.

2011 wide glide. I loved the factory exhaust and paint scheme

 

[rvlifer]

My preferred setup is to remove the sissy bar and replace the passengar seat with a leather cover but the way it is in that pic lets me carry luggage on the passenger seat for long trips. I like it clean without saddlebags, fairings, or windshield

 

[DonTom]

I didnt know they were still making the switchback.

It was many years ago (2017) that I rode the new Switchback. I was riding my 2013 Triumph Trophy SE and my buddy, George (who died in 2023) was riding his new HD Dyna Switchback. We often traded bikes for a while and that one I hated. It was a real nut shaker even when at 100 MPH. Then when stopping, it takes about 10 minutes of instructions to figure out how to put down the sidestand. I was so happy to get my Triumph back for the rest of the ride!

However, back then I had another buddy who owned a Harely Dyna (forgot which one but NOT the Switchback)and he loved that bike. But mainly because it fit his small size well. But he got in an accident with it and no longer rides. He is now too old to be riding motorcycles.

And then a while later, George traded his Switchback in on a new Harley Road Glide Special with the newer larger frame and new M8 engine. We swapped bikes again. I couldn't believe that was a Harley! Before that, I hated every Harley I had ever tried. But the RoadGlide was a great ride. And the next day I purchased my Harley Road Glide Ultra, the bike I was riding yesterday. It's the most comfy bike I own for a longer ride. And somehow gets around 50 MPG with its six-gallon tank.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

Im surprised that any HD would shake at high speeds but every manufacturer lays an egg now and then and HD is well known for some of their poor designs.

I tried riding full dressers from HD and i didnt like how much they got pushed around by the wind. I was impressed with how easy they were to ride though. Seems HD does a great job on balancing their bikes and i never noticed the extra weight in how they handled.

I used to ride japanese bikes and it was always funny to compare them side by side. When idling my HD would shake something fierce and the Japanese bikes you couldnt even tell they were running. At highway speeds it reversed. The HD was smooth as silk but a Suzuki would beat the crap out of me.

If i was gonna buy a sport bike it probably would have been a Daytona

 

[DonTom]

I tried riding full dressers from HD and i didnt like how much they got pushed around by the wind.

My Roadglide isn't great in the wind, but it helps a lot to keep all the vents open when windy. But I know what you mean. I would expect such a heavy bike to do better in the wind.

If you want a full dresser for windy days, it is the Triumph Trophy SE. I have often not noticed how windy it was until I stopped! That is a great bike for lousy weather of any type. Heated seat and grips, the fairing goes up and down with a press of a button and the best wind & rain protection I have seen on any bike.

If i was gonna buy a sport bike it probably would have been a Daytona

Triumph Daytona 660? I am not into sport bikes, but that one does look nice. But the high-revving sport bikes are a major change from a low-revving Harely. The high revs make a bike sound like junk, IMAO. It's almost as bad as that sick sound from the old slow-revving Harleys that many others like--but to me, it just sounds like the bike is sick and way out of tune.

BTW, do you know the formula for how many motorcycles you should own?

It's "N +1" . The "N" represents to number of motorcycles you currently own. So you're one short! So get yourself that Daytona!

-Don- Reno, NV