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« on: October 22, 2015, 03:34:56 AM »
Spartacus,
I have owned a Zero DS, a Zero FX, and a variety of ICE motorcycles. I currently ride a Yamaha WR250R but I am looking at the new 2016 Zero DS 13 and am tempted to jump back into electrics.... Zero bikes are always tempting!
I have ridden a lot of miles on dirt from easy gravel roads to singletrack trails and I have done this on a Zero FX and on bigger ICE bikes with 17" rims and Dual Sport rubber as well.
From my experiences, and what you have stated for your intended purposes, I would humbly suggest the FXS would be fine for your use case. Get some good 50/50 rubber on it and it will do fine in mild off road situations. If you ride hard on the street and want more performance in the dirt get another set of stock 17" Zero rims and put more dirt oriented rubber on those for trail riding.
The main advantage for any motorcycle in the dirt is lightweight and the FXS is really light. The smaller rims will wash out easier in sand and loose dirt and you will feel the bumps more but if your speeds are conservative you will do fine.
Personally, I like motorcycles with 18" rims in the back and a 21" rim in front for maximum dirt happiness but it is a compromise on the street side of the equation. For any Dual Sport bike you have to make these choices but since you started by saying that you were 85% street and did not want to ride hard off road I would suggest you go FXS and try finding a DS tire that fits your riding style and use case first and another set of same size wheels second. Swapping bigger hoops messes with more of the overall bike and is generally not worth the effort in the end.