ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: dkw12002 on July 30, 2015, 03:35:34 AM
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I traded in my 2013 Zero S today. My dealer is moving out of town and since I'm not an electric motorcycle guru like the rest of you, I decided to trade it in. Anyway af1 racing where I bought it now has it. I assume it will be for sale. The bike is in perfect condition and has 10,350 miles on the odo. I replaced the rear tire at 7600 miles. It had the recall firmware and that's about it. I kept the bike in eco with max regen with off throttle and braking so the brakes are hardly used. Anyway, someone in the Austin area could probably pick up a nice Zero S. af1 is opening a new store in N. Austin. I traded it in on a 2016 GTV300 Vespa. Those I can do the work on myself or I can ride the bike either into San Antonio or Austin for service. The Zero would be out of range of either Zero dealers...even one way, so unless Zero gets the range up to 150 miles highway, I will probably not be buying another Zero. Anyway, I will check back from time to time to check on topics of interest and learn about the new bikes from Zero.
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I don't get it why you traded it in. Normally speaking the only servicing a Zero needs are brakes, bearings and tires and the occasional belt but that's stuff every shop can do if you're not willing to do it yourself.
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I like new stuff under warranty and a local dealer for peace of mind. My plan was to trade the 2013 S for a new 2016 SR or the demo 2015 SR had af1 stayed in town.
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Unfortunately, most EVs are not ready for TX, unmodified Zeros doubly so, and here's why:
- High posted speed limits
Speed limits in TX on rural roads are as high as 75 MPH. In order to stay safe at high speeds, one must be able to travel at a speed approaching the speed limit at all times in order to interact well with other traffic. At this speed, lesser-range EVs are at a significant disadvantage.
- High temperature
EVs already run hot. Yes, colder temps mean more heater use and less output from batteries, but higher temps mean shorter battery lifetime and quicker overheat conditions. The first problem begets the second problem on a Zero after only a few miles.
- Long, straight, flat roads to nowhere
EVs are great for driving around town. If you never plan on leaving the urban core, you're probably shaking your fist at me for all of these claims, saying that you've never had a problem with your EV. TX, in particular, has great wide gaps of wild unbuilt land between urban cores. Read: few charging opportunities. Lots of planning all the time would be needed, and extra equipment.
All of these things would be greatly mitigated by a good air-resistance-reducing fairing.
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All of these things would be greatly mitigated by a good air-resistance-reducing fairing.
I would love to see that and I hope Zero is listening. Freeway riding is a dilemma for me. Trying to keep the bike at 60-65 mph to save battery makes me feel like I'm in a shooting gallery with everyone whizzing by at a 10-20 mph speed differential. Cranking it up to traffic flow burns the battery so fast that it's scary and I start to get range anxiety. If I am going any distance at all I take my Honda so it's really not a problem but I would still like to see a fairing for efficiency's sake. It's interesting, in general I prefer to ride the Zero but now I really appreciate the limitless range of an ICE bike...worry-free cruising anywhere you want to go. That's something I never thought about once before owning an electric motorcycle.
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You ought to try riding a Royal Enfield on the freeway. It will travel a lot longer on a tank of gas than a Zero, but it won't go as fast and would make a good hood ornament for a big-rig. :o