Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[manlytom]

Forks and shocks remain Fast Ace. It does have a bigger rear shock and the front forks are reworked.

Passenger pegs are now standard.

I got this information from Josh over at Hollywood Electrics when I placed my order for one on Tuesday. 

Jose Soriano

hi, great u ordered one ! do u ride one now ? 

[Richard230]

I wonder if there has been any improvements to the brakes?  With the higher top speed and weight, those previous Hayes brakes are really going to struggle to slow the new models quickly.

[wainair]

They replaced the brakes (Nissin units), wouldn't be surprised if they replaced the forks as well. Zero seems to be on a slow but gradual progression away from its lightweight MTB roots - which is fine by me.

It was buried in there somewhere! LOL

[BSDThw]

I was just reading the "2013-zero-press-kit-english-us-e.pdf" and maybe my language skill is to little, but I think this is an allusion to a strategy to advertise a motorcycle for over 3 years and... ? 

Zero will not reveal what’s in its consumer product development pipeline without ensuring that those products will be moved rapidly into customers’ hands.

Don't get me wrong I was following the Brammo for about 1-2 years and tried to find out more. But I had no success to find out what happens in Europe. So I went for Zero and I believe it was a good decision.

Hope Brammo will be on the marked soon, because competition will always force more improvement.

[Vertigo1]

I wonder if it would it be feasible to charge the battery modules for the FX at a desk on the second floor of an office?

The ZF-2.8 power pack should be about 42 lbs or so (FX-5.7 weight 275 lb, FX-2.8 233 lb), as long as you can bring that with you to the 2nd floor why not?

I think I have almost made up my mind on the FX, just need a little more info on if the power can be dialed down when two packs are in use to improve range.

I just sent an inquiry directly to Zero through their 2013 models page.

[Richard230]

Motorcycle.com has just published an article describing the new 2013 Zero line.  You can see it here:

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/2013-zero-motorcycles-lineup-91438.html?utm_source=mo10042012&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

(Check out the comment in the last paragraph of Motorcycle.com's article regarding comparing the new Zeros with the Brammo Enertia.)

[protomech]

If you look at their specs, the FX ZF 5.7 actually doubles or a bit better the ZF 2.8 range. 70/31/43 miles vs 35/15/21 miles.

Zero bills the smartphone integration as providing "adjustable motorcycle performance to enable sportier or more economical riding". It's not clear if the 2012 eco/sport hard switch is carried over.

Certainly if you pin the throttle, bleed off speed with friction brakes, etc.. then range will suffer. But I think if you set it to an economy mode then it should do nearly as well in terms of Wh/mile, maybe even a bit better at higher speeds.

[Vertigo1]

I recieved a response from Zero about what can be done with the smartphone app, and I specifically asked about the FX model:

Regarding the smartphone app you will be able to limit top speed and configure how torque comes on as well as modes of regenerative braking.  With all of these new features I would take a fairly educated guess that by your estimate of the FX being on the edge of the range you will easily be able to reach your destination by mapping your eco mode for a lower top speed and torque and rate of regeneration.

I would imagine the hard switch is probably still there (I need to look at the pictures more closely), but the settings are now configurable for the modes through the app. The convenience/safety of being able to switch modes on-the-fly would be negated if you had to pull your smartphone out to do it.

[trikester]

And if I don't own a smart phone? (Geezer holdout here, my phone is for verbal communication only). Will it also work with my lap top?

[Vertigo1]

I would imagine any Android or iOS device would suffice; smartphone, mp3 player, or tablet.

I have one of the new 7 inch Google Nexus 7 tablets and it is pretty nice for $200. I paid more for the AccessPort that I use to tune my subaru and that is a single purpose device.

There is also the new Kindle Fire HD tablet at the same price point, and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is coming out before the 2013 Zero lineup for $299 if you think something a little bigger would be more useful.

...maybe Zero is keen to the idea of partnering with Google or Amazon to bundle one of their budget tablets with the motorcycles for this purpose with the tuning app pre-loaded...and while the ideas are flowing how about they just scrap the guage cluseter completely and mount one of these tablets in it's place with weatherproof casing of course.

[protomech]

Right. You should be able to get this to work with an ipod touch or a small android non-phone device.. like the nexus 7, or this 3.6" samsung media player ($130). Key thing is the ability to download and run an app from the Apple iTunes store or the Google Play store and Bluetooth connectivity .. some Android devices may not work, especially niche devices.

[CliC]

Google's Android software development kit, which runs on Windows and Linux, comes with emulators for several devices. I don't know whether that could talk to a Bluetooth dongle though.

[protomech]

http://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html

"The functional limitations of the emulator include ... No support for Bluetooth"

[BSDThw]

I would like to know, how the communication is protected.

If I don't use it is there a standard login, and everyone can fiddle around at my bike?

I know from other Bluetooth devices where both side are using a password, but how to set a password at the bike? And how to start the process, is it possible to disable it.

I think we will get lots of information, at least when the first bikes are on the road
 

[amahoser]

hi, great u ordered one ! do u ride one now ? 

I have quite a few gas bikes but no electrics. I test rode the 2012 Zero a while back and was uninspired by its acceleration off the line. I also felt that the range, while adequate for general work commuting was a bit limited. After reviewing the specs and talking with Hollywood Electrics I feel the new 2013 is what I am looking for.

I was on the fence, waiting for Brammo to finally deliver their Empulse (I had a pre-order).  Brammo's lower (much lower) 70mph range and Zero's much increased power swung it for me.  Plus the fact that I get little communication from Brammo and when they do comminicate, they make promises they can't seem to keep.

I have absolute faith that Zero will deliver on schedule or earlier. Brammo says they will begin deliveries in October... well I am not certain that they will. And even if they do, I expect it to be a trickle.

I do like the idea of a transmission. Having selectable gears that can keep the motor in its sweet spot is very appealing to me. But a six speed gearbox in an electric bike just sounds like overkill. Also with the amount of instant torque that is available, I fear for the reliability of a 6 gear unit. Not sure if I want to be an early adopter on this bit of technology.

For me and my geographic area, an electric motorcycle is a commuting vehicle (with a bit of fun thrown in!). When I do canyon runs, I tend to ride a minimum of 150 miles. Both Zero and Brammo do not have the range for a spirited canyon run. So having top shelf brakes, suspension, etc. isn't gonna win me over if I can't use it.

Jose Soriano