“A fairly average view that did little to improve the mood,” joked Fuery. Supplied
When Steve Fuery heard about an off-grid expo on the other side of the 1,800m high Victorian Alps, it sounded like the opportunity to take a trip he’d been dreaming about on his recently acquired Zero electric motorbike.
The 1,200km return high country trip from Blackwood Forest to Eldorado takes in beautiful views on the eastern edge of the southern Great Dividing range, and though the rigours of the trip saw Fuery skip Dinner Plain near Mount Hotham, the ride down the other side gave ample opportunity to try out the bike’s regen.
In the humourous vernacular of the “I ruined the weekend” group on Facebook, which lampoons prime minister Scott Morrison’s inaccurate claim that EVs would “end the weekend” prior to the last 2019 federal election, Fuery described one stop on the trip as “A fairly average view that did little to improve the mood.”
Fuery took some time out after his ride to respond to our questions and tell us a little bit more about his ride (make sure to keep a look out for more of his comments in the photo captions below!):
What electric motorbike do you ride, and why did you choose it?
The bike is a 2018 Zero Motorcycles DSR. Zero has made electric bikes in California for 15 years and sell them globally. They were in Australia until 2017, withdrawing due to average sales in a challenging market for any EV maker, with the company also citing unfavourable exchange rates and taxes.
I believe the uptake was also sluggish due to sparse charging infrastructure and our greater distances. Fast forward five years and things are looking better, not just for increasing sales of electric motorcycles but because there are many more chargers on the map.
A couple of years ago I was thinking about getting another motorcycle after a break of 12 years. Then in September 2020, I saw the ‘Long Way Up’ – the third series of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman going the Long Way somewhere on motorcycles.
This time they were riding from the tip of South America to Los Angeles on prototype electric Harley Davidsons. It got me thinking about electric as an option and I just happened on a second-hand Zero for sale.
Leaving home near Phillip Island. Supplied
Is it your first EV? If not what else do you own?
This is the first electric vehicle I’ve owned. I had a look at our other cars (a Prius and a people-mover) and with fuel prices at the current level, (for us) the break-even point of that total cost of ownership calculation is looking more like five years away than the original seven or eight. That might be something we consider again in the next 12 months.
If you owned a bike before, what is better about this one?
Motorcyclists ride for the feeling of freedom and being at one with their journey. The g-forces as you turn, accelerate pick a line through a corner, the wind and the smells. Electric motorcycles take this to another level as there’s no vibrating gyroscopic mass thundering underneath you.
You can feel and hear nearly everything. The first time I rode it, I thought the front tyre was going flat, but I had just never heard it before. There was nothing wrong with it and I stopped to kick the tyre to be sure. It also took me two days to stop reaching for a clutch that wasn’t there.
At the festival. Supplied
You can feel it when you run over a stone, and hear birds in the trees. I have added a bicycle bell to the handlebar for the pedestrians that walk out in front of me – at least they laugh instead of jumping out of their skins!
The other major difference is 146Nm of torque as soon as you open the throttle. The acceleration in ‘Sport’ mode is like nothing I’ve felt before but to be honest, most of the time I’m riding in ‘Eco’ mode.
Anything that you don’t like as much?
I’d still like to see more Level 2 AC chargers around to fill in some gaps in more remote places. Apart from that, I love it. The simplicity is amazing too, and the lack of moving parts that wear and tear on an ICE bike means that servicing is minimal. Even brake pads wear less as you tend to favour regenerative braking (regen) where the engine slows you, adding about 10% back to the battery in the process.
What route did you take and why?
I’d been looking for an excuse to make the journey across the Victorian Alps and when I saw the Australian Electric Vehicle Association had a stand at the Eldorado Off-Grid Living Festival, I saw my chance.
It took some planning ahead and I was hopeful of great weather, right up until the weekend before when 80mm of rain fell. I took off from my home in Blackwood Forest (near Phillip Island) and charged at Churchill Hotel and Traralgon.
“Charging at Traralgon. Barely enough time for coffee – pretty annoying,” said Fuery. Supplied
The next leg would be close: from Glenaladale I needed 32% to get to Dargo and I had 34%. Just to play it safe, I plugged into a powerpoint at the Echo Bend Caravan Park for an hour and a half, giving me a 15% buffer.
