A Global Climate March in Lubbock, Texas?!!!

A good friend of mine has this quote hanging on her wall. I always agree.

I apologize. Once again, it's too little too late on my part.

I've had the global climate march on my mind. I always think of climate marches being in places where significant numbers of people who believe in and give a damn about the effects of climate change. I seldom see such things around here. But they got me with that "global" word. And I have been finding a little more hope lately.

So, I went to the oracle and typed in "climate march lubbock". I learned about our local weather in March. So I typed "global climate march lubbock texas" and the 8th suggested site was titled Global Climate Marches in Texas from texasimpact.org. And I got excited - there was a march listed for Lubbock at 1pm Sunday on the Texas Tech campus. So I clicked on the link. And it was a dead link. I did a few more searches. The Texas Tech  official calendar had a listing for the march but only offered a link to start your own march.

So, there may or may not be a March on the campus on Sunday. I may or may not be there.

The struggle, and I imagine it's this for many of you too, is being too overwhelmed by the little picture to do anything about the big picture. I have been too busy finding ways to keep the stuff from falling apart and keeping the bill and tax collectors from taking away the stuff. Then I look up and realize there are climate marches possibly happening in two days.

May the woods be lovely, dark, and deep. May we find a way to march toward betterment and health.

Thankful 2015: A very incomplete MH list

 

for people who fight to improve our world, to conserve and protect nature, and to serve those in need

 

for people who strive for better (rather than more)

 

for each day I have the opportunity and the health to ride a bike and leave the car behind

 

for every great blue heron, horny toad, and possum that (safely) crosses my path

 

for people who rescue strays and strays who rescue people

 

for a season of learning to garden

 

for pipelines not built

 

for the freedom and opportunity to write this blog

 

for each and every person who takes time to read this blog

 

for those who invest in and develop clean energy

 

for those who acknowledge man-made climate change and work to slow it

 

for everyone who reduces consumption, who recycles, who repurposes

 

for family, friends, and my amazing wife who tolerate my MH nagging

 

for people who believe differently but seek common ground

 

for my Savior who sustains me

 

May your thanks list completely overwhelm your adversity list. Thank you, friends!

A few holiday e-bike deals showed up in my inbox, 2015

The emails are coming in, all of those holidays deals on this and that and whatever else. And I am a little torn. You see, I am no fan of all the holiday consumerism. I am especially not a fan of any company that tries to sell you something on Thanksgiving or wants you lining up at their door on midnight of the day after. I am really not a fan of Black Friday shopping.

On the other hand, I am a fan of electric vehicle adoption, and lower prices mean more EV adoption.

So let's talk EVELO Electric Bicycles and Rad Power Bikes.

EVELO has two things going on - a collection of mid-drive bikes and a pretty cool powered wheel conversion kit called the Omni Wheel. The mid-drives are their own design and they seem to have a pretty legit product line. The bikes start around $2100, the Omni Wheel starts around $1200. And their Black Friday sale starts (!@#$%) on Thanksgiving and will get you somewhere close to 20% off depending when you log in.

 

Now, the one I am more excited about - you know me and my obsession with cargo bikes - is the Cyber Monday sale at Rad Power Bikes.You have possibly seen my ramblings about the RadWagon. Rad Power sent me an email about the Cyber Monday sale, but they did not give any price cut details, just a teaser. (Rad Power, thank you for waiting until Monday!)

 

 

The RadWagon costs $1700. The RadRover is $1500. Who knows what the sale will be? If it's a BOGO sale, give me a call!

 

May you find an e-bike or a powered wheel under your tree, and may it carry you on many petroleum-free adventures and commutes.

 

PS. I'll let you know if you I get any more cool emails.

Another Look at Daymak Electric Bikes and Scooters and Such

Once in a while I re-post desktop vacation videos. You may have caught one of the Danny Macaskill videos, the ones I sometimes head to for a ten-minute mindsweeper. Sometimes it's all the break I need to prepare me for another couple of hours of work.

Well, my next recommendation is not quite that, but for those of you who are interested in electric bikes and scooters, you might find this one intriguing.

Getting to the video: Just go to daymak.com and don't click on anything. Daymak has a random shuffle going with lots of video of their products. (People keep asking about my dream job, I think I'd like to shoot, edit, and produce Daymak videos for a living.) Enjoy the videos, but don't expect any Danny Macaskill stuff.

[Blogger note: I have never seen a Daymak product in person.]

