Cal Moto Livermore, on Saturday Jan 18th

[DonTom]

Anybody here going? I want to look at the new Energicas. I will probably be there in the afternoon. I received this e-mail:

Don, happy new year!

We're having an event on Saturday January 18th for BMW, KTM and Energica !

Energica will display the 21.5kWh bikes at our Livermore location. They'll have the Ribelle, Ego Plus and Esse Esse 9 Plus bikes. They're early pre-production editions that you can see and sit on and compare to the 13.4 kWh bikes. Laurence and Stefano (and maybe Chris-electric bike mechanic wunderkind for Energica) will be there to talk about Energica too.

I hope you can attend and have a cold drink and talk about motorcycles(hopefully I will be able to chat too!).

Have a great day!

Arlie Ray Blackshear

Adventure Agent

CalMoto Livermore

BMW KTM Vespa Energica

V A N D E R H A L L

952 North Canyons Parkway

Livermore, CA 94551

Ofc: 952-583-3333 Direct

Sales:925-583-3300 ext 3

Text: 408-478-8042

arlieray@calmoto.com


-Don- Reno, NV

 

[bigpoppa]

I plan on being there but I'll probably be there right when they open and leave after an hour or so...too much to get done on Saturday.

 

[DonTom]

I plan on being there but I'll probably be there right when they open and leave after an hour or so...too much to get done on Saturday.

Did you already get rid of your TTSE and buy the Ribelle?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[bigpoppa]

TTSE is sold and I'm patiently waiting impatiently for the Ribelle I ordered to arrive (sometime next month was the ballpark I was given).

 

[DonTom]

TTSE is sold and I'm patiently waiting impatiently for the Ribelle I ordered to arrive (sometime next month was the ballpark I was given).

Not counting the battery capacity, what is the main difference between the Ribelle and the Esse Esse 9?

I will probably find out on Saturday.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[bigpoppa]

More horsepower and torque as well as a sportier riding position is the biggest difference since you can get the 21kw battery in the new EsseEsse9+. According to an Italian review on YouTube, the new battery has a lower center of gravity which they said led to better handling on the Ribelle and I would assume an EsseEsse9+ would benefit from the same shift in weight.

 

[cheez]

If Carnegie is closed I might be here instead.

 

[DonTom]

More horsepower and torque as well as a sportier riding position is the biggest difference since you can get the 21kw battery in the new EsseEsse9+. According to an Italian review on YouTube, the new battery has a lower center of gravity which they said led to better handling on the Ribelle and I would assume an EsseEsse9+ would benefit from the same shift in weight.

Well, my SS9 has more power and torque than I would ever use as it is, and I like its comfort. To me the only issue between mine and the 21.5 KWH battery is how much better the new battery does, if any, at higher freeway speeds, such as 75 MPH in the hills.


You probably saw my message about how non-linear the new 21.5 KWH battery is, as speed increases, compared to Zero batteries. Zero batteries give double the range when the KWH is doubled at any speed, very unlike the new 21.5 KWH Energica battery when compared to my 13.3 kWh battery, which gives MORE than double range at slower speeds, but only 40% more range at higher speeds and we do not know what speed that is as Energica is not saying. It is even possible for the 13.3 KWH battery to have more range than the 21.5 KWH at some higher speed. With a battery, A KWH is NOT always a KWH. It depends on the load and they can spec it where they get the very best KWH ratings.

Most important to me is if I can make it from Auburn to Reno and Reno to Auburn on only home charging, with a little juice left over, even on a cooler day riding fairly fast in the hills on I-80. IOW, not have to watch my speed to make it.


It's 99 miles exactly, door to door between my house in Auburn and here. And either way, there is a lot of downhill just as there is uphill. But the bike I have now needs to be recharged with a fast charge near the summit at least one time to 100% or a couple of times to 80% to easily make it. At least there are many CCS chargers on the way.

BTW, kinda strange how Energica releases their 2021 models in January of 2020.


-Don- Reno, NV

 

[bigpoppa]

True on the range figures. Once I get mine and get a few commute laps in I can speak better to my personal freeway range figures. I'm hoping to get 100 miles at a steady 80mph but if I can get 80 miles at a steady 80mph then it's still a big improvement since I currently burn up 80%+ battery charge to go 38 miles if I'm cruising at 80mph the entire way from home to work (or vice versa).

