ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Straightedg4lif on April 28, 2015, 10:13:07 PM
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I sold my Aprilia Mana today, just after being up for sale for 2 months. Not bad once you consider the rough winter that we had in the Northeast, plus the weather is still a little under the norm. Of course I had a lot of low ball offers but ended up getting exactly what I wanted!
Now do I go for the 2015 SR or wait for the 2016? I know that the riding season is just beginning here so I would be without a bike for quite some time if I wait for the 2016, but can't help but think that good things come to those who wait. I am leaning more towards waiting so I won't be upset if the 2016 has something that the 2015 doesn't. Also if nothing is changed/improved better price on the leftovers. I am seriously considering buying a cheap kick around bike for this season and holding out until next year. I would love to hear others thoughts on it. I have waited this long to get one, looking since 2014 what's one more year to wait?
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I guess that depends on how patient you are. If you hold out for the 2016, you will miss this years riding season, but no doubt there were be improvements made to the bike. If the 2015 SR meets your wants and desires for the time you expect to own the bike, they get one and enjoy it now.
Chocula
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I've talked to the Zero people and they said they weren't planning on changing much anytime soon.
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I'd be waiting for the 2016 DS-R. I'll be selling the Buell as soon as one of those rolls off the floor.
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Maybe get a 2013 for about 8-10k and wait a year if you want ... will likely still be worth about that much when you want to sell it.
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I would not want to be without a motorcycle until the new model comes out which will probably be near the end of the year. You will lose the entire riding season for who knows what improvements. The 2015 SR should keep anyone happy for a good long time. I will look forward to the 2016 model and I hope that there is some progression but It won't bother me a bit if it's better than mine. Good for Zero if they improve the breed and good for all of the rest of us who are riding and enjoying the current models. Waiting for the next, best thing is never ending. Carpe diem.
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Just a note, Zero doesn't release their model years until around February of that year. They aren't released August-October of the prior year like cars.
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I've talked to the Zero people and they said they weren't planning on changing much anytime soon.
That's what they told me at the factory in 2014 when I asked about 2015....
On the other hand, the 2015 is as new as it gets, considering it doesn't sound like you'd have ridden it in winter. If you wait to see what 2016 brings, might as well wait to see what improvements the 2017 model brings.
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Just a note, Zero doesn't release their model years until around February of that year. They aren't released August-October of the prior year like cars.
That was not the case for the 2015 model year. I got my '15 SR at the beginning of December 2014.
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To me, you have to acknowledge that whenever you buy, whatever you buy, it'll probably be cheaper and better next year. That's especially true in high-tech fields, and immature technologies are the worst of all.
But you have to balance that against not having a cool ride for another full year. Five years from now, are you going to look back and think "I should have waited another year and gotten a slightly better machine" or "I could have ridden electric for another full year"?
It's not an easy equation to balance. If I'd waited another year instead of buying my 2014 SR, I could have better components, including ABS. But I don't regret buying in 2014 in the slightest. I've had my bike for 14-15 months now and I'm extremely grateful I didn't lose 12 of those months.
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Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I understand that if I wait, I lose out on a whole year of riding a great bike. Technically for me it is more like 6 months since I do not ride once it becomes too cold here. Also the 2015's came out in December of 2014 so it will be a total of 8 months until I can see what the 2016's have to offer. I also understand that each year there will be some type of change and I will never be ahead of the next best thing. Like I said before I think it just might be worth it to wait so that even if nothing changes I can save some money on the 2015!
Next week I am going to look at what I call a filler bike, that will take me until next Spring. I think its a good little bike for my purposes and will at least let me keep riding. I added a picture of the bike so I wouldn't mind hearing any feedback on it if you know anything about it. (1983 Suzuki GS450A) I definitely don't want to miss any saddle time, so this will fill the void in the meantime.
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Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I understand that if I wait, I lose out on a whole year of riding a great bike. Technically for me it is more like 6 months since I do not ride once it becomes too cold here. Also the 2015's came out in December of 2014 so it will be a total of 8 months until I can see what the 2016's have to offer. I also understand that each year there will be some type of change and I will never be ahead of the next best thing. Like I said before I think it just might be worth it to wait so that even if nothing changes I can save some money on the 2015!
Next week I am going to look at what I call a filler bike, that will take me until next Spring. I think its a good little bike for my purposes and will at least let me keep riding. I added a picture of the bike so I wouldn't mind hearing any feedback on it if you know anything about it. (1983 Suzuki GS450A) I definitely don't want to miss any saddle time, so this will fill the void in the meantime.
Sorry for the mis-information. I know the website showed the 2015's in December 2014 but when I emailed Brett Little in January about demoing one he told me the dealers still wouldn't have them for a month or so. Maybe that is because I am in the mid-west instead of a coastal state.
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I think you'll be really happy with a 2015 and you'll get one more riding season out of it. Now that the parts are upgraded they have addressed the primary complaint of motorcycle magazine reviewers and you'll likely be happy with this bike even when the upgraded bike comes out.
Besides, I want more Zero riders on the East Coast to ride with!
