ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: trikester on May 13, 2013, 01:08:21 AM

Title: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: trikester on May 13, 2013, 01:08:21 AM
Here are the results of a dirt ride in Utah on my 2013 FX 5.7 a couple of weeks ago (May 3, 2013)

Place: Smokey Mountain Rd / Death Ridge Rd out of Escalante UT, to top of Kaiparowits Plateau.

Conditions: graded road with some very rough sections, 1700 feet of elevation gain / loss. Temp. in upper 60's.

Round trip distance: 35 miles measured on GPS

Moving Ave (GPS): 15.8 mph

Indicated charge remaining (by iPod) at end of ride: 43%, later, after rest period, indicated 47%

Bars showing: 4

Recharge: 3.14 Kwh

Scenery: To die for! ;D

See photo. The sign said we could go toward Hwy 89 and Collet Top, or we could go on Death Ridge. Of course, the FX and I chose Death Ridge, and survived!

Trikester
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: Spires on June 05, 2013, 12:07:39 AM
Have you ran that FX out to it's full range yet? I wanted an MX but they aren't selling them anymore? They said I have to get an FX now.. Which means I'll have to tear off all the lighting and crap.. I just want a good, powerful and long range dirt bike.
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: skeezmour on June 05, 2013, 01:14:21 AM
Spires,

The MX is still on the Zero website. Contact Zero directly.

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-mx/ (http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-mx/)
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: trikester on June 05, 2013, 09:52:40 AM
Quote
Have you ran that FX out to it's full range yet? I wanted an MX but they aren't selling them anymore? They said I have to get an FX now.. Which means I'll have to tear off all the lighting and crap.. I just want a good, powerful and long range dirt bike.

The very first ride was pavement @ 35 to 45 mph and I got 46 miles cutoff. The battery has probably gained some capacity since then (they do that) so I might get 50 m under the same circumstances now.

The reason I log my ride miles and energy used is to extrapolate my max mileage and get a general idea, after a number of different rides. for what mileage I can expect.

In a couple of weeks I'll be going back to the Klamath Forest where I dirt rode the 2012 DS for a week in June last year. I posted that ride data in great detail. So this year it will be the FX and I can get a very good comparison to the performance I got on the DS last year. These are fire-road rides with each being over 4,000 feet of climb / descent with some very steep pitches included.

Trikester


Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: mr1396 on June 08, 2013, 09:33:49 AM
Trimester
Did you install the rims and tires yourself, was it easy and what kind of rims and tires did you get? Also were the factory installed rims and tires good? Did the new rims and tires weigh more or less.?
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: trikester on June 08, 2013, 10:31:29 AM
Quote
Trimester
Did you install the rims and tires yourself, was it easy and what kind of rims and tires did you get? Also were the factory installed rims and tires good? Did the new rims and tires weigh more or less.?

The front rim was OK with the 3.25" tire. I laced a new 2.5" rear rim for the 5.1" tire. If I walk straight out the back door of my shop I walk straight into the back door of a motorcycle repair business. How fortunate, huh? He has a tire mounting machine and he also trued the rim for me. I bought the rim that Zero's factory wheel guy recommended but the OE spokes didn't work with it (he thought they would). I bought custom spokes from Buchanan.

The rear wheel rim I used is from Exel: FFS412N
 EXL 18x2.50 32H SLVR
 
The Kenda K270 tries have quite a bit more rubber than the OE ones did so yes they weigh more.  The OE tires are for a higher percentage of pavement riding than dirt. The K270's are also dual-sport (highway legal) (rated 50% / 50%, pavement / dirt) but much better in soft dirt & sand riding than the Zero supplied tires.

Trikester
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: pres68y on June 08, 2013, 02:32:44 PM
.. I just want a good, powerful and long range dirt bike.
I think that the Zero MX will fulfill the "good" requirement and also your "powerful" need but the "long range" desire might be outside current battery technology. To me, our ZeroMX already feels a bit 'top heavy' with over 80lbs of batteries right under where the gas tank would be. (that's about equivalent to having a 10 gal gas tank on an IC machine)
In fact I usually prefer to ride it with just one battery in it for my short rides. To me it's a lot easier to flick around and makes it a more enjoyable ride. (plus I've always got a full spare battery available when I get back to the truck)
Of course, ymmv  :-)
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: Spires on June 12, 2013, 12:41:31 AM
Yeah I called Zero, they wont sell anymore MX bikes.. I begged.. They just steer me to the FX now. Which means I have to jerk off all the lights, charger and such to get the weight down. I suspect it may be lighter than a stock MX in the end though, it has a smaller motor and the MX still has the charger built in somewhere. I'll probably remove it and charge it outside the bike.
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: protomech on June 12, 2013, 01:17:35 AM
The MX charger is offboard. 1 kW Delta-Q.
Title: Re: FX in Utah - dirt ride results
Post by: emotofreak on June 12, 2013, 03:36:41 AM
But at least you can get a tax credit on the FX :)

Yeah I called Zero, they wont sell anymore MX bikes.. I begged.. They just steer me to the FX now. Which means I have to jerk off all the lights, charger and such to get the weight down. I suspect it may be lighter than a stock MX in the end though, it has a smaller motor and the MX still has the charger built in somewhere. I'll probably remove it and charge it outside the bike.