‘I’ve been to Spain on it twice’
● Mile-munching Alex Navarrete parted with a BMW HP2 to embrace the allure of electric power
“I love to ride and will always find an excuse for it,” says long-distance enthusiast Alex Navarette. “My commute alone is 60 miles each way.” The freedom to be found in piling on the miles is a common calling among all bikers, but is it possible to scratch that touring itch with the perceived range limitations of electric? Alex thinks so.
“I took a Zero for a test and was instantly hooked,” says Alex. “It was all about the torque and smoothness of the power delivery for me, although the green aspect is a nice bonus. It made perfect sense as a commuter, so I bought one to run alongside my BMW HP2 Enduro.
“I loved my HP2, but with 70,000 miles on the clock it was starting to show its age. I’d also put 20,000 on the Zero, and wanted something with a bit more power and a faster charging time. A test ride on the Energica Ribelle was all the encouragement I needed to sell both and step up a level.
“The Ribelle is a lovely bike, it feels really special to ride and I’m reminded of how lucky I am to own one every time I go out. I’ve had it just over a year now and have already put 12,000 miles on it. It’s great when you want to go fast, just twist the throttle and it goes like a bat out of hell, but what really shows over distance is how smooth it is and the effect that has on reducing fatigue.
“For the most part, I ride it like I would a petrol motorcycle and that gives me around 100 miles to a full charge. I avoid motorways, because maintaining those speeds constantly really eats into the battery, and besides it’s more fun to ride B-roads anyway. It only takes around an hour to charge the 21kWh battery fully on a DC charger [find out more about charging on page 19], so the key is to do your homework regarding stops and plan accordingly.
“I’ve been to Spain on it twice, most recently in December, and despite freezing rain most of the way, the Energica took me there and back without missing a beat. The longest day was around 400 miles, which took a lot more time than expected as I encountered a faulty charger just across the Spanish border and the backup I diverted to was painfully slow. It actually caused the bike to show an error code, so I took it to the Energica dealer in Madrid who swapped out the part under warranty while I waited.
“It’s a bit cheaper to charge in Spain than the UK, but France is very expensive. Rather than the cost of electricity used, the tariff is based on the length of time you’re hooked up and can be up to 50 euros for an hour at some of the motorway services!”