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[ohgood]

I own a 2011 Zero S which I love, but the stock mirrors do not extend out far enough. All I could see in the mirrors was my shoulders. Luckily, there was a good replacement that the dealer put on for me.  The other thing on the 2011, and it appears to be true of the 2012 as well, is that if you need the lower seat, you may have a problem getting on and off...especially off cause the rear end sticks up considerably higher than the seat. I have a standard seat which is fine for me at 5'8", but I do have to do some considerable flexing to bring my leg over that raised back end. Then I look underneath it and see all that empty space and have to ask why they would design it that way? I do wish they would drop it an inch or two and still maintain the look. Some of us aren't getting any younger....I suspect a lot of us. Young kids won't be able to afford Zeros. They buy the Ninja.

Do the short-guy-shuffle:

Sidestand down, stand on left and right peg, swing right leg over bike, unclimb via left peg. Opposite for climbing about. After watching some of my dualsport buddies that were height challenged do this, it makes sense, especially off road or off camber situations.

[dkw12002]

I forgot to mention I weigh about 200 lbs. too, so I'm not sure the side stand could take all that weight. Do you think it would be OK?  Anyway, once I practiced a few times and became confident the kickstand was not going to move (with the hand brake on) when mounting and dismounting, it works fine. Dismounting, I put my R foot on the peg and my left on the ground with the stand down and brake engaged, then swing the R leg over. That works well. I will remember the short-guy shuffle though. I never heard or saw that before, cause I would remember seeing something like that.  I put a couple of Scholls cushions in my shoes to give me about a half inch advantage. I tried 3, but then my heel kept coming out of my shoes. I have had a couple of incidents involving kickstands over the years..not being fully down and forward before getting off and also getting on while parked downhill and the kickstand releasing before I was quite on the bike. I was young, foolish, impetuous, inexperienced and... no wait, that happened just last year. One advantage of the Zero is that the weight is light enough to be a little more forgiving. Once a heavy bike starts to fall, there is no stopping it. Thanks for that sharing that technique.

[oobflyer]

Are your range observations to the point of discomfort / end of your trip, or to the point of performance degradation?

This is what I've been doing:

I've been riding to work, which is about 35 miles each way. I've been getting on the freeway, accelerating to a specific speed, and maintaining that speed until I arrive. Each leg of the trip I rode at a different speed to compare the ranges. Then I counted how many miles/bar that I got at each speed, then I extrapolated that number by multiplying by eleven.

For example - yesterday I rode at a steady speed of 60 MPH for 32 miles (on the freeway) - burning through seven bars. Thirty-two divided by 7 = 4.6 miles/bar. 4.6 x 11 = 50.3 miles.

I haven't checked the accuracy of the speedometer - but I'm sure it's in the ballpark, based on the flow of traffic around me. I can check it with the GPS though - to confirm the accuracy - maybe this weekend.

[protomech]

If that is the case then the bike will have needed to be homologated by Zero at the factory for use as a two person machine which entails another set of braking and load tests. The fact they are selling those kits would seem to suggest that it is now homologated as a pillion bike which would be one up on the Brammo. Surprised that they did not make more of an issue of this as it is not widely known and would be a good selling point.

I would assume Zero has done all required testing to make sure the bike works with a pillion passenger.

Brammo claims the Empulse will have room for a passenger as well. Still no final specs or production schedule, so that information is tentative at best.

the onboard charger can supply 1kw regardless of voltage, so J1772 won't charge faster than a standard 120v outlet

Is this true? I thought that the whole point of the 240V J1772 standard was to be able to charge more quickly.

J1772 really has two purposes: provide more power at a higher voltage than the 110v outlets in the US and elsewhere; and provide a safe, rugged smart connector. It provides two-way communication between charging station and vehicle and allows vehicle manufacturers to support some advanced capabilities like vehicle-to-grid.

The 2011 bikes have a 1kw Delta-Q QuiQ onboard charger, and support a second offboard charger to charge at a combined 2kw.

The 2012 bikes support up to 3 offboard chargers for a combined 4kw charging power ($600/ea offboard charger, requires a separate 110v circuit per charger for maximum power). When plugged into J1772 you'll only get 1kw output power from the onboard charger.

Can you hold a steady 75 mph, or is the sustained top speed lower as well? How long can you hold 79 mph before it falls back to 75?

Yes, the bike accelerates quickly to 75 MPH and cruises comfortably at that speed. On the way home today I looked down to see my speed at 78 MPH. But, beyond that... there just isn't any more power to push it any faster. I didn't try to sustain the top speed for more than a few seconds, since it had clearly reached its limit. I'll be picking up my windshield this weekend - I'll check the top speed again with the windshield installed - with the hope that it will be a bit more aerodynamic.

Meanwhile - I rode another 70 miles today, flying on the freeway, passing cars and trucks with my EV grin hidden inside my helmet.  This thing is amazing 

I'd love to see a riding log if you keep one - notes on distance, energy used (at the pack if the S gives that information or at the wall if you have a kill-a-watt), average speeds, etc.

