You might have noticed the name "JohnMFlores" in the comments over the years—one of our many great regular commenters. John, who is from New Jersey, is completing an epic trip across the country on an electric motorcycle (more about that below), and stopped by TOP Rural HQ yesterday to take me out to lunch. John's a regular contributor to RoadRUNNER magazine, the tagline of which is "Motorcycle Touring and Travel." He's currently retracing the route of George A. Wyman, the first person to cross the North American continent on a motorcycle more than a century ago. You'll be able to read about John's trip (and George's) in future issues of RoadRUNNER.
John Flores on his supercool Zero electric motorcycle
After lunch we stopped in at the Curtiss Museum...which should really be called the Museum of Cool Stuff. It contains cars, motorcycles, and airplanes associated with aviation (and motorcycle) pioneer (and local boy) Glenn H. Curtiss, who is halfway forgotten by history but whose list of firsts is formidable. Curtiss eclipsed the Wright Brothers in the early years because he was a natural at publicizing his accomplishments whereas his counterparts from Dayton were secretive and reclusive—essentially, the world didn't know about Kitty Hawk until years later. Curtiss is known as the father of naval aviation because he was the first to land a plane on water and the first to land and take off from the deck of a ship. He was for a time renowned as the "Fastest Man Alive" after setting a land-speed record on a V-8 powered motorcycle. Curtiss might be better known today but for the fact that his life was cut short by appendicitis when he was only 52.
The museum has lots of very early motorcycles including many Curtisses, and a smattering of examples after that all the way up to the 1970s or so.
The museum traces Curtiss's many accomplishments and interests, which were highly varied—invented the RV trailer and was a major Florida real estate developer as well. It also contains just a whole lot of random stuff, from doll houses to cars to place settings to rowboats to toys to various watercraft, including an extremely long Baby-Gar mahogany speedboat once owned by the Garrett family, of Garrett Chapel fame, that took a local man 40 years to restore. The current exhibit is of costumes from old movies (that's John in the Temple of Doom above). There's a horse-drawn sleigh and a great many models of various sorts and varying quality. On and on. Very quirky and lots of fun if you like machines.
We had a nice conversation at lunch about the skill involved in conceptualizing short written pieces like magazine articles and blog posts. (One of the main skills in magazine writing is coming up with an idea that fits the available space.) Together we conceptualized a satirical piece for me to write for TOP—a spoof "review" of the Canon 80D that would play off the fact that "80D" sounds just like "A.D.D." The review was going to jump all over the place, from topic to topic, as if I just couldn't stay focused on discussing the camera. John contributed the ending: "In summary, the Canon 80D...oh look, a squirrel!"
Alas, as I started to write it, I realized it might be taken as being unsympathetic to people with A.D.D. (or, worse, to people whose children suffer from it), which wouldn't do. So, no "80D Review" for "Open Mike."
John's motorcycle, a Zero (I didn't even get the model), gave me HOPE FOR HUMANKIND. And for a peaceful and quiet future. I'm excessively sensitive to noise—not by choice, I just am—and among my tortures on this Earth are cars, trucks, boats, planes, and especially motorcycles that are set up make an infernal racket on purpose, for no necessary reason other than that some benighted sod thinks loud noise is cool. The Zero made no noise. It is not quite completely silent, maybe, but it goes nine-tenths of the way there. It was amazing to see John maneuver in the driveway with a motorcycle that seemed like it was turned off even though it wasn't. As he left he accelerated extremely quickly (electric vehicles have lots of torque from a standing stop—his Zero has as much torque as a small car*) but with almost no noise.
To say I loved it is an understatement. I probably won't live to see—or rather, hear!—the era when all cars, boats, and motorcycles will be electric, but I wish I could.
Fun fact
Ere I depart, a fun fact, provided by John...there are more museums in America (35,000) than the number of Starbucks (11,000) and McDonalds (14,000) combined. Most are quirky, small, local affairs, smaller than the Curtiss, which occupies one building about the size of a large airplane hangar.
Good to meet you, John, and best of luck on the remainder of your journey. And to John and anyone reading these words, thanks for reading TOP!
Mike
"Open Mike" is the often off-topic editorial page of TOP. It is now appearing on Wednesdays on a trial basis.
* "DC electric motors of the type used in the Zero motorcycle produce maximum torque at zero RPM and zero torque at their no-load RPM, whatever that may be based upon the design of the motor.
"As such, their torque curve is best approximated by a 45-degree line, sloping downward from left to right.
