| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
It's American-made, and according to the manufacturer, it's a "Street Fighter:"  | ||
| Hughlysses |
 I'll bet it needs a louder pipe.  | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'll be interested to learn the real range on that bike. | ||
| Hootowl |
Sweet. | ||
| Jaimec |
Hugh, Something like this? | ||
| 46champ |
We need multiple ride reports Jamie on how this bike is working out especially the range compared to the sales spiel. Nice looking bike I hope you will be happy. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1! Back at the last Buells In The Alps get-together, I rode into Marion NC to get a tire- on the way in I saw a guy in town with one of those. I managed to roll next to him at a light, he said he'd just got his but he loved it. I'd really dig one if I could afford one, especially it I could set it up with a set of supermoto wheels and another D/S set as needed! How cool would it be to go trail riding on that bike?!  | ||
| Ducley |
Yes, absolutely, real world specs, please?!! | ||
| Jaimec |
Did my longest day so far... 60+ miles round trip, mostly on the highway in "Sport" mode. Returned to the garage with 20% charge left. Not bad at all. I think I startled a guy on a YZF-R6 when I passed him on the right going through a long right-hand sweeper. It's been awhile since I've ridden a bike this small and agile; not since I traded away my XB12Ss, I think. This thing is flat out FUN! Finally paired it with the app on my Android phone so I can start playing with the settings. I set "Regen" to 100% (default was 60%) to see if that'll crank up the "engine braking" effect. Unlike a lot of you guys, I LIKE hard engine braking; I've gotten used to it from my BMW K-Bikes. I can pretty much attack twisties using just my right wrist without ever touching the brakes (see Nick Ienatch's article on "The Pace"). It may suck on the track, but it works great on the street. I'll give my impressions tomorrow evening when I get back home from work. | ||
| Screamer |
Zero's a great company - is it a 2015 or 2016? | ||
| Screamer |
Zero's a great company - is it a 2015 or 2016? | ||
| Jaimec |
It's a 2016. I was tempted to buy a leftover 2015 SR demo bike, but the 2016 models had enough improvements that I decided to go with the latest and greatest. Electric bikes seem to get progressively better year after year while the changes in ICE bikes seem to have stagnated... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Awesome. I would love one of those. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Unlike a lot of you guys, I LIKE hard engine braking" I do too. | ||
| Robertl |
I was really, really impressed when I rode the Zero last year. It is simple so you can focus on riding and having fun. The Empulse was a little different since it has a 6 speed transmission (only have to shift if you want to) but it is also much more expensive. So far, I prefer the simplicity of the Zero and can't wait to ride another in October at AIMExpo. | ||
| Screamer |
You're right - the 2016 list of improvements (plus the reduction in MSRP) - make it good choice. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Awesome looking bike! So many people seem hesitant to the idea, but personally I can't wait until electric bikes catch on and I can start riding them. | ||
| Jaimec |
If the Tesla "Type 2" charging stations become more common, I'll invest in the "Charge Tank." In the meantime, it's too much money for something I'll hardly ever use. Right now, the 8-9 hour charge time and 80 mile range is PERFECT for day-to-day commuting and local shopping errands. It'll also save on the wear-and-tear on my ICE bikes. | ||
| Robertl |
Zero has continued to improve regularly, usually every year or two. They have a lot of demo rides so I encourage people to give it a try. It isn't for everyone but I found it to be a lot of fun. They are aimed at the urban rider or commuter but can also be a weekend fun bike. For those interested in charging stations there are a lot and list keeps growing: http://www.plugshare.com/ I found several charging stations, 110 and 220V, even 1 Level 3 DC, near the beach which is where I usually ride to/from solo (80ish miles round trip). ps: I just looked through my pictures and took a pic of a charging station in downtown Sanford, FL in 2012. (Message edited by robertl on April 25, 2016) | ||
| Macbuell |
I want an electric trail bike. | ||
| Robertl |
They have a dual sport/trail version also, the FX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsOB9lwXv3I | ||
| Reepicheep |
As soon as they crack the battery charge rate problem, everything changes. But the charge rate problem is a tough one to overcome. | ||
| Oddball |
It would add complexity but how much of a charge rate improvement could be achieved with a battery cooling system? Zero does have some interesting machines. | ||
| Zac4mac |
I worked on mobile robots 20 years ago that used a wet lithium cell battery. Would take an 80% charge in 45 seconds at 200 Amps. Full charge would last almost an 8hr shift. | ||
| Ezblast |
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1015686836 5895080&set=gm.1002902033112338&type=3 Nice EZ | ||
| Jaimec |
The ultimate goal would be something like a "Super Capacitor." Charges as quickly as a standard capacitor, but discharges as slowly as a battery... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Interesting Zac. Doing that math though, that makes it clear how big a problem the e-bikes are up against. Assuming that was a 48 volt battery (likely really generous), that means you make the power of a KLR-250 for... just one minute... and then have to recharge.  Oddball, the cooling would help, but you have to get the heat from the inside of the battery to where it can be cooled. So that lowers your charge density (because you are adding fins or plumbing). You would bet localized heat that would hurt stuff before it could migrate to a heat radiator. It's the same problem with computer chips, you can cool the outside, but the gradiant is too high and the cores burn before the outside is even warm. Think about how much heat 200 amps can generate going through anything less than a half inch wide wire. Yikes. It would be cool to have a purely liquid electrolyte. Charge it and circulate it through some kind of radiator. | ||
| 46champ |
Jamie did you get in on the free fuel for life program? | ||
| Jaimec |
I have to check with my dealer (but I'm not terribly concerned). The offer was for bikes ordered in April and (UNFORTUNATELY) I ordered mine the last week of March... I KNEW there was a reason I hate being early. | ||
| Jaimec |
By the way, I've made comments in the past about buying a bike with "Erik's DNA" (since Zero hired away Abe Askenazie after that jackass Wandell shut down BMC). You really can feel that in this bike. Take an XB9s Lightning, remove the noise and vibration and that is EXACTLY what this bike feels like. Endless torque EVERYWHERE and it changes direction faster than you can think. I didn't think I'd ever find a bike as much fun as my old XB12Ss, but I think I just did. |
