Gotta say this. I've been watching your videos for quite some time now. You have an excellent voice and this format, speaking while riding the bike with the mic inside the helmet, doesn't show the best of it. The review was great as usual. We need more honest and professional reviewers like you. It's always a pleasure.
I'm from Germany and own a EsseEsse9 Special (and love it) and for sure: if you don't have a CCS charger, riding longer distances don't make sense. Even with 6kW charging takes too long. So better watch out ;-) 3kW works fine at home. 6kW for backup would be nice if no CCS is available but over here it should be at least 12kW AC cause there are a lot of AC-chargers. Guess there is no rectifier small enough fitting the bike...
The Zero 14.4kWh battery pack is a marketing number. Do the math on it and you'll see the batteries are actually of very similar capacities. Energica clearly lists their pack as an 11.7kWh nominal battery pack. Now let's look at Zero. The bike recognizes the pack as having 114Ah. The Zero voltage ranges from 95-116.4, with a midpoint of 102V. Multiply the Amp Hours by the nominal voltage to see you actually have an 11.628kWh usable, vs the 11.7kWH usable on the Energica.
What a great motorcycle review. I’m just looking at electric bikes and the Energica is top of my preferences at the moment so it was good to get, what seemed, an honest review. So often with bike reviews it seems like the reviewers are worried about upsetting people in case they don’t get another ride. I didn’t get this impression with you and for that a big thank you!
More of this type of content please, love the real world stuff. Studio info is fab (don't ever stop doing that) but watching you ride, walk around is gold!! Love to you and the team!! G.
Love seeing the evolution to electric in ALL things transportation! Great video, thanks for sharing! I also love the intro music very much. Well done! 🙌
I probably shouldn't get one....but I really want one :P. Great review, Nikki. You should check out the Onyx moped. It's pretty reasonably priced and offers some decent specs for city commuters.
Excellent Review! Don't feel bad, I managed to drop that bike too when I rode the demo model a year ago. Nothing like a heavy bike in a sloped parking lot.
I dropped a Zero SR on test, really it dropped me when I tried to twist from a stop in sport mode and it basically backflipped on my knee on the cold November asphalt, probably not good for traction, brand new tires and cold road and idiot pulling throttle
As a Aussie /ex pommie biker, with two petrol bike , nice review , no ballshit just honest talk , I hope the makers take your criteria on Board , would love more elec bike reviews , regards from Perth wa 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
One reason they would put a 3kwh charger on the AC charging is because that is most often the limitation for house hold AC chargers. Most circuits do not support 6kw output. And if you do twin circuit then you have to be able to find another circuit close by and that adds a lot of bulk. Do not forget this bike is italian made with italian infrastructure in mind.
I think the concern and/or obsession over 6kW charging is outdated and really spoils this otherwise excellent review. First of all, at least in Florida, a majority of J1772 plugs only deliver 3kW (looking at you ChargePoint). Just finding a 6kW charger is a challenge. Second, the growth of CCS chargers is so massive and fast that it pretty much eliminates the need for J1772 charging except at final destinations. All 'in-route' charging can be done on CCS outlets. Energica engineers definitely see the use of J1772 as dying out. Harley is even being more optimistic with their Livewire, it does J1772 at 1kW! The writing on where J1772 is headed is on the wall. It's just going to remain for home garage charging. Also slower home charging is BETTER for the batteries, so limiting it to 3kW is actually better for long term battery life. Disclosure: Wife and I both own Energicas (Eva and Eva SS9).
@@markhunter5594 Most of them are slow, even the cars. I mean what is the point? You have to waste every time 2 hours of your life in a charging station, we have short lifes. I rather go on gas and fill in 1 minute, and rest of time spending at destination with family or at job :). When i stop to eat, i take a fast food burger and that's all, i don't want to waste 2 hours in sort of Mall or smth to waste time while charging.
I personally agree. 6kW+ charger would make a lot of difference and it's absence is not justifiable at this price range. It is an option I am pressing to add on our motorcycles. At least, if you pay more you get more
Lady... i hear complains about the 3kw charger. Even a 12kw charger would not be enough fast. Because it takes 1h to recharge. And this is also ridiculous. So the bike could even have a 1kw charger. it is fast enough to recharge over night. And thats the purpose of it. Why nobody complains like a girl when it comes to a Zero MC who can't DC fast charge... i have no clue. obviously it is okay to spend 20k for a Zero and whait 2h for a recharge but it is not okay to spend 21k to energica who can recharge in 15 - 20 min. ??? please explain?
Best electric motorbike review ever! I knew you were cool… but now l discover you’re into motorbikes! Double cool!!… but not just any bikes… Electric bikes!!! …Triple cool!!! 😃👍 Keep up the great work, and yes.. more electric motorbikes as the progress please.
It’s a really cool bike. As you say Nikki, they just need to add that 7kw charging option. Or I suppose even if they don’t, every day more CCS chargers are being installed so it’s opening it up to more people.
Amazing video. Great honest review. Although the 12kw zeroo SR/F onbored charging can only run off one j plug and there's not many j plugs that support 12kw. It's the diginows that have the double j plug chargers
I'm jealous. There's no way on earth I can afford £21,000, that woeful range and no v-twin sound... but that torque. That's what it's all about, not flying around at 180mph looking for the nearest tree/wall/lampost to wrap around. It's all about the drag, the traffic light GP.