[protomech]

I've been riding to work, which is about 35 miles each way. I've been getting on the freeway, accelerating to a specific speed, and maintaining that speed until I arrive. Each leg of the trip I rode at a different speed to compare the ranges. Then I counted how many miles/bar that I got at each speed, then I extrapolated that number by multiplying by eleven.

For example - yesterday I rode at a steady speed of 60 MPH for 32 miles (on the freeway) - burning through seven bars. Thirty-two divided by 7 = 4.6 miles/bar. 4.6 x 11 = 50.3 miles.

35 miles each way, including 32 miles on the freeway both ways? I assume you're charging at work!

I expect 60 mph will use around 140 wh/mile, 32 miles uses around 4.5 kwh, or about 57% of the pack. 7 bars of 11 is about 64%, so that's about right.

[Richard230]

Those little bulls-eye stick-on plastic mirror-things are pretty much useless. I have tried them on several of my bikes over the years and they only work a little if placed at the very end of the mirror surface.  There are some plastic mini-mirrors that can rotate on a shaft that sticks to your mirror and they work much better for slightly more cost.  However, my recommendation is to buy some mirror extenders. Most motorcycle or accessory shops have them and my Zero dealer recommends them and has them in stock. They say that the extenders fit the Zero mirrors well and extend the mirrors out to where they let you see traffic behind you much better.  They quoted me a price of around $25, as I recall.  Replacing the entire mirrors would cost a lot more than that.

[Brammofan]

Gotta say it again, the best investment are these CRG Bar end "lane splitter" mirrors.  They fold up so that you're no wider than your bar ends if you're really lane-splitting, and the fold-up mechanism makes it handy parking in tight places, too.

Amazon source of CRG mirrors.


I have them on the left and right side of my handlebars and got rid of the stock mirrors.

[Richard230]

Well, I got the call today from Mission Motorcycles in Daly City that my 2012 Zero S had arrived. I picked it up this afternoon and rode it the 15 miles home.  I am quite happy with the bike so far.  The seat is more comfortable than the one on the 2011 S that I test rode. The mirrors are OK. They show about half of my body and half of the traffic behind me.  Not too bad and I have a set of mirror extenders on order.  The right mirror needs to be repositioned upward though. I'll take care of that tomorrow.  The seat height is also OK. I have a 30" inseam and am able to place the balls of both of my feet on the ground at stops. Much better than the DS seating arrangement.

I rode home in Eco mode and had no trouble keeping up with traffic, which was going 60 in the 55 zone.  The bike used about 2 bars on the 15 mile trip, but that included climbing four hills.  The regen provides about half the drag as the regen on my GPR-S did.  While not as noticeable when slowing down as I had expected, it is pretty seamless and doesn't get in your way.  The bike is charging up now and I am surprised that it doesn't make any noise when charging. My GPR-S used to be quite noisy when charging as the charger's fan attempted to keep things cool.

I didn't get much of a chance to check out the handling, but the few corners that I rode around proved that the bike is stable and secure when corning around a street intersection. The ride was quite smooth when riding on broken-up freeway pavement. I was quite surprised, as I expected that the fancy suspension would be set up stiff, as is typical for sport bikes with similar fully-adjustable suspensions.

I am going to take it easy for a while as I get a feel for how the bike will handle distances on my usual rides.  I plan to talk to the owner of Alice's Restaurant on Sunday to see if they will let me charge up while I am hanging out at Skylonda.  There appears to be an electrical outlet next to the telephone kiosk across from the gas station and another outlet behind the station across from the women's bathroom.   

[Brammofan]

Congratulations, Richard.  Looking forward to hearing more about your new bike.

There appears to be an electrical outlet next to the telephone kiosk across from the gas station and another outlet behind the station across from the women's bathroom.  

Smooth operator, as always.

[oobflyer]

Congrats Richard! You probably mentioned it elsewhere - but did you get the "6" or the "9" -red or black? Which accessories did you order?

I am going to take it easy for a while

... Yeah, that was my plan too 

Last night I rode up to top speed... again it stopped accelerating at 79 MPH, but I leaned forward and the speedometer inched up to 81 MPH - woo hoo - a new record! 

[oobflyer]

I'd love to see a riding log if you keep one - notes on distance, energy used (at the pack if the S gives that information or at the wall if you have a kill-a-watt), average speeds, etc.

The bike doesn't provide any info on energy used, other than the ELEVEN bar fuel gauge (11 bars? Really?)

As far as average speeds - I've been riding to work at different speeds to map out the range vs. speed capabilities. After that I'll just ride with the flow of traffic (probably around 70 MPH on the freeway). Around town I've been riding aggressively - I even did some lane splitting yesterday (I rarely do that any more because of the SUV epidemic and their huge mirrors that nearly touch each other across lanes). Since the S is quite narrow - lane-splitting is less scary.

I don't have a kill-a-watt monitor... curious - what do you use the info for?