You see, Daymak intrigues me. I had seen them in the past and discounted them as a distributor of some really mediocre looking Chinese e-bikes and scooters. Then their break-out product hit Kickstarter, and I started paying better attention. It was the Beast. They met their Kickstarter goal and delivered their product in a timely manner.  And people even seem to be happy with them.

So, I did a little more research and found that Daymak had previously created a predecessor to the powered wheels (Flykly, Copenhagen Wheel, Evelo, etc.) that are all the rage these days and put it in a bright yellow bike. And it's actually pretty cool when you check it out.

Daymak Shadow

 

On the heels of the Beast came the Daymak Drive System. Or maybe I used the wrong verb tense since it has still not made it to production. The DDS is very much like the Copenhagen wheel and such with the added bonus of built in solar panels for supplemental charging. And they've hoped to bring it in at considerably less money than those others. Still waiting, but I look forward to seeing what it turns into.

 

Daymak DDS

 

The most recent innovative product from Daymak? Well, it may not be that innovative, but it does look like a game-changer among e-bikes. At first glance it seems a pretty standard machine. A hardtail hybrid, twenty-one speed with a low-powered front hub motor and a removable lithium battery. What makes it exceptional is its really low weight and its really low price and its exotic material list. An e-bike under 35 (or even 28) pounds, under $2000, and made out of carbon fiber. And if you jump on the Kickstarter train, it can be had under $1000. And this from a company that has actually delivered on what seemed like a long-shot Kickstarter - the Beast. (And it's pretty sexy in black suede.)

 

Daymak EC1 Kickstarter

 

Yep, Daymak keeps surprising me, especially for a company that offers things that look like this:

 

 

May Daymak keep surprising us, and may we keep having new and better options for staying away from gasoline while having a very enjoyable ride.



Tiny Olla Garden Update

It's a cold and breezy November day, and the garden is still offering surprises long after expected.

These two peppers surprised us this week - the only peppers this olla-fed plant has produced. Happy Thanksgiving indeed!

The Food-Is-Free planter is still producing tomatoes, and they are still delicious and juicy. This project has born more joy than produce. 

I keep thinking the garden season has ended, but The garden keeps proving me wrong.

I haven't seen a gecko in a month but I did catch a glimpse of the ultra-rare leafmunch gator this morning braving the biting breeze.

May you have a glorious day friends and may your projects, plans, and hopes bear fruit!

A Spark in the Quest for a DIY Folding Bike

Last year there was a vintage Bianchi folding bike for sale on the local Craigslist. I watched it drop from $150 to $100 to $50. And I struggled. I want less stuff. I have too many bikes. I have no use for a folding bike. It finally sold. I was relieved.

Then I started traveling a little bit for work. I even went to an unfamiliar town or two. And I wished for a folding bike to have hauled along. I started searching for a folding bike. No such luck. Timing is indeed everything.

Then I stopped traveling, and the itch went away.

Lately, I have been riding the bus a little. And that "last-mile vehicle" concept has started making sense to me. The bus stops are 1/4 mile from my house and 3/4 mile from my job. (That Flykly scooter I wrote about a few weeks ago is looking much cooler now.) And I have been looking at folding bikes again. There is a cool Dahon folding bike on Craigslist now. I have watched it drop from $150 to $130, but I am really cheap broke.

Someone go buy this thing (so I won't be tempted)!

 

So, where does this leave me in my quest? It's gonna have to be a DIY affair. I  keep looking at DIY folding bikes, but I haven't seen many that looked feasible for a man with my limited skills, money, tools, and time...

 

...until this morning. Some cool Euro bike dude posted an Instructable that has my brain and fingers itching. Will I build one? Probably not, but the next best thing might be to inspire you to build one. Check it out!

Folding Fixie (without welding)

 

Now, where's that scaffold hardware catalog and a set of calipers? I know they're around here somewhere.

 

May you upcycle your cycle and may you take each other everywhere!

That tailpipe question

From Friends of the Earth and the GCR article below

The phenomenal young woman was home from college recently. The three of us were headed home from dinner and decided we needed something from the drug store. There's a Walgreen's less than half a mile from our house and there's a CVS about a mile away. I suggested Walgreen's, but she quickly spoke up, telling us that she exclusively supports CVS now that they have taken the moral high ground and have stopped selling tobacco products. One of those prideful grins crept onto my face. It's the first time I have seen her vote with her money. I remember all the times that she rolled her eyes at my wife and me for doing the same thing. It's an amazing thing to watch her grow up.