I've been riding BMW RTs since the 1990s until I sold my last one in 2017. I had been accustomed to the switchgear and was unhappy when they changed to the "normal" turn signal. I haven't bought another one since I sold the last one because I was only ever riding it 2 or 3 times a year for the long road trips the RT is made for, and other than that it was just sitting in the garage costing money. So I decided to just rent a bike for my annual Washington vacation and SoCal meeting. I'm *this* close to getting a Zero SR/F - the range is *maybe* enough to do my favorite weekend fun-ride loop, they've got a decent charger and have finally put the charge port in the right place, and they've made a bunch of other fixes to things I didn't like about previous models. But why, oh why, won't they or any other e-moto maker put a fairing/windscreen on any of their machines? If they would do that, their freeway mileage numbers would improve greatly, and they would be more comfortable to ride at speed. What I'm really looking for is an electric-powered equivalent to the RT, I guess.
I was worried for you for a moment there Nicki - but then I remembered those American types drive on the wrong side of the road - very good video as ever, ^oo^
You have to add windshields to these bikes. It improves freeway range by at least 12%. Furthermore, having to fully release the throttle for mode changes to kick in is what Zero does too. It's pretty standard for electric motorcycles. Modes make such a huge difference to throttle response, so if you didn't have to roll off the power, changing modes could be dangerous.
Just coming across this review now. Awesome review! Looking at motorcycles myself. I've noticed that Energica for 2020 has now generated a fairly significant update for these bikes. They have updated their batteries. The base Esse Esse 9 has a similar sized battery but is now a bit lighter and they have significantly reduced the cost (now starting at $17,620). They have also launched the Esse Esse 9 + with a larger 21.5KWh battery pack (priced at $21,350). It might be nice to revisit this review if possible with the updates. One thing that surprises me is that this bike does come with a windscreen option, but it's rather small. I would think a properly designed touring windscreen option might help with aerodynamics at high speeds and make this a great touring bike. I'm guessing the 3KW onboard AC charger limitation might be a packaging issue. The lower AC charging speed limitation might be offset with the larger range battery pack + CCS compatibility.
I suspect that putting the bike in "Rain Mode" is a better option than "Eco Mode". From what I understand, it should give you the modulated power output without the top speed restriction.
@@Miata822 Still a ways to go before this becomes a viable alternative to a Vulcan 650 or even a Harley as a cruiser. I still remember the road signs on some of the highways I've ridden through that said "next gas station 150 miles"
I have seriously considered one of these but it was not the 3kw charger that was the issue. the AC charger is just for charging at home off of a socket which is 3kw anyway! Out on the road you want the DC charging 20min to full is exactly what you want and much better than a 6kw charger. However the problem is the 50or so miles between charging, as you have observed the quick chargers can be further spaced than that. What I do not understand with Energica is that when they first released this bike in 2014 it had a 11kwh battery pack with 18kw DC charging. five years on and every battery in every other EV has doubled in size and charge rate. (a nissan leaf was 22kw now 40kw) so why has the energica still have an 11kwh battery? If it was 20kwh (with 50kw DC charging) this would be fantastic as a full charge would be done in 20 minutes and be good for over 100miles at motorway speeds and 150miles for regular riding plenty of range to get to those hard to find DC chargers. Thank you for the excellent review
I understand your frustration with lack of DC chargers in South Washington. I recently took my Nissan leaf with 15kWh effective battery capacity to Portland, and was within 5 miles of stranded while jumping between every charger along the way. The Walmart in Lacey just added EVgo CCS chargers. The ONLY CCS chargers until woodland.
Great review NIkki , up to the point of labouring the 3kw charger concern, think of it this way, 3kw is your destination charger, you get to work and spend at least 4 hours working (I know I do) or visit friends with a charge point or at least a plug for the granny charger, (remember even the SRF needs 3 phase for the 2x3kw charger) but if its to stop on route then when would you want to be waiting longer than a 22kw charger, on route waiting more than 30 minutes is a destination in my book, that's why the Zeros are not even on the score sheet. But maybe it's a pond thing, and in the US as you don't have many CCS chargers, hogging two spaces to charge from both AC charge points on the 12kw Zero is acceptable. ;)
Congratulations on the content in this review & I hope there will many more like it to come. Do you think there are areas you could improve? I'd like to see your next review to take another step up in quality.
Beautiful bike. US$ 21.000 is a bit too much for a naked bike, the weight is outrageous, unfortunately, but we're getting there, I guess. Never had you for a biker type, which makes me more of fan of your channel, keep riding, girl!
You rock, being into EV's AND motorcycles. I'm impressed it has as much power as the gen 1 leaf I have. It's not like the leaf is weak either. Did the tires seem to handle the weight and torque well? I imagine quick tire wear
Always assume you can't be seen nor heard. You never depend on other vehicles for your safety. One aspect that many don't realize who think that loud bikes are safer, is that you can actually here what's going on around you on an electric bike. There is no audible droning sound that can hypnotize you and if your bike is too loud, it can actually damage your hearing. They actually recommend wearing ear plugs. All that is not needed on an electric bike. I test rode a Zero SR and it was mind blowing. It being quiet was refreshing, but also I didn't have to worry about shifting. I didn't have to worry about stalling. I didn't have to worry about down shifting. The ride was far less stressful. All my attention was on the ride. That's what electric bikes afford you. You can fully submerse yourself with the ride.
