Fifty things you'll never do with an electric motorcycle

Most of you are painfully aware that I have spent the last two years riding a 100% electric motorcycle, in my case a 2010 Zero DS.

It's true, I'm a little obsessed and not just because I've always liked riding bikes. For me, the real revelation is that an electric motorcycle can not only provide all the excitement of riding, but perhaps more excitingly I can now see that their applicability as a household energy storage appliance is inevitable.

As much as I love my 2010 model, since riding the latest models I have been looking for excuses and ways to get a new one. Electric vehicles are advancing at incredible speed and in just a few short years since mine was made the performance, range and sophistication of their bikes has been astounding.

It was therefore somewhat ironic and fateful that I flew over the handlebars of my 2010 model, courtesy of a nice old man who wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. I suspect that I may be Australia's inaugural electric motorcycle crash test dummy.

Luckily, I bounce pretty well for an old bloke although my joints and tendons keep reminding me that I'm not 16 years old anymore and that bitumen isn't very bouncy.

The bike was less fortunate, although it was an excellent real world test of its strength and the crash safety of an electric vehicle. It didn't spontaneously combust, electrocute me or anyone else. In fact, it came away pretty well apart from from some cosmetic damage. The post crash assessment revealed that the frame and running gear were all perfect and the battery pack and electric drive train all tested just fine. I was concerned that the forces may had caused some internal stress on the battery cell terminations and other electrical connections, but these things really are built strongly. Zero's investment in design and testing just passed a real-world proof of concept test. I've almost completed the cosmetic repairs and she's already back on the road.

Having said this, there is nothing like fate to create opportunity and excuses for change and it forced me to make two decisions. The first predictable outcome is that I am now the very proud owner of a brand new 2014 Zero DS 11.4. I'll warn you now that you will be hearing a lot more about my new ride in due course.

The second and perhaps even more profound change is that I am giving up on petrol powered bikes and selling my other bike, a quite rare and much loved Moto Guzzi V11 Rosso Mandello. After more than three decades of riding and owning more than 40 different petrol powered motorcycles I have decided to sell my sole remaining one.

That's right, I'm going 100% pure electric.

As a consequence, my neighbours are now intimately familiar with the sounds of air compressors, metal polishers and the late night clanging of tools. Although the old girl has very low mileage, the prospect of a sale warranted a meticulous overhaul and she has undergone a frame up restoration to bring back her former glory.

I have spent the better part of 100 hours on the job already and it was around 3am one morning that something suddenly struck me. By converting to 100% electric there are some things that I will quite possibly never ever have to do again when it comes to owning and maintaining a motorcycle. I had just spent a full 9½ hours sanding, grinding and polishing the entire stainless steel and carbon fibre exhaust system and was covered from head to foot in an unfathomably sticky combination of wax and cotton residue from the polishing wheels. It's a job that I will be very happy to not ever do again. Ever.

On the flipside, I got to use some tools and skills that I've had since I first learned a trade 30 years ago. I even used the opportunity to teach my two young boys a a few of the finer points of mechanical restoration, cunningly disguised as a punishment for beating the crap out of each other one too many times. I still read restoration and vintage bike magazines on a daily basis and am in awe of the craftsmanship required so it was with a tinge of genuine sadness that I realised that these old skills are in my case, less relevant.

However, now I just wish the Guzzi was done but the list of tiny jobs just goes on and on so, for fun, I kept a list of all the jobs I had done that are pretty typical of an overhaul that I will never have to do on an electric motorcycle.

1. Fit new seals to petrol tank cap

2. Replace overflow lines to petrol tank

3. Refit petrol tank

4. Refurbish fuel lines

5. Clean and descale fuel taps

6. Replace fuel filter

7. Check fuel pump operation

8. Prime fuel system

9. Clean air filter

10. Clean air filter box

11. Refit air filter box

12. Check and refit fuel injection intakes

13. Check and adjust throttle linkages

14. De-scale exhaust system

15. Polish stainless header pipes

16. Re fit exhaust system

17. Replace heat affected rubber isolators

18. Polish and repair exhaust hangers

19. Fit new exhaust gaskets

20. Fit new exhaust studs

21. Check and adjust valves

22. Clean and refit rocker covers

23. Fit new rocker gaskets

24. Fit new spark plugs

25. Fit new oil filter

26. Check and clean spark plug leads

27. Clean and check sump bolts

28. Clean and check oil cooler

29. Check HT coils

30. Drain and replace gearbox oil

31. Drain and replace engine oil

32. Drain and replace bevel gear oil

33. Clean and adjust drive system

34. Replace oil cooler breather

35. Reconnect all fuel and air lines

36. Check clutch wear

37. Check gearbox wear and gaskets

38. Check pushrod condition

39. Replace clutch fluid

40. Bleed hydraulic clutch lines

41. Lubricate and clean clutch lever

42. Clean and refit gear selection lever and linkages

43. Check starter motor

44. Check and torque set almost 400 bolt tensions

45. Check and maintain around forty bearings

46. Clean and lubricate several hundred parts

47. Lubricate tachometer cable

48. Restore and polish generator cover

49. Clean and restore alternator

50. Repair busted alternator cover bolt

Of course, this list doesn't include the potential for a full engine, gearbox or drive train system rebuild in the event of a fault or major overhaul, which would add a list of around 200-300 more jobs, I reckon, plus thousands of dollars. For comparison, here are the things I would have to do with an electric motorcycle, most of which would also be done on an internal combustion engine.

1. Check around fifty bolt tensions

2. Check and maintain two motor bearings

3. Check and replace drive belt

4. Check and replace brake pads

5. Replace and bleed brake fluid

6. Check and replace suspension fluids

7. Check and replace wheel bearings

8. Conduct computer analysis of performance and errors

9. Clean and lubricate around 30 parts

10. Check tyre pressures

As an old friend said to me “Geez Nige, if you don't get to fiddle with all these things and do all this cool mechanical stuff, doesn't that sort of take the fun out of it?” The answer to me was pretty clear. “Nope. It just means I can spend more time working on aesthetics, electronic performance enhancements, bodywork modifications and riding.”

More fun, less work.

Nigel Morris is the director of Solar Business Services.