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It was time to add something different to the fleet

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I like having multiple motorcycles of different styles because I enjoy the diversity, and it's nice having the right tool for the job at hand. Current fleet of six (2 are the wife's) contain a diverse mix. Engines run from 49cc to 1832cc (the big one 37 times the size of the smallest). Wheel sizes range from 10 inches to 21 inches. Weight ranges from about 180 pounds to probably 900. There are three automatic transmissions, while three are manuals. Colors include white (urban camo print), green, red(2), and yellow(2). Common to all of them is that they use internal combution engines. So . . .

On Saturday I took delivery of my new 2021 Zero DSR (15th Anniversary edition) in orange. Now I added to fleet diversity with a motorcycle that does not have an internal combustion engine or a transmission. I also brought orange back into the fleet color palette, which has been missing since I sold my second NC700X.

DSR home.jpg

DSR park.jpg

I have ridden about 130 miles now. Farkles have begun, with the installation of an MRA windscreen. I'll be adding a Zero rear rack for Givi monolock top cases, and I have the optional Zero parking brake to install. I will probably keep the stock seat but reshape the foam a little. I need to get a GPS and phone mount installed, as well as some mirror extenders to widen the view.

I also have cosmetic changes planned, with some panels and front fender being painted desert tan. Orange reflective rim stripes are coming, too.

What I like so much thus far is the almost total lack of noise and vibration. The best word to describe how the bike rides is that it “glides”. All the drama and maintenance involved with internal combustion engines is gone. Power is always available, and it is delivered with excellent control and linearity. There is no transmission because there is no need for one. The brakes are very good, with ABS standard. Final drive is toothed belt, with the drive sprocket concentric to the swingarm pivot. Suspension is fully adjustable Showa with 7 inches of travel.

More comments are coming in future posts as I put on more miles and make some farkle progress.
 
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Very cool.Congrats. look forward to hearing future reports.

I test rode a Zero S a couple of years ago. Pulled up to the first stop sign and with no tactile sense of engine running and no noise, I thought it had quit lol. It was a fun ride, although the suspension was a bit stiff for me. I would've owned one for local rides if they were priced similar to the NC, but then I wouldn't have the NC lol.
 
Congrats on the new bike. My son was looking closely at some model of Zero about a year ago. He needed a commuter vehicle but the range at highway speeds he would need was abysmal with the particular one he was looking at. For poking around rural roads the situation is much different I'm sure.
 
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Very cool bike.
They're not available in my neck of the woods, so i would never see one.
The nearest Canadian dealer would be thousands of kilometres away in all directions.
What did this bike sell for in USD?
 
Th
Very cool bike.
They're not available in my neck of the woods, so i would never see one.
The nearest Canadian dealer would be thousands of kilometres away in all directions.
What did this bike sell for in USD?
The MSRPs for all the Zero models and their major options are shown on their web site under each model’s “full specs”. https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

The MSRP for the DSR (including the limited anniversary edition) was $15,495 (US dollars).

Currently, federal income tax code in the US allows an income tax credit in the amount of 10% of the electric motorcycle purchase price.
 
Congrats on the new bike. My son was looking closely at some model of Zero about a year ago. He needed a commuter vehicle but the range at highway speeds he would need was abysmal with the particular one he was looking at. For poking around rural roads the situation is much different I'm sure.
Thanks. My experience with various riding styles and situations on the NC, and their impact on gas mileage will apply almost directly to the zero’s range capabilities. All the energy consumption factors are basically the same, except that the Zero instrument panel energy usage reads out in watt-hours per mile instead of miles per gallon. One minor difference is the Zero has some regeneration capabilities that can put energy back into the battery on deceleration, where as the NC’s ICE has no way to put gasoline back into the tank during deceleration.
 
First off, congrats on the new bike. That is always a happy occasion!

But, and this is my hang up, I don't understand the cost justifications for electric bikes given the limited range. Zero has some nifty bikes, starting about US$12,000. For a city commuter an electric bike would be awesome, but a $12K to $20K commuter for city use? I'm sorry I think not. If I recall the $12,000 Zero has a range of just over 100 miles.