Nikki here - I agree -- I actually found it easier to ride the Esse Esse 9 compared to a similar-performing gasoline bike. And a lot less stressful too, because no gears to worry about!
Very cool. Love my Zero SR. Zeros don't have Level III charging because one, Level III chargers are about as common as unicorns in most parts of the country and two, Zero knows that most electric bike owners don't need Level III. I didn't even get the Level II charge tank accessory and it's been great. You just don't buy an electric motorcycle with the intent of road tripping. You buy it to have fun around town and take shorter but local day trips. If you want to ride for hours on end, you have nearly endless options of gas powered machines that are usually much cheaper to buy. Regardless, once you go electric, you don't ever want to go back.
Oh dear. You also seem very misinformed about the SR/F's charging capability. You make a claim that it can use two J1772 inlets at the same time. That is not true. If you purchase the additional 6kW charger everything is routed through 1 inlet.
There is the new Lightening lower priced at uk £8,999, is an sport bikes. I would love to go electric but currently they do not have the option for two up and luggage. Electric bikes are great for town riding due to regen being used more in towns. The open road you can used the power up due to not using regen much.
Enjoyed your motorcycle review. Do more! Harley’s weigh 700 pounds plus. Sport bikes around 500, this bike not too bad. The new Zero is 170 miles, which is more like it
I had no idea you liked Bikes. Very positive. It would feel odd not having some engine sound; especially right at the start. I would not like those silly mirrors. But otherwise it looks nice.
That's hilarious that you dropped it but honestly it could happen to anyone. My first time on a dirtbike i did an accidental wheelie into a garbage can. i got lucky and there wasn't damages.
charging with the battery is not fully described. I do not charge with 3 kW,not with 6 kW, I charge with 25 kW. This is the standard and the most important thing with the fast charger is that you don't need to take any cables / adapters with you. especially important for motorcycle riders.
only 14 kw but I love my Eva - she took me safely to Nordkapp last year and around Iceland and the Faroe Islands this year. Too bad about Energica ... I've never had a better bike!
If I had the money, I would still go and buy Zero FS/R. Much better machine: 30 kg lighter, better look. more range - you can get over 100 mile in Zero easily, in Esse Esse 9-this is possible only with very eco ride if you ride carefully,
IMO if I can swing the new 2020 plus model, lighter and more range, game over, Zeros are too plasticy for me and I'm sick of sport bike ergonomics want the ss9 cafe style and higher spec components
@@8104 yeah I know, but they did announce development of a charger for the energica just before they announced the close of Zero Superchargers. No, I don't understand it either.
@@8104 sorry, 10 kW. "Looking for testers on our portable CCS system. We will be performing first tests next week and are looking for testers in North America right now. This will charge most cars around 10kw, and we expect to see about 6-7 kw for Energica right now at most places. It can be used to charge any vehicle with a CCS port. Beta test group price is $3000 and delivery time is about 1 week. Shoot me a message if you are interested."
The Energica has DC fast charging for trips, and an onboard charger that charges up to 0.25C, which is the maximum daily charge rate recommended by most lithium batteries. Zero doesn’t have DCFC, so they offer accessories that can give you 6 kW charging, but that’s still 2 hrs to charge, vs 30 minutes on the Energica, for a 12 kWh battery. $21,000 for something that you can ride for 30 minutes before charging for 30 minutes (or 4 hrs) is going to be a hard sell.
Chris Muir, it has CCS fast charging, but Nikki wants fast AC charging as well because there aren’t enough CCS fast chargers to charge from. The Zero lets you add a tank charger that allows for 6 kW charging, instead of the 3 kW of the Energica.
I feel as if somebody should have already thought of a some sort of standardised battery swapping thing by now, especially for bikes. So instead of stopping at every other station for 30 minutes, you'd just swap out your battery for a fully charged one and leave the one you had charging at the station for the next person
@@dosmastrify does she have to pronounce it wrongly for the rest of her life just because she is British? Besides, there is google translate that can help you out with that these days
I wouldn't want to lift up my seat to charge,,,I'd rather have a port somewhere else. Zero SR seems to be not as heavy/faster charging I would go with Zero!
I realise motorcycles cannot have CDs of cars. But why are electric motorcycles designed with so much drag ? That front seems optimised to generate turbulence. The back seems to built of diesel train raidator
is their no point in these big bikes on electric....if this was a car people would laugh price range,charging etc., and for what co2 this bke saves running etc. probably wastes on manufacture..can you tell not a bike rider..but really enjoyed video great indepth no holds barred:)
If electric motorcycles are ever going to really be a thing, they are going to have to have decent range, DC fast charging and a minimum of 10 kW onboard AC charging. And they can't be as heavy as all of the Energicas are. None of the manufacturers seem interested in making electric bikes that can replace ICE bikes, but then it's pretty clear that no ICE manufacturer is interested in giving up their rip-off maintenance racket. As long as the manufacturers think they can get away with putting out heavy, exorbitantly expensive commuter bikes, they will never take off. Zero has the weight and performance right, and the S & SR have the minimum ranger necessary, but their charging situation is completely untenable. The new SR/F nearly gets there, but it's much heavier, has less range and still doesn't have DC charging. I will never even glance at a bike as heavy as the Energica. The Lightning Strike shows a lot of promise, but until they are actually obtainable they are vaporware. I will soon have 10 kW AC charging on my 2016 Zero SR, and that will have to do for the foreseeable future until somebody decides to make a real, every-day and touring capable bike.
