Nissan LEAF 100% electric car

[cognos]

You guys make me laugh! I learned looong ago to never question a man's taste in women - or motorbikes...

I rode one for an afternoon, friend of a friend owns a dealership, gave us a couple and turned us loose. I don't turn down test rides on anything. I had the "stripper" model, just a sport, not too many options.

Have to say, it was a blast to drive, not at all what I expected it to be like. Not like a bike, nor anything like a sled. Very comfortable, and I'm at the time of my life where I have to speed up to go through a radar trap... Rotax 4 banger for power, lots of it. I have no idea what the mileage would be - I'm not sure it's an issue - this is a rich person's toy in Canada. Like a motorcycle, unusable for 6 to seven months of the year.

Impressed as I was, I wouldn't want one. For the price, I want one more wheel, a weather-proof enclosure, and A/C.  I prefer my '82 KZ 750. A very pure, semi-retro ride.

(My last bike was a 1952 251 OSL NSU - but I only rode it about a kilometer in all the years I owned it... it's a long story...  )

And now, back to the thread - about the Nissan Leaf... 

[BioHazard]

I've ridden the Bombardier product it is copied from - and it has very agressive and sophisticated stability control and anti-lock brake software on-board to make it safe! Without that software, single- wheel rear-drive trikes are tippy and tail-happy!

It also has a 4 cylinder Rotax that makes it just a hair more dangerous than a 250cc chinese single cylinder.  The chinese version isn't for racing or impressing girls. And as with most chinese products, it needs to be completely disassembled and somewhat modified before use....

[cognos]

For the target market of that Chinese junk - young commuters who will like it for the "cool" factor - I can't imagine it could be made safe to drive at any speed without the sophisticated software of the original product. I can see the remains of this piece of garbage - and it's inexperienced drivers trying to save a buck - being broomed from the roads in droves, as they drive into a corner and the thing tries to high-side - then, as they apply the brakes in panic, it snap-spins onto it's back in the opposing lane of traffic.

Not legal for import into Canada, for any purpose. Nor are the majority of the scooters/mopeds/motorcycles put together with spit and straw in China. Government regulation is sometimes a good thing.

You may get the idea that I have a somewhat low opinion of the vast majority of junk from China. You'd be right. I won't buy anything from China, given I have an alternate choice. The fact that the world relies on this cesspool of corruption and pollution for anything makes my eyes water.

I wonder how much of the Leaf is china-sourced? Not in my driveway. Ever. I'll walk first.