ZERO Motorcycles - All electric

[Dave]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

In one of my recent Motorcyclist mags they have a bunch of different e-bikes and a pretty good article on the Isle of Man electric class. Battery and charging tech will always be the issue with electric bikes. Motocysz or whatever built a bike with swappable battery packs. It didn't work and couldn't race but it looked neat. Shit just makes me wonder... Why do peiple keep givig this guy money?

At some point in time I want to build an electric bike just for grins.

the preachy feel good dick riding writing in those articles saw that mag hit the trash about 15 minutes after i got it.

[Gas Man]

Originally Posted by tommymac

For a commuter I think it will work well with the current technology, you just need a place to charge it even if its just an outlet, so drive it to work then back home, charge it overnight and youre good for tomorrow. For touring or recreational purposes its not feasible though. Dont want ot be 200 miles from home and it runs out of juice since ya just cant push it to a gas station and fill er up.

Tom

Exactly... that is my point.

But for these dirt bikes it may be cool.

[No Worries]

Saw a strange bike last night while walking my dog. Except for the newest and antique ones, I can identify most bikes if they have the original paint job. So this bike is waiting at the red light, but I couldn't identify it. Looked like a Ducati HyperMotard. I figured I could tell from the exhaust when he accelerated at the green light. So the light changes and the bike takes off without a sound. Nothing. No exhaust noise, no chain noise, no gear whine, nothing. After it went by I saw it was a Zero.

[Mikey]

I like that, and it's nice to see an all-electric that isn't outrageously priced.

My commute, though, is 50 miles long and a good chunk of that time is spent at about 70mph. It needs more top speed and more range.

I could really get behind a plug-in electric for commuting duty, if the price was right and the performance was satisfactory.

[Gas Man]

Saw one of these at the chili cook off this weekend

[Rider]

Saw one at the Audi museum. Pretty cool. KTM even has an all electric dirt bike.

[TYEster]

That KTM is pretty sweet. I'd try one, but I will never switch over. Then again people were shitting all over 4-stroke MX bikes until Doug Henry spanked their asses on one back in 97, next thing you know companies are struggling to put fuel injection in their bikes and bend every rule on the books to build the fastest motor setup possible.

AMA outlawed the Aprilia Vtwin setup because it would outclass the traditional single cylinder, and upped the displacement for 4 strokes to compensate the 2 strokes. Now 2ts are allowed to run the CC equivalent per class because they're "trying" to save them in amateur racing. Can't imagine bringing in the whole world of electrics to the table.

[Gas Man]

More official info on the 2012 S

Zero Motorcycle 2012 S Model
Published by Cyril Huze



In the race among all-electric motorcycle manufacturers to produce a bike with enough juice for speed and travel range on a single charge, Zero Motorcycles just launched in North America a new model called the Zero S. The manufacturer claims that this 2012 model is capable of covering up to 100 miles or 160km on a single charge, and also has enough power to reach speeds in excess of 140 kmph. The new Z-Force power pack that the Zero S uses is capable of 3000 charging cycles, is said to last the lifetime of the bike, and can be recharged in less than four hours. The Zero S new powertrain received a new air cooled system to keep it operating at moderate temperatures, is equipped with a double diamond rear swingarm and a custom rear shock with a fully adjustable spring preload. Available in 2 power configurations, the 6 and 9kWh. Is it the future? Zero Motorcycles.

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

More official info on the 2012 S

I think they need to double the range on them for it to be something viable. At 100 miles I can see it as a commuter bike and not much else, esp considering a good riding day with my buddies can go well over 300 miles.

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by tommymac

I think they need to double the range on them for it to be something viable. At 100 miles I can see it as a commuter bike and not much else, esp considering a good riding day with my buddies can go well over 300 miles.

I would definitely use one as a commuter if it was cost-effective. Unfortunately, at $12K, they are anything but cost-effective.