My odometer currently reads 440 miles - I got the bike two weeks ago - so I'm riding at a rate of around 200 miles/week.

[Richard230]

I bought a red ZF9. I'll take photos after the sun comes up.

I also bought the Zero accessory windshield, which appears to be identical to the Slipstreamer Spitfire windshield that I have on my Triumph Bonneville, except that instead of the Slipstreamer decal on the front it has a Zero decal on the front of the windshield.  The windshield is a nice model (the one on my Triumph has been all over the West coast for the past 6 years and 24,000 miles and still looks like new), it is just large enough to block the wind from your chest, while leaving your helmet in the breeze.  It can be removed in seconds by turning two wingnuts, should you want to ride naked.     I didn't like the way the shop installed it as it was too vertical for my taste and last night I fiddled with it for a while and managed to produce a little more of a rake to the windshield.  However, this is a pretty flat shield and I don't expect it to make a noticeable difference in reducing aerodynamic drag, but it will make your ride more comfortable.

When I picked up my bike, I was given a small tool and instructions showing how to adjust the mirrors and tighten the with the tool.  I also discovered that using an Allen wrench on the lower pivot, you can rotate the mirrors forward so that they show more of a view behind you, instead of a view of the ground as my mirrors did.

In addition to the mirror extenders, I also ordered the belt tension gauge that is shown in the owner's manual and is needed to check the belt tension.

If I had to make a change to the design of the Zero, I would install a clear window over the charge condition inspection port and a removable cover over the charging cord plug. Both of those openings on the lower front of the bike look like dirt and moisture collectors to me.

I am very impressed with the Zero's frame and kick stand. Both items appear to be very robust, well designed and well manufactured.  However, I would like to have more of a rear rack behind the seat.  The little "rack" behind the seat looks nice but doesn't look to practical for carrying stuff.  I have a lot of soft luggage laying around and I will have to see what I have that will fit the bike.  When I come up with some ideas, I'll let you know.

I am not sure if I can download the large files from my camera on this site. If I can't, I'll post them on el moto and supply a link. I plan on taking closeup photos of certain parts of the bike to show some of its more interesting details.  Hopefully, I can get around to that later this afternoon.  Where is that sun, anyway?   

I hooked up my Kill A Watt meter to the charger and last night it charged (with two bars down) at a rate of 900 watts for a couple of hours. It stopped bulk charging at 2.3 kWh and went into the flashing BMS mode. I left it hooked up all night and the Kill A Watt said that it continued to charge slowly, at about 12 watts, for a total of 2.41 kWh when I pulled the plug after about 12 hours of balancing/trickle charging.  That Kill A Watt thing is fun. I have seen them on sale for under $30 recently.

More comments will be forthcoming as I get more experience with my 2012 ZF9 Zero S.

[protomech]

Sounds good. Should be a much more refined bike than your GPR-S : )

Maybe install a plexiglass cover on a pivot to cover the ports. Or see if they're actually a problem, I guess. The Delta-Q QuiQ charger is pretty much immune to weather, so shouldn't be a functional problem there.

[RickSteeb]

Sounds good. Should be a much more refined bike than your GPR-S : )

Maybe install a plexiglass cover on a pivot to cover the ports. Or see if they're actually a problem, I guess. The Delta-Q QuiQ charger is pretty much immune to weather, so shouldn't be a functional problem there.

http://www.delta-q.com/products/quiq.shtml

Just downloaded the operating manual and spec sheet pdf's! =D

In addition to using a cut-off power-cord end to protect the charging connector, I added a shrink-tubing shroud that covers the on-board connector shell when installed.  Looking for an attractive tether to secure it to the bike while charging...

[Richard230]

Well the photos that I took today are just too large for this system to accept (192KB maximum and mine are about 600KB each).  Later tonight I will start a new thread on El Moto and post my photos there.  A couple of things I did today was to adjust my mirrors to where I can see something behind me. I also tightened up the mirror tension with the tool I was provided (sort of like the kind of tool that is used to open wristwatch case backs). 

I found a Rev Pak seat pack that fits on the seat and fastens under the seat with removable straps. I have had that thing for a few years and it was sitting in a pile of soft luggage that I have retired in the past. I also have a set of "hard" soft bags that sling over the seat.  That should work too, but I need to place some paint protector plastic over the tail's finish to protect the paint before using the bags.  Still, a backpack might be the neatest way to carry stuff.

On my ride today, the wing nuts holding the windshield supports came loose while I was riding and had to be tightened on the fly.  I might use some thread lock to make them more secure. Also the windshield needs better support to keep it from fluttering. I plan to add some foam between the lower part of the shield and the instrument panel to give it some more support.

Right now I am wondering if I can make the 40 mile trip to Alice's tomorrow and back on a full charge.  If I don't take the Zero, I will take my Yamaha FZ1.  If the temperature drops below 40 tomorrow morning I will probably take the IC bike, as it will be warmer for me and it works well at low temperatures, which might not be the case with the Zero.