Zero SR/F motorcycle road test. The HONEST electric bike review | Is EV the future?
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2019
- BikeSocial thrashes a Zero SR/F electric motorcycle to find out what it's really capable of. Get the maths here: www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial...
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How long until an electric bike pays for itself? Get the maths here: www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/zero/zero-srf-2020-electric-motorcycle-review
rrys, sorry mate but that's rubbish. In fact, EVs will be able to help the grid by using off-peak electricity and balancing the grid during high demand. It just takes smart charging technology which is already available.
@@MostlyBonkers V2G battery storage, there are entire office blocks in Japan powered like this 👍
@rrys where's your evidence? Studies backed by petrochemical associates do not count.
What? I exclusively charge my motorcycle and cars over night. Wake up with a “full tank” every day. Never waste time going to a gas station.
People said air conditioners would over power the grid, it didn’t. It slowly increases the load is all.
With EVs, this won’t even be a problem. AC doesn’t run at night much, when we all charge. Uses about the same kW. Better yet, no more power wasted fracking, drilling, pumping, hauling, refining, hauling, storing and pumping gas. (6-12kWh used her gallon generated, better offbeat just using that power for cars)
I love the idea of electric bikes. The torque numbers 😃 they just need more development for range.
It's the future, bring it on.
Torque doesn't work how you think it works.
So many things are the future, if only they get sorted out in time!
Torque on a bike will have to be tamed.. So almost useless having anymore than usual.
That's why the modes - soft for softies and joint-testing for the muscular. (and sometimes some in-between)
@@BigUriel holy crap a mind reader 🙃
I don't get the hate, there's always a cost to being an early adopter. When you think the internal combustion engine has had over a century of development as has the infrastructure ev tech is catching up quickly. The big leap will come when solid state batteries will arrive.
For go to work, charge at work, then ride home things ev's are fantastic. But it kinda takes the fun out of the bike when you gotta charge for 4 hours after 100 miles. I mean most bike riders I've ever known all go on long rides on the weekends, very rarely are they a person's work vehicle.
@@enrobsorussell In years to come, people will look back at ICE vehicles like we do now with ol' Nokia phones that had Symbian OS compared to an iphone.. The technology is so superior that it's not even about green issues, it's just a matter of time..
@@enrobsorussell Wow Russell. That is one of the most Luddite, anti-progress comments I've read! lol Best you stick with your trusty ol' gas-guzzler then ol' bean.
@@wodenoftheangles3339 you can dispense with the labelling of a person with legitimate points and simply answer how you think that 1. Range 2. Longevity 3. Safety 4. How green. 5. Infrastructure will be addressed. This bike is NOT for everyone at this point. And with high present costs I would add #6 Economy
@@enrobsorussell people were saying exactly the same about Teslas 5 years ago.. lol
Balanced review. I commute daily on a Zero SR. Perfect commuting bike, for all the reasons you have stated.
It would be, but as far as I can tell, it's not possible to charge the bike if you can't get it right up next to the power supply. For a lot of us living in the city, we are stuck with other charging stations that aren't at home.
IMHO, it's foolish that they've got it designed without removable batteries as I could easily charge my battery on the deck where I've got an outlet, but no ability to string an extension cord to where the bike would be parked.
I wish I had the money to buy one for commuting. As is I use a scooter for commuting and reserve my mt07 for longer ride with mates. Seen a few electric bike in my country but none can hit 110kmh easily and be small enough for my commute.
@@flyinghigh2000 zero fxs
Do you get any vibrations in the handle bars compared to petrol? I had to sell my old GS550 and give up biking due to vibration white finger. Hands were completely white after 15 miles.
@@damianbutterworth2434 Perfectly smooth, no vibration from anything, Get a test ride in if you can, see for yourself.
Energy density is not quite there for battery, however in 5 years it will be. Regarding the small-mindedness... that's just human nature. I remember back in the 70's, it took a completely fresh generation of bikers to accept the new cheap Japanese bikes with their fancy electric starting and actual reliability. Within 10 years you could barely buy a British bike and all those oldies were riding around on CX500s. Change will happen with or without you.
Well said, it is only a matter of a few years before electric bikes become better is pretty much every performance metric than gas bikes, not to rag on gas bikes or anything but the truth is the truth.
They also have not figured out DC Fast Charging yet. But yes 5 years time if they can do a 30kwh motorcycle. Then combine that with DC Fast Charging. 200 Miles in 30 Minutes or 300 miles in 1 Hour should be doable in 5 years.