1:10 Ooo did you scratch it already :P come on, admit it hehe oh. just admitted it 7:30 oops, as long as you're ok, 600lbs falling you is pretty bad if that happens.
Very premium, except for the ugly big brakefluid pot. Nice bike, but the weight, charging capability and very limited range would not make me want to commute with it. It'll take some years to get level with normal motorbikes like cars are. And BWM left the separate button setup years ago.
Oh you're gonna Love the Zero SR/F! 82W motor, better freeway range at 70mph (80-ish), weighs 100 pounds less, and a 6kW/hr charger on the premium model (12 optional or fit an extra battery). Downside is no DC quick charging. It's not a touring bike though. It's made for hooning around. It's perfect for that.
@@ownsenergy4418 EVs are the opposite from ICE in this respect, that they get the better efficiency from the stop-and-go driving than from the highway driving. With the EV bikes you also have the wind resistance that the rider provides at highway speeds too. I'll bet the highway efficiency would improve quite a bit if the bike was enclosed in some sort of aerodynamic "shell".
i have to laugh at your 'you can tour' on this bike. I live in WA, and there is nowhere near enough charging stations for the range of this bike (or a Zero). Maybe if you limit yourself to the I-5 corridor, but that would be a terrible ride. Someday they will have enough charging stations in Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Kennewick... someday...
if they could use the newer 300wh/kg hours they would probably have double the range. that would be nice.the heavy weight on a performance bike is not that nice.
I hope you keep doing electric motorcycle reviews. I’m actually more excited about the future of motorcycles than I am cars.
Likewise! 👍
Is excellent review of a superb motorcycle
THIS is the kind of review that made me a subscriber. Cars are good but motorcycles are life's raison d'être.
Gotta say this. I've been watching your videos for quite some time now. You have an excellent voice and this format, speaking while riding the bike with the mic inside the helmet, doesn't show the best of it.
The review was great as usual. We need more honest and professional reviewers like you. It's always a pleasure.
I'm from Germany and own a EsseEsse9 Special (and love it) and for sure: if you don't have a CCS charger, riding longer distances don't make sense. Even with 6kW charging takes too long. So better watch out ;-)
3kW works fine at home. 6kW for backup would be nice if no CCS is available but over here it should be at least 12kW AC cause there are a lot of AC-chargers. Guess there is no rectifier small enough fitting the bike...
The Zero 14.4kWh battery pack is a marketing number. Do the math on it and you'll see the batteries are actually of very similar capacities. Energica clearly lists their pack as an 11.7kWh nominal battery pack. Now let's look at Zero. The bike recognizes the pack as having 114Ah. The Zero voltage ranges from 95-116.4, with a midpoint of 102V. Multiply the Amp Hours by the nominal voltage to see you actually have an 11.628kWh usable, vs the 11.7kWH usable on the Energica.
What a great motorcycle review. I’m just looking at electric bikes and the Energica is top of my preferences at the moment so it was good to get, what seemed, an honest review. So often with bike reviews it seems like the reviewers are worried about upsetting people in case they don’t get another ride. I didn’t get this impression with you and for that a big thank you!
More of this type of content please, love the real world stuff. Studio info is fab (don't ever stop doing that) but watching you ride, walk around is gold!! Love to you and the team!! G.
11.7kWh lipo battery, will do Mode 4 CCS @ 24kW, to charge 0-85% in 20 mins, so it's not all bad.
Love seeing the evolution to electric in ALL things transportation! Great video, thanks for sharing! I also love the intro music very much. Well done! 🙌
I probably shouldn't get one....but I really want one :P. Great review, Nikki. You should check out the Onyx moped. It's pretty reasonably priced and offers some decent specs for city commuters.
Excellent Review! Don't feel bad, I managed to drop that bike too when I rode the demo model a year ago. Nothing like a heavy bike in a sloped parking lot.
I dropped a Zero SR on test, really it dropped me when I tried to twist from a stop in sport mode and it basically backflipped on my knee on the cold November asphalt, probably not good for traction, brand new tires and cold road and idiot pulling throttle
As a Aussie /ex pommie biker, with two petrol bike , nice review , no ballshit just honest talk , I hope the makers take your criteria on Board , would love more elec bike reviews , regards from Perth wa 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
One reason they would put a 3kwh charger on the AC charging is because that is most often the limitation for house hold AC chargers. Most circuits do not support 6kw output. And if you do twin circuit then you have to be able to find another circuit close by and that adds a lot of bulk. Do not forget this bike is italian made with italian infrastructure in mind.
