| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Beautiful day, so I decided to try a little more experimentation on how much range I really have with the Zero. I took it up Route 106 up to Route 25A and then eastward towards Cold Spring Harbor, then hit all of my favorite twisty roads. I made it all the way out to Harbor Road and into Stony Brook Village before I decided not to press my luck any farther. I took 25A to where it merged with 25, then continued till I picked up the Sunken Meadow Parkway to the Northern State which I took the rest of the way home. Total of 70 miles, and I plugged it in with 28% charge left (and another 25 miles according to the readout on the dash). Not bad. Definitely a good bike for a typical Long Island run. I had a conversation with a bicyclist at a traffic light who was admiring it. He said he wasn't sure, but he THINKS he likes motorcycles to make a LITTLE noise so he knows they're behind him. I told him I looked at it as MY responsibility not to hit him and he liked that answer (I also pointed out I did have horn "just in case"). I'm beginning to think Zero was being conservative with the range estimates they provide on their website. It sure is a lot of fun riding through some of these fancy neighborhoods and not making a sound. Also, blasting through the twisties with nothing but the wind in your ears is probably the closest thing to flying without an airplane I can imagine. | ||
| Glitch |
Impressive! | ||
| Pwnzor |
I have to say that is certainly better than I thought it would be. Cool deal. | ||
| 86129squids |
In my biz (and in most with good practices) it's prudent to "underpromise and overdeliver". Maybe that's Zero's game here, makes sense. | ||
| Teeps |
Jaime, you appear to be happy with the Zero. Good on you! Cheers! | ||
| Josequinones |
 Recently did this myself, this is for a 2014 SR with the 11.4 battery pack. I rode around the backroads around my area, keeping it below 60 mph for most of the time. Full acceleration at every opportunity. It ran fine until 10%, then it really slowed down I could only do about 20 mph. Then it jumped from 5% to zero instantly after that and I was pushing it home. I needed 95, I got 92.3 as the picture shows. (Message edited by Josequinones on July 05, 2016) | ||
| Blake |
Nice! Thanks for sharing Jamie and JQ. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Very cool. I'd love a zero as a "second bike". OK, well "third bike", as I don't think I could bring myself to sell the KDX. | ||
| Court |
Hahahahaha . . . . all the advertising and slick copy in the world is worthless compared to the real experiences of seasoned vets like Jaime and Josè. This is really cool. These things appeared to have solidly made the transition from novelty to motorcycle. | ||
| Jaimec |
I've yet to park mine with less than a 20% charge. One thing I'm pretty sure it has in common with ICE motorcycles is that it'll get heavier the longer you push it after the juice runs out... DAMHIK. I look forward to further innovations in technology that'll extend the range and shorten recharge times. | ||
| Court |
Question… When you do Parkette with 20% charge remaining… How do you recharge it?… And how long does it take? | ||
| Reepicheep |
The whole time I was walking around New York City, I was thinking I know I wouldn't want a car here, but boy would a Zero rock. The only downside I can think of is finding a way to keep somebody from stealing it... | ||
| Blake |
With all that stored battery "juice" at your disposal, an effective theft deterrent ought to be fairly simple to devise. Think cattle-prod in the nether regions? | ||
| Jaimec |
I didn't opt for any of the quick charge options; I use the built-in charger which uses a standard 110V AC outlet capable of handling a 12 amp max load. Zero documentation states that it will take 8.9 hours to fully charge a completely depleted battery with that method. I use the bike for commuting and daily errands during the day, and plug it in in the garage overnight. It's ready to go in the morning. Zero also recommends leaving it plugged in when not riding (if possible) as it allows the built-in battery management software (BMS) to balance out the cells for maximum life. As for your second question: I have no idea since I'm asleep at the time and not watching.  | ||
| Jaimec |
A recent article on motorcycle thefts indicated that as of today, nobody steals electric bikes because they can't resell the components (the market is too small). That may change in the future though. | ||
| Josequinones |
Plus it looks like a scooter, but it is bigger/heavier than one so thieves will move to something easier to steal with more 'market value'. | ||
| Josequinones |