But it makes perfect sense, someone very near to the three of us, a non-smoker who spent his whole life surrounded by smokers, died of lung cancer five years ago. Watching anyone die of lung cancer should have us all shopping at CVS for the same reason. She very clearly sees smoking as morally wrong and chooses to support a business that takes a brave (and unprofitable) stance.

I thought a little further, started to make a Mesquite Hugger point, but bit my tongue. It was not yet time, but the time seems to be very near. Each time I slide my debit card into a gas pump, I feel terrible. I very clearly see burning gasoline as morally wrong. But unlike her, I hypocritically support the thing I know to be wrong.

The NRDC explains it better than I could in these two snippets:

The article (as do many other very credible sources) clearly shows that gasoline-powered devices very clearly cause and aggravate lung disease and cancer, and the risk is most significant for children. You can read the entire article here: Our Children at Risk: The Five Worst Environmental Threats to Their Health (Chapter 4 Air Pollution)

When you read that article, do you
(1) shrug your shoulders and move on?
(2) feel monumentally guilty?
(3) think the NRDC is part of a big hippie conspiracy?
(4) laugh at the thought of reading an NRDC article?
(5) giggle self-righteously as you ride away on your bicycle?

For me, it's mostly choice #2 with a little #5 thrown in for good measure.

Can you read the NRDC article and think that Marlboro is any more evil than Exxon? That Camel is any worse than Shell? That Phillip Morris is more damaging than Phillips 66?

Where smoking was, petroleum is.

History is very close to repeating itself. Big tobacco took a big fall when the news broke that they had known and hidden how harmful their products were for a very long time. The scandal is just now breaking with the #Exxonknew movement. It looks as though Exxon has known how harmful their products are for a very long time, and it looks as though have worked very hard to conceal that knowledge.

I ran across a John Voelcker Article on Green Car Reports today that asks the question that I did not: When Will We Start To See 'Tailpipes' As Morally Wrong? I hope it is soon.

(From Envisioning the American Dream)

May we soon live in a time when petroleum fuels seem as silly as these cigarette ads.

Holiday Materialism 2015 - The frog, the owl, the stuff, REI, and Black Friday

Last year, instead of rebelliously lying in bed on Black Friday, my wife and I rebelliously went hiking in Caprock Canyon. It was a day that brought us closer together and a day in which we did not grow more cynical in our view of humanity. (Storming the doors of Target or Wally World or Best Buy at 2am would have spawned great animosity toward our fellow man.)

It was also a day in which we did not grow deeper in debt but we did grow deeper in appreciation for the natural world.

Recently, I noticed there is a movement to get people outside and out of town on black Friday. REI (the sporting goods people) have been leading the charge this year with the #optoutside movement. REI is closing up shop on Black Friday so that their people (and theoretically their customers) can get outside and do something memorable, meaningful, and healthy rather than jumping into the meleé that is Black Friday shopping. I can attest that it's a great plan! So can Mattie and Kylie who went to Caprock Canyon with us last year. It was a great day and I can still vividly remember that time. I especially remember the smile in my wife's eyes that day.

Gratuitous Black Friday 2014 black dog panorama!

 

This year, I do not know that we will have the luxury to sneak away on Black Friday, but I do want to make sure that we focus on something more meaningful than shopping. In the world of stuff. this has been a rough year. Frankly, we grow tired of being owned by our stuff.

The High Price of Materialism (And I thought frogs were the good guys.)

The Story of Stuff (The Mesquite Hugger staff has a big ol' eco crush on Annie Leonard)

 

So don't just stand there - Bust an Ad!

 

I haven't talked it over with my brown-eyed girl, but I hope to make this Black Friday into Bake Friday - not the fake-bake or the get baked version, but the one where we bake stuff to give our friends for the holidays. (Mattie and Kylie would be all about that too!) Or maybe it should be Instructables Friday, where we build recycled Instructables as gifts. Maybe we should call it Help-Us-Clean-House Friday and invite all of our friends over. Maybe...I am taking this too far.

 

May your day after Thanksgiving be something more than charging boldly into debt. 

 

 

A Good(will) Surprise in Lubbock Recycling

Eddie Perez of Goodwill

 

Recycling. It's something we don't do terribly well in this part of Texas. So I get a little excited every time I learn about a way that recycling is going well here. I got a little excited today!