@@Neojhun What is needed is swapable batteries. You ride to the recharging point, and remove your batteries, and trade them in for fully charged batteries, and you just swap them.
@Bernd DasBrot WTF does that even mean. I was talking about how is can dramatically change very soon. All the required improvements exist in Small Cars. These SuperBike (not e bikes) makers need to adopt the same SAE CCS standards.
@@The.Toaster That’s why my first line says “energy density is not quite there”.
;D
When you live with an electric vehicle you change your driving (riding), saving the bursts of torque for where it's fun. Similarly highway (motorway) speeds dramatically effect range. Simply going the speed limit on the boring flat stretches saves a lot of range. Once you get used to it and learn to plan ahead it gets easier.
Yes, this is still an early adopter's toy (that's me!). Still, it's the first electric bike I've ridden that feels like a real motorcycle.
Oh, and my dealer's demo SR/F blew by me like I was parked coming onto the straight at our local track, me on my Speed Triple R.
@Bill Kerr - You are absolutely correct. It's the same as driving a Tesla or any electric vehicle. You just change your driving habits and your old way of thinking - plan your drive / routes etc. just like the guy did in this video did with his Tom Tom GPS 'ahead of time'. And of course we all like to give the throttle a Full Blast of Power every now and then, you just need to take that into consideration as you go. :)
The secret to buying a Zero is buying used. You can save up to half. And it's not like you have to worry about the prior owners wear and tear on a combustion engine...
No you just have to worry about the prior owners' wear and tear on a battery pack.
@@BigUriel WTF Not much you can do on the battery pack other than discharge it too many time. But that is easily shown by max battery capacity. Its the Running Gear which can be abused by previous owner, it still has many typical mechanical and suspension parts which can wear out.
@Rabbi Jesus You have no clue how a LARGE FORMAT Battery Array works. You are stupidly assuming it functions like a battery with a few cell. They do not function the same. Oh the irony.
@Rabbi Jesus en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_balancing
When you have lots of Cells and you do not always drain the whole battery to empty. The BMS balances the load over multiple cells trying to reduce the Cycles per Cell. This is not realy viable when you have limited cells, but EV MotorCycles can have close to 100 Cells. There is not much you can do to Reverse Ware. But there should be lots of health left for a Zero that is handful years old.
@Rabbi Jesus WTF troll, that makes no sense. You seem delusional and have no clue what you are arguing against. Instead devolving into some personal tirade. Surrounded by what??? It's not easy to obtain many Large Format Batteries they are Expensive and Rare. Unless you work in the industry "surrounded by it daily" is not viable. You can't even get basic technical things correct yet devolved into "a clueless dolt". Oh the irony.
It's all relative... If you think back to the first motorcycles way back in the day, they weren't reliable and couldn't go far without breaking down. Look at how far they have come! This type of bike is still early in its gestation and once the infrastructure/batteries improve they are only going to get better. Not there yet, but as you say it'll happen.
Every motor vehicle back then couldn't go far without breaking. That's not saying much. Horses use to break down all the time as well. They put a a bullet through them and kept moving. (they as in the owners or carriage masters)
Campbell Zero One Great commuter bike for some lucky rich person
@@marshmallows4150 Yep, but just as with flat screen televisions, mobile phones and cars with heated seats it'll all trickle down to the rest of us eventually! 😉😂
@@CampbellZeroOne thats the beauty of tech....10 years ago i didnt think i could buy a flat screen. now i could easily go out and buy three of them if i did a side job. and they would be quality screens too
@@M1XEDBAG Yep. I don't even bother buying an extended warranty on a flat screen anymore. Not worth it when they are so cheap. Hopefully electric bikes go that way too, and don't seem like such a compromise. Some kind of sound emulator would help things along. Lack of sound/character seems to be one of the main gripes that you hear from people. A nice selection of soundtracks would help with that. "Today I'll be riding a V4 thank you very much!"
The limited range is certainly a drawback. But let's talk turkey. If you get it on, a classic Harley will wear your body out after 100 miles. Between the vibration and the shoulder strain, your body will need a 3 hour recharge.
Why a harley though? If you get an actual motorcycle you can travel for days without getting tired.