I bought my Zero as a 'third' bike after the Uly and the 1125CR. Right now it is my 'first' bike, then the Uly and the 1125CR. Basically, if I can do what I need to do on a single charge, I ride the Zero. If it involves sitting in heavy traffic, I definitely ride the Zero. No more clutch hand fatigue issues, no more heat cooking your nether regions, no more low voltage issues for the 1125. If it involves longer trips with a passenger, I used to ride the Uly exclusively. However the Zero is increasingly the choice if the round trip distance is less than 60 miles, because the extra passenger does cut down on the range. The 1125CR is now my Sunday ride. I feel bad but that's they way it is. | ||
| Reepicheep |
So a typical commute and a typical work day means your tank is always full when you leave for the evening. Employers just need to get with it and create a place to park and plug. Can't wait for these bikes to get in my price range! A Uly and a Zero seem like the perfect pair. (Message edited by reepicheep on July 06, 2016) | ||
| Jaimec |
Doesn't look like any scooter I'm familiar with. And I'd know... I have one (a C650GT) which is even bigger AND heavier than my Zero. | ||
| Jaimec |
Reepicheep, the Zeros may be expensive to purchase outright, but they are a HELL of a lot cheaper to own and maintain. No valves to adjust. No filters to change. No clutch to replace. No spark plugs to replace. No oil changes. No coolant. No chain to clean and lube. Basically, your only regular "wear items" are the tires and brake pads. Like other motorcycles, EVENTUALLY you'll have to check/replace wheel bearings, swing arm bearings, steering bearings, fork fluid and shock... but no more frequently on the Zero than on an ICE bike. For some reason, Zero also doesn't rate the belt life as long as Harley or Buell. They recommend replacement at 24K miles. Not sure why. The battery is warranted for 5 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first) but the projected life of the battery (till it'll hold no more than an 80% charge) is 300,000 miles; basically the expected life of the bike. The motor is also permanently sealed and maintenance free. | ||
| Teeps |
What does it cost if you had to pay for a battery pack? | ||
| Josequinones |
Jaime, I get that comment all the time, 'It looks like a scooter, with the skinny tires and all the plastic." I don't mind it makes it more of a 'sleeper' | ||
| Sifo |
For some reason, Zero also doesn't rate the belt life as long as Harley or Buell. They recommend replacement at 24K miles. Not sure why. Probably because it's a more realistic estimate. I decided on a 25K life span for belts on my XB. Of course that's only based on experience of a single bike. | ||
| Jaimec |
I've heard tales of Harley riders getting 90K+ out of a belt. Erik claimed the XB belts were supposed to be good for the life of the bike (barring damage, that is). Teeps, not sure of the cost of replacing the monolith battery. Assuming something happens during the warranty period, it shouldn't cost you anything. If you simply wanted to upgrade the battery to take advantage of newer technology, well... I don't know but I HEAR it'll cost a few thousand bucks... And Jose: If it doesn't have a step-thru frame, it AIN'T a scooter.  (Message edited by jaimec on July 06, 2016) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Fat tires are over rated. I could rail through twisties on a KLR-250 with very narrow 80/20 street trail tires. | ||
| Slaughter |
Our parent company has made it a policy to provide charging at NO COST to electric vehicles. That ZERO is looking VERY attractive since my 37 mile (one way) commute might mean NOT electrical costs to charge the ZERO. Hmmm... Thanks Jaime for a very practical review. | ||
| Teeps |
I'm now curious about how the "warranty" is applied on the battery pack. Guess I'll have to visit Zero website. My B'roinlaw has a Camry-hybrid. He's constantly complaining that the car no longer runs on battery power only. HE claims the battery is faulty, tells the dealer that every time the car is serviced. They test(?) the battery and tell him it's good. No new battery for you.... that alone has soured him on further hybrid or plugin car purchase. At least from Toyota. | ||
| Froggy |
Teeps, check this out, I've read of several people inexpensively fixing the corrosion problem that Toyota refuses to acknowledge exists. http://imgur.com/gallery/j8Bcp/ | ||
| Hootowl |
Nice. I wonder why they didn't use gold plated copper? Plating isn't all that expensive. Or even a simple dialectic grease. | ||
| Hootowl |
Also...is soaking in baking soda and water necessary if you rinse off the vinegar? Haven't you just exchanged one problem (acidity) for another (alkalinity)? |
