Riding the Zero Electric Motorcycle
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The local Zero dealership had a demo day today so my brother and I stopped by to check them out. We rode pretty much every bike they had. I liked the DS, and the SR. Some very fast bikes. I kept trying to grab the clutch, and downshift when coming to a stop but there is no clutch. You twist the throttle and it just keeps accelerating! There is zero hesitation.
The electric bike isn't quite ready for a coast to coast adventure, but it is the perfect commuter bike. If you ride around town a lot, or commute to work every day via motorcycle I think you should take a very serious look at a Zero motorcycle.
Ha Ha!!! I saw you grab for that clutch!! Man.... when those bikes have some serious battery life..... I'm heading down for one....Performance enthusiasts will have a hay day....
"I've never crashed before ever" ROFL.... you crack me up dude...
Nope never.
halfthrottle It is a matter of when, not if.
Well done on the review. I just watched your H-D commercial satire and was expecting more of the same. I tested the SR last year and was very impressed, same issue with no clutch or shift lever, but man do they get going, very flickable, and the silence made me more aware of the traffic around me. The only thing that stopped me from writing a check is that my commute days will end in 2 years, so my rides will be much longer.
If I had more time with one I'd love to make a good video about them.
Thanks for the ride!
I laughed when you said you never crashed before. These would make great commuters and I noticed the test ride went past a servo.
I always try and hit my head hard enough that it makes me forget the crash.
I forgot to add in my previous post for you commuters, add up the cost of 5 years of gas, oil & filter changes, valve adjustments, carb/fuel injection service, fuel filter, air filter. How much will all those cost, plus labor? I did the math for my situation and suddenly it would have made sense if I wasn't retiring in 2 years.
another great video, keep it going.
All they need now is the Tron sound effects.
Tron Legacy Light Cycle Chase
That's probably an option.
halfthrottle
I'm in !
RideVictoria I haven't seen anything like it yet, but I expect before too long there will be an aftermarket for sound simulator add-ons to simulate the sound of various iconic motorcycles - Harley, Ducati, etc. - set up to make different noises based on acceleration, deceleration, regenerative "engine braking", etc. (maybe have a gear-shift sound and pitch adjustment at appropriate rpm to match the relevant moto's power curve).
And while they're at it, they could put in sounds for the Tron light cycle, and (what I want) a TIE fighter.
I got to sit on one on a rainy day in Annapolis. I would love one! I currently have a 2012 VStrom 650 and get between 53 and 60 MPG which is great, but something about no gas and Extreme low maintenance appeals to me. I'd really like to test ride a Zero.
Zero bikes aren't half bad. I can't get over the range and lack of clutch, personally. As soon as they make an Adv Touring model with some good range and wind protection, I'll try again. Also not a big fan of "twist and go", I do like the mechanics of riding. Monarch Honda, tho... awful! I would't go back there to save my life. As a mater of fact, I did just that several times with no help (I'm probably still famous over there). Finally traded in the POS they sold me and got myself a nice Vstrom. So happy my Suzuki. Honda? Never again! Zero? I'm not against electric motors, but the "user experience" needs to be more Motorcycle and less Scooter before I'll drop the $15K? on one. Nice review! Your vids almost make me miss Utah.... almost ;)
Speaking of electric bikes I had the chance to demo an OSET 20.0 over the weekend. that thing was touchy, over half of the people who rode it wound up whiskey throttling. power wheelies on demand with that little guy even with 200+lbs aboard. i could waste hours upon hours riding one of those OSETs around, lol.
i'm still upset at the 50mpg the KLR gets coming from a 90mpg 50, however the 6 gallon tank makes up for it because i have to go to the gas station less
Little slow getting to this one.. that sounds like a fun toy.. sounds a lot like the electric vans I work on.. weird power but power none the less.
Bike I would consider but the electric cars, not so much. The batter packs are still in the early stages but getting there. Can you imagine everyone plugging in on our archaic grids!
I don't think that I could ever bring myself to owning a battery powered anything (for driving/riding). I am stuck on internal combustion engines. Thanks for sharing the demo rides though!
If you ever get the chance to take one for a ride you should jump on it.
I am intrigued about the feel of silence and torque. I might have to at least try it.
TomAndToys Definitely go for a test-ride. I've been an aficionado of noisy, thumping or screaming engines (big twins and I-4s) for a long while now. The first ride on a Zero was unsettling for me, but piqued my interest. The 2nd time around, I fell into love with the silent, yet immense rocketing sensation, and bought my current FX 5.7. :) I jumped back on my Ninja ZX636 & SV650 after a few weeks of only riding the Zero, and found these bikes to be annoying in how noisy, vibratey, and clunky (in shifting) they were. Sold off the Ninja, and am holding on to the SV650 for any long distance riding.
