Enjoying my new 2014 Zero SR

Joined
Oct 28, 2008
Messages
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Location
Manhattan Beach, CA, USA
Enjoy!

[youtube]6d9op3dQaPw[/youtube]
 
Judging by those mirrors.. that is the 2015 spec bike. Is that correct? Does it have showa suspension and a larger(320x5mm) disk upfront? If so, What is the suspension Like? Im looking to by the 2015 suspension as the fastace ones on the 2014 are rubbish on anything other than the smoothest roads. Do you know what battery cells the 2015 has that gives 10% more range?
Have to admit that your early comments on the first SR lead to me buying my SR with no test ride. Had to get it trucked 4000km to me as that was the closest dealer. Thanks for the video :)
 
The brakes on the 2014 Zero are rubbish too. A bike of that weight needs dual rotors. Hopefully there's an upgrade on the 2015 as we're expecting a couple more Zeros to join the eFXC series.
 
jonescg said:
The brakes on the 2014 Zero are rubbish too. A bike of that weight needs dual rotors. Hopefully there's an upgrade on the 2015 as we're expecting a couple more Zeros to join the eFXC series.
I had a buell xb12r which had a single perimeter mounted disk with a 6piston caliper. That had incredible modulation and feel and in a way a dual disk set up could only wish for. Its a shame the tech is patented as its the best sports brake setup for road I have used. Even better than the Ducati I had with dual Brembo mono-blocks with floating disks.

The 2015 front disk changed from a 313mmx4mm to a 320mmx5mm. Still the same caliper but with ABS. The disk also lost the spider in favor of being directly bolted to the rim which makes retro fitting costly.
 
Ho ho ho, merry Christmas Luke! Nice....
 
The only 2015 parts on it are the mirrors, otherwise a bone stock 2014 SR.

My ultimate dream Zero is a 2015 DS with the smaller battery and dual size6 Sevcons feeding the motor. I will be putting that together once I've got the cash.

In the meantime, this SR keeps over-delivering awesome rides one after another, and I couldn't be more pleased with it!
 
Alan B said:
Nice Luke, I keep wondering what I would do with one as it would be stuck in traffic on my commute unlike the ebike, but it sure would be fun when not-stuck! Or I could get one and do what other motorcyclists do, ride in the bike lane. :shock:

Lane splitting makes motorcycles traffic congestion immune my friend. When traffic slows, aim for the gaps between cars. :)
 
Yes, but my commute is on a 2 lane highway with bicycle lanes both sides. Hard to lane split, only one lane and not much room, when they resurfaced they narrowed the vehicle lane and widened the bike lane. Most of the motorcycles just give up and ride in the bicycle lane when traffic jams up. I've had them pass me in the bicycle lane, and I wasn't going all that slow on my ebike. I guess I don't ride fast enough, then, if ICE motorcycles are catching me...

I've done lane splitting on the freeway (on the motorcycle years ago), and it is okay when traffic is slow, but when traffic is moving fast it seems pretty dangerous (and the CHP calls it reckless driving if the traffic is moving very fast). Of course it is hard for them to catch you. :)
 
liveforphysics said:
My ultimate dream Zero is a 2015 DS with the smaller battery and dual size6 Sevcons feeding the motor. I will be putting that together once I've got the cash.

In the meantime, this SR keeps over-delivering awesome rides one after another, and I couldn't be more pleased with it!
Hi Luke,

The 2014 looks awesome. Can I be first in line when you decide to give it away, when you get your 2015 :mrgreen:?

What kind of vehical is the red 3 wheeler you are following at night?

Edit:
It's your Corbin Sparrow:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=65728
 
MitchJi said:
The 2014 looks awesome. Can I be first in line when you decide to give it away, when you get your 2015 :mrgreen:?


I've already found an exceedingly worthy home for her my friend, and about 10 others were in-line already. :)
 
liveforphysics said:
My ultimate dream Zero is a 2015 DS with the smaller battery and dual size6 Sevcons feeding the motor. I will be putting that together once I've got the cash.

Hum... Is Farfle making your dream come true?
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=4424.0

Why a DS and not an S?
 
I prefer DS because if you like extreme cornering, it offers the most lean angle before ground contact. I also like DS because it's a very surprisingly capable bike off road, far more capable than most dual sport bikes I've ridden, which I think is largely due to the massive advantage of unstallable precise torque delivery.

Farfle is a legend of EV DIY and hacking and tuning, and I'm excited to see what mods he creates on his Zero. I will likely be copying many of his hacks myself. :)
 
Just watching the video gave me white knuckles. Remind me to never ask for a ride as a passenger on your bike.

I think the last time I tried out a Zero was on a 2011 model, one with a brushed motor. Looks like I should save up my money for one of the newer ones :wink:
 
liveforphysics said:
I prefer DS because if you like extreme cornering, it offers the most lean angle before ground contact.

I thought that it was just a matter of rising the foot pegs to lean more ...
 
No hands at night? That thing must be super stable.
 
fechter said:
Just watching the video gave me white knuckles. Remind me to never ask for a ride as a passenger on your bike.

I think the last time I tried out a Zero was on a 2011 model, one with a brushed motor. Looks like I should save up my money for one of the newer ones :wink:

There may never have been a more rapid vehicle evolution path between the 2011 you rode and a 2015. Get yourself a test ride on a 2015 my friend, you will be hooked.

h0tr0d said:
liveforphysics said:
I prefer DS because if you like extreme cornering, it offers the most lean angle before ground contact.

I thought that it was just a matter of rising the foot pegs to lean more ...

Yeah, you can do a bunch of custom things to get a lower bike to lean further, but you can also start from a taller bike and do those things and lean even further. :)

cal3thousand said:
No hands at night? That thing must be super stable.

When I feel like it, I no hand every motorcycle at all speeds in all conditions. I used to no hand at >150mph on my old GSXR1000. I no handed lane split on the freeway, no hand off ramps with my wife on the back. I'm going to put a throttle button on the tank so I can no-hand wheelies and stairs. :)
 
Dude, that's awesome. Every time I start planning to convert a motorcycle, I see one of the Videos of a Zero in action, and realize a conversion is pointless. For not much more than a quality conversion, I could buy a Zero that would be better over all. I reached that conclusion based on the ancient 2011s. The 2015 looks to be amazing.
 
Luke, how does the power of that one compare to the prototype I rode when I visited you ? That thing was AWESOME but I imagine they may have turned it down a little for the final release ? The only thing I liked better about the previous version (2012?) was the cool starwars pod racer style sound it made :)

fechter said:
Just watching the video gave me white knuckles. Remind me to never ask for a ride as a passenger on your bike.
As someone who's been on the back of a bike with Luke, you're a wiser man than I :lol:

liveforphysics said:
When I feel like it, I no hand every motorcycle at all speeds in all conditions. I used to no hand at >150mph on my old GSXR1000. I no handed lane split on the freeway, no hand off ramps with my wife on the back. I'm going to put a throttle button on the tank so I can no-hand wheelies and stairs. :)
haha you need cruise control! It's something I miss on my dirty old-tech ICE bike. Cruising on the highway I often forget what I'm riding and reach for the cruise button :lol:
 
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