"In short, as the RPM of the motor's output shaft increases, the amount of torque the motor produces will decrease proportionally. See here for a more technical explanation of why this is so." [Thanks to JG for this explanation. —Ed.]
JohnMFlores adds: "It was great hanging out and chatting with you yesterday, Mike! To provide some details of the Zero DSR...
- At 55 MPH it can go ~88 miles
- At 70 MPH it can go ~70 miles
- Out in Nevada and Wyoming I often had to go over 100 miles between charges. I was on quiet roads so I kept the speed down to extend my range, either moving over when cars (infrequently) approached or speeding up to reduce the speed differential between me and the approaching car.
- During the day I charge at either car charging stations or RV campgrounds where I used 220v 50amp hookups. Both were located via the PlugShare app and take about 2–3 hours to charge from empty.
- At night I charge at a hotel 110v standard household outlet. It takes 8–10 hours.
- How green the bike is does depend upon how the electricity is generated. Some states like West Virginia and Kentucky still generate a lot of electricity with coal. Other states are more mixed with their power generation. But also consider that the bike does not have lubricating oil or antifreeze and does not produce the aforementioned noise pollution.
- Speaking of noise...at home I have a beautiful Italian sportbike with a stunning titanium exhaust and a 125cc two-stroke racing bike. I do love the sounds that they make and I thought that I might miss it when I first rode an electric motorcycle in 2012. I was as surprised as anyone that I did not miss the sounds at all. And over the past three weeks I've met dozens of folks (motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists alike) that think the lack of noise is kind of cool.
"If anyone wants to see my photos and notes of the trip, this is probably the best place. Like a blog, the most recent post is on top so you need to scroll down to the beginning of the journey.
"Thanks again, Mike."
Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Mike P: "I happen to be a member of a small group of photographers in New Jersey in which John Flores is a member. He's a true polymath, a wonderful photographer, technologist, writer, motorcyclist and a good person all around. He'd be a great addition to the 'staff.' His recent trip, which I have been following on FB and IG, has been amazing in it's ability to compare and contrast America as it is today to as it was over a hundred years ago. I can't wait to read the finished piece in RoadRunner."
Albert Macfarlane: "You repeat the allegation that Glenn Curtiss died of a 'botched' appendectomy. In early July 1930 Curtiss had an appendectomy in Buffalo for appendicitis. On 22 July he was sitting up in bed dictating to a secretary, but was found dead the following morning. (David Langley, The Life and Times of Glenn Hammond Curtiss: aviation history.com). Appendicitis is not a benign condition: one estimate is that there are approximately 150 deaths annually associated with this common disease in the United States. The account given by Langley suggests Curtiss died of a pulmonary embolism, a not uncommon post-operative complication which was untreatable in 1930."
Mike replies: Thanks Albert—I modified the text of the post accordingly.
marcin wuu: "Temple of Doom?! How could you say that's the Temple of Doom?! O tempora, o mores...."
Mike replies: It's got something to do with movies, that's all I know. I thought it was Indiana Jackson...no? (My son always used to say I'd be good on Jeopardy except I'd suck at the pop culture questions.)
By the bye, "O tempora o mores" translates roughly to "Alas, the times, the customs!"—used by Cicero in the opening speech of his case against the conspirator Cataline to deplore the depravity of the present.
Phil Aynsley:
"I’m afraid that the last thing Ducatis can be called is quiet!"
I love the idea of the 80D review. And yes, it might offend some people. On the other hand, some ADD sufferers might get a laugh from it. I've had serious OCD all my life, and I was thrilled when "Monk" (the show about the detective with OCD) came on television. 'Hey, my condition's getting recognition!' Plus, it was funny.
Posted by: Mike | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 11:11 AM
Glad to see you've found the Curtiss museum to be fascinating. It is a gem.
Also, if you'd like to experience the ultimate in near-silent transportation head over to Harris Hill. Flying in a glider, circling the upward thermals like those turkey vultures you were watching earlier, is not exactly eerie, but it is unlike anything else you've experienced. You'll also have an excellent opportunity for aerial photography of the vineyards and lake(s). A virtually vibration-free platform for camera work.
Posted by: Michael Matthews | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 11:21 AM
No need to worry about offending those of us with ADD with your 80D review. We never get past the first paragraph anyway.
Posted by: Ken N | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 11:57 AM
Your museum fact has made my day.
Posted by: Patrick | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:00 PM
I hope you charged Zero for this.