Perhaps, but a modern Harley won't. I'm not a particular fan of HD, but I rented one and put roughly 300 miles on it over the course of a day. I was perfectly fine without much rest.
i would keep my opinion as -
i think cruisers are actually having the most painful riding triangle. legs forward, hands up ahead that compromise the blood supply, 90 degree sitting posture making the butts the centre point of wearing all the weight of upper body.
i have experienced that the best bike for the person as per his height is like-
foot peg just below the butt
70 degree forward inclination
wider seat in anterior half also so that the legs also participate in weight bearing along with butt ofr upper body,
knee pads on both sides of fuel tank.
Howard Green - I agree with you. I've owned a couple Harley's in the past, and after driving 90 miles (one way) with some friends one day, I was dreading the trip back home. So stopping to recharge an electric motorcycle is fine with me. I'm 67 years old so it will be a welcomed break to get off the bike, get something to eat and drink while it's charging then head out again. I looked at the Zero SRF in this video (yesterday) and seriously considering buying it. I've driven ALL the Zero's and they are awesome!! But the SRF is my favorite.
Honest review, funny how it went from mt07, mt09 to mt10 in the end 😂
Hot button issue! I don't think we're opposed to bringing E bikes into the fold, it's the peoole who don't even like motorbikes who think they're the answer and gas bikes will be forcefully collected. That causes serious division issues.
@Bum Face Gammon I've been hearing people say electric vehicles are the future all my life. Zero has been making their electric bikes for well over a decade, I have yet to see one on the road. Tesla has been making electric cars for even longer, they're still a very rare sight on the road and still basically expensive toys that most people couldn't possibly afford. "Future" is a vague term, goes from right now to infinity. When is this future supposed to happen?
Simply accepting that there are technological challenges to electric vehicles that still prevent them from being widespread affordable and practical transportation, and probably will for many years still, isn't slagging anything off, it's just being realistic.
I would be very surprised if 20 years from now most of the bikes on Britain's roads didn't still run on petrol.
@Bum Face Gammon I think electric propulsion is awesome. max torque from zero rpm. It's the batteries that are a pain. Heavy and much less power dense as compared to petrol, slow to charge. I think I'd want some fake bass tube exhausts on an electric bike for when filtering through town centre traffic, and they really need to be a lot cheaper.
We are still in the early stages of full electric bikes. It’s definitely a city commuter vehicle.
I rode one of these and really enjoyed it. Sounds great, handles well and I love not having to use a clutch / gearbox. It's too expensive for me and doesn't do enough miles but I'm looking forward to a time when it will. Good review!
Very informative and a good example of joy riding and distance riding capability. Thanks. Looks fun.
Excellent excellent video! Non biased speaking from a true riding perspective. Thanks for making. BTW I have a 2016 Zero SR and absolutely LOVE it!
Battery capacity is set to more than double over the next 5 years and the prices will drop. Electric cars/bikes are far less complex than ICE and will be cheaper to build. They are also, in principle, spectacularly powerful.
"Cheaper to build", No disrespect but where do you compare 20k electric to a liter bike of around 5-10k "Cheaper". You cannot do maintenance yourself on electric cars or motorcycles so you will always rely on dealers overcharged prices. That's not cheaper.
Nice video John, you looked real confident filtering but did you feel more nervous without the exhaust DB’s?
Good question!
Great review. Very practical. Got a little freaked out watching the reversed traffic.
I'm holding out for the development of the small fusion reactor ;-)
LOL, we dont even have large ones yet, I dont think that small ones are going to happe in out lifetime ^^
Start working on it. Get in on the ground floor. Invest. If you see that as the future profit from it.
Solar Bike
Why are we constantly seeing city commuters measured against touring test. In the last year I have gone farther than 100 miles three times and all three times there was a charging station open and unused at my destination which was midpoint for the day. Would you rate an R1 on how it performs off-road? Or do you judge a Harley by it's track performance? You can get 150 miles traveling in downtown traffic. You ride all day, charge at work or at night and never have to go to a gas station. Never change oil or check valves, or lubricate chains. These bikes are fine and especially if you live in the city or have two bikes.
Excellent review. I am the commuter this bike was made for and I have ordered one. Been riding to work on electric bikes for 5 years now and this is the first one that looks and behaves like a normal bike (my last petrol bike was a triumph rocket III!)
Great review, answered a lot of questions I had about electric bikes.
Super impractical for the riding I do unfortunately, and the costs are far too high for the build quality at the moment. Excited for future progress though.
Just watched another video on a smaller one topped out at 60 for only 2,800 dollars. Shorter range also.