 

I went on a tour of the Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas facility on 34th just east of I-27. There I learned that Goodwill has an electronic waste contract with Dell computers. Yes, there is an outlet for electronics recycling here in our dusty town! And there's no big procedure to it. If you donate unwanted, outdated, or non-working electronic equipment to Goodwill, they will try first to sell it in one of their stores or in their clearance store (the Pound Store), but if they don't sell it, they will package it up and send it to Dell to be dismantled and recycled. And that has me excited, but it does not stop there.

Goodwill also works at recycling all unsold materials. The tour took us through the salvage warehouse where they sort all unsold items. The metal items are sold to Jarvis Metal for recycling. Clothes and textiles (even stuffed animals) are baled, sold, and shipped to recyclers and resellers. Even shoes get the treatment. Eddie Perez explained to us that they work diligently at keeping donated items out of the landfill. He even spoke of finding new recycling opportunities such as CD's, DVD's, and X-rays. That's not to say that they are at 100% on recycling, but it's a world above what we normally see and they are striving to do better.

 

While there, we also had the opportunity to tour their document shredding facility. The bales of shredded paper are sent to secure facilities in the US to be turned into pulp and recycled. I was excited to learn that (walk-in) residential shredding is encouraged  (32¢ per pound) and they take unopened junk mail (they remove plastic windows and shred plastic credit cards and such). If you worried about it, they have provided an observation window to allow you to see your documents being shredded.

 

Yep, things are looking good for recycling at Goodwill and they do all of this while working at their Mission Statement: To Create Job Opportunities for People with Barriers To Employment. More recycling, more jobs, and a better quality of life for our town.

 

[MH sidebar: I need to head back to the Pound Store this weekend - I saw crutches and messenger bags there - the perfect ingredients for building the panniers from the MH post earlier this week. Such a great resource for us DIY upcyclers!]

 

It's a great day when you find out about great things going on around you. May you also learn great things about your neighbors.

 

 

 

 

Personal Carbon Reduction: Electric Car Very Basic Orientation

I rode to work in a diesel hybrid this morning. And it was a pretty luxurious ride (in comparison with the bicycle I rode Monday-Wednesday). At this point, you are probably thinking to yourself Where did the Mesquite Hugger come up with a diesel hybrid? Well, it's not mine. It belongs to Citibus. And it's a beast! But hey, how many of you can say you rode in a diesel hybrid lately? Or any kind of hybrid lately? How much does the average person even know about hybrids or other big-battery assisted cars? Let's talk about these cars.

This morning's chariot

 

(If you know all about this stuff, just move along. I just meet a lot of people who have not yet learned the differences and express surprise when you mention the difference between a Volt and a Leaf.)

Let's start with the simplest - the battery-electric vehicle.

 

The BEV is the simple one here. If you crave simplicity, this is the car for you. These cars require extremely low maintenance because there are so few moving parts. They are also the greenest and most efficient of the bunch. They also keep you out of gas stations - you can fill up at home.

 

Many detractors make noise about getting power from dirty coal-powered utility companies (which is a legitimate complaint to a very small degree) but two things make this option much greener than most anything else. First, the pollution from extracting, transporting, and burning coal is still less than the same process for extracting, transporting, distributing, and dispensing of petroleum products like gas and diesel. Second, we are seeing impressive growth in the amount of renewable energy being offered by utility companies. As the electric power being offered gets cleaner, so does the environmental friendliness of your vehicle.

 

If that's not good enough for you, however, there is another option that can make your BEV extremely clean - go solar at home. If you combine home solar power with an electric car, you will have an extremely low carbon footprint (and a much better return on both investments.)

 

The weakness of the BEV comes in two parts: range and charge time. You need to do a little math and answer a few questions before you commit to a BEV. How many miles do you plan to drive per day? How often do you take road trips? BEV's are especially good for two-car families. A friend and his wife just traded in an SUV on a Nissan Leaf. They have found an overall savings of $600 per month when they factor in fuel, payments, and insurance; and his wife has found the Leaf to be a much more enjoyable drive. Do the math and see how it works out for you.

 

By the way, battery life (and replacement cost) has been a big worry for early BEV buyers, but that is turning out to be much less of an issue than was feared.

 

Common and (somewhat) readily available BEVs are the Nissan Leaf, the Kia Soul EV, the BMW i3, all Teslas, and the Mitsubishi MiEV.

