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[Daveruns]

I have run my 2011 S down all the way twice (unintentionally) . It did not seem to do any damage. However, I did learn something interesting. If it shuts down all the way, and you turn off the key for a few minutes and then turn it back it on, you can go another half mile. Or at least that was my experience the second time it happened. I did not try to go, further but I was half a mile from home and I kept it at about 5 mph all the way home. And the important part is you can't take a breath until you get home.

[dkw12002]

Yes, I was going to mention that about the e-bike too. Maybe that is also why when you lose say 2 bars, turn off the bike, then after a few minutes turn it back on, you regain a bar. Something happens with the chemistry. I do wonder though if that is a good idea. Maybe you are screwing with the protective mechanisms by turning a dead battery back on. I have done it on e-bikes several times though without any problems I know of. I really think I could walk my 2011 Zero S home a considerable distance if I took my time though, but I wouldn't. I have AAA. I'd just call them. You know they will cover all your vehicles...cars, scooters, motorcycles.. for up to 100 miles and 4 calls per year for $102 (including the $20 initiation fee) with their Plus membership which you need to cover motorcycles. The service goes by your name, not the number of vehicles you have, unlike other insurance.They will take both you and your Zero to your home instead of a repair shop, no problem. Just make sure your cell phone battery isn't also run down so you can call them.  LOL

[Rossi46]

Hi Guy's

The ride until you run out was a good suggestion, I did it on my ZF9 and I calculated after the bars are gone, I still have approx 10% of my charge. 

HWY one commuting I can get about 85 miles at around 55 MPH at 70 mph I get about 65 miles. It's all about tucking and good throttle control, if you ralley it hard on the brakes and back on the throttle you can see it drop. I always try to carry my corner speed and roll to a stop coasting at traffic lights, this vastly improves my range. Those guys in Moto GP provide a good lesson in tucking, they have 245 BHP beasts if they see value we should too. Here's to the tuck!

Always charging...

Rossi 46

[protomech]

Wow. Tucking must make a huge difference.

[oobflyer]

Rossi 46 wrote:

HWY one commuting I can get about 85 miles at around 55 MPH at 70 mph I get about 65 miles

If you are getting that kind of range, then something is wrong with my 2012 ZF9. I have carefully ridden many trips at various speeds to test the range, with/without the windshield, with/without "tucking". The best freeway range I got was about 50 miles at 55 MPH (riding conservatively). 85 miles is in a completely different league. At 70 MPH I can just get 36 miles (again riding conservatively, with a windshield). 65 miles at 70 MPH? That's nearly twice what I'm getting! That sounds too good to be true....

Can anyone else confirm those numbers? Should I contact Zero regarding my range?

Rossi 46 - What is the ambient temperature where you live? Maybe the winter temps are holding me back.

[Richard230]

Have you ever ridden Highway 1 through the city of Santa Cruz, or south of it, during commute hour?  Speeds are more like 25 mph then.  Also, getting a tail wind along the coast will extend your range substantially.  On the other hand, riding at 60 mph on the Coast Highway against the typical 25 mph afternoon wind will cut into your maximum range significantly. It all depends and your range will vary from one day to the next. I don't think there is anything wrong with your battery pack, oobflyer.

[Harlan]

oobflyer,

A couple of questions regarding your range.

-Have you checked your tire pressure?
-Is it possible you may be dragging your foot on the rear brake?
-Does the bike appear to roll freely while you are pushing it alongside you?  No brake drag, etc...

Keep in mind the advertised range is in Eco mode.  Also, just because there are no bars left does not mean you have 0 miles.

[oobflyer]

Hi Harlan,

• No Brake Drag
• No Rolling Friction
• But - I checked tire pressures and found that the front tire is at 25 PSI and the rear tire is at 29 PSI

The owner's manual recommends 32 and 35 PSI - I will add some air to see if that makes a difference in the range.

Thanks for the advice - I have a question for you - are other ZF9 riders getting better range than I am in your experience?

[Richard230]

I wish I had an answer for you about range, oobflyer, but I am just too chicken to run my pack down to its limits.  Plus, it is almost impossible to duplicate one ride against another, due the the hills and wind that I have around here. Also, my guess is that so few 2012 models have been sold since they were introduced to the public, there is probably not enough data around yet to compare notes.

My suggestion for checking the capacity of your battery pack, is to buy a Kill A Watt meter, run your battery pack down as much as you can, put the bike on the charger for the night, with the Kill A Watt hooked up and see what it reads on the kWh setting after the bike has been fully charged. The meter reads power input and the battery charger specs say it is 90% efficient. With that information you should be able to determine the pack's power storage and then you can compare that with Zero's claims.

[Lipo423]

oobflyer,

Suitable air pressure is very important for any vehicle in order to reduce fuel consumption (we all know this), in electrical vehicles this is very critical, and has to be watched carefully...I was told by a friend that sells EV that choosing a tire and its pressure is pretty difficult as you can loose 10-15% range easily - Just watch the tire size on the ZF9, is pretty small...
I would definitely check the pressure weekly, and eventually, if you are not an aggressive rider, I would raise the pressure a little on each tire above the recommended one.

[oobflyer]

I inflated the tires to their recommended pressures (32 up front, 35 in the rear) - I rode to work today at 70 MPH, using 6 bars to go 22 miles.

Extrapolating: 22/6 = 3.66 miles/bar, so that should get me just over 40 miles using all 11 bars.

This is an improvement - I calculated 36 miles last time I rode at 70 MPH.

I think I will invest in a Kill-A-Watt meter.

Meanwhile - I'm really not concerned. I'm having a blast riding this thing - and I'm comparing it to the Vectrix that I've been riding for 3 1/2 years. The Vectrix also got about 50% of the range claims, so I expected this. When the warmer weather comes I'll ride it on a long, slow ride to see how far it will really go...   

[manlytom]

yeah --- now u r talking --- it is the fun to ride the stealth bikes. I love it as well -- just about every ride. 

[protomech]

Extrapolating from bars isn't very precise (or possibly even accurate), but "over 40" is close enough to the 43 Zero claims. I'm surprised tire pressure makes that much difference at 70 mph - please update with your range extrapolations at lower speeds as well when you make them : )

[Richard230]

Regarding the 2012 model Zero "fuel" gauge:  When was the last time you saw an IC motorcycle fuel gauge that was anywhere near as accurate at the Zero gauge? I have a couple of BMW's with fuel gauges. One doesn't move until you have used half of the tank and only then does it start to register.  The other one is better, but still not completely accurate. Both bikes have a system that alerts you when you have 50 miles of fuel left. Then they count down the miles until you reach "0" and are out of gas. Unfortunately, the BMW system tends to end up showing that you have 10 to 15 miles of fuel remaining - just as you coast to a stop out of cell phone range and about 5 miles from the nearest open gas station. BMW tried several computer and fuel gauge updates to correct this little problem, but I hear they finally gave up and now use a system that provides the miles that you have traveled since the fuel tank went on "reserve".

The Zero power gauge may not be perfect, but it is not that bad based upon my observations.  I think it does a pretty good job of providing you with an estimate of how much power is left in your battery pack.   

[manlytom]

My IC Harley has not even got a gauge, just reserve switch and only a 10litre peanut tank. So that is max range of 80 to 100miles ... Riding it I am always planning way ahead to ensure petrol stations are around or fill up early....
With the 2012 Zero's we just about beat that now.