Well done and very honest. My own bike is used for work/home trips around 135 km/day and this is GOOD !!!
Really good review! And you know what, im really excited for the future. This is gonna be amazing once the effort is put into the tech development. Bring it on!
Thanks Adam!
I use my 2017 zero sr to commute about 50 miles a day. Plug in my employers parking garage and don’t pay for electricity obviously. It’s amazing for a college kid/full time worker like myself. Obviously not for state to state rides
How's you afford a e-bike as a student? Good on ya!
Steve Febvre also a full time job 😂. No car.
@@Planclanman3 I remember those days. Grim. It gets better with time however!! :-O
I had a go on one of these the other day, absolutely amazing. Never ridden an automatic before and I felt right at home on it after a few minutes, but what hit me is how incredibly smooth the whole experience is, the throttle is an utter joy to use, none of this on/off response you get on manual bikes at low speed. And the power in sport mode is just crazy, goes like a rocket, a silent rocket, cause there's only this quiet futuristic whine sound.
These are the future guys, they just need to extend the range and get the charge time right down and I'm in.
Excellent analysis. Thanks.
Its not about how fast one goes - leading on to your ultimate funeral - but how much time you save from point A to B. Keep in mind that most roads have a speed limit way below the fastest E-Bikes
Great Honest review!
Good test, been riding these a while I love them
Really interesting, thank you! Finally one that looks alright...
I think they make some "less" powerful models. If your just using it to commute, and that distance is not that great . One of the lesser range lesser powerful versions may be better.
I've also seen some other small electric scooter looking things. For city riding that may be enough. As long as you can pull away from cars and still filter thru traffic I'm not sure you need anything that powerful.
Great review... Best one I've seen so far
I does not work like that, you can not trade Less Power for Range with Hardware. That can all be done with Software on the existing powerful bike. Just building a Big Battery with a Weak Motor and the chassis needed to support the big battery range will still be similar size & weight. The difference when it comes to parts that make Peak Power, weight & volume is a tiny proportion of the whole bike. Just don't build a silly powerful drivetrain massive heavy mechanical parts, the range will be similar to your theoretical bike.
great and honest review. Feels like that bike isnt a finished product for more then short commuting.
I’ve never ridden an electric bike before but I’d love to have one when the range gets better and charging speed gets quicker. Fun and interesting video 👍
your video sound is amazing!
The skylark singing in the background during the chat makes this vid a classic!
An audio-related comment that isn't going berserk over the short period of music that replaced the roaring wind noise. Thank you! You've made my evening! John
Well presented. Great commentary. I am seriously considering an electric alternative. Only need 50 mile range, no hills.
Nice, transparent review. Thanks.
In the torque and HP numbers, are those measured rear wheel numbers?
I can't recall seeing a dyno graph of an electric motorcycle. It would be interesting to see a dyno of that bike versus an MT-10 all the way from 0-120 MPH.
Great review and article. You answered a great deal of the questions one might have, and balanced the pros and cons in a balanced way. Well done!
conscious Be sure to take a look at other Zero videos. This reviewer seemed quite inexperienced with EV vehicles and left his viewers with several misconceptions. The 61-mile range was perfectly fine on that battery. A larger battery capacity is an option. Also, he made the mistake of choosing a 1/2-capacity charger, otherwise he would have been well at 100% capacity before he headed home. I am concerned about him intentionally leaving a front-trunk open, zooming in on it, as he claims “gaps” are of low quality. That started entering intentional-bias arena. It was also surprising that three times he had to come back to his discovery (fully known and documented) that at 10% capacity the bike goes into a power-conservation mode to insure you get where you are going. He makes it sound like that is a travesty! He should be allowed to blow out the battery in the middle of somewhere. Sigh... this is a feature, one that ALL EV cars have... Leaf, Tesla, etc. A more experienced EV user would have known this, appreciated it, and understood it.
And, no, hydrogen is not the future. Its best case scenario is incredibly inefficient compared to even today's battery technology, and at the moment nearly all hydrogen is produced by steam reforming of fossil fuels (which is why the traditional energy companies want to go down that route so we keep using their distribution networks)
Oh it gets much worse. H2 as energy medium is utterly idiotic because of a simple fact. STP Density of 0.08988 grams/Litre.
That crazy low density has far too many resulting consequences and problems which have to be combatted. It will never be used on a City Population scale for Vehicles.
Hydrogen is 1000X more green than lithium. Lithium mining is horrible for the environment, but it occurs in China's backyard, so you don't give a crap.