 

Others that are less readily available include the Fiat 500e, the Ford Focus EV, and the Chevrolet Spark EV. These cars have only been offered in restricted numbers and places and are often referred to as compliance cars.

 

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Next, the Hybrid. Environmentally speaking, the hybrid is a big step up from conventional gas-motored cars. And the same is true for their efficiency. Many hybrid models consistently maintain average fuel economy in the mid-40's (mpg). The Toyota Prius regularly delivers averages in the 50's.

 

 

There are many models of hybrid out there. Be sure to do a little research before buying one - not all hybrids are created equal. Be sure to learn the difference between a serial hybrid and a parallel hybrid. (I am a bigger fan of the serial models.)  My wife really wants the Kia Optima Hybrid. I keep wishing that Toyota would create a small hybrid pickup or that Ford would send me a C-Max for Christmas.

 

Some of the more common hybrids out there include the Toyotas - three Priuses, the Camry, the Highlander, and the Avalon; the Hondas - Accords, Civics, CR-Z's, and Insights; the Ford Fusion and C-Max; the Kia Optima; and the Hyundai Sonata. BMW and Lexus also offer hybrid models.

 

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The PHEV: it's complicated, but probably worth it.

 

So you can't decide between the BEV and the hybrid? You should probably check this category out. Ideally I would like for our household to have a BEV and a PHEV.

 

 

Essentially, the PHEV acts as a BEV for a certain distance and then turns into a hybrid when you travel beyond the battery-only range. For instance, if your PHEV has a battery-only range of 40 miles but you take a trip of 60 miles, at the forty-mile mark your gas engine will kick on and keep you going until you reach your destination (or run out of gas).

 

There are lots of accounts out there of PHEV owners who end up driving their cars for months at a time without filling up. Your results may vary.

 

The most commonly seen PHEV in my part of the world is the Chevy Volt. The Volt has very high customer satisfaction and reliability ratings. It also offers much more impressive battery-only range than most competitors. There seems to be news of more PHEV's hitting the market all the time. After the Volt, Fords and Mitsubishis seem to be the more common ones. The BMW i3 can also become a PHEV if you order it with the optional range-extending engine. Porsche and BMW also offer some higher-end PHEV's.

 

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I hope this helps. Which one is right for you? Which one would you enjoy the most? What would your dream ride(s) be? May the answers come to you and be the right ones. As for me, I may have found my dream ride:

 

 

PS. Did anyone notice that I made it all the way through that article without mentioning my desire for a Citicar?

 

Living the dream!



 

 

 



Recycle: Carry More Stuff on a Bike

It may sound simplistic, but I need to carry two bags of fruit home on the bike today. And my backpack is already overcrowded. So I typed on over to my favorite make-it-your-darn-self site Instructables to see my options for DIY bike panniers. Apparently, there are a lot of options! Enjoy the photos and the links.

Messenger Bags

 

 

Canvas Shopping Bags

 

Briefcases

 

5 Gallon Bucket

 

Kitty Litter Bucket

 

Ammo Boxes

 

Milk Crate

 

Cooler

 

 Wire Frame

 Added bonus for those of you who need something to mount to:

 

Crutch Rear Bike Rack

 

May you get your stuff around without firing up an air-trashing motor! If you feel inspired to build something, please share pics.

Lubbock on a Bike: Winter Materialism

The ride to work definitely had Jack Frost nipping at my nose, my wrists, and one ear this morning.

Winter crept back in. I should have known it when my clock fell back. It's dark when I leave for coffee. It's somewhat dark when I leave for work. And holiday traffic is picking up.

My ride to work was cold this morning. The loose fleece jacket and the mechanic's gloves were just not fighting the cold. And my right ear was complaining too.

So, this guy who has been working more at wanting less stuff is wanting a lot of stuff.

I want winter bike commuting gear.

I want to be seen. I want to be warm. I want to arrive at work relatively clean and dry. I don't want to add lots of extra time getting ready to ride. While I'm thinking of it, I also want the bike to have more cargo capacity. (I don't want much.)

Let's start with the first two.

There's a movement in the biking world that says cyclists don't need more safety gear, that we should stubbornly fight for better bike lanes and more respect from car drivers, that we should not be forced to wear helmets and bright colors just because a few car drivers are morons inattentive. And that all sounds pretty good in theory.

