ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Blotman on June 28, 2013, 12:39:29 PM
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I just brought my new Zero S home today! Even though I knew what to expect, the power on this thing still caught me off guard! I come from a BMW F800R, which I would almost place in the same class as my Zero S (the Zero has a slightly higher torque rating). I've only ridden the Zero for a short while, but that's all it takes to realize that the comfort, ease of use, and just outright enjoyment of this thing is in a different league! Amazing!
This will be my daily commuting vehicle in the California SF Bay Area. Riding it home from the dealer, I've already gotten a taste of splitting and filtering through traffic with this thing. I've got to say that eliminating the transmission from the equation inspires quite a bit more confidence when trying to pay attention to traffic going at various speeds. Also the torque on command and the sheer nimbleness of this bike allows me to pull past congestion without a second thought.
I still consider Zero owners as early-adopters, and I admit that it scares me a little. There are still benefits to riding an ICE motorcycle that's hard to ignore, but that just means an adjustment in our life habits. In the end, I think it will be proven that not only will electric motorcycles be viable, but be most sensible.
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Congratulations for your decision,
Good wording, I have only a 2012 DS but used it one year now as a commuter and as weekend fun-bike, be still happy, best wishes to you!
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My other bike is a Gixxer 1000 but I find the Zero S has as much power as I can really use...enough to spin the tires on take off or coming out of a turn. In a drag race, the Gixxer would win of course, but only if you rev the engine, pop the clutch, and draw unwanted attention to yourself on city streets. Long as you don't speed or squeal the tires, cops won't really bother you either cause the Zero is quiet and there is no law per se about accelerating fast. What I find is that even if someone is out to race you off the line, your torque kicks in before theirs, so you are out ahead of them almost immediately, so they shut it down. I ride my Zero S harder than my Gixxer because of this....just not at top speed of course on some back road. I cannot imagine anyone needing more acceleration or roll on speed unless they are on a race track. I love the Zero S.
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I know what you mean. I love a good exhaust note, but I find that most times I just want to go quickly without drawing any attention.
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This will be my daily commuting vehicle in the California SF Bay Area.
Congratulations on your purchase!! What color did you get?
I live in SF, and I have a short commute of two miles (!) one way, though errands all over the city are part of my typical week. I currently commute on a Vespa ET4, and will be losing this to my spouse in a month or so. After many months of hand-wringing over a replacement (which really should be a bicycle, I know, I know) ... I have landed on either a Vespa GTS 300 or a 2013 ZERO S. I used to own a 2005 BMW 650CSA, have considered several ICE bikes, but I just refuse to go back to a clutch with all the stop and go of the city. It's scooter or ZERO for me -- they seem closely tied for practicality, and neither has ABS (which is really unfortunate).
Are you on surface streets only, or also on the freeway? Did you buy in DLC?
- Paul
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Zero is perfect for urban commuting (even XU, unless you need passenger homologation -at least in Europe you'll need a S or DS). Even best if you have a plug at your office, or stations in the streets. But considering zero's autonomy & the distance you're riding everyday, this is not even necessary...
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Plus, there are two Zero dealers in the SF city area. Monroe Motors, not far from downtown and Mission Motors, located in Daly City, just outside the SF city limits.
I test rode a Vespa GTS 300 and found it a nice scooter, but I didn't care for its handling at high speeds on the freeway. Above about 70 mph, it became kind of "darty" and the small wheels would cause the scooter to bounce around whenever a bump was encountered (and there are a lot of them on the CA freeways) or when hit by a wind gust. For the same reason, I would recommend a vehicle with larger wheels than a Vespa scooter in San Francisco, as the city is also well known for its potholes and other wheel-eating pavement irregularities. ::)
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Plus, there are two Zero dealers in the SF city area. Monroe Motors, not far from downtown and Mission Motors, located in Daly City, just outside the SF city limits.