Hydrogen is the future.
@@iwasadeum Gah the amount of erroneous rumours is appalling.
1. 1000x is not even a realistic number
2. GREEN & Greenwashing is Pointless it's a dead concept.
3. Lithium is not economically viable to come from China. It's Chile & Australia is the two biggest producers of Lithium, NOT CHINA.
www.mining.com/australia-takes-chile-worlds-no-1-lithium-producer/
4. Lithium Ion is a temporary solution as it comes from Electronics Industry. SODIUM Ion is the next step.
5. Hydrogen Fuel Cells specifically PEM require Platinum group
metals. These exotic metals especially refining processing is China's expertise. PEM Fuel Cells raw materials COME From CHINA.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum_group
6. H2 0.08988 grams per litre Denisty & Molecule Size is soo tiny it cause many problems. It will never be used for Hundreds of Thousands Street Vehicles on a City Scale. It is simply too problematic for City Scale Storage & Distribution.
Simply put, NO H2 is not the future. Lithium Ion is NOT 1000x worse than PEM fuel cells. None of these are 100% clean. But BEV are much much cleaner than ICE especially over it's long 350,000 miles lifespan.
Great review :)
Would you be able to do a 140 mile round trip if you did 70 mile then left it on 7kw charger for a couple of hrs?
great review John....much buffering? :) think i'll stick to my versys :P
One year later, I'd like to see you do a review on the Energica Eva Ribelle (longer range than the earlier Energica's; fast-charging)
Nice review, good points and thanks for making that available. You seem to be concerned with the views that detractors may have, I suggest you discount that from your motivation list. You make the point that the eBike is an excellent commuter and that its not a tourer, not a sports bike. This is of course pretty close to what Electric Vehicles have always been, a more or less specialised tool. In the early 1900's they were the preserve of the wealthy, and to be honest its still pretty much that.
Bike looks like fun, once you get the suspension sorted out ...
Best Wishes
Hi John! Interesting watch. I am curious if you've had a chance to ride any of the offerings from Energica and, if so, what your thoughts are in comparison? If you haven't had a chance I'd love to see you take an Esse Esse 9 out to test. Cheers from California.
I've not had a chance to ride the Energica - would love to. Have had the Brammo Empulse R on track and for a week, and also ridden the Saietta R around London. I'm a real fan of electric bikes - just hope the tech and infrastructure can catch up with the potential.
@@bennettsbikesocial If I could get an Energica dealership in contact with you, would you make a similar video like you've done with the SR/F here? I think the SS9 is the most similar comparison.
@@mvetter Of course!
Well said and great thoughts
Cheers! John
How long would a battery pack on something like this last? How much will it cost to replace once it's dead?
that charging nozzle goes in from the top ? my question would be if it's chucking it down with rain will you come back to a fireball when the water gets into the the connections and shorts it out ?? I would have thought it would be underneath the bike pointing down so and water would run off rather then run some risk to puddle,
No - there's a sleeve that goes over the outside so water wouldn't get in there.
I've been driving EV for nearly 7 years , I'm on my 3rd version as the cars have improved. There is no way that I will never buy a petrol car again.
I rode bikes for years, my biggest hate was the racket the engines make. Electric bikes can bring back peace to the ride, for both the rider and the poor sod who has to listen to a 'tuned' exhaust going past.
If you hate the idea of electric bikes I suggest trying one out.
Great reviews
great honest review..... good for a city dweller that never gets close to exceeding the range ..... would be a great everyday go to work bike for me ... 12 mile round trip to work and back.... but a no go for anything else.... a saturday ride for me here in Colorado will be 200 plus miles.....
I think charge time should be noted is from empty to full, depending on the charger the bike is equipped with and the power available.
Just like most people plug their phone in at night, if you plug your bike in every night, it really does not matter how long it takes, as long as it is ready for you the next day... and if you are taking a longer ride, the charge tank option will help charge times and if you charge when you can and only charge to 80%, the charge time will be much less. Do not charge to full, charge to the amount you need when you are on a long trip and charge time is taking away from riding. EV batteries charge faster when they are emptier... and the last 20% charges really slow, so if you can avoid charging the last 20 or even 10%, it will save you lots of time.
Just an FYI.
Great review
How much is this Škoda tramway from 1960 sound two-wheeler?
does your motor gets hot. my 2014 sr reached 200F after about 3 or 4 hard accelerations and after that it went to slow mode until temp goes down. I'm thinking of putting a cooling fan by the motor.
