Rider Makes First Unassisted, Solo Crossing Of Africa On E-Motorcycle
 

https://www.advpulse.com/adv-news/ri...-e-motorcycle/

What do you think? I LIKE the ultralight bike, and apparently there are enough places to charge along the way. :)

hmmmm...

A noteworthy achievement, no doubt about it, by a strong, adventurous pioneer. A quick search indicates this was done last year, finishing in (I think) February 2023.

The very brief article leaves me wondering about all sorts of details, like how useful is a built-in 110v charger on two continents where 220v/230v is near-universal? And if she was "solo" as described, who took all the photos? I suppose there'll be articles, books and a video series offering answers...

The prospect of 3 hour recharging stops every 60 miles doesn't really appeal to me. Nor does a practical limit of "as much as" 120 miles per day, although I can see the appeal for people who LIKE to stop a lot. Not so sure about the (I gather) $12,000 price tag either (one battery, no accessories). The bike itself sounds like it was aimed at daily commuters, not crazed adventurers like Sinje. But the manufacturer (her employer) seems supportive, so maybe more practical offload-capable bikes are on the way.

With a weight of 176 pounds ~80kg - see the Cake website here for specs - I can see that becoming a popular bike for off road users.

We had a Cake electric bike at work last year, a modular one-step-up from a cargo bicycle. It very much looked like a practical city transport for the future over the current (pun intended) offerings that are mostly modelled after 125s and as such are comparatively bulky (but have actual weather protection, which might make the difference in wetter places).

200km on a small bike sounds like a pleasant / sustainable quantity for me, though I guess carrying an extra battery really impinged on the luggage capacity. It would be great to see or read more details, and I'm sure that small electric bikes like this (or a next step up from electric mountain bikes, like a futuristic moped sort of thing) are going to become normalised as petrol bikes get phased out.

If it was cheaper already I would absolutely swap my Tango for one.

When it stops being a noteworthy achievement then maybe I'll start thinking of it as a viable mode of long distance transport. Until then it's a great idea for city bikes, but a rich man's gimmick elsewhere. IMHO.

To be fair, a lone woman riding the West Africa route on an equally small petrol motorbike would also be a noteworthy achievement