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Author Topic: Survey on Zeros so far  (Read 6583 times)

Mosquito

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #15 on: June 20, 2015, 03:43:23 AM »

2009 MX Extreme bought used from a former Zero sales rep in 2011: died almost immediately, could not resurrect.
2011 XD factory demo gifted to me by Zero for the cost of shipping as a replacement for the 2009: undiagnosable cutting out issues.
2012 DS ZF9 purchased used in December 2013: "Glitch", remotely updated firmware, replaced motor, replaced charger, sold yesterday.
Future:  I'll be riding the bus for a while.
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Burton

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #16 on: June 20, 2015, 06:07:29 AM »

2013 S (extremely modified) used for racing with 600 miles. I have since put an extra 9400 miles on it mostly highway. Many of my issues stem from this being a modified bike.

1) Had encoder issues due to wires INSIDE the motor not being sealed on the way to the encoder. This only happened because my motor is ventilated.

2) Had the bike loose power while in the middle of a snow storm going about 40 ish ... Still don't know why it happened but it seemed every time it did happen the temperature on the controller was -2 or 0 according to the logs. I "fixed" this by making a sheet metal cover for the controller grill which kept the controller the same temp as the battery on average (about 65 on days when it was 15 out for example)

3) Had a couple cases where I would start the bike up and see no bars after fully charging. Fixed this by shutting the bike off and turning it on till it showed bars. The last time this happened the code was for an CAN error. I made sure the pugs where the CAN communicate where tight then restarted and it worked. Still don't know true cause.

4) When rain gets on top of the controller the warning, green, and temp light all flash off and on at different frequencies and intervals. I suspect this is caused by water making its way into the controller plug. I haven't fixed this yet as it doesn't affect performance and I know the cause now.

5) Engine  off/on switch (red one) has contact issues. I have taken it apart to try to "fix" it but it isn't perfect. Sometimes the bike will indicate it can move when the switch is turned to the off position. This could easily be fixed by using a better switch.
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nigezero

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #17 on: June 20, 2015, 07:37:28 AM »

2010 DS which was a daily city commuter and greatly fun. Motor replaced under warranty and battery is not in good shape, now sold. 2014 DS 11.4 which is awesome. Charger just replaced under warranty.
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KrazyEd

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2015, 12:53:22 PM »

   2012 XU New old stock August 2013, about 5K miles on it right now.
Early issues with fork seals, replaced under warranty each time in
reasonable time frame. Recently had some issues cutting out.
Harlan at Hollywood Electrics determined that a new motor was called
for. The diagnosis was performed, and, new motor installed in just a couple weeks,
also under warranty.
   2013 FX presently has around 8300 miles, purchased it exactly
one year ago from member of this forum with a few hundred miles on it.
Set up as supermoto with S Front end, wheels, and Fox Shock. 8 thousand
trouble free miles.
   The last part that I needed replaced under warranty was from a major
Japanese manufacturer and took several months. Same dealer that did
the forks on the XU. 
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oregonrider89

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #19 on: June 21, 2015, 06:05:44 AM »

Hi,

I just bought an SR last week, 750 miles so far of hard cornering and no issues other than I wish it charged faster.

I'll check back in when I hit 10,000 miles.

I had a 2010 DS. Lots of problems but Zero was very supportive and I put 15,000 miles on it before selling.

Ride on! Electrics are amazing!

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Ron Sindric

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2015, 06:35:33 PM »

BIKE:  2014 S 11.4 w/ POWER-TANK

RIDING:  Running around town, visiting coffee shops, buying chips and dip at local grocery store.

PROBLEMS:  Bought new, local dealer cluseless about Z-bikes, dashboard defective from day one.  Multiple problems with BMS.  After latest + one month stint at dealership problems with BMS still exist.  ZERO corporate VERY unhelpful.  Want me to send it back again.

Bike is an over-priced-two-wheeled-turd still under warranty but company will not even consider taking it back.

If you are luck enough to have a Z-bike that works, be thankful.  If you have problems, the company will not be very helpful.

Poor product from a poor company.  DO NOT BUY THEIR JUNK !
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VoltRON ;-}

Straightedg4lif

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #21 on: July 08, 2015, 11:16:52 PM »

BIKE:  2014 S 11.4 w/ POWER-TANK

RIDING:  Running around town, visiting coffee shops, buying chips and dip at local grocery store.

PROBLEMS:  Bought new, local dealer cluseless about Z-bikes, dashboard defective from day one.  Multiple problems with BMS.  After latest + one month stint at dealership problems with BMS still exist.  ZERO corporate VERY unhelpful.  Want me to send it back again.

Bike is an over-priced-two-wheeled-turd still under warranty but company will not even consider taking it back.

If you are luck enough to have a Z-bike that works, be thankful.  If you have problems, the company will not be very helpful.

Poor product from a poor company.  DO NOT BUY THEIR JUNK !