Sondors is claiming it will be releasing an electric motorcycle for $5000. At this point it is just a promise. But a $5000 electric is somewhat appealing. The Sondors has a claimed 80 mile range, and that would likely be reduced 25% if you ran it at highway speeds. But for running to the pharmacy or going to the fencing club, which are 20-30 mile round trips, maybe a semi-local lunch date or a short fun ride, a $5000/80 mile electric seems appealing. But not appealing enough that I'd buy one.

My daughter lives in Chicago, if she wanted a small motorcycle I'd actually tell her to look at some of the electric bikes. Likely a cheap one. Thieves pick bikes up and throw them into vans in the city!
 
First off, congrats on the new bike. That is always a happy occasion!

But, and this is my hang up, I don't understand the cost justifications for electric bikes given the limited range. Zero has some nifty bikes, starting about US$12,000. For a city commuter an electric bike would be awesome, but a $12K to $20K commuter for city use? I'm sorry I think not. If I recall the $12,000 Zero has a range of just over 100 miles.

Sondors is claiming it will be releasing an electric motorcycle for $5000. At this point it is just a promise. But a $5000 electric is somewhat appealing. The Sondors has a claimed 80 mile range, and that would likely be reduced 25% if you ran it at highway speeds. But for running to the pharmacy or going to the fencing club, which are 20-30 mile round trips, maybe a semi-local lunch date or a short fun ride, a $5000/80 mile electric seems appealing. But not appealing enough that I'd buy one.

My daughter lives in Chicago, if she wanted a small motorcycle I'd actually tell her to look at some of the electric bikes. Likely a cheap one. Thieves pick bikes up and throw them into vans in the city!
The Zero would not be ideal for everyone. I like the Zero motorcycle for what it does and how well it works. It was worth to me what I paid for it, or else I would not have purchased it.
 
The Zero would not be ideal for everyone. I like the Zero motorcycle for what it does and how well it works. It was worth to me what I paid for it, or else I would not have purchased it.
As I very clearly said, it is my hang up with regards to the battery bikes.
 
Robert Pirsig's longest day in the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance trip from Minneapolis MN to San Francisco CA, was 343 miles. Done mainly on secondary roads. You wouldn't need to do over 12 hours riding & charging ( 2 long days) on a DSR with charge tank (by my figuring) to match it.

See can see (and download) the map here:
 
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I’ve now ridden the Zero DSR 260 miles total. For the first 100 miles I was focused on the power delivery and throttle relationships. After that I became impressed as to how well this motorcycle handles. The only place handling falls short is at very low speed u-turns, because the steering lock limit comes too soon. Other than that, handling is awesome.

The J.Juan brakes are excellent. ABS is standard. Brake lines are all metal braided, for whatever that is worth. The front brake fluid reservoir is entirely transparent plastic all the way around, so you can clearly see the level and condition of the brake fluid. The rear brake is quite strong, but at the same time easy lock-ups don’t seem to be a potential problem. I guess the ABS would step in anyway.

When I did my pre purchase test rides, I felt the suspension was too stiff for the rougher roads we have around here, but since the suspension is fully adjustable, I figured it could be dialed in better. So this morning I backed off on the compression and rebound settings, front and rear. My 60 mile ride today was much more comfortable, but the bike was in no way bottoming or feeling floaty. By the way, the dealer shop owner checked the sag for me before I left the dealership. It was factory set for a 180 pound rider, and with me on it the sag numbers matched up with the numbers published in the owner’s manual. No sag adjustment was needed. That’s right, sag setting and compression/rebound settings and stock values are all published right in the owner’s manual.

I see no need to make any upgrades to suspension, brakes, handling, or propulsion. It’s all good stuff straight from the factory.

It occurred to me at the end of today’s ride, that this DSR can be closely compared to a Honda CB500X ABS in size, weight, center of gravity, and wheel diameters. What features the Zero DSR has over the CB500X is better suspension, better rear brake, much better acceleration capability, no drive train slop, probably better tires for dual sport use (Pirelli MT60), belt drive instead of chain, less maintenance, a frunk, and it’s quieter and smoother. What the CB500X has over the DSR is more range and much faster refueling time. At one time I wanted to buy a CB500X, but it looks like now I’ve bought something that is better in many ways.
 
