[xophere]

I saw this referenced in an older thread so I though I would ask. I am not gonna do it anytime soon. But I don't have any interest in riding other bikes. This of course may change so I am going along as is for now. Not sure if it would be insane to have them both on the bars. I think once the clutch is gone it makes no sense to have the bake on the foot lever.

Probably not worth doing while under warranty and then maybe I will be used to it as it is.

 

[Sargon]

Moving the rear brake control to the Lt handle bar sounds interesting as it would be more like a bicycle setup however I would be deeply concerned that with a lever on the left side my muscle memory from clutching so many years would have me slamming on the rear brake when I least expected to….

 

[xophere]

Yeah I wonder how it works out for the moto companies that have done it. For me it might lead me to think more bicycle and this leads to no choice. The scooter I had for a few days had a left that was 70/30 percent biased rear. I am sure it is doable but probably not worth the effort. Though I think I would be safer not having to engage my foot to brake. I am far more likely to just front brake then just back.

 

[Sargon]

I keep the regenerative braking set high so I usually only need to tap the brake at full stops. My guess is that my brake pads will last for many years.

 

[xophere]

That has been the habit I am developing but debating if that is safe. I mean quick stop lever and regen. Certainly the rear brake pads may never where out. I have a mode with no regen as it is easier to manage for me right now. But I am getting way better with the throttle control quick.

 

[Pard]

Left Hand Rear Brake is an easy to do modification.

I have done it on many bikes.

Here are pics of the left hand rear brake setup on a Zero FXE. You can get a rear master that allows two brake lines to attach.

Run the second line to the left hand master/lever.

I heard in a ride review that the ELW has linked front and rear brakes. Is that true? Does applying front brake also actuate rear brake?

I know there is a separate rear pedal. Does that also actuate front brake?

Hand / Foot - Rear Masters

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[xophere]

I do not think they are linked in anyway. My bigger concern is interacting with the abs.

 

[xophere]

But perhaps once it is out of warranty.

 

[Pard]

I do not think they are linked in anyway. My bigger concern is interacting with the abs.

The ABS will function normally with a left hand rear brake. Once you try it you will never want to ride a bike without one.

I use it on sportbikes and even a Grom. Gives you amazing control and modulation that is hard to replicate with a foot brake.

 

[Pard]

Hypermotard setup:

R6:

Grom:

 

[xophere]

Yeah I am a downhill mt biker. Foot brake is dumb unless you need a clutch. Of course all these controls and interfaces were developed because of the old bike designs. I am sure much of it will change over time. The questions is am I ready to flip my bike levers around... Of course the real thing about this bike is you almost never really need the rear brake. Max regen will put down as much force as the traction can take. I still occasionally use my mode that doesn't have the regen but still.

 

[xophere]

Do you like your FXE? If they had been in stock I might have ended up there. Don't regret where I ended up but still. Seems like a fun bike for the city.

 

[Pard]

Yeah I am a downhill mt biker. Foot brake is dumb unless you need a clutch. Of course all these controls and interfaces were developed because of the old bike designs. I am sure much of it will change over time. The questions is am I ready to flip my bike levers around... Of course the real thing about this bike is you almost never really need the rear brake. Max regen will put down as much force as the traction can take. I still occasionally use my mode that doesn't have the regen but still.

I use the rear brake all the time, especially on corner exits when riding the bike in a spirited manner. When leaned over, a touch of rear brake to tighten a radius instead of adding lean angle can save the day.

Good video here about how some of the best riders in the world use rear brake.

 

[Pard]

Do you like your FXE? If they had been in stock I might have ended up there. Don't regret where I ended up but still. Seems like a fun bike for the city.

The FXE is a really fun bike, but the range is really only 40 miles if you ride it in any way that is fun.

You can tuck in, humm along at 45 mph for 50 miles.

They completely lie about the range. I would expect them to have serious legal problems about their false advertising at some point.

 

[xophere]

Yeah that sucks. Nobody is regularly getting the high number (145) but most of us get near the middle for general riding. You can certainly sit at 85 and get very near 85 miles. My normal riding the range creeps up to 125 a charge. But then I do a longer highway ride and that comes down. I think it's sitting at 108 miles of range on a full tank right now. I am not typically pushing the bike that hard. Though taking corning classes and such. It does draw you to that performance. Though I think there are others that can speak to the relative merits at those levels.

 

[Pard]

I am seriously considering getting a LiveWire, but I am concerned it is too heavy for the type of riding I enjoy. I plan to schedule a test ride soon.

Here is a video of the type of riding I do with the FXE, the only real downside being severely limited range. Super light, nimble and fun.

Shot this AM:

 

[Wavshrdr]

The LW will work very well in the kind of environment shown in your video.

My range is about 1% per mile of mixed hwy/city usage. When I am almost 100% in town, I get about 140+ miles on a "tank". I'll add that I actively exercise the throttle. I don't worry about sipping electrons when riding. I am fine with the LW gulping down all it can as often as it can.

The LW is a really fun all around bike. Its ideal speed range is about 0-80 mph. It will easily go faster but the very stout off the line acceleration starts to taper off at 80. It still pulls pretty well but it isn't as impressive. The chassis is rock solid all the way up to the speed limiter of 115mph.

My only real complaint is the rear shock could be better. Next on my list is a bit more leg room but a seat pad helped that out. Faster L2 charging would be a big plus for me more so than the fast L3 charing it has.

 

[xophere]

Yeah I don't have a reference on comparison though I think free people on here have ridden both. Several I think have owned both. The weight is certainly real. I had only ridden a 600 gsxr but that was years ago. I have found it takes a bit of practice for low speed handling. But on the highway on all but the tightness of turns don't feel it is slow from side to side. Your video would not seem like something I wouldn't do on my bike. At least one person has taken it to super bike school.

 

[xophere]

The place where team Oregon does it's rider training is a go cart track. So smaller and tighter turns the most roads. The LW1 is quite a lot of fun there. Even if it isn't as light as smaller bikes.

 

[Pard]

The LW will work very well in the kind of environment shown in your video.

My range is about 1% per mile of mixed hwy/city usage. When I am almost 100% in town, I get about 140+ miles on a "tank". I'll add that I actively exercise the throttle. I don't worry about sipping electrons when riding. I am fine with the LW gulping down all it can as often as it can.

The LW is a really fun all around bike. Its ideal speed range is about 0-80 mph. It will easily go faster but the very stout off the line acceleration starts to taper off at 80. It still pulls pretty well but it isn't as impressive. The chassis is rock solid all the way up to the speed limiter of 115mph.

My only real complaint is the rear shock could be better. Next on my list is a bit more leg room but a seat pad helped that out. Faster L2 charging would be a big plus for me more so than the fast L3 charing it has.

Got in a test ride today on the LW!

What a nice bike! Good acceleration, excellent braking, and really delicious handling.

I am still intimidated by the weight, but once underway, that heft is forgotten.

Very very very tempted ...