"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
08/23/2019 at 12:31 • Filed to: two wheels good, Harley-Davidson
0
23|
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
08/23/2019 at 12:31 • Filed to: two wheels good, Harley-Davidson | 0
| 23 |
After being told by several Oppos to do Demo days, I’m finally doing one! One day I hope to actually get review bikes, but I’m not going to complain. :)
This weekend Harley-Davidson is hosting a Livewire ride event near me and I feel there’s no better time to knock some more things off my bucket list. I’ve never ridden a Harley and the fastest EV I’ve ever piloted is the electric smart. I’m going to knock riding a Harley, an EV motorcycle, and a powerful EV off my list all in the same day. Mind you, the two newest motorcycles I’ve ever ridden were a 2012 Chinese clone of a Honda Ruckus and a 2009 Chinese clone of a Honda Helix.
I’m probably going to feel like I’m stepping so far into the future I’m going to want to sell off all my bikes and spare cars for one brand new motorcycle. Maybe. :P
If I get enough riding in I’ll write a first impressions/review on Out Motorsports and here.
In other news, the Ranger is back on four aired up tyres!
A friend gave me a spare wheel, so now I have 6 wheels for my Ranger. I’ve been putting off putting on that spare wheel he gave me because I thought it would be a nightmare. To my surprise, changing the wheel a Ranger is very nearly as easy as doing it on a smart. Those jack perches are magical! Now I can drive it out to the wash and my fav tyre installer to get the muddy bois on.
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:39 |
|
How many HD accessories are you going to return with?
arl
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:43 |
|
How many tattoos are you going to return with?
|
Mercedes Streeter
> gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
08/23/2019 at 12:44 |
|
At minimum, a Spor tster I’ll only ride to bars and sell 5 years later with less than 300 miles on the odometer?
Jewish Stig
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:46 |
|
Frankly the only thing im curious about is how is the weight distribution in comparison to a “normal” bike?
I wonder if the batteries are heavier and make controlling the bike harder than a "normal" one.
MrDakka
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:49 |
|
How many of your Smarts are you going to sell to buy the Livewire?
bob and john
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:54 |
|
this is one bike i REALLY want to ride. dam you.
benn454
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 12:57 |
|
Now that you have 6 wheels for the Ranger, you know what you must do.
6X6 conversion!
|
Mercedes Streeter
> benn454
08/23/2019 at 13:08 |
|
Gotta find pics of it, but a guy on the Gambler 500 this year did make a 6 wheeled S10. Thing was so long it couldn’t even fit the extra axle on a trailer.
|
benn454
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 13:59 |
|
Yeah, I'm gonna need those pics by the end of the day. That would be greeeeaaaaat.
Pickup_man
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 14:00 |
|
How does the weight feel? It looks like quite a lump of a machine but I’m hoping that most of the weight rides low and makes it fairly flickable.
Do you find yourself wishing it had gears? Or is the power delivery intuitive and responsive. I know electrics don’t really need gears, but I’m curious to know exactly how weird it is to not have gears being your first time on an electric bike, and if you think gears might actually benefit it.
Is the fit and finish worthy of it’s price tag? It’s overpriced no matter how you slice it IMO, but Harley is generally really good about fit and finish, and I’d expect it to be top notch at this price especially. More generally, does it feel premium or cheap?
Lastly, and maybe you can’t answer this one, how do I convince my wife that purchasing a fifth motorcycle that is more expensive than anything I’ve ever bought, and simultaneously more valuable than everything I own, a good idea?
Enjoy the demo days!
CRider
> Jewish Stig
08/23/2019 at 14:01 |
|
If there’s one thing Harley knows about, it’s making bikes that are heavier than " normal” bikes.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> benn454
08/23/2019 at 14:07 |
|
I completely forget if the extra axle was powered or not, but I do know the guy’s intent is a true 6x6 when he’s done with it. Apparently he drove it all the way to Michigan’s UP Gambler 500.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> Jewish Stig
08/23/2019 at 14:10 |
|
I’m going to ride out to the event on my 40 year old Goldwing. I’m expecting it to handle its weight better than an 80s UJM. :)
|
Mercedes Streeter
> MrDakka
08/23/2019 at 14:11 |
|
Both of the gray market ones.
But realistically...none of them. lol If I sold every vehicle I owned I still wouldn’t be able to afford that price tag.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> arl
08/23/2019 at 14:11 |
|
Yes.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> Pickup_man
08/23/2019 at 14:12 |
|
Ooooh very very very good questions! I’ll keep them in mind when I’m there! :)
|
benn454
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 14:17 |
|
Yikes. Looks sketchy as hell.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> benn454
08/23/2019 at 14:22 |
|
It does! I guess he strengthened the frame by welding/bolting the frame from the donor truck on top... or something, there’s a lot going on there. lol Apparently it survived both Gamblers and the road trip, though!
|
benn454
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 14:32 |
|
That’s what it looks like to me. A frame sandwich. Maybe he didn’t have the welding skills to cut and patch the frame
?
I'm surprised it didn't fold in half at the first incline.
nermal
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 15:36 |
|
I wanna know about the sales process. Is this something put on by the dealership or by some corporate types? How pushy are they to get you to buy one, or just to buy anything at all? How knowledgeable and well trained do they seem to be?
My hunch is that HD is going to run into the same problems that other auto manufacturers did when launching EVs. They didn’t do a good enough job training the dealership employees, and as a result it hurt them.
Cé hé sin
> Mercedes Streeter
08/23/2019 at 16:22 |
|
That’s serious rust right there.
|
Mercedes Streeter
> Cé hé sin
08/23/2019 at 16:31 |
|
That’s a midwest USA truck for ya! My Ranger’s frame looks like that, but the metal’s very thick. Think it was the same for this thing despite appearances . :)
|
Mercedes Streeter
> nermal
08/23/2019 at 16:40 |
|
Also good questions! I know HD dealers are sometimes not so welcoming to people outside of the HD fanbase, but the Livewire is supposed to be attracting riders that aren’t typical Harley clientele. I would also be interested in how they try to sell this. I think the Demo ride tour thing is already a good start.