I didn't check the temperature, but I certainly didn't have any problems or signs that it was overheating.
I'm old enough to remember as a kid my Dad asking the gas station attendant how far to next gas station to make sure we didn't need to buy extra gas can or go slower to save fuel as we traveled in the back country of the US southwest on vacation. Same with electric bikes, got to know where to charge and if your pushing the distance, maybe use eco mode for some of it. If your only going 30miles, sure go nuts, longer distance be smart.
Great review. They really need to do something about the price. Isn't an MT07 about 6.5k pounds in the UK? Thats 12k cheaper!! you can buy a lot of fuel for 12 grand.
Are you talking about a heavily taxed fuel or the cost price when you say 12 grand buys a lot of fuel.
You might be surprised how fast someone can spend 12k on fuel.
@@redhammer92 I am coming up to retirement age and I have never spent 12K on fuel. Take the tax off and it has been a few K.
@@MrDickBills Electric bikes are commuters. Someone who rides 50 miles a day could rack up thousands of dollars in fuel costs after 5 years. Even at +70mpg
I really like the idea. If I had disposable cash, which I don't, then I'd definitely buy an electric bike. I'd have one as well as a petrol bike and have one for long riding and use the electric for commuting, popping to the shops, trips to the city etc so I didn't put extra miles on my other bike. If the range of ebikes goes past 150 miles and the price came down I'd definitely have one as an only bike.
At least it makes some noise. It sounds great. Can't wait for a big adventure electric
Great review and as several people below have already commented, this is just the beginning and not the finished article as far as range, infrastructure and price are concerned. All should get better with time. BTW, I’m getting a second hand electric car to help offset the fossil fuel I burn when I’m on my bike.
That is a Beautiful bike. And hopefully that will be my next bike .
id have one if cheaper..
For city riding sound is a critical safety feature. I would be very very worried about cars not noticing me and pedestrians stepping out between cars as they often use sound as an indicator that a motorbike is coming.
You may think that as a biker but its not as common as you might think, half the pedestrians have head phones in these days and car drivers still knock noisy bikers off, pedestrians step off the kerbs at junctions right in front of my lorry if they don't see or hear that coming your loud pipes aren't going to make much difference. Cyclists seem to manage on silent two wheelers most of the time.
I'm actually excited about the move to electric bikes (and cars). Battery technology will only improve in future and along with that will come increased range and reduced charge times and price. It's early days yet ! Maybe some onboard charging utilising energy from the braking systems or wheels could be on the cards.
What is the use of having a bike to save time getting around when you have to stop for hours to get where you want to go. Also, I don’t like having variable power when you open the throttle.
When the next gen of batteries comes out, riding around with a tank of refined dinosaur bile between your legs will get the hate. Great review, that last shot with both bikes... you are BATMAN
I've been reading this story for the last 15 years. Lithium batteries largely stayed the same. I'm still waiting.
@@DerpEye 15 years will difficult for Motorcycles. You simply have Less Cells. 12ish is quite doable for a small Motorcycle batteries. That means like 30% power loss and sketchy delivery, not exactly fully dead. 5 Seat cars do 15-20 year or 400,000 miles because they have a crazy large battery with many cells to distribute the wear. The data from existing fleet of BEV on the road is surprisingly good. They seem to be very reliable and last a long time.
@@DerpEye That isn't true. They may seem the same ***to you***, but battery industry figures show a steady improvement to energy density of about 1% per year. The lithium batteries of today are tremendously more energy dense and longer lived than the first ones to appear in a consumer product (the Sony Walkman) in the early 1990s.
@@Hamdad DerpEye is right. Battery technology has only marginally improved since ~2010. Certainly not enough to shift the paradigm yet. Bad news is, tech companies feel like they have exhausted the potential of the Li battery and are looking for alternatives. None of which show immediate promise. Perhaps in another ~30 years.
Where can we buy it from? (The bmw C evolution scooter will be more popular)
Check the Zero website. Lists their worldwide dealer network.
I don't want an electric bike but I'd like to try one out.
I think they have a long way to go, when you can get a PC 150 that gets 100+ mpg for the city and light highway or a CB500X that gets 70 + mph for touring or highway use and a fraction of the cost. In fact you can get bough and still be close to half the cost. And the range of the CB500X is around 500 Km per tank,( 310 miles) so no worries about running out of gas. They should consider a bike with a side car like the Ural so you could carry lots of battery for long distance, and if it was a good price I would get one. ( but better quality than the Ural.)