Posted by: Dave Stewart | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:06 PM
The small local museums, usually run by unpaid enthusiasts can be lovely. Always well worth a visit in the UK and other countries I've been fortunate to visit.
As for all electric transport, with zero emission generation, the sooner the better in my book. My next car will be electric, as soon as the current lease expires. For both noise and climate reasons.
It's comforting to know that I'm not the only music listener with a very low tolerance for environmental noise - which includes music not intended for listening to. I was reading some research summaries the other day suggesting significant adverse health impacts of what are often considered acceptable levels of background noise.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Shimwell | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:19 PM
Did he happen to mention how many miles per charge he can average on the motorcycle? And the charge time? We brought a Nissan Leaf home a few months ago and get approx. 70-80 or so miles per charge. The hills and heat (i.e., running A/C) require a lot of extra power. (Sitting in the garage after a full charge, the potential is ~100 miles.)
Also, that's from a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, not Temple of Doom.
Posted by: matthew | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:28 PM
Since I shares his love for photography and motorbikes I hope to get some information regarding the bike and real life use.
A primary concern would be millage between charging on normal roads and normal ridig speeds.
I drive a Kawasaki ER 6 N myself and this could be a very good replacement for that bike. It would be interesting to import these over to Norway given that we currently have zero taxes on electrical vehicles, and very high taxes on those with petrol engines.
Posted by: Jarle Vikshåland | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:31 PM
AND what about the TOP Museum ? ;-)
Posted by: ShadZee | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:48 PM
So strange it is about aspects of sound - or lack thereof - that seems to have no common thread among people in terms of what they like, dislike or perceive. I am VERY hard of hearing and yet "motorized" sounds are particularly irritating to me. The distant drone of automobile traffic or some vehicle very close to me making a racket - it doesn't matter - I hate them both!
I am thankful that in the small community of Arcata where I live, I'm blessed with a community forest large enough, and with such an extensive trail system, that I can daily escape into a "sphere" where there is virtually no noise louder than a mountain bike or someone's footsteps. And - like ice cream on a warm slice of pie - it it is also photographically inspirational!
Posted by: Dave Van de Mark | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 12:53 PM
What a coincidence. I was wondering about the feasibility of QUIET motorcycles just the other day. Perhaps like you, I am increasingly intolerant of noise, particularly for its own sake. The motorcycle would seem to be Exhibit A in that category, in addition to being a throw-back in environmental consciousness. But I recently wondered if a silent electric bike (Tesla-style) would sell well, since many people (guys) who buy motorcycles seem to want the associated noisy attention. This Zero bike gives me hope, albeit very thin.
Re: museums, yes, the WaPo story can be a real shocker. But, as is common with pop press reporting, the reporter did not really offer the underlying explanations for this bloom of museums. Certainly some folks just want to share their beer can collections (e.g.) with the world and make a (very) few bucks doing do. But many other relatively new museums can trace their inspirations, in no small part, to the U.S. tax code, particularly to estate taxation avoidance maneuvers. It's often a win for the public, who would never see such private collections otherwise. But, sadly, some of these "museums" are not really open to the public in any practical sense.
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 01:17 PM
Maybe a bit too off-topic here, but I don't get the appeal of electric vehicles because, as I understand it, they are not zero emissions or even reduced emissions vehicles. Correct me if I am wrong (and I am sure someone will) but don't many parts of the country (and many countries around the world) still rely on coal to provide electricity? Coal is about as dirty a fuel as it gets. So you shift the emissions from the tailpipe to the power plant, but that hardly makes it emission free. The obvious exception is where nuke, water or wind provides electricity, but those have their own problems. So what gives? What am I missing?
(Please understand, I am all for greener energy - I am just not sure if electric vehicles are providing it.)
Posted by: Ken | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 01:24 PM
Mike, as revenge for your posting on the Morgan 3-wheeled car … which I could actually afford (sort of), for which I now lust, and which I need like I need another hole in my head, may I draw your attention to the up-coming release of the electric-powered Morgan EV3: http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/ev3/
So, saving up for a new camera, were you?
[Your words have no effect, nyah nyah, because I have already been daydreaming of that. :-D
I'm safe, though, because I *cannot* afford it. --Mike]
Posted by: David Miller | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 01:36 PM
Regarding quiet motorcycles, they needn't be noisy, and usually aren't as they come from the factory. Problem is, owners change out their stock pipes for noisy ones, many claiming they are safer. (If you must disturb all your fellow citizens with your optional activity, perhaps you should rethink your choice?) Many times I've driven up on a stock BMW bike and had people come up to me to say, "I didn't know a bike could be quiet."
