I found myself in our local bike shop recently with my brother as he was looking to buy a little 125 for commuting. While there, I started looking at a Zero. Within a few minutes, I was offered a test ride on a nice shiny blue Zero SR/S. Who was I to pass up an opportunity to take one out for a spin.
The salesman went through the various ride options, Eco, Standard, Sport and something called Canyon. (not including the 'Wet' mode). He described Canyon as 'like Sport but with the regen braking turned on'. Now, I have this test route I use for both cars & bikes. It included some dual carriageway, some town & some twisties.
I very tentatively pulled away from the shop in Eco mode & was first struck by the lack of noise. All you could hear was a slight whine from the electric motor. Heading through town I was a little apprehensive, not of the instant torque, or the 3.4 second 0 - 60, no, what concerned me was that no one can hear you coming. A good thing when, as a teen you bring your girlfriend home for a ‘sleep over’ not so great when riding through a city centre where the majority of pedestrians don't believe it's their responsibility to look before crossing the road.
Having said that, I only had to brake once on the way out because someone stepped out in front of me. Once up on the parkway, I opened the Zero up & felt that torque for the first time. I have to say I was a little disappointed, until I remembered it was set on Eco mode. a quick stop and changed to Canyon mode I set off again. Now we're talking.
I found it quite difficult to stick to a constant speed. I wouldn’t say the throttle was an on/off affair, but it needed some finesse to maintain 70mph. It was all too easy for the speed to creep up, or for that matter down as you don't have any engine sound to indicate a change of speed. In a straight line, the wind could be a factor but then it was no different to riding my Trophy. There is some wind protection from the SR/S which I suspect is more of a problem if riding the naked SR/F. As a commuter, it's probably fine, but for longer distances, It could be an issue for me.
Speaking of distances, the Zero was charged up to 110% when I set off and in the 40 miles I rode it I was keeping an eye on the range. With 89% remaining when I took it back, the range was still showing 168 miles, although I did notice that the slower I went, the less range it seemed to have. If I was riding on my own and didn't have to be anywhere at a specific time, then the range wouldn't really be an issue as I could stop, grab some lunch while feeding the bike. But if I was out with my brother on his new bike, I don't think he'd be so keen to stop while the Zero recharges for 30 - 40 minutes when he can simply top up his tank with dinosaur remains & ride off. With the current (pun intended) price of electricity in the UK, it'd probably be far cheaper filling up a gas tank than charging in a service station anyway.
Well, I hit the twisties having ridden approx. 10 miles, so was feeling confident in how the throttle launched both bike & rider forward & I have to say, my cheeks were aching by the time I go to the end of the first 6-mile stretch, both face & butt. The seat is not the most comfortable & to me, that would be another negative stopping me buying one, but the fun factor, WOW! The Zero handles incredibly well, with the weight being low down, you don't really notice the 235kg (compared to my Tiger 800xc’s 215kg wet). The riding position even though the SR/S is the faired version is comfortable (apart from the seat) as it has bars more like a naked rather than a sports bike, so no 'bum in the air' riding position like some fully faired bikes. More tourer than sports, even though it looks and handles more sports bike. I found the suspension a little hard but it is adjustable. Again, comparing it to my own bike, it was going to be hard anyway. It's down to the style of bike I'm used to. I could have taken out the DSR/X, their ADV offering as more of a direct comparison to my everyday bike, but it wasn't charged.
The acceleration is awesome. there are other bikes that have similar 0 - 60 times and similar torque, but none deliver that torque instantly and with very little sound. I was reminded of some years ago when I was learning to fly a glider. You're in this bubble, with no sound aside from the wind whistling through the fairing and the countryside sliding silently below at speeds of up to 100mph. That's how the Zero felt, although obviously not at 100mph. Overtaking cars was a simple matter of thinking about it - and suddenly you had clear road ahead of you again.
No. I couldn't justify the £20,000 price tag (new) or the £15k second hand prices they seem to command. Then there's the increased insurance costs, estimated to be around 25% more than the equivalent ICE powered bike. Then there's the cost of charging. It's not too bad if I can plug in at home, which I'd probably do if using for commuting or the odd Sunday blast, but not for longer trips. Have you seen the price of sparks at public chargers? My Tiger does around 50mpg with a range of approx. 190 miles and takes at most 5 minutes to fill up, pay and be off again. The Zero with it's theoretical range of 120 miles at high speed/commuting style riding, takes over an hour (rapid charge to 95%) or almost 3 hours standard charge. Yes, I know Marc Travels (YouTuber) is riding around the world on a Zero SR/F and charges as/when he can and if you're of that mindset and in no hurry, it can work on longer trips. But it comes down to cost again. I'm also not convinced that silent bikes work well when it comes to safety. I mentioned the pedestrian who stepped out in front of me on the way out. I had another one do the same on the way back, one car on the dual carriageway pull in front of me to overtake another car, I'm not certain that would have happened if he'd heard a bike engine behind him, and two cars pull out in front of me at a roundabout. Yes it may have been inattentive drivers, looking at their phone, or a particularly well-endowed lady waiting to cross the road, but it could also have been down to me riding a virtually silent bike, something that drivers, especially around my local area aren't used to - we don't even have that many eScooters here.
