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[siai47]

I have been watching this thread and cannot believe the problems the OP has been having with both the motorcycle and now with Zero.  I had a new Zero and yes I had several problems with it but nothing like the problems this guy has had.  My dealer and Zero handled each issue to my satisfaction until we reached an amicable resolution.  At no point was there ever any mention of a refusal to warrant anything on the bike.  Except for the time involved in getting everything sorted out, Zero was very proactive in the solution of the issues including paying to ship the entire motorcycle across the country to be serviced at the factory.  There are two sides to every story and we are only hearing one here.  Although I was disappointed in the operation of the motorcycle I had purchased, I was never disappointed with the support and service I received from both my dealer and Zero motorcycles during the entire process.  I would not be opposed to purchase another Zero product in the future based on past dealings with Zero and their representatives.   

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The motor controller mediates power delivery from the battery to the motor completely. Motors should not inherently be able to break a battery. Something about how that battery module was operated or exposed to the environment would more likely be the issue.

I have plenty of criticisms for Zero, especially regarding their owners manual, and they should provide more material justification for their decision, including pointing out what evidence (logs, etc) they used.

But it very much sounds from your first post like you beat both of your bikes destructively, and need to learn to appreciate the limits of the vehicles you're given. If you ride a machine to its limits consistently, it will break.

The FX in no way that I've ever noticed is marketed as some kind of KTM equivalent. KTM has its own reputation, and KTM bikes do break. Marketing is an impression, anyway, not some kind of hard claim.

[stargazerinwg]

Topic is a little old now but I agree with Eccelerate about there being inherent problems and the possibility his bike is a lemon.  The bike is on warranty and had major power train issues and it sounds like zero didn't really look into it or attempt to learn from the experience.  I've talked to zero customer service twice and although they were fairly courteous, they were also unhelpful and didn't show interest in understanding the situation.

I converted my 2017 FX to be more capable as a dirt bike.  It has been a partial success and I really enjoy riding it.  Maybe I don't ride it as hard as Eccelerate rides his, but I haven't had power train problems so far.

With the Yamaha electric dirt bike announcement and other big motorcycle brands seeing the possibilities for electric dirt bikes, there should be some good options pretty soon.

[Moto7575]

I think the trustwothiness of your dealer counts a lot. I had lots if issues with a dealer focussed on sales, not long term customer satisfaction. Since Zero models have some defects, not so well train service teams and a thin supply chain the lesson is : do lots of due diligences on the dealer, and unless you are ready to fix your bike yourself, avoid bad or even average dealers.

I have been watching this thread and cannot believe the problems the OP has been having with both the motorcycle and now with Zero.  I had a new Zero and yes I had several problems with it but nothing like the problems this guy has had.  My dealer and Zero handled each issue to my satisfaction until we reached an amicable resolution.  At no point was there ever any mention of a refusal to warrant anything on the bike.  Except for the time involved in getting everything sorted out, Zero was very proactive in the solution of the issues including paying to ship the entire motorcycle across the country to be serviced at the factory.  There are two sides to every story and we are only hearing one here.  Although I was disappointed in the operation of the motorcycle I had purchased, I was never disappointed with the support and service I received from both my dealer and Zero motorcycles during the entire process.  I would not be opposed to purchase another Zero product in the future based on past dealings with Zero and their representatives.

[AutoE]

I purchased a 2020 FX with two removable battery modules in October 2019.  I have driven 2450 miles on it, and have had the following issues:

Eccelerate, Sorry to hear of your far too common problems. If you'd like to send us a detailed overview and any available logs we can work wit you in determining if the FX meets the criteria of a lemon or defective vehicle. It certainly appears to. If it is indeed the case we will be glad to provide you a letter stating that as the largest distributor /dealer of Zero Motorcycles for 5+ years ... you can email us at zero@emoto.co.il Best of luck and be careful.

