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2015 Zero SR

Brillot2000

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Hey all, many of you asked me about my experience with owning a Zero SR.

Notice: The following information has been provided in a general and neutral manner supported purely by facts from my experience. The reader further acknowledges that my experience may not be typical or the baseline of comparison.

The bike was great when it was operating at optimum efficiency. This bike is basically a mobile computer network that controls a DC Motor Drive that propels the motorcycle forward. These computer systems running on firmware, embedded software. The version of firmware is going to affect the operation of the bike. Some versions make the bike operate better than others and these have to be updated the on a fairly often basis. In most cases these have been done at a dealer in a single visit and you will be making many visits to do this.

PROS:

• Fast Acceleration and Instant Torque
• User Configurable Using Phone App.
• No Normal Maintenence When Compared to a Standard Motorcycle.
• No Clutch or Gears to Deal With.
• Belt Drive - Low Maintenance.
• No Gas/Petro or Oil to Deal With.
• Charges Using Any Electrical Outlet.


CONS:

• High Unit Cost.
• Higher Insurance Cost & Not Every Company Will Cover It.
• Not User Servicable in Most Cases - Requires Dealer Visits.
• No User Service Manuals.
• Electronics "Black Boxes" Hidden Secrecy.
• Often Firmware Updates.
• Really Long Charging Times with Standard Onboard Charger.
• Limited Range.
• Colder Temperatures Affect Range.
• Expensive Charging Upgrades and Accessories to Shorten Charging Times.
• Finding Places to Charge.
• Limited Accessories Available.
• Poor Dealer Network and Support.

My reasons for leaving this bike are quite complicated to explain here. It basically comes down to a lot of issues the bike had and a couple of major component malfunctions during my 2 years of ownership. The factory offered me a way out of the situation and I took it.

Your experience will vary from mine and you will have to make your own decisions regarding this information. Also please note that my unit was a 2015 model. I cannot speak for any other years or models.
 
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Thanks for the summary description of the Zero. In the Cons bucket, the biggest one for me is not being user serviceable and requiring dealer visits. Except for safety recalls, my vehicles likely never see a dealer again once they leave the lot. Depending on a dealer is not for me. I’m glad you posted this info.
 
Thanks for the summary description of the Zero. In the Cons bucket, the biggest one for me is not being user serviceable and requiring dealer visits. Except for safety recalls, my vehicles likely never see a dealer again once they leave the lot. Depending on a dealer is not for me. I’m glad you posted this info.

As mentioned in the first post these bikes are basically specialized mobile computer networks and require more firmware updates than a smartphone. Thus requiring many dealer visits. I am aware that the 2017 and later models can update the firmware through the Phone App. If something get hosed, you're off to the dealer to sort it out.

I visited the factory on separate occasions and met some key people there. I could not convince me them to provide me with the PC interfacing tools, even with my engineering background. Hell, I am better qualified than most the mechanics at most dealerships to work on the electronics used on these bikes. The factory would still not allow me access to these needed tools. This is not one of the reasons why I left Zero Motorcycles.

I also added additional PROS and CONS to my original post. I hope that my insights can be useful to some. I am not trying to discourage anyone for purchasing any of Zero's products. An informed consumer is a smart consumer.
 
Thanks. I rode one and liked it, but the nearest dealer is 90 miles away and I am not interested in hauling it down there on a regular basis.
 
Thanks. I rode one and liked it, but the nearest dealer is 90 miles away and I am not interested in hauling it down there on a regular basis.

It a great bike, when everything was working right on it. The Factory recommends doing firmware updates at a minimum at once a year. It was like every 2-3 months for me to attempt to correct some random issues that would pop up every so often.

As I mentioned in an earlier post all 2017 and later models have the ability to load the firmware directly in the bike with the Phone App without dealers visit. However, if things go south, then you are headed to the dealer, which will have to contact the factory for support to sort everything out.

My advice would be to anyone that has these bikes and it is working fine. Simply let it be and don't update the firmware.
 
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