Electric motorcycles come with many bells and whistles. But do these electric motorcycles have reverse gear? Reverse gear is something that is not very popular on bikes, no matter what types they are.
You will only find a few models by some companies that have reverse gear on their bikes. And most of them are not bikes but trikes (three wheels). There are several reasons why these bikes do not come with a reverse gear, and the primary one of them is the complexity in transmission.
But some electric motorcycles are fully automatic. So, there’s a chance that manufacturers might equip such a bike with reverse gear.
Let us dig down further into this topic., shall we?
Why Do Motorcycles Not Come with a Reverse Gear?
As we have just mentioned, there are various reasons why motorcycles do not come with reverse gear. Here are some of the critical ones.
- Such gear will make the transmission of a bike more complicated.
- It will increase the dimensions, weight, and price of a particular motorcycle.
- You can move most of these motorcycles on your own, and the reverse is not needed.
- Motorcycles are tough to ride backways.
Let us discuss them in more detail.
Transmission complexity
These motorcycles do not come with reverse gear because it will make engineering a lot more complicated. The entire working of your bike might result in more malfunctions. You might also have to deal with more maintenance costs.
Plus, you will have to deal with higher price tags. Therefore, the bikes that come with a reverse have an extra small motor linked to the transmission and do not come with additional gear. Therefore, it is a much cheaper and simple option to go for.
Weight and size problems
If you compare them with cars, these motorcycles have limited space. Therefore, engineers have to keep the engine small. With reverse gear, the weight and size of the bike will increase. That is the last thing designers want in their design because the motorcycles already have enough weight.
Motorcycles are tough to ride backward
You can quickly move your bike backward and do not need any additional gears for that. Mostly, you will need to ride it back when you are parking it.
Moreover, motorcycles are not that easy to ride backward. This is because they have a front fork with a rake angle to keep the machine straight and well-balanced. But this engineering design does not work in reverse. As a result, riding your motorcycle backward is tricky.
Why Do a Couple of Motorcycles Have A Reverse?
You might be wondering then why do a couple of bikes or trikes come with a reverse? The only reason behind that is the modern-day touring and cruiser motorbikes are heavy and extremely heavy to move by hand.
To move then, you will need an electric reverse system. You will push a button to move these vast machines backward. Smaller motorbikes are lighter, and you can move them by hand. Hence, they do not need a reverse gear to move backward.
Which Motorcycles Have A Reverse?
Before discovering which electric motorcycles have reverse gear, we must see which traditional bikes have these features? Only a handful of motorcycles have a reverse gear. BMW K1200LT comes with reverse gear.
Apart from that, some models of Honda Goldwing have traversed. Some Moto Guzzi models also feature a reverse. Besides that, you will find reverse on Ural Sidecar motorcycles, Harley-Davidson trikes, Piaggio MP3 trikes, and Can-Am Ryker/Spyder trikes.
These are the only motorcycles to have a reverse on them. But all these models are pretty experienced and heavy as heck. So, their heavyweight needs reverse gear because you cannot move them by hand.
Some of them are trikes, so it makes sense to equip them with reverse gear. However, they are already pretty pricey, and equipping them with an extra motor for reverse will not matter much in weight, size, and price.
Do Electric Motorcycles Have a Reverse Gear?
Now, it is time to shed light on whether electric motorcycles have reverse gear or not. First, let us focus on the logic that these motorcycles need a reverse or not?
The market does not have an electric motorcycle that comes with reverse gear. But these are probably the better candidates for receiving one as compared to the conventional motorcycles.
It is because these electric motorcycles are lighter. Plus, the automatic models do not feature transmission to complicate the overall engineering design.
Hence, they can receive reverse gear. With that being said, Evoke Electric Motorcycles company based in Beijing is currently developing a reverse gear for its range of different motorcycles.
