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very impressive , they can use my story if they like but I don ’ t want anything from them .”
Interestingly , Romain sings the praises of Zero from the fact that they are a small business building bikes and listening to feedback provided by riders like himself , “ they are constantly improving based on our suggestions ”.
The novelty of riding an electric motorcycle around the world had dividends in other aspects too . The public were incredibly supportive , something encountered by most bike riders however , a story stands out when Romain was in Australia .
“ I was in a hotel in Coober Pedy , charging the bike overnight , when there ’ s a knock on the door at like midnight ,” he laughed . “ There ’ s this big guy with tattoos and a pizza in his hand .
“ He says to me , ‘ what ’ s this ? Is it electric ? So , it ’ s like a vegan ?’ I laughed and explained what it was about and realised that the guy was a Harley rider and through either the connection of the uniqueness of the electric bike or just because it ’ s a bike we have something in common .
“ We became buddies and drank until the early hours of the morning ,” the laughter again entering our conversation . Romain continued that the general reception around the world was incredibly positive when meeting people in person , the world of social media seemed to be hugely different . “ Yeah , online I see a lot of radicals and people with propaganda or whatever , I think it ’ s hard to argue with this crap .
Romain explained that when you meet the only biker in the Australian outback and he ’ s on an electric bike the arguments seem to stall , “ online everyone seems to have an opinion but in real life it was very cool with all of the questions ”.
Over an eleven-month period twenty countries were ridden , starting , and finishing in Jakarta , and as Romain put it “ without a single problem ”.
“ Amazingly , amazingly , I didn ’ t have any problems with the bike . I did forty-two thousand kilometres and no problems . I didn ’ t even do any maintenance other than changing tyres , and brake pads , and adjusting the belt occasionally .”
A testament to the Zero DSR and the fact that a little forward planning , although minimal , does go a long way . Charging stations are becoming more apparent , especially in countries with what is considered minimal infrastructure , perhaps western countries could adopt the concept in a much timelier fashion .
Romain pointed out that the infrequent occurrences of charging stations did have benefits , as the rider was forced to slow down , spend greater time in destinations and discovered what each had to offer , including the people and the cultures . Yet the frequent need to stop could be a hinderance too .
“ I ’ m not saying everyone should tour on an electric bike ,” said Romain . “ Actually , they should not , because it ’ s still [ limited ], places where I had to stop and wait . I could not always go fast , especially highways , I could not often go far . Australia was an example , I had places where I could only do fifty or sixty kilometres per hour to conserve charge .
“ Cruise control came in very handy ”.
What Romain does advocate is the use of electric bikes for commuting purposes , something that has become a strong passion for this adventurous rider , who will now use his experience to encourage others to seek alternatives when not only exploring the world but in other ways , stating that the environmental impact of noise pollution from vehicles is affecting the health of people across the planet .
“ Places like China have already banned
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