I test rode a Vespa GTS 300 and found it a nice scooter, but I didn't care for its handling at high speeds on the freeway. Above about 70 mph, it became kind of "darty" and the small wheels would cause the scooter to bounce around whenever a bump was encountered (and there are a lot of them on the CA freeways) or when hit by a wind gust. For the same reason, I would recommend a vehicle with larger wheels than a Vespa scooter in San Francisco, as the city is also well known for its potholes and other wheel-eating pavement irregularities. ::)
Munroe isn't a ZERO authorized dealer, unfortunately (I wish it were!), but DLC isn't far away. The question for me is whether the $8k premium of the ZERO S over a Vespa GTS is worth it -- I won't be on the freeway with my Vespa (ever), and I don't struggle too much with the roads on the ET4 (actually, I think I DO struggle more than I am admitting). When I tested the S and DS back to back, the S was clearly the winner for me (the vibe was immediate and visceral that that was the bike for me). As previously posted, no ABS has been the deal-breaker for me. I am starting to let that go, as the ONLY automatic bike options with ABS are Honda NC series and Aprilia Mana. I just don't connect with any of them like I do with Vespa and ZERO.
- Paul
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Are you on surface streets only, or also on the freeway? Did you buy in DLC?
The color is yellow, although you had a 50/50 chance at guessing that color ;D I bought it in Pleasanton since that place is closest to the East Bay, although Daly City ain't that far either (is that what you meant by "DLC"?). I commute from the East Bay to the South Bay every day, which is a little under 17 miles each way. I deal with a good mix of heavy and light traffic on any given day. Having a motorcycle alone cuts the commute time in half. Having the motorcycle be a Zero has made it a lot more easier and comfortable.
I've posted a video of me on the highway a few days ago. Not sure how to embed video here yet, but here's the link. You can see I've rotated my mirrors because they protrude a bit far for my liking when splitting traffic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNScntsQCM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNScntsQCM)
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If you change the protocol to http it should embed automatically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNScntsQCM
Splitting 880 in my 2013 Zero S Electric Motorcycle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNScntsQCM#ws)
Watching lane splitting always makes me pucker. Maybe it's something you get used to.
Some people flip the 2013 mirrors upside down to reduce the width. Alternatively, the 2012 mirrors are somewhat less wide, though they show your shoulders more than the road unless you're leaning far forward.
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I only split lanes when the cars are either stopped or moving very slowly. I am extra careful when there is a gap in the traffic next to a car as the driver might suddenly decide to switch lanes just as you are passing. That is my main concern, drivers switching lanes without looking for a motorcycle coming up behind them. Also, there are some highways where the pavement has gaps or ridges along the divide between lanes, which can catch your tires and affect your steering adversely. Also, sometimes trash and debris are punted into the area between lanes by the action of the vehicle wheels, which tend to clean the area where they roll on the highway.
There have been a lot of motorcycle accidents reported lately on the freeway during commute hours in the radio traffic reports. So you really have to be careful out there and the 880 freeway is one of the worst in the Bay Area for accidents. Don't trust any drivers to do what you are expecting them to do. The moment you let your attention wander a bit is when someone around you will do something unpredictable.
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I own a 2012 Vespa 300 Super and a 2013 Zero S. I use the bikes fairly interchangeably and often ride an indicated 80 mph on the interstate with the Vespa which is about wide open. This is the second Vespa 300 I've owned and they have both been very good scooters. There's more storage in the Vespa with both a grocery hook and all that under-seat storage, and of course range isn't an issue. The Vespa uses premium gas, but it gets 55 mpg or so. Vespa has a 1-yr. warranty vs. a 2-year warranty with the Zero. Zero is over 2X the cost so the Vespa would be much cheaper to buy and ride. If I could lane split, either would be fine, but the Zero might be a little narrower. I find both seats just fine, but I think most people would prefer the Vespa seat. Coolness factor probably goes to the Zero, but I get lots of people asking about the Vespa too. I am used to riding fast, so I don't have any problem with the Vespa at highway speeds, but the Zero holds the line in windy conditions a little better. The Vespa has good acceleration and maneuverability too and you can turn on a dime because of the small wheels. They are both hard to beat for in-town riding. If money were a factor, I would probably just own the Vespa. It should be very dependable for many years. If I really never went on the interstate, I might be looking at a fuel injected Vespa 150 with a top speed of 62 mph or so, and in a pinch you could still go on the interstate and stay in the slow lane.
