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[Richard230]

I'd love to see some pics of the bike on the PCH if you get a chance Richard.  Memories of a childhood holiday.   I will drive it again eventually.

This morning I scooted up to the new Devils Slide bridge/tunnels that now bypasses the worst of the Slide area (which will be opened as a County hiking and bicycling park later this week).  I took this photo of the new bridge and tunnels (in the distance) just as it started to (finally) rain.

[Richard230]

Here is a photo looking north down Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway), toward the valley where I live, three miles inland from the Ocean.

[oobflyer]

Nice!

[NoiseBoy]

Nice one Richard.  I will have to get a few pics around the coast of Jersey when I have the bike back.  I did record a POV video in the summer but ended up stuck behind a Harley Owner's group ride which obviously spoiled the whole thing. So i never uploaded it.

[Richard230]

I stopped by my BMW dealer yesterday for a free charge.     Photo attached.

I also am very happy with the 2014 Zero S performance on the freeway.  I rode the 40 miles back from the BMW dealer to my home, 30 miles of which was on the freeway at 65 mph.  I only used 41% of my available power, which is a whole lot better than my 2012 S would have done.  40 miles at those speeds would not have left me with very many "bars" by the time I returned home.  I still think the 2012 bike was just as efficient, if not more so, than the 2014 model, if you ride at 40 mph or under, but it is not nearly as efficient at the 2014 bike at higher speeds, in my opinion.

[biolife]

The beauty of a Zero! Good to hear about the highway range improving - not that I do much highway riding myself, but it's good to know the range is there if you need it.

[protomech]

The 2014 ZF14.2 bike is about 100 pounds heavier than the 2012 ZF9 bike. The extra weight and the taller gearing will both hurt it in low speed operation.

However, I think this is probably acceptable from the user's perspective. 12.5 kWh provides almost an entire day of riding @ 20-25 mph average, and heat production is minimal. For example, trading a 10% reduction in city performance (heat / efficiency) for a 10% improvement in highway performance is reasonable.

[Arun Kalavakolanu]

Today, I rode home on my yellow 2014 Zero S with power tank. I purchased the Givi top box and  commuter screen as well.

The dealer is 90 miles away in Stuart, Florida. I had hoped it would be a fun 2.5 hour ride back home on relatively congestion free  surface streets with speed limits varying between 45 MPH and 35 MPH. It  turned into a 4hr adventure due to heavy downpours (had to pull over and take cover) and incessant drizzle (braved it and rode thru it) all the way home.

Thanks to Richard who confirmed that I would be able to make the trip back with capacity to spare, I was at least able to ride home without range anxiety. And sure enough, when I reached home, I still had 54% battery left.  The 171 mile claim by Zero certainly looks to be true.

I also had voice mail from a concerned dealer trying to ascertain if I had reached home safely! I must admit, that was certainly  thoughtful of them. Although they are pleasant to deal with, I am hoping I do not have to drive all the way back to them to get the squeaky rear wheel/brake fixed. Hopefully it will go way in a few hundred miles.

[protomech]

At least when you do ride back to them.. you know that you can ride a little faster (if one-way).

[NoiseBoy]

Assuming you have ridden ICE bikes before I'm sure you found the Zero is much more pleasant to ride in adverse weather conditions than a comparable ICE?  Its nice not having to constantly short shift in the rain or slip the clutch for hours on end in traffic.

[oobflyer]

Congratulations on the new bike JamesBond! Pictures please 

[Richard230]

Yes, congratulations Arun.  You sure beat my power consumption estimate on your ride back.  Have fun riding your new bike and expanding your knowledge of how useful a Zero S with a big battery pack can be.