I think the concern and/or obsession over 6kW charging is outdated and really spoils this otherwise excellent review. First of all, at least in Florida, a majority of J1772 plugs only deliver 3kW (looking at you ChargePoint). Just finding a 6kW charger is a challenge. Second, the growth of CCS chargers is so massive and fast that it pretty much eliminates the need for J1772 charging except at final destinations. All 'in-route' charging can be done on CCS outlets. Energica engineers definitely see the use of J1772 as dying out. Harley is even being more optimistic with their Livewire, it does J1772 at 1kW! The writing on where J1772 is headed is on the wall. It's just going to remain for home garage charging.
Also slower home charging is BETTER for the batteries, so limiting it to 3kW is actually better for long term battery life. Disclosure: Wife and I both own Energicas (Eva and Eva SS9).
Rick Flashman you own a ss9? Perfect, is the “fuel tank” a storage like zero sr/f or is just for the looks.
Andi R Neither. It has the top of the battery, the inverter (with its water cooling system) and the computer. It’s packed to the brim in there.
Nikki, thank you for the review. It was thorough, in depth, and thoughtful. Keep posting these types of reviews whenever you get the chance! 🔥👍💯
Please more electric bike reviews 👍🙏
Yeah. You ride for 2 hours and stay to charge 4 hours :), cool experience.
@@Flavius-Tech yeah she did mention other bikes have faster charge times it's just this particular bike that's slow
@@markhunter5594 Most of them are slow, even the cars. I mean what is the point? You have to waste every time 2 hours of your life in a charging station, we have short lifes. I rather go on gas and fill in 1 minute, and rest of time spending at destination with family or at job :). When i stop to eat, i take a fast food burger and that's all, i don't want to waste 2 hours in sort of Mall or smth to waste time while charging.
@@Flavius-Tech so why are you watching this if it doesn't interest you mate? 😁
I personally agree. 6kW+ charger would make a lot of difference and it's absence is not justifiable at this price range. It is an option I am pressing to add on our motorcycles. At least, if you pay more you get more
The range is just too limited for leisure use. For a commuting machine it's great, but that's not a commuter bike price tag.
And there are other options for commuting distance EV bikes that are much cheaper.
@@JustWasted3HoursHere Do you have some examples?
@@ws5712 Google "e-bike" or "Electric bike". Granted, those are not motorcycles, but they are way cheaper than this and meet the needs of many people.
The 2020 plus now has over 100miles hwy and over 200 ciry
Michael Brack that’s the 9+ and costs 22 k
Lady... i hear complains about the 3kw charger. Even a 12kw charger would not be enough fast. Because it takes 1h to recharge. And this is also ridiculous. So the bike could even have a 1kw charger. it is fast enough to recharge over night. And thats the purpose of it. Why nobody complains like a girl when it comes to a Zero MC who can't DC fast charge... i have no clue. obviously it is okay to spend 20k for a Zero and whait 2h for a recharge but it is not okay to spend 21k to energica who can recharge in 15 - 20 min. ??? please explain?
And Energica it's lighter, more powerful and with better brakes...
Best electric motorbike review ever!
I knew you were cool… but now l discover you’re into motorbikes! Double cool!!… but not just any bikes… Electric bikes!!! …Triple cool!!! 😃👍
Keep up the great work, and yes.. more electric motorbikes as the progress please.
Thanks to a super awesome fan and their family, we’re going to have some Zero content coming up pretty soon too - Winter
It’s a really cool bike. As you say Nikki, they just need to add that 7kw charging option. Or I suppose even if they don’t, every day more CCS chargers are being installed so it’s opening it up to more people.
Amazing video. Great honest review. Although the 12kw zeroo SR/F onbored charging can only run off one j plug and there's not many j plugs that support 12kw. It's the diginows that have the double j plug chargers
I'm jealous. There's no way on earth I can afford £21,000, that woeful range and no v-twin sound... but that torque. That's what it's all about, not flying around at 180mph looking for the nearest tree/wall/lampost to wrap around. It's all about the drag, the traffic light GP.
A very professional and well delivered review, it was interesting even to a non-biker like me. Thanks Nikki!
I've been riding BMW RTs since the 1990s until I sold my last one in 2017. I had been accustomed to the switchgear and was unhappy when they changed to the "normal" turn signal.
I haven't bought another one since I sold the last one because I was only ever riding it 2 or 3 times a year for the long road trips the RT is made for, and other than that it was just sitting in the garage costing money. So I decided to just rent a bike for my annual Washington vacation and SoCal meeting.
I'm *this* close to getting a Zero SR/F - the range is *maybe* enough to do my favorite weekend fun-ride loop, they've got a decent charger and have finally put the charge port in the right place, and they've made a bunch of other fixes to things I didn't like about previous models.
But why, oh why, won't they or any other e-moto maker put a fairing/windscreen on any of their machines? If they would do that, their freeway mileage numbers would improve greatly, and they would be more comfortable to ride at speed.
What I'm really looking for is an electric-powered equivalent to the RT, I guess.
I was worried for you for a moment there Nicki - but then I remembered those American types drive on the wrong side of the road - very good video as ever, ^oo^
You have to add windshields to these bikes. It improves freeway range by at least 12%. Furthermore, having to fully release the throttle for mode changes to kick in is what Zero does too. It's pretty standard for electric motorcycles. Modes make such a huge difference to throttle response, so if you didn't have to roll off the power, changing modes could be dangerous.