Not an issue most days since half my commute is lane splitting as well which means I usually burn about 65%-75% battery charge to go the same 38 miles.

The model year difference has to do with how VINs are issued I was told last year when I bought my EsseEsse9. My US 2020 EsseEsse9 is considered a 2019 in Europe for example.

 

[DonTom]

My US 2020 EsseEsse9 is considered a 2019 in Europe for example.

Most (all?) of Europe goes by the date of the first sale. The 2013 Triumph Trophy SE was the 2012 model in England. We didn't even have a 2012 model here in the USA but it our 2013 model could be older than the 2012 model in England.

Here the year model is mainly marketing BS, IMO. The Vin number is what really tells us what we have, but will often translate to an earlier model year in Europe. The frame date is when built which is often a year behind what our Vin number tells us.

I will guess at 80 MPH, you could be disappointed with the new battery when you compare, but I hope to be proven wrong. I expect the new battery will still have some improvement but could be less than 10 miles difference at 80 MPH. I wish electric motorcycles would have a chart for range versus speed. If they can do it for Tesla, why not electric motorcycles? We should not have to buy one to see the realistic range.

All type of charts for Teslas. Why can't they do the same for electric motorcycles?



-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom G]

Why don't you just ride a gas bike between Auburn and Reno? Should be easy enough to find one with a tank that lasts you and you don't have to stop for gas.

 

[DonTom]

Why don't you just ride a gas bike between Auburn and Reno? Should be easy enough to find one with a tank that lasts you and you don't have to stop for gas.

I often do ride an ICE bike between here and there.

But for now . . .

I don't think it is a good idea to ride any motorcycle in snow that is more than a foot deep!

BTW, this very minute it is heavy snow at the summit, temp is 18F, real-feel temp is negative 1F.

Not many will ride a motorcycle up there for a few more days.

So I will be on four wheels with 4WD to get to Auburn today. And from Auburn to Livermore by 2 wheels, ICE also. If the weather doesn't look good then, I will go via battery. But my Tesla M3, AWD, LR.

BTW, my Moto Guzzi Stelvio has an 8.5 gallon gas tank. It can do that trip several times without getting gas. So can the 6.6 gallon tank in my TTSE. Or the six gallon tank in my Harley.

But I enjoy riding electric bikes the most, by far, when possible.


-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

I will be at the Livermore shop for sure tomorrow. I still expect to get there in the early afternoon, perhaps 1300 hrs. It's a 135 miles from here, according to my GPS.

I will show up on my Moto Guzzi Stelvio. The 8.5 gallon tank is full and the bike is all ready for the trip.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Butch]

What is a Ribelle? A sailing yacht, no?

 

[DonTom]

What is a Ribelle? A sailing yacht, no?

Means "rebel" in Italian.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[cheez]

Man that Ribelle is a sexy beast...

https://imgur.com/gallery/xRxrRBA

 

[Tom G]

I will be at the Livermore shop for sure tomorrow. I still expect to get there in the early afternoon, perhaps 1300 hrs. It's a 135 miles from here, according to my GPS.

I will show up on my Moto Guzzi Stelvio. The 8.5 gallon tank is full and the bike is all ready for the trip.

-Don- Auburn, CA

My GSA holds ~9 gal. Yesterday I had to fill up < 300 mi, was going too fast on my FW commute. And I'm disappointed BMW shrunk the tank a few years ago for the newer models.
I really like electric traction, much simpler and more reliable than a combustion engine. Unfortunately getting the electricity is still lacking as compared to electric trains in Europe.

 

[ichabodnt650]

arrived at Livermore CalMoto

Arlie Ray Blackshear Jr and Ken Snyder setting test riders off on their new line of Energica electric motorbikes

After a couple of hours, some riders left and went on a ride around the Livermore valley

enjoying the green hills along Marsh Creek Rd

Bethany Reservoir

 

[ichabodnt650]

The long way across the bay to CalMoto

Cooley Landing, East Palo Alto

western end of the Dumbarton Bridge

Niles Canyon, Fremont