The problem is enforcement of noise regulations. California, where I used to live and a place with lots of motorcycles, was known for no enforcement of the noise law. I don't know why though; perhaps the cops have better things to do, and they probably do, or if it is simply impossible for some other reason.
Posted by: James Gaston | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 01:45 PM
You might enjoy this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425308/.
I may be wrong but it seems to me that Harley buyers all seem to put on straight exhausts to maximize the noise from their bikes. I have noticed that quite a few in these parts (Ottawa, Canada) like to downshift and really rev their engines under bridges and overpasses to make as much loud echoing noise as possible. I've seen them do it too often for it to be coincidence.
In the rest of the world, motorcycles and bicycles are modes of transportation, while here in north america they seem to be toys.
Posted by: Robert Roaldi | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 02:15 PM
My wife and I moved to a rural area over 15 years ago, because of ever increasing traffic noise. City life just isn't worth the aggravation for this former Philadelphian.
Seeing a Tesla take off from a light will make you a believer in electric vehicles.
Posted by: MikeR | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 02:15 PM
Glad to see you took my advice! You remember when I suggested going there, right? (Even though I did brain-fart on the Rockwell Museum.) Back in the comments to this post: http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2015/09/open-mike-at-the-cmog.html.
Thought so. You're welcome!
[I *DID* remember, and thank you! --Mike]
Posted by: MarkR | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 02:26 PM
Lovely photograph Mike. Please tell me you didn't use Photoshop to remove the preceding numerals in the top, left-hand corner in order to just leave the zero. ;-)
—Tony McLean
Posted by: Tony McLean | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 03:46 PM
I both ride a motorcycle and hate noisy motorcycles. The truth is these companies have figured out how to tune the noise so that they pass inspection, but yet are still "throaty" when given gas. Car companies have done it too. All that before any exhaust modification by the user, which with some brands is close to 100%. I sometimes see little kids plug their ears when they see me coming, waiting for the blast they are used too. Makes me sad.
Posted by: John Krumm | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 03:49 PM
Mike, I'm amazed. I thought you were a stick shift four-on-the-floor sort of chap, if that's the right phrase.
Me, I love my BMW i3 which can be jackrabbit fast from the lights, almost silently, and without any skill or shifting. Or economical on electricity, but not both at once.
Here we can choose to buy only renewable juice, or make our own from the roof. I choose to do both.
For those who say that my electricity actually comes from whatever the UK's power plants are supplying at the time, the best refutation I've heard goes like this:-
When I withdraw cash from an ATM, the actual notes (bills) might have been deposited by a thief or other criminal, but the ATM will only dispense them if my employer has legitimately paid my wages/pension/etc.
Posted by: John Ironside | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 05:00 PM
Great post Mike, Now I want to go see this Curtiss Museum. I love stuff that is mechanical.
As for Electric Vehicles, I am all for them, as others have said the torque is amazing. When they can build me a truck that can weigh 15 tons or more, carry all I need to carry, go 65 MPH for 300 miles on one charge, plug in and be ready to go the same distance tomorrow I am all ears, until then purely electric cars are not that useful to me. I am 52 and truly hope I live to see that day, it is possible perhaps.
Posted by: Warren Jones | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 06:31 PM
Quiet is one nice thing, but consider that I (among possibly many others) was almost hit and potentially seriously wounded or worse by a perfectly quiet motorized scooter while walking at night in a small Chinese city of less than 10 million. They are quick and stealthy. It is possible that those things are too quiet.
Posted by: Tony Rowlett | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 07:05 PM
To Ken, who makes a valid point that many sources of electricity are not "green" so therefore electric vehicles do not have a small carbon footprint: please bear in mind that electric vehicles may be the tail that wags the dog of electricity production.
Bolstered by the fact that green electricity is becoming easier and cheaper every year, the carbon footprint of electric vehicles is continually shrinking. I've recently read a number of articles about places in Europe that have so much "green" electricity that they practically give it away.
Here in Quebec, more than 99% of our electricity is generated by hydro (essentially zero carbon emissions) and wind. This is a great place for electric vehicles! Nearby Vermont has statistics showing it's one of the greenest states in the union for electricity (although that's almost entirely because of the amount of electricity they buy from Hydro Quebec).