Great review, Nikki. Keep up the good work!
Excellent review.
Just coming across this review now. Awesome review! Looking at motorcycles myself. I've noticed that Energica for 2020 has now generated a fairly significant update for these bikes. They have updated their batteries. The base Esse Esse 9 has a similar sized battery but is now a bit lighter and they have significantly reduced the cost (now starting at $17,620). They have also launched the Esse Esse 9 + with a larger 21.5KWh battery pack (priced at $21,350). It might be nice to revisit this review if possible with the updates. One thing that surprises me is that this bike does come with a windscreen option, but it's rather small. I would think a properly designed touring windscreen option might help with aerodynamics at high speeds and make this a great touring bike. I'm guessing the 3KW onboard AC charger limitation might be a packaging issue. The lower AC charging speed limitation might be offset with the larger range battery pack + CCS compatibility.
That's awesome! Please do more reviews like this!
I suspect that putting the bike in "Rain Mode" is a better option than "Eco Mode".
From what I understand, it should give you the modulated power output without the top speed restriction.
Probably reduces regen as well. The modes can be reconfigured though.
@@Miata822 Still a ways to go before this becomes a viable alternative to a Vulcan 650 or even a Harley as a cruiser.
I still remember the road signs on some of the highways I've ridden through that said "next gas station 150 miles"
@@pogo1140 Yes, the DC quick charging network is growing in the US but still far from being convenient once away from major cities.
I have seriously considered one of these but it was not the 3kw charger that was the issue. the AC charger is just for charging at home off of a socket which is 3kw anyway! Out on the road you want the DC charging 20min to full is exactly what you want and much better than a 6kw charger. However the problem is the 50or so miles between charging, as you have observed the quick chargers can be further spaced than that. What I do not understand with Energica is that when they first released this bike in 2014 it had a 11kwh battery pack with 18kw DC charging. five years on and every battery in every other EV has doubled in size and charge rate. (a nissan leaf was 22kw now 40kw) so why has the energica still have an 11kwh battery? If it was 20kwh (with 50kw DC charging) this would be fantastic as a full charge would be done in 20 minutes and be good for over 100miles at motorway speeds and 150miles for regular riding plenty of range to get to those hard to find DC chargers. Thank you for the excellent review
Most of your dream has come true! How great is that.
Hope you do more motorcycle reviews. Ducati is working on an electric motorcycle and it would be awesome if you could review it.
I understand your frustration with lack of DC chargers in South Washington. I recently took my Nissan leaf with 15kWh effective battery capacity to Portland, and was within 5 miles of stranded while jumping between every charger along the way. The Walmart in Lacey just added EVgo CCS chargers. The ONLY CCS chargers until woodland.
Great review NIkki , up to the point of labouring the 3kw charger concern, think of it this way, 3kw is your destination charger, you get to work and spend at least 4 hours working (I know I do) or visit friends with a charge point or at least a plug for the granny charger, (remember even the SRF needs 3 phase for the 2x3kw charger) but if its to stop on route then when would you want to be waiting longer than a 22kw charger, on route waiting more than 30 minutes is a destination in my book, that's why the Zeros are not even on the score sheet. But maybe it's a pond thing, and in the US as you don't have many CCS chargers, hogging two spaces to charge from both AC charge points on the 12kw Zero is acceptable. ;)
Great review. Totally agree with assessment about the lack of a 6kw charger.
Great review
Congratulations on the content in this review & I hope there will many more like it to come. Do you think there are areas you could improve? I'd like to see your next review to take another step up in quality.
Great review, nice to see you enjoying a ride again.
Do more bike reviews I think you can corner the segment. :))
BMW’s haven’t used that indicator switch configuration you describe in years.
2013 I think. I preferred the old layout.
250 MPH?
9:36 arent they supposed to prevent too much torque automatically for safety and performance?
Super Thumbs Up!! I still love my '18 SR, but I am glad bikes like this one exist and TE to give us such a great review! =o)
The LiveWire has the same charge problem (Missing 6kW) and I thought it was pretty silly, too!
Well done Nikki, great review.
Well, that was fun! Thanks!
Beautiful bike. US$ 21.000 is a bit too much for a naked bike, the weight is outrageous, unfortunately, but we're getting there, I guess. Never had you for a biker type, which makes me more of fan of your channel, keep riding, girl!
KTM and Ducati might argue with you regarding pricing.
You rock, being into EV's AND motorcycles. I'm impressed it has as much power as the gen 1 leaf I have. It's not like the leaf is weak either.
Did the tires seem to handle the weight and torque well? I imagine quick tire wear
Great review. How do you feel about the fact that it is silent in terms of safety and letting cars know you're around them?
It’s actually quite noisy!
Always assume you can't be seen nor heard. You never depend on other vehicles for your safety.
One aspect that many don't realize who think that loud bikes are safer, is that you can actually here what's going on around you on an electric bike. There is no audible droning sound that can hypnotize you and if your bike is too loud, it can actually damage your hearing. They actually recommend wearing ear plugs. All that is not needed on an electric bike.