Good report.

I had a CB 500X in the garage for almost 2 years, inherited from my brother in law who passed away. I thought it was a dog, requiring constant shifting for any sort of above mediocre propulsion. I really disliked riding it. Was real glad when it sold.

IMO you bought a much better motorcycle.

u3wv5ich.jpg
 
I like having multiple motorcycles of different styles because I enjoy the diversity, and it's nice having the right tool for the job at hand. Current fleet of six (2 are the wife's) contain a diverse mix. Engines run from 49cc to 1832cc (the big one 37 times the size of the smallest). Wheel sizes range from 10 inches to 21 inches. Weight ranges from about 180 pounds to probably 900. There are three automatic transmissions, while three are manuals. Colors include white (urban camo print), green, red(2), and yellow(2). Common to all of them is that they use internal combution engines. So . . .

On Saturday I took delivery of my new 2021 Zero DSR (15th Anniversary edition) in orange. Now I added to fleet diversity with a motorcycle that does not have an internal combustion engine or a transmission. I also brought orange back into the fleet color palette, which has been missing since I sold my second NC700X.

View attachment 45797

View attachment 45798

I have ridden about 130 miles now. Farkles have begun, with the installation of an MRA windscreen. I'll be adding a Zero rear rack for Givi monolock top cases, and I have the optional Zero parking brake to install. I will probably keep the stock seat but reshape the foam a little. I need to get a GPS and phone mount installed, as well as some mirror extenders to widen the view.

I also have cosmetic changes planned, with some panels and front fender being painted desert tan. Orange reflective rim stripes are coming, too.

What I like so much thus far is the almost total lack of noise and vibration. The best word to describe how the bike rides is that it “glides”. All the drama and maintenance involved with internal combustion engines is gone. Power is always available, and it is delivered with excellent control and linearity. There is no transmission because there is no need for one. The brakes are very good, with ABS standard. Final drive is toothed belt, with the drive sprocket concentric to the swingarm pivot. Suspension is fully adjustable Showa with 7 inches of travel.

More comments are coming in future posts as I put on more miles and make some farkle progress.
I cannot contain my ugly jealousy and envy. Congratulations! Really very exciting. Looking forward to your evaluation reports.
 
Here is an update on what I have done to the Zero so far. The bike has 1250 miles on it and has been trouble free.

The orange color was really nice but there was too much black on the bike, so I had the lower side panels and rear hugger painted "Quicksand", a Toyota truck color. Then I added reflective orange rim stripes. Compare the following picture to my post #1 picture below it.
8C5511A1-29C1-49D6-8B71-3E9F94D167BF.jpeg888EC829-0FE0-4C51-8FAF-D2FFF6733E36.jpeg
Other mods include a rear rack with Givi/Kappa top case mount, MRA widescreen, mirror extenders, RAM GPS mount, 12 volt outlet on the dash and SAE plug inside the frunk, Zero (J.Juan) optional parking brake, tie down rings for easy tie down in the trailer.

The main thing left to do is narrow the handlebars or get bars with a different bend. The bars are too wide and straight, so the wrist bend is not natural. The seat is fine so far, a rare thing on modern motorcycles.
4CF1F584-C3A9-4AD9-BE09-248820B27063.jpeg1849856A-387D-4CA8-A840-5ACDDBDCB0B7.jpegCBB235E9-FCCE-4808-A814-6929073BBA47.jpeg102636B7-D486-4594-A4C3-DB55509303D2.jpeg07B76EAF-A92F-4028-9510-3FCC3788E7B3.jpeg913897E2-D197-414F-999B-64929E999FC3.jpeg47CF31FD-DCB6-44B6-9842-1C79DDF99404.jpeg
 
Looks like your ahead of the curve, I here gasoline is bad for the environment, getting outlawed (I hope not). Have fun with the new ride. Have you tried rotating the bars back a little it may help.
 
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