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Hazard lights would be a nice addition to the options list for us lane splitters...
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Interesting to hear the stateside view on lane splitting (we call it filtering). Here in Jersey and the UK filtering is a given. If you see a bike that isnt at the front of the queue during rush hour you assume they are a new rider who doesnt have the confidence to do it. The roads are a hell of a lot narrower here and we only have one dual carriageway on the island, so you shoot forward when there is a break in oncoming traffic. It is dangerous because all car drivers are idiots, and I mean all, when bike riders get in cars they turn into idiots too. But I guess drivers here are used to bikes filtering so its tolerated. Some cars will purposely pull across to block your path but most will actually move out of the way when they can. Because commutes are so short here it is really the only benefit to using a bike to get to work. If I drive in it takes 40 minutes (to cover 6 miles) and on the Zero it takes 20.
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As previously posted, no ABS has been the deal-breaker for me. I am starting to let that go, as the ONLY automatic bike options with ABS are Honda NC series and Aprilia Mana. I just don't connect with any of them like I do with Vespa and ZERO.
- Paul
There are other choices with ABS: Burgman 400A/650A, Honda Reflex and/or Silverwing, Yamaha FJR-AE ( ;)), probably more... since you're looking at Vespa I presume you're mainly interested other scooters...
Since I only use my bike for commuting, I would really like to see ABS. As to the price premium, it just depends on how important it is to have an e-bike. Unless you cover tons of miles and charge mostly away home, you'll never recover that price difference.
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Watching lane splitting always makes me pucker. Maybe it's something you get used to.
Me too. But there are days sitting in traffic in 95-degree weather in Houston when I wish I could do it.
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Watching lane splitting always makes me pucker. Maybe it's something you get used to.
Me too. But there are days sitting in traffic in 95-degree weather in Houston when I wish I could do it.
Oh, I grew up in Houston and this sounds terrible. While I cannot endorse law-breaking, I think this satisfies the sympathy condition! Move to keep yourself from heat exhaustion! Drivers will likely understand, especially if you do it judiciously.
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If I couldn't lane split, I probably wouldn't be riding. Even with my short commute, it shaves off a lot of time.
I would, however, like to be on a smaller bike when I'm splitting. Something like a Zero, perhaps 8)
Start of my commute. Traffic can be much worse than what's shown... (please excuse the lousy camera work, that was my first attempt with the GoPro)
GP test (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwLOzcD2-gw#)
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A Zero definitely does feel tiny, yet not cramped. And I am a small guy myself. For my last bike, I chose the BMW F800R because of it's qualities as a commuter; narrow, light weight, low seat height, plenty of torque, and amazing fuel economy! The Zero S is just so much better at all those qualities, and is also the same naked standard form factor that I love! There's also the fact that I never think about my bike stalling because there's a chance I fumble the clutch. This is great when I filter up to the red lights, and want to just launch away from all the cars without a moment's worry when that light turns green.
I find it disheartening when people compare a Zero to other motorcycles based on its range, it's charge time, and its cost (those are the three things I keep getting asked about). This has been my primary mode of transportation for the past couple weeks. Maybe I'm a different kind of rider, but when I'm on this thing I'm only thinking about how much better this feels than other motorcycles I've ridden, and how much easier this has made my life. I don't care if I can't do more than 80 miles of highway riding. I wouldn't want to do that on my F800R anyway as the vibrations of the handlebars make my hands irritably numb.