So yes, on their own, and in some places, electric vehicles are not greener. But things are changing, and changing quickly. And electric vehicles are not waiting in the wings for electricity production to "green up." They're ready now, and by being there they might be encouraging the move to greener production methods.
Posted by: Ed Hawco | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 07:14 PM
I have to agree with Robert Roaldi. Here in Australia the only really obnoxious, noisy motorbikes are Harleys. Most Japanese bikes are pretty quiet unless revved to 10 000+ rpm (which I have to admit to doing in my younger days). I do know a guy with an electric motorbike though and they are impressive, especially in my not-so-younger days!
Posted by: Kefyn Moss | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 07:28 PM
One side effect of having a Prius with dead AC(in Memphis, in August, Lawd help me) is that I get to drive a silent car - it's really a lot of fun:) I could get very used to the lack of engine noise...
Posted by: Rob L. | Wednesday, 03 August 2016 at 09:32 PM
In my part of Australia (Victoria), we burn a whole lot of brown coal for electricity, which is about as ungreen as one can get. But even so, an electric powered vehicle is far less polluting (I understand by about 50% for a car - don't know about a bike) than a petrol (gasoline) or diesel internal combustion engine simply because the delivery of the dirty brown power via electricity wires is so much more efficient than delivering liquid fuel to a vehicle - which of course uses fuel, and a lot of it. (Of course, the equation might change if the fuel were delivered by (say) underground pipe, but that isn't the case here.)
Posted by: Bear. | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 02:07 AM
DC electric motors of the type used in the Zero motorcycle produce maximum torque at zero RPM
As do steam engines!
Posted by: Steve Smith | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 02:55 AM
Hiya!
> the lack of noise is kind of cool
Yeah it is. No doubt about that. On the other hand, carelessness and inattention by both myself and drivers has twice now nearly seen me cleaned up when walking in parking areas.* Maybe when they become more common, pedestrians will learn to look by looking, rather than look by listening.
* trying to be fair and balanced here, but really, it was the idiots behind the wheels, and it makes me wonder how often disaster is avoided because we can here the idiots coming
Posted by: Dean Johnston | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 04:55 AM
Tell John that if his motorbike was all that super cool, it would have been named the Zero K. Oh yeah.
And say Hi from Arg. I know John from the Micro Four Thirds forum, mu-43.
Posted by: Arg | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 06:53 AM
You really had me baffled for a while there Mike - how on earth could 80D sound like A.D.D.?
Then I remembered that you Americans have a habit of pronouncing "T"s as "D"s. eighTy D, OK?
Posted by: Robin P | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 07:03 AM
Considering a well known wet plate photographer named Ed Ross was killed over the weekend while his motorcycle was beginning to pass a car when the driver absent mindedly also pulled out to pass at the same time.... loud pipes save lives.
I'm scared of elderly medically-marijauna-enhanced enviro-geezers in their silent Priusii....
[Emphatically no sale here on "loud pipes save lives." Total BS. Often said by the very same people who adamantly insist on their right to not wear helmets. They just want to be loud because they like it. Nothing to do with safety at all, really. --Mike]
Posted by: Frank P | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 09:39 AM
In the countryside with small, one-lane, twisting roads, I can actually totally understand the 'loud pipes save lives' stickers. If you hear it first, you're less likely to hit it. And they come off far worse than the person in a car if you hit them. It's as simple as that. I know it's often a choice based on taste, but it's also deliberate and considered. There's nothing worse than the sound of something plastic-covered with what sounds like a chainsaw engine. But if you hear it, it's done it's job I suppose...
Posted by: Andy Sheppard | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 09:39 AM
Eugene Burton Ely, not Curtiss, is credited with the first flights from and onto a ship, although the aircraft was a Curtiss. Eek, it would appear I have become an aviation nerd!
Posted by: FraserGJB | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 09:57 AM
I hope John is ready for Photokina in a few weeks so that we get his take on all the megapickles on http://newcameranews.com
Posted by: Jeroen Pulles | Thursday, 04 August 2016 at 03:01 PM
I too hate noisy bikes and virtually all are Harleys. BMWs are quiet, as are most Japanese bikes. Ducatis are not particularly noisy, although their young drivers tend to drive them at high revs. The noisy Harley seems to part of the Harley uniform: leather waistcoat, late middle age, beer-gut, German-style helmet, bandana etc. As Jim Morrison said "everyone is wearing a uniform."
Posted by: Chris | Friday, 05 August 2016 at 10:13 AM