On the other hand, there is Newton's Second Law of Motion; you know, that's the one about mass and force and acceleration. In Mesquite Hugger terms, the bigger and faster a thing is, the more that thing is gonna hurt when it hits you. I don't care so much what the law is and how much my rights as a cyclist are being squelched; I care about being seen as much as possible and about protection when I get knocked over by things that don't see me (like potholes and Suburbans). I care about arriving home safely each day to kiss my lovely wife and throw the ball for the somewhat-less-lovely dogs.

So I broke down and spent some money today - a neon orange wind jacket with reflective accents and piping, a pair of touchscreen gloves (who knew?) with reflective accents, and a cheap but very bright LED bike light.

I still need to find some better headgear (ears, eyes, and head) but we are making progress. And it still beats the heck out of driving a car (or small truck).

May you be warm, safe, and green (or fluorescent  orange). And may we be watching out for each other.

All the stuff and Fall

Not the Leaf we usually have here

[Be warned - it's one of those whiny self-indulgent posts with no links and only the one pic.]

It's been a rough few weeks when it comes to stuff. Lots of stuff falling apart. The Dodge broke down last weekend - a throw out bearing. The little Ford broke down this weekend - a head gasket. The bicycle has been a blessing and so have the friends who have offered rides and vehicles and help.

Speaking of stuff, I bought a new shovel recently. I needed to bury my friend, Sasha, one of those dogs with a larger than life life and a smaller than life span. I am tired of buying stuff for such reasons.

I am tired of maintaining stuff, of having more stuff than I can maintain, of dedicating so much time, money, and worry to stuff, especially here as fall settles in.

Fall is a better time to dedicate to preparation for winter, a better time to gather with friends, a better time to see how the leaves change and to see which birds are migrating through. Yes, I grow tired of stuff overwhelming, domineering, controlling.

It may be time for one less car, time to trade that headache for a bus pass and a better jacket.

So here is to the minimalists, the tiny housers, the bicycle commuters, and those who have found ways to focus more on life than on consumption.

May your stuff not own you.

Lubbock on a Bike: Two Great Videos for Bike Commuting

It's been a carbon news whirlwind for me lately. All of the news about Exxon cover ups and Keystone pipeline shenanigans and a little bill called Keep it in the Ground. It's given me a lot of motivation to strengthen my own quest for personal carbon reduction. And the biggest part of that is transportation. It's been a good week for that - I rode a bike to work four days this week. My body is a little tired but my spirit is greatly lifted.

In case you crave some of that good feeling but do not know where to start, here are two videos to encourage and educate your inner cyclist.

 

How to bike in the city (tips for the bicycle curious)

 

This video, by the way, is from Grist

 

If you've been hanging around here much, you know that I am a bit obsessed with hauling stuff on a bike and hanging out with my favorite canines, I offer you this video from Mind the Gap:

 

URBAN BIKING: The Art of Carrying Things by Bike

And in case you are looking for cleaner forms of transport but the bike is just not the answer for you, here is a great (and very comprehensive) Green Living Ideas article to let you know what's out there.

Green Living Ideas: What is Alternative Transportation?

May your spirit be lifted by the way your body is transported, and may your carbon be reduced.

Yamaha Electric Motorcycle Videos

Before we get started, the PES2 is the street motorcycle, the PED2 is the dirt version. Do you see what they did there? If not, show it to your buddy and ask for a little help.

 

Video link here

 

If you're thinking X-Games or 200mph racing video, move along. There's nothing to see here. If you're thinking Tron or such, you may be in luck with the PES2 video. That video is very high tech and enhanced and makes one think that the Yamaha electric street machine is still more engineer dream stuff than it is a bike you will see on a showroom floor anytime soon. And it has lots of expensive high tech gadgets, and very expensive is already the bane of electric motorcycles. So, I don't put much stock in the PES2.

I hope they put out a Knight Rider edition that's signed by the Hoff and the teacher from Boy Meets World!

If you're looking for a slow and peaceful Zen-like cruise though the forest on a nice day, you are in much luck with this video. If you have hopes of seeing an electric Yamaha for sale in your local dealership, you may have a better chance with this one. I would sure find it tempting.  I had an electric motorcycle for a while that was very similar and (when it was running well) it was a joy to ride. It was quiet, light, easy, and I do the miss the experience a great deal. This video captures that experience very well. And it shows off a bike that looks very ready for the world.

After watching the video, they might not have needed to hire a pro rider for this one.

 

You can find the link to this video along with more details and lots of photos at Autoblog Green - one of my favorite daily reads.

 

May we reach a day when an electric motorcycle is a common sight.