Man...I feel like I want one of those now. My bike is currently averaging 38 mpg
Cool stuff. The FX is the best model IMHO. I know because I own one ;)
Do you use the app that zero put out? How many miles have you put on your bike? How much money has it saved you from not having to buy gas?
halfthrottle Yep, I use it to check how the bike's been doing in energy consumption and adjust the torque & brake regen for the Custom mode. I'm about to hit 1,000 miles on the bike; so far that 1,000 miles costs only $2.50 for me from my electric utility (I pay directly for wind power towards the bike). That'd be like around $90 if I had used my old Ninja ZX-636. :)
Ok, that was cool.
I see the authority model has a small windscreen. I wonder if a larger windscreen might also be available - preferably full-size and adjustable-on-the-fly (like my BMW RT).
Great video, we like the idea but there's just something soothing about hearing your engine when going for a ride. Was it weird to twist the throttle and no mechanical sounds? Their price point is probably fairly high. Would you consider one of those bikes? We enjoyed this video quite a bit *T4S*
It's soothing until you have to pull up to the gas pump. I would love to own one. Most of my rising these days are well within the bikes range.
Nice!
finally looks like we hit the 21st century
The 21st century? We'll have flying motorcycles by then!
Hmmm, for maintenance I'd imagine you'd still need to oil the chain (unless it comes with an automatic oiler..)
Belt drive.
Pretty cool bikes. Love the idea but would you buy one?
I'm too poor at the moment, but I would love to be commuting everyday on one.
Pesky old money. They do seem pretty damn ideal for commuting though. Not so much for a multi day adventure though I guess
I would buy one if i had the money ...
Move to Georgia. The government hands a check for $4000 when you buy one there. Colorado used to have the same incentive, but it wasn't renewed.
OK did the sums we in the uk pay $10.00 a gallon. How dose that compare I have a feeling you won't feel so bad about you gas prices Lol (yes missing the whole point of the video but I'm English and bitter! ;-) )
Average cost of gas in my hometown is $3.69/gallon right now.
halfthrottle bitterness overload! ;-)
spicy110 oh and for UK people that works out to 48p per liter. Yes forty eight pence! But I have a plan we just need a few thousand miles of garden hose!
Sorry mate. Sounds Zero had better start sending more electric bikes over the pond.
halfthrottle yer I love the fact the tech has developed so much I just wonder how far electric bikes will get in 10years. In theory there are so many benefits but I think I would prefer if it had a clutch and a normal gearbox, like the electric TT bikes.
Make it so! lol
One handed riding. Its great for cops so they don't drop their donut!
But watch out if they do drop the Donut, they might each for the tazer.
halfthrottle Yeah, that would be bad. They'd probably be mad they dropped their favorite flavor and that might lead to more cases of police brutality. Perhaps Zero should design a donut holder to reduce the chance of donut dropping induced Tazering/beating/shooting incidents.
One of the cops around me is riding a CanAm Spyder on patrol. He looks like he eats very few donuts, so no word on that aspect. But I think the department has already paid for the machine, if you catch my drift...
Haha... "Ive never crashed before".... im thinking... hang on a sec
No doubt they will be mainstream soon enough
Nice! i want one, but unfortunately it's not in the budget right now :-(
There is an app that keeps you updated in real time how much money you are saving by not using gasoline. But that initial cost is a bit steep.
halfthrottle I love the idea of electric bikes and cars, and i would get one in a heartbeat, but what they really need are universal power packs.
So that whatever manufacturer, make, or model, bike/car you purchase, the power packs and connectors need to be the same.
So you can put 2 or 3 in your car, or 1 for bikes. and infrastructure at every fuel station, so when you get low on go go juice, you can just pull in, swap the power pack/s pay a small fee to cover what it costs them to recharge/maintain/replace... well you get what i'm saying...
welshray1 We are considering the Nissan Leaf to replace either our Taurus or S10 pickup
Show off. It would cost me $134 to fill the tank of my car (60 litres) in UK pricing. I always laugh when Americans complain about fuel prices!
What are these "(liters)" you speak of? As an American they frighten and confuse me.
one litre is about the same size as a small coke when you order mcdonalds over there
Crana lol, and one gallon is one of those big drums that people go over Niagra falls on right? Or is an American small coke actually 1 litre? That would be scary
I'll bet a large coke is more than a liter.