WANTED TO ASK YOU THAT, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RIDE IN THE NIGHT, WITH THE LIGHTS ON DOES IT REDUCE YOUR LIMITS
A small additional (emergency) battery that you could plug in from your rucksack would be handy. (I ride an electric ⚡️ scooter - unicycle & skateboard)
Lots of guides these days on making your own battery packs. For something like that wouldn't be hard to build in an "emergency pack" into your normal backpack.
I liked the review. A lot. You ride like a maniac, which is good. (A skilled maniac.) It reminded me so much of blasting my Blackbird around the twisties at scary speed with ear plugs to make it silent. Still get goose bumps and you reminded me. Thanks.
good review man
by the time im ready to ride, im sure the price on green bikes will go down enough for me to buy one as my starter. nice review ^^
Hi, I was considering an electric bike for my commute to work, 50 mile round trip with 80% on motorway and dual carriage roads. My work place had charge points so it looked like a sensible option but a couple of things put me off. The initial cost was more than twice what I paid for my Versys 650 and whilst it might make more sense with the reduced fuel cost it would be painful. The biggest factor was how it would fair with year round riding, after all I live in the UK and I commute year round. I would get rid of my Versys after 4 years and it used to take a hammering from the weather.
How much does it cost to recharge this from zero-100%?
Have you added a GPS tracker to your zero bike? / do you know if its possible? most trackers connect to a normal bike battery, but I'm not sure how it works on a zero.
Good question... I'll try to find out about that and include it in our tracker tests. Cheers, John www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/products/security/trackers
@@bennettsbikesocial Thanks :), any advice would be good. just got my DS11kw and not sure which tackers will go on
Early technology. I would buy one if I could afford it but they are going to get better and I'm pretty impressed so far.
when 3 wheels ? when 4 wheels (like the Quadro Qooder = yes I live in a rainy and snowy region) ? when a roof so no helmet anymore (like the scooter BMW C1) ? when can I get removable big batteries so I can park at home and in a restaurant ? I want to drive on highways in Germany (unlimited so 200km/h will be great), the size in great as I can park everywhere.
I currently ride an MT-10 and I've just ordered my Streetfighter V4 but, I'm looking forward to an electric bike such as this for my retirement one day, when the battery technology is better, the charge points more numerous and the price cheaper. This is definitely my future and I'm looking forward to it, not dreading it.
Great review, that range is frightfully too low for any riders I normally try to do. I was hoping the bike had about twenty percent more range at speed that it does now and the charge tank is not something I want to have to buy just to get it. Zero really will need to change their battery technology to get any real improvement, namely liquid cool it and the motor and maybe models with better aerodynamics
What was top speed?
Id like to see this tested in central London. My worry would be that without an engine to blip you would be totally invisible. I think you'd be constantly using the horn?
Central London is already banning older petrol powered vehicles, newer ones will inevitably be banned in due course. Get used to the idea of silent electric vehicles floating about everywhere.
@@FFVoyager thats what Clive Sinclair said!
czcams.com/video/0EQetm_qWDg/video.html
Is this about the performance of the bike or the range.?
Proper electric motorcycle like this will work great in India. People here use motorcycle for daily office commute and even on the highways the speeds are limited under 80kmph so this motorcycle wont have any problem maintaining range. Also I would love lack of noise on the roads in future, its chaotic now.
My typical Sunday enthusiastic ride is 120-170 miles. Until they can make one that'll do that range without anxiety ridden keen it's a no go for me. Appreciate the technology though and its intentions mainly in and around London area
On2Wheels With Birky 41, would you be happy doing your Sunday ride with a stop for lunch to charge? If so, 120-170 miles is very doable with no anxiety.
Royston and Sandy eh, local to me I see. We've some really nice roads 'round here. :D
I’m not a biker but I was very interested when I came across this review. Would love to learn to ride a bike , maybe one day . So many people say what a great experience it is.
Did u ever get a bike, 2 years on
Good review, thanks. Nice bike, EVs are getting better quickly, I'd consider one, but as a second bike, just have to plan coffee stops more carefully.
The clutch went on mine!😋
completely disappeared !
No clutch, no wheelies.