I test rode a Zero SR and it was mind blowing. It being quiet was refreshing, but also I didn't have to worry about shifting. I didn't have to worry about stalling. I didn't have to worry about down shifting. The ride was far less stressful.
All my attention was on the ride. That's what electric bikes afford you. You can fully submerse yourself with the ride.
Nikki here - I agree -- I actually found it easier to ride the Esse Esse 9 compared to a similar-performing gasoline bike. And a lot less stressful too, because no gears to worry about!
Very cool. Love my Zero SR. Zeros don't have Level III charging because one, Level III chargers are about as common as unicorns in most parts of the country and two, Zero knows that most electric bike owners don't need Level III. I didn't even get the Level II charge tank accessory and it's been great. You just don't buy an electric motorcycle with the intent of road tripping. You buy it to have fun around town and take shorter but local day trips. If you want to ride for hours on end, you have nearly endless options of gas powered machines that are usually much cheaper to buy. Regardless, once you go electric, you don't ever want to go back.
Chicken and egg
Oh dear. You also seem very misinformed about the SR/F's charging capability. You make a claim that it can use two J1772 inlets at the same time. That is not true. If you purchase the additional 6kW charger everything is routed through 1 inlet.
There is the new Lightening lower priced at uk £8,999, is an sport bikes. I would love to go electric but currently they do not have the option for two up and luggage. Electric bikes are great for town riding due to regen being used more in towns. The open road you can used the power up due to not using regen much.
This looks like it has luggage and 2 up room.
Enjoyed your motorcycle review. Do more!
Harley’s weigh 700 pounds plus. Sport bikes around 500, this bike not too bad. The new Zero is 170 miles, which is more like it
Motorway. Niki, your in America it’s a highway. Lmao. Love the way you talk it’s lovely.
In addition, the 2020 model has a 21.5 kWh battery for significantly more range
Lighter too - but still heavy.
I don't think the charging is a concern in UK now,rapid chargers everywhere and loads of free 7kw chargers in supermarkets.
Energica say that it's better to charge the battery all the way?? That's contrary to everyone else's advice on Lithium Ion batteries...
Like a Tesla or any other EV 'full' is normaly 85%, for acctuall full you need to change the config.
Thanks. Just thanks Nikki.
I had no idea you liked Bikes. Very positive. It would feel odd not having some engine sound; especially right at the start. I would not like those silly mirrors. But otherwise it looks nice.
13:15 initial drums sounded like road hazard!
That's hilarious that you dropped it but honestly it could happen to anyone. My first time on a dirtbike i did an accidental wheelie into a garbage can. i got lucky and there wasn't damages.
You rock... ride on girl ..
It sounds great, soo futuristic .... But ... costs almost the same as a Renault Zoe 😃
charging with the battery is not fully described.
I do not charge with 3 kW,not with 6 kW, I charge with 25 kW. This is the standard and the most important thing with the fast charger is that you don't need to take any cables / adapters with you. especially important for motorcycle riders.
only 14 kw but I love my Eva - she took me safely to Nordkapp last year and around Iceland and the Faroe Islands this year. Too bad about Energica ... I've never had a better bike!
If I had the money, I would still go and buy Zero FS/R.
Much better machine: 30 kg lighter, better look. more range - you can get over 100 mile in Zero easily, in Esse Esse 9-this is possible only with very eco ride if you ride carefully,
IMO if I can swing the new 2020 plus model, lighter and more range, game over, Zeros are too plasticy for me and I'm sick of sport bike ergonomics want the ss9 cafe style and higher spec components
Always wanted to spend some time in Portland.
Your right. I didn’t know you like to ride motorcycles. Thanks for the FYI
I'd have a Zero s 165kg, 250/400cc weight. An Ex Kawasaki 2 stroke triple owner.
Oh by the way did you mean to say the bike is a "Premium. Italian. Motorbike?" + I thought you were going to take it on the twisties?!
Diginow is working on a 22 kW charger for these.
Not sure digiNow will be working on much of anything anymore :/
@@8104 yeah I know, but they did announce development of a charger for the energica just before they announced the close of Zero Superchargers. No, I don't understand it either.
@@8104 sorry, 10 kW.
"Looking for testers on our portable CCS system. We will be performing first tests next week and are looking for testers in North America right now.
This will charge most cars around 10kw, and we expect to see about 6-7 kw for Energica right now at most places. It can be used to charge any vehicle with a CCS port.
Beta test group price is $3000 and delivery time is about 1 week.
Shoot me a message if you are interested."
The Energica has DC fast charging for trips, and an onboard charger that charges up to 0.25C, which is the maximum daily charge rate recommended by most lithium batteries. Zero doesn’t have DCFC, so they offer accessories that can give you 6 kW charging, but that’s still 2 hrs to charge, vs 30 minutes on the Energica, for a 12 kWh battery.
$21,000 for something that you can ride for 30 minutes before charging for 30 minutes (or 4 hrs) is going to be a hard sell.
Harley’s have indicators both handlebars.. Right hand is busy enough with the throttle.
It has a CCS DC quick charge socket, but they didn't impement quick charging? One flaw in an otherwise admirable bike.