They are doing so to help out first-time or inexperienced riders. This gear is going to help them in parking their bike in compact spaces. The gear will have a top speed of more than three miles an hour. You will be able to activate this reverse gear using your LCD touch control panel present on your Evoke bike.
Manufacturers are introducing smarter tech to equip electric vehicles. They are looking to improve these vehicles in terms of their reliability and performance. With similar goals, Evoke is also looking to make its bikes more user-friendly.
With reverse gear, they are making urban parking much easier for the users. You will not need to park by hand. It is a feature that will be useful for inexperienced or petite riders.
FAQs
What purpose can a reverse gear serve on a motorcycle?
Most motorcycles do not come with reverse gear. Again, it is because these bikes are light enough for the rider to move backward by hand. But some heavyweight cruisers and touring bikes do come with reverse.
These bikes are super heavy, and you cannot move them backward by hand. With reverse gear, not an additional motor, you can conveniently park your bike in parking. It will allow you to prevent your bike from following when you are going back. It is a valuable feature for new and petite riders.
How many conventional gas-powered motorcycles come with reverse gear?
There are not many gas-powered motorcycles that come equipped with reverse gear. There are only a few models that feature reverse gear. These bikes are already pretty heavy and massive, and adding reverse gear will make their already complex design even more complicated.
Do electric motorcycles have a reverse gear?
At present, there are no electric motorcycles that come with reverse gear. But they are the ideal candidates for receiving a reverse gear. These bikes are much lighter, and some of them do not have a transmission.
So, manufacturers can add reverse gear without complicating the overall design of the motorcycle. However, Beijing-based Evoke is developing a reverse gear for all its electric motorcycles to make urban parking easier for new, inexperienced, and petite riders.
Why do motorcycles not come with reverse gear?
Motorcycles do not come with a reverse gear due to design complications. If manufacturers try to include reverse gear, it will make the transmission of that bike even more complicated. Apart from that, with more components added, the bike will get heavier and even bulkier in size.
It will be much more difficult to control and maneuver the bike with all the added weight. Plus, it will also increase the overall price. In addition, most bikes are much easier to move backward by hand. Hence, to avoid these design and cost complexities, manufacturers prefer not to integrate reverse gear into a motorcycle.
How are electric motorcycles more receptive to reverse gear?
Electric motorcycles are much lighter than their traditional counterparts. Plus, some of these motorcycles do not come with any transmissions and are fully automatic. Therefore, these are the models that are best for receiving reverse gear.
Evoke, a Beijing-based electric motorcycle manufacturer is already working on making a reverse gear for all its electric motorcycles. So, in the future, we will see more electric motorcycles with reverse gear.
Why do trikes and mopeds have a reverse gear, and motorcycles do not have one?
Trikes and mopeds have different constructions and designs as compared to motorcycles. These vehicles have three or four wheels. As a result, they are much easier to control and maneuver when riding backward.
Bikes only have two wheels, and riders will find it difficult to control such a type while going backward. These bikes also have a higher rake angle on the front which makes things a bit more complicated.
Besides that, trikes and mopeds are heavier and can afford more weight to be integrated. Hence, they come with reverse gear, but motorcycles do not come with one.
Conclusion
So, do electric motorcycles have reverse gear? Before the announcement made by Evoke a couple of years back, there were no electric motorcycles on the market that came with a reverse gear.
There were not many traditional gas-powered motorcycles with reverse gear either. Adding a separate reverse gear would have made the bikes bulkier and more expensive, with more design complications.
Electric motorcycles, especially automatic ones, do not come with a transmission. Therefore, adding a reverse gear to them will not complicate their design and construction. Moreover, these bikes are lighter, so they will get bulkier only up to some extent.
Whether future electric motorcycles have a reverse gear or not will depend on the success of Evoke’s project. If Evoke’s reverse gear remains successful, the market might see more electric motorcycles with a reverse gear in the future. Moreover, some conventional ones might also get these features at some point due to this innovation.