[havec]

You're scaring the hell out of me. I have less than 200 miles on my 2020 FX which I bought to explore Mount Shasta CA logging and Forest Service Roads with.  I would not be a happy camper if I broke down out in the wilderness. 
I did give it a pretty good test climbing 4700 feet to 7800' from McCloud to the Old Ski Bowl taking a dirt road  from the new ski area to the Everitt Memorial Highway and looping back through Mt Shasta City on 89.  I went 46 miles with 44% left.
I've attached the GPS file.  The FX is nice on pavement but I trust my 2019 Yamaha TW a lot more off road.  I think I'm going to stay in cell phone range which is pretty good up there even at 8500 feet at the Clear Creek Trail Head .

[Crissa]

That's the point of AutoE's posts, to scare you.

Eccelerate seems to just kill bikes so I'm not sure how to judge that.  If their experience was more common we'd probably have alot more threads like this.

-Crissa

[AutoE]

Zero's defect rate is sky high. In Israel over 80% of Zero's required new batteries, over 15% new motors, ...

[havec]

Good Point Crissa.  Wouldn't Zero owners in Israel be posting problems on this forum?  At any rate, I am an extremely cautious rider out to enjoy the solitude and beauty of the Mt Shasta.  Using Topfusion to view the GPX file from my Garmin it said that I averaged 23 mph on that ride and that includes 12 miles on 89 which has a 65 mph speed limit. I rode my TW less than 500 miles in the last year so if I have problems with my FX then Zero has big problems. As long as Zero keeps selling bikes they will keep us happy.  Especially with the communications owners have on forums like this one.
By the way, Topofusion is a great piece of SW written by mountain bikers from I think New Mexico.  I've logged and saved most of my mountain bike and dirt bike rides for the last 10 or 15 years using it. It downloads your ride from Garmins and other GPSs, reads GPX files and displays them on a bunch of online maps. Give it a try for free. 

[Auriga]

That's the point of AutoE's posts, to scare you.

Eccelerate seems to just kill bikes so I'm not sure how to judge that.  If their experience was more common we'd probably have alot more threads like this.

-Crissa

I'd go a bit farther, and say that AutoE's goal is to exact revenge after his distributor status was abruptly terminated under mysterious(to us) conditions. It seems Israeli owners are happy enough with Metro Motors.
It's not like Israel gets special bikes, if the defect rate was actually that high we'd have a lot more aggravated customers and Zero would probably be defunct.

[KrazyEd]

One of my Zeros is a 2013 5.7. I got it about a year old. The previous owner while probably not trashing it, probably didn't baby it either.
Batteries are getting tired but other than that, no real problems. The 2020 should be much improved.

[havec]

All good news that makes me feel a lot better.  Thanks. 

I think I'll keep the bike out of the soft stuff and stay on more civilized roads up there. I doubt I have the strength to get it back up again if I tip over. That's what the TW is for.

The good news is that the paved Forest Service Road in the Shasta Trinity NF are almost devoid of traffic.  There is some really nice riding around the Medicine Lake area.  Especially,  Little Glass Mountain.  I highly recommend the view from the Little Mount Hoffman Fire Lookout.

The bad news is that all the fires in California have made it so riding is not something you want to do much of.

[Crissa]

Yeah.  Can I have a helmet that fits p100 filters, pls?

The ride to evacuate was pretty unpleasant.

-Crissa

[havec]

Very sorry to hear that Crissa.
Hope everything turns out well for you and everyone else in our poor state.
Take care.
-Chris

[Calidave]

Want to second the best wishes to all affected by the fires.
I have a 2019 FX and as a mtn. bike replacement started out on the trails. Granted, I'm mostly doing easy-going sight seeing but the FX regularly took me 30+ miles out and back to the middle of nowhere on some pretty sketchy surfaces with no problems.

So, I'm in the camp of having learned to trust the bike. It gets the job done.

My impression is that this thread is based on extreme treatment, and maybe some tech issues.

Yeah, I've broken spokes and bones on my mtn. bike; so I have some sense of what it would take to do the same on the FX.

And the noise about failure rates is clearly just that, noise. Dealers? Yeah, well, dealer quality varies . . .

Hopefully the air clears up soon and everyone's enjoying the ride again. Cheers.