Chris Muir, it has CCS fast charging, but Nikki wants fast AC charging as well because there aren’t enough CCS fast chargers to charge from. The Zero lets you add a tank charger that allows for 6 kW charging, instead of the 3 kW of the Energica.
This live comment wouldn't be possible if it was a gas motorcicle... 😁👍
I feel as if somebody should have already thought of a some sort of standardised battery swapping thing by now, especially for bikes. So instead of stopping at every other station for 30 minutes, you'd just swap out your battery for a fully charged one and leave the one you had charging at the station for the next person
Long time since you rode a beemer 😂
About four years ;)
No wheelies? No burnouts? :-(
BTW, the accent is on the A, not on the I in Energicà
She bri-ish aren't you Paying attention?
@@dosmastrify does she have to pronounce it wrongly for the rest of her life just because she is British?
Besides, there is google translate that can help you out with that these days
Cool review but it's pronounced Mòdena, not Modèna. Proud Italian, here. ;)
but what did you think of the esAy esAy pronunciation, ouch.
Hi. When do you think you'll be able to review the Harley Livewire?
Whenever they want to lend us one ;)
You look bad ass. It’s like watching TRON.
I wouldn't want to lift up my seat to charge,,,I'd rather have a port somewhere else. Zero SR seems to be not as heavy/faster charging I would go with Zero!
It' lighter than Zero, more powerful, better components, better brakes, better charge... I would go with Energica
Zero doesn't have DC fast
I don't like bikes, I love electric bikes.
I always use that charger! 😂
I realise motorcycles cannot have CDs of cars. But why are electric motorcycles designed with so much drag ? That front seems optimised to generate turbulence. The back seems to built of diesel train raidator
is their no point in these big bikes on electric....if this was a car people would laugh price range,charging etc., and for what co2 this bke saves running etc. probably wastes on manufacture..can you tell not a bike rider..but really enjoyed video great indepth no holds barred:)
If electric motorcycles are ever going to really be a thing, they are going to have to have decent range, DC fast charging and a minimum of 10 kW onboard AC charging. And they can't be as heavy as all of the Energicas are. None of the manufacturers seem interested in making electric bikes that can replace ICE bikes, but then it's pretty clear that no ICE manufacturer is interested in giving up their rip-off maintenance racket. As long as the manufacturers think they can get away with putting out heavy, exorbitantly expensive commuter bikes, they will never take off. Zero has the weight and performance right, and the S & SR have the minimum ranger necessary, but their charging situation is completely untenable. The new SR/F nearly gets there, but it's much heavier, has less range and still doesn't have DC charging. I will never even glance at a bike as heavy as the Energica. The Lightning Strike shows a lot of promise, but until they are actually obtainable they are vaporware.
I will soon have 10 kW AC charging on my 2016 Zero SR, and that will have to do for the foreseeable future until somebody decides to make a real, every-day and touring capable bike.
1:10 Ooo did you scratch it already :P come on, admit it hehe oh. just admitted it 7:30 oops, as long as you're ok, 600lbs falling you is pretty bad if that happens.
Phizicks, she did admit dropping the bike. That might be one of the scars.
Very premium, except for the ugly big brakefluid pot. Nice bike, but the weight, charging capability and very limited range would not make me want to commute with it. It'll take some years to get level with normal motorbikes like cars are. And BWM left the separate button setup years ago.
Yep it's ugly, but it's top quality by Brembo
Throttle riding!
I paid $3000.00 usd for my 1986 fj1200 in 1990. I still ride it. $20,000.00 for a electritzer? not me.
Hi Viz anybody?
Oh you're gonna Love the Zero SR/F! 82W motor, better freeway range at 70mph (80-ish), weighs 100 pounds less, and a 6kW/hr charger on the premium model (12 optional or fit an extra battery). Downside is no DC quick charging. It's not a touring bike though. It's made for hooning around. It's perfect for that.
It is tooooooo expensive: It starts at €22,050 (US $26,150, or £19,550) and the special model will set you back €23,690 ($28,100, or £21,010).
How much is it's range
I think she said 90-something miles at city driving speeds, but 50-60 miles at highways speeds.
The range should be around 90 miles city driving and 50 to 60 on motorways
@@ownsenergy4418 EVs are the opposite from ICE in this respect, that they get the better efficiency from the stop-and-go driving than from the highway driving. With the EV bikes you also have the wind resistance that the rider provides at highway speeds too. I'll bet the highway efficiency would improve quite a bit if the bike was enclosed in some sort of aerodynamic "shell".
@@ownsenergy4418 Sorry, Owns, that should have been directed at Prathmesh Patil.
i have to laugh at your 'you can tour' on this bike. I live in WA, and there is nowhere near enough charging stations for the range of this bike (or a Zero). Maybe if you limit yourself to the I-5 corridor, but that would be a terrible ride. Someday they will have enough charging stations in Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Kennewick... someday...
if they could use the newer 300wh/kg hours they would probably have double the range. that would be nice.the heavy weight on a performance bike is not that nice.
I would blame the extra drag on your helmet cam, it couldn't possibly be the streamlining on your aphrodite figure. And the helmet is good too.
When will poor people be able to have the pleasure of owning an electric bike?
Do all the zeros ,please.