I so want one of these but the range & more importantly the charge time just kills it for me. What would have happened if you had got to the charge point and it wasn't working or 2 cars / bikes were already there? I have 3 electric cars ranging from 40 miles to 300 miles (on a hot sunny day) but electric bikes are just not there yet. Pity.
Will you try a super soco?
Hoping to - it's taking some organising...
How do I believe re range? Dealers talk up to 200 miles, tests I have seen for mixed use in the real world are more like 60. Then there is the restricted speed when the battery is low! Can any owners help me out here please?
Awesome bike! First mod I’d make is eliminate the rear brake pedal and swap-in a rear brake lever on the left hand control. Second mod would be a button to engage a DIY ‘neutral’ mechanism that would increase range (if riding through mountains) and may increase life of battery. Third mod, would be reverse function (easy software mod for the e-motor) that would aide in backing it on uneven terrain.
left hand rear brakes are available through rekluse I have them on my Altas. other companies make them but rekluse retains the footbrake also. you don't want neutral going downhill the bikes have regen which charges the battery while coasting or slowing down and reverse (zero calls it parking assist) is now available through the cypher store online and installed/activated over the phone. I know it's been three years but if you haven't bought one yet you are out of excuses.
Good test overall, John, apart from the dreadful music. Would have been much better without! Can't wait to have a proper ride on one myself. The Zero DSR is more versatile!
Although not a rider myself, I found this review to be so good, I liked and subbed.
This guy knows what he's talking about imo.
I didn't agree your comparing this bike to an ICE bike for long outings as this bike was never meant to compete there. (There are stories of people who do though).
It is a shorter tour commuter / fun bike. I've had the SR, the SRFs predecessor for three years and it's saved me over $5k on gas and the only thing that I"ve had to service is new tires. Brakes look good as new because the regen does most of the braking. People talk about the price is too high for payback. It gets you a hell of a lot closer than any big heavy cruiser and most sport bikes. After you buy an ICE bike, you keep pouring more money into it in one form or another. ....not with electrics.
Also for the fun factor, the SRF has almost %50 more torque than an Hayabusa so it'll knock you back in your seat... the fun is really there.
I'm pleased with how you finished up your review. You did put it into perspective better. More people need to ride one and see what they are missing.
For most UK bikers, they're still looking at these machines, wondering how they'll compare to an ICE bike, hence the angle. You can read all of my thoughts on it here: www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/bikes/zero/zero-srf-2020-electric-motorcycle-review
Do you realize this bike costs as much as a car, right? If you need to do short commutes, you get a scooter or an e-bike. You get the same end result, and spend waaaaay less. It's obviously that people compare this with an ICE bike, since it costs as much as a high end one.
@@DerpEye
A new car here in the states starts at about $30k basic ....$40k for a performance or anything with gizmos.
My commute is 30 minutes of 80mph. Can any scooter do that? I don't know. ICE bikes cost you gas and maintenance. Cost of electric ownership is waaaay less. ...and you can't beat the convenience of only having to check your tires and brakes before you go out, there simply is nothing else to fiddle with. I value my time and I don't want to spend it tuning, maintaining and fixing a bike.
One more thing. It take me 8 seconds to charge my bike. No kidding. Think about it. I roll into my garage and plug it in. That take about 4 seconds. I get up and unplug it. That take about another 4 seconds.
People compare it to finding and pulling into a gas station, fiddling with your CC, putting the gas nozzle in, stand and wait 10 minutes, repeat to tidy the process up. It's a paradigm thing. People assume the routine will be the same. It is not. The only reason I have ever needed to stop to get a charge is if I forgot to plug in the night before or I got lost in my riding bliss and didn't notice I rode and extra 50 miles. (Where's the gas station one would think ....nope. I need and outlet).
There are two faults with electric right now. Long distance touring and what happens when your battery goes tits up. I haven't had the opportunity to go for a ride that long and my battery, after three years is as good as new. In time, like you so intuitively noted, these issues will be solved.
@@513eis A new car in the US starts under 20k , with taxes. I know that Americans prefer to live in perpetual debt buying expensive vehicles , but that doesn't mean you can't buy a cheap car. The maintenance on a conventional motorbike will be more expensive? Yes, but it'll still cost half brand new. Btw, what else do you check on the bike apart from tires and brakes? Btw, tires and suspensions work in the same way. Same for transmission. You only need to factor oil change. You need gas? Yes, but the difference in price still favours the ice vehicle.
It's not like people are stupid not buying these things. If it was convenient to have one, many would have already bought one.
I wonder if renting these could be a viable option