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with your Zero S. It does seem like there happens to be a few duds out there that seem to need a lot of work, but overall they are pretty reliable considering others' experiences. I still want to get one next year but the negative experiences do give me something to think about. I just hope that they work out all these kinks, and make the dealers that sell them a little more cognizant of what they are selling and how to fix them.
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nevetsyad

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #22 on: July 09, 2015, 09:15:21 PM »

2015 SR - I ride 30 miles round trip each day to work in DC, 70% highway. Almost 800 miles on her in less than a month. I've had 5 motorcycles over 13 years and this is the most fun, pleasant to ride and cheapest to operate out of them all. No issues so far, and I'm hoping that continues for years.

I am adding some accessories from Hollywood Electrics later this month, hoping to do some extended cruising over the weekends next month. Oh, no power tank, but it seems like quicker charging is more important than slightly longer range.
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Emtkopan

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2015, 10:42:45 PM »


Rode my 2012 Zero S for 23,500 miles before trading it in.  Daily commuter, plenty of highway, rode it cross country in 2013, then on a 6,000 mile ride around the east coast and midwest.

Now riding a 2014 Zero SR and put about 3,000 miles on it in 3 months.  Going for a 5,000 mile trip starting tomorrow from NYC to FL, over to Mexico, up to Ohio then back home. 

Love it!

How did you ride it cross country? Stop every so many miles and rest long enough to charge then ride again?
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BrianTRice@gmail.com

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #24 on: July 09, 2015, 10:56:25 PM »


Rode my 2012 Zero S for 23,500 miles before trading it in.  Daily commuter, plenty of highway, rode it cross country in 2013, then on a 6,000 mile ride around the east coast and midwest.

Now riding a 2014 Zero SR and put about 3,000 miles on it in 3 months.  Going for a 5,000 mile trip starting tomorrow from NYC to FL, over to Mexico, up to Ohio then back home. 

Love it!

How did you ride it cross country? Stop every so many miles and rest long enough to charge then ride again?

He's been video-blogging it (see this thread). It's very interesting; a combination of auto dealership chargers, charging networks, and RV camps with 50A plugs.
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Current: 2020 DSR, 2012 Suzuki V-Strom
Former: 2016 DSR, 2013 DS

oregonrider89

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #25 on: July 12, 2015, 07:58:59 PM »

Regarding the negative posts on this thread: I was very reticent to buy a new Zero after reading negative comments on this site. The motorcycles are expensive and there just aren't Zero dealers in every small town. A negative post seems to resonate louder than the multitude of positive ones but that is just human nature to react that way.

I did myself a favor and visited the factory in early May and then went on a test ride. The ride alone was impressive but the factory production facility will blow your mind! They have made significant progress in quality of components and standardization of assembly. Each nut and bolt and every part is attached the same with each motorcycle. This speaks volumes to production consistency and quality. The visit really sealed it for me and I now own a 2015 SR that I have ridden for 2000 miles, in 5 weeks of ownership, and I could not be happier.

Last weekend I rode 85 miles on a single charge, the great majority of it on hilly highway, and got home with 15% charge; and I am 6', 190 lbs. I was very impressed[/u] with the range.

I, too, was waiting until the PERFECT combination of price, range, charge speed was available but I came to the realization that I seldom exceed the range limit of my SR without the power tank. So I took the plunge.

Do yourself a favor and pick one up. I am so glad I did.

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benswing

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #26 on: December 16, 2015, 05:18:09 AM »


Rode my 2012 Zero S for 23,500 miles before trading it in.  Daily commuter, plenty of highway, rode it cross country in 2013, then on a 6,000 mile ride around the east coast and midwest.

Now riding a 2014 Zero SR and put about 3,000 miles on it in 3 months.  Going for a 5,000 mile trip starting tomorrow from NYC to FL, over to Mexico, up to Ohio then back home. 

Love it!

How did you ride it cross country? Stop every so many miles and rest long enough to charge then ride again?

Hey Emtkopan, I didn't see this until now.  The videos will give much greater detail at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbWCCYJCsilotFiverwYK4GeKno-KAyAt

But the short answer is that I averaged 312 miles per day traveling about 100 miles per charge, then recharging at car charging stations or RV parks.  I have the power tank and 2 Elcon 2500 Watt chargers to get me going more quickly. 

My longest day was 475 miles from Cleveland to home in NJ.  Needless to say, I absolutely love my SR, and am planning on doing some more long distance riding next summer.
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Killroy

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #27 on: December 16, 2015, 10:38:35 AM »

The first 500 miles have been great.

I need stiffer springs, that is about it.
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ElectricZen

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #28 on: December 16, 2015, 12:32:36 PM »

2016 DSR checking in, so far so good!

FYI benswing's YouTube vids helped me take the plunge, waiting patiently to hear the good outcome of the diginow supercharger.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
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grmarks

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Re: Survey on Zeros so far
« Reply #29 on: December 16, 2015, 07:12:20 PM »

I have a 2015 SR, had a problem with SOC reading and a couple of one offs. Was fixed with a software update and some fiddling with settings.
It was done at 700 km (while I was on holidays for 6 weeks). Now I have done 4,000 km. So it's still only early days. But it never affected riding the bike or the way it went/goes.
I upgraded from a scooter, so it goes without saying that I love it.
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