So, I have this idea? Alcohol was involved! I am putting this out there, it could be viable, it may be a WOFTAM, but, hmmm, who knows, I think it is definitely interesting.
I have been a static Strom for about 12 years, because I had to rebuild my life after the world did not end back in 2012(bugger) 😉 Plus I have also had a few personal issues during the time after my my return from my world travels. Rolled a truck(broken neck), heart attack a few years later etc. But, I am still vertical, above ground and own my own business and living but had no goals going forward.
Then, a few weeks ago, I read that the Chinese company BYD had produced a battery pack that can be 100% charged in around 5 minutes or so(using a special charger). This was for cars. And the range of those batteries was going to make a 600km+ journey easy to do. That could be a game changer for the future of eCars V fossil fuel vehicles!! As long as there is enough electrickery.
Brain(alcohol) wave, can I buy an electric “motor” bike suitable for dual sport conditions, or an electric adventure bike. I may not be able to do another world adventure. But, there are definitely areas in Australia that I could attempt now, that I did not have the confidence to do so on my previous tour. The difference being, I am way more comfortable falling off, or stepping off bikes, if the terrain is too knarley. 🙂 I have had a shit load of practice 🙂
The question.. Could I do a lap of Oz, on an Ebike, could I do the Tanami Track, the Oodnadatta Track and what about Birdsville, Wolf Creek or the Bungle Bungles, maybe the Cape? If I had a range of 600km, it would be doable. The best I achieved out of the Vstrom(DL650) was from bad memory around 580km(using the highest 98 octane unleaded)from a 22lt tank. I will have to double check that.
My brain was activated and I did the modern version of “let your fingers do the walking”, ie google. What was out there, is there anything at all? Well, I found exactly ONE bike from California that could do the job except for one little issue, it had a range of about 180km. Useless for my purposes. But. It did have potential, as it has been out there and field tested for quite a few years, about 10 or so, with some very positive feedback from owners, regarding it’s robustness.
So, I thought, what if I could buy one of those bikes, and then change out the batteries and replace them with the new BYD ones?
Sounds good right?
Well, it did until the exchange rate and tariffs sort of fucked the world. The bike that was built from the US, was now going to cost around $50k to bring to Oz. And then there would be the cost of swapping the battery pack out. Bugger. That is way out of my price range.
Ok. More booze is needed. Glug glug.
What if. What if I stripped the motor, petrol tank and wheels off my stationary Vstrom. What if I packed the motor and tank area with battery packs. Added electric wheels/motors. And added a tablet to control it?
Interesting, methinks!
Is this doable? I have no idea. One of the first hurdles is, can I “build” an electric adventure bike in QLD?
At first glance, when I did a boozy search of the laws regarding eBikes in Qld, it seems that 25km/h is the maximum speed. Gonna need some more sober research, cos I won’t be travelling anywhere at that speed.
I am not sure if there are any rules regarding this area. So, if you are interested, hang around and we can find out together.
To be continued…….
TravellingStrom 