So the Zero SR/S is a good, fun and quick bike to ride, I thoroughly enjoyed my hour's ride, but I'm not ready to switch to electrickery just yet.
The salesman went through the various ride options, Eco, Standard, Sport and something called Canyon. (not including the 'Wet' mode). He described Canyon as 'like Sport but with the regen braking turned on'. Now, I have this test route I use for both cars & bikes. It included some dual carriageway, some town & some twisties.
I very tentatively pulled away from the shop in Eco mode & was first struck by the lack of noise. All you could hear was a slight whine from the electric motor. Heading through town I was a little apprehensive, not of the instant torque, or the 3.4 second 0 - 60, no, what concerned me was that no one can hear you coming. A good thing when, as a teen you bring your girlfriend home for a ‘sleep over’ not so great when riding through a city centre where the majority of pedestrians don't believe it's their responsibility to look before crossing the road.
Having said that, I only had to brake once on the way out because someone stepped out in front of me. Once up on the parkway, I opened the Zero up & felt that torque for the first time. I have to say I was a little disappointed, until I remembered it was set on Eco mode. a quick stop and changed to Canyon mode I set off again. Now we're talking.
I found it quite difficult to stick to a constant speed. I wouldn’t say the throttle was an on/off affair, but it needed some finesse to maintain 70mph. It was all too easy for the speed to creep up, or for that matter down as you don't have any engine sound to indicate a change of speed. In a straight line, the wind could be a factor but then it was no different to riding my Trophy. There is some wind protection from the SR/S which I suspect is more of a problem if riding the naked SR/F. As a commuter, it's probably fine, but for longer distances, It could be an issue for me.
Speaking of distances, the Zero was charged up to 110% when I set off and in the 40 miles I rode it I was keeping an eye on the range. With 89% remaining when I took it back, the range was still showing 168 miles, although I did notice that the slower I went, the less range it seemed to have. If I was riding on my own and didn't have to be anywhere at a specific time, then the range wouldn't really be an issue as I could stop, grab some lunch while feeding the bike. But if I was out with my brother on his new bike, I don't think he'd be so keen to stop while the Zero recharges for 30 - 40 minutes when he can simply top up his tank with dinosaur remains & ride off. With the current (pun intended) price of electricity in the UK, it'd probably be far cheaper filling up a gas tank than charging in a service station anyway.
Well, I hit the twisties having ridden approx. 10 miles, so was feeling confident in how the throttle launched both bike & rider forward & I have to say, my cheeks were aching by the time I go to the end of the first 6-mile stretch, both face & butt. The seat is not the most comfortable & to me, that would be another negative stopping me buying one, but the fun factor, WOW! The Zero handles incredibly well, with the weight being low down, you don't really notice the 235kg (compared to my Tiger 800xc’s 215kg wet). The riding position even though the SR/S is the faired version is comfortable (apart from the seat) as it has bars more like a naked rather than a sports bike, so no 'bum in the air' riding position like some fully faired bikes. More tourer than sports, even though it looks and handles more sports bike. I found the suspension a little hard but it is adjustable. Again, comparing it to my own bike, it was going to be hard anyway. It's down to the style of bike I'm used to. I could have taken out the DSR/X, their ADV offering as more of a direct comparison to my everyday bike, but it wasn't charged.
The acceleration is awesome. there are other bikes that have similar 0 - 60 times and similar torque, but none deliver that torque instantly and with very little sound. I was reminded of some years ago when I was learning to fly a glider. You're in this bubble, with no sound aside from the wind whistling through the fairing and the countryside sliding silently below at speeds of up to 100mph. That's how the Zero felt, although obviously not at 100mph. Overtaking cars was a simple matter of thinking about it - and suddenly you had clear road ahead of you again.
No. I couldn't justify the £20,000 price tag (new) or the £15k second hand prices they seem to command. Then there's the increased insurance costs, estimated to be around 25% more than the equivalent ICE powered bike. Then there's the cost of charging. It's not too bad if I can plug in at home, which I'd probably do if using for commuting or the odd Sunday blast, but not for longer trips. Have you seen the price of sparks at public chargers? My Tiger does around 50mpg with a range of approx. 190 miles and takes at most 5 minutes to fill up, pay and be off again. The Zero with it's theoretical range of 120 miles at high speed/commuting style riding, takes over an hour (rapid charge to 95%) or almost 3 hours standard charge. Yes, I know Marc Travels (YouTuber) is riding around the world on a Zero SR/F and charges as/when he can and if you're of that mindset and in no hurry, it can work on longer trips. But it comes down to cost again. I'm also not convinced that silent bikes work well when it comes to safety. I mentioned the pedestrian who stepped out in front of me on the way out. I had another one do the same on the way back, one car on the dual carriageway pull in front of me to overtake another car, I'm not certain that would have happened if he'd heard a bike engine behind him, and two cars pull out in front of me at a roundabout. Yes it may have been inattentive drivers, looking at their phone, or a particularly well-endowed lady waiting to cross the road, but it could also have been down to me riding a virtually silent bike, something that drivers, especially around my local area aren't used to - we don't even have that many eScooters here.
So the Zero SR/S is a good, fun and quick bike to ride, I thoroughly enjoyed my hour's ride, but I'm not ready to switch to electrickery just yet.