I’d also wanted to see the Den of Nargun in the Mitchell River National Park, so by the time I walked there and back, the bike was nearly at 50%. After clocking 250kms for the day, I camped at Dargo River Inn on a powered site overnight.
“Back on the bitumen after 50kms of challenging mud on the Dargo High Plains Rd. In the rain. Shattered to find 55% remaining at Harrietville after all that regen. Surely the trip should have ended there and not continue with an ale and 40 min top up,” said Fuery. Supplied
There were steady showers all night and it started again as I began the climb to Mount Hotham. About 50kms of the Dargo High Plains Road is unsealed and there are about five patches that turned to clay, making conditions really greasy.
At one stage I’d moved over to make room for an oncoming car to pass, then when gently moving back to the middle of the road I lost the back wheel and dropped the bike. I wasn’t going fast – it was more like stepping off it but I still had to get the 190kg machine upright. Not a lot of fun when it’s tricky to get a solid foothold!
“Such a shame I couldn’t spend more time here. Stupid regen,” said Fuery. Supplied
In the end, all was good but as I reached the intersection at St. Bernard I decided to skip the charge at Dinner Plain another 20kms to the right, in favour of the downhill run to Harrietville. Such a fun road on a bike and the regen meant that when I reached the bottom, I had 55% remaining and an estimated range of 250km!
After a charge at the Harrietville Hotel, I went over the Tawonga Gap for lunch with a friend in Mount Beauty, then headed to Milawa Caravan Park, where I had a powered site for the next four nights. An easy 103km. The Festival at Eldorado was only 20km away.
“Photographic proof that I made it – no Photoshoppery going on here. Just the promise of food, coffee and power,” said Fuery. Supplied
For the journey home was going via Woods Point and Walhalla. With 3mm of rain forecast and my back pretty sore after lifting the bike once, I opted for the one-day route home on the bitumen, with chargers at Whitfield, Delatite, Yarck, Healesville and Koo Wee Rup. All up I’d clocked 1,200km since I’d left.
How did you find the charging experience?
By the time I’ve ridden for an hour or hour and a half, I’m ready for a decent break anyway, and charging provides that. I have a good amount of respect for my own capabilities and accept the fact that I’m not 20 anymore. Back then, I used to ride a 250cc Yamaha from Albury to Melbourne, one week out of every six to attend trade school, stopping only for fuel.
It’s also good to patronise a business if they’ve put free charging in, even if it’s only a coffee. I figure that they’ve made the investment to support electric vehicles so I like to return the favour.
Charging at Zappi chargers along the way. Supplied
With a cheeky play on words from the Chief Health Officer, my approach is that “the best charger is the one that’s available right now, in front of you.” So I tend to charge more often, taking less time to do so. That way, if my next charger, is busy, blocked or out of action, I can confidently skip it knowing I’ll reach the next one.
What were the reactions from people along the way?
A lot of people were surprised to see a motorcycle at an EV charging station, sparking curiosity even from people charging alongside me.
The most common questions people asked at the Festival and on the road were around range (160-180kms), how long it takes to charge (Level 1 is 10% per hour = 18kms per hour, Level 2 is 50% per hour = 80kms per hour), how much to buy one (new about $30,000 to $35,000 or second-hand $15,000 to $20,000), where can I buy one (new: an importer just opened a showroom in Burleigh Heads, Australian Electric Motor Co or keep an eye on the second-hand market eg BikeSales.com.au).
Spot the odd one out. Supplied
Any challenges along the way?
Apart from the slippery sections of the Dargo High Plains Road, not really. There was a lady at the Milawa Caravan Park who had made the same journey in a ute and thought she was going over the side of the mountain at one stage. Knowing that a car had experienced similar challenges getting over the Great Dividing Range added some perspective to what I’d just done on two wheels.
What did you enjoy the most?
Proving that such a trip is now possible and will only get easier. I also loved spending two solid days of talking to people about electric motorcycles and charging, as well as answering questions on social media.
Keyword: Another weekend “ruined:” Electric motorbike rider tackles Victorian high country