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So I decided to wait for the 2016 SR for a few reasons. I did however pick up the bike I posted earlier about... the Suzuki GS450. I got a decent price on it and feel this is the best decision for me this year. I still can't wait to get my Zero but just glad that I am not missing any riding time this season!
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The GS450 is nothing if not reliable. Plus it is easy to work on and parts are cheap. It should get you to where you want to go.
My daughter put 85,000 miles in only four years on a 1989 GS500E before she sold the it for $800 to a fellow who was planning to ride it down to Mexico City. I ended up performing all of the maintenance on the bike. After a while I was getting kind of tired of the thing. ;)
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hummm I don't know I'm holding on to my aprilia mana for the time being... Bought a zero mx really cheap with a drained battery and slowly realizing I'm better off loosing money on selling this zero. The battery pack is no longer available and to build one out will cost me around $1000 and that's for home brewed...
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I was only going to sell my Mana if I got what I wanted out of it. I had a set number in mind and figured if it gets that then bye-bye. I did get what I wanted, thought it might have took a little more time than it did, but it was a pretty quick sell surprisingly. Once the weather warmed up, it sold so quickly, I thought I might of had more time with it this riding season but it was gone before I knew it. Now I'm just going to kick around on the Suzuki this season, and definitely next Spring going to get my Zero.
I am always checking up on this forum, to learn all I can about others experiences, so I have an idea of what I'm getting into. I do really like the Zero, I give it a 9 out of 10 and only deducting a point because of the height of it. Although, I am saddened to hear about some of the other negative experiences with the SR on here. I may adjust my rating after receiving mine, but since I have only demoed one I give it a 9. What would you give your Zero and why?
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I would give my 2015 SR an 8.5. The only issues for me are price, range, and charge time. I haven't ridden a whole lot of other bikes but the power and handling on the SR seem pretty good to me. I may have designed the seat, tank bag, and rear brake a little differently but the truth is at this point in time there is no other bike I'd rather have.
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I would give my zero a zero... why... because of the support from zero. I have a dead 2011 zero mx and was told by zero they do not make a battery for that model any more as it is obsolete... a 2011 bike is obsolete...
Then there is the range... real world I only got 10-15 miles in the 2.8 pack.
I could spend another $1k on leaf batteries and rig a pack but then what about the rest of the bike... no spare parts... no support... no range...
I hope since bramo got bought out by Polaris; Zero will also be bough and electric bikes could be developed by big houses that will give customer support and spare parts.
Heck even as bad as Aprilia support is I would say leaps and bounds above zero.
If any one wants a Zero MX with a dead battery its on ebay right now for $2500.
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Wow a zero rating...I am sorry to hear about your troubles and hope that they really work on the support that they have. These bikes are too expensive for there to be so little support and not properly trained dealerships that are supposed to service these bikes. I hope they get their stuff together soon!
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Just for comparison I've seen a 2010mx with a good battery in new condition for $2500 Canadian dollars ($1875 usd,it was $10k new!) I asked about a second battery and was told they're obsolete and if the original died they wouldn't guarantee you could find another, I passed!
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We have discussed the service from Zero quite a bit in this forum and basically have discovered service is significantly improved (though not perfect) for model year 2013+ bikes. People have had mixed results with 2012 bikes and they use completely different parts from the 2011 and older bikes.
I don't know if anyone who designed/engineered the 2011 and older bikes still work there. However, the dealers in the northeast I have spoken to seem capable of fixing 2013+ bikes competently.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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the title was "buy 2015 sr or wait for 2016" do someone have a answer?
what are the improvement for 2016
battery will be 140v instead off 100v?
more power?
more breaks (radial)?
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the title was "buy 2015 sr or wait for 2016" do someone have a answer?
what are the improvement for 2016
battery will be 140v instead off 100v?
more power?
more breaks (radial)?
To my knowledge the only people who know what the 2016 bikes will be like are Zero employees - and they are not (and never do) talking. The rest of us are just guessing, speculating and hoping. If it was me, I wouldn't put any money on a new motor, higher voltage, or any significant upgrades on the battery pack. I think you will just see continuing refinements to the current models and most likely an SR version of the DS. But then, what do I know? ???
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the title was "buy 2015 sr or wait for 2016" do someone have a answer?
what are the improvement for 2016
battery will be 140v instead off 100v?
more power?
more breaks (radial)?
To my knowledge the only people who know what the 2016 bikes will be like are Zero employees - and they are not (and never do) talking. The rest of us are just guessing, speculating and hoping. If it was me, I wouldn't put any money on a new motor, higher voltage, or any significant upgrades on the battery pack. I think you will just see continuing refinements to the current models and most likely an SR version of the DS. But then, what do I know? ???
Francois
No to answer all of your questions shortly
Going to have to wait another year for another big bump in voltage; they just got one. Well for the s platform bikes we will have to see about the fx
16 is a long way out; it you want a bike get the 15,if you want to have a bike in a YEAR from now go for it
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I would give my zero a zero... why... because of the support from zero. I have a dead 2011 zero mx and was told by zero they do not make a battery for that model any more as it is obsolete... a 2011 bike is obsolete...
Wow! It seems unconscionable that Zero would shoot themselves in the foot like this. If suitable replacement parts are not made available for critical components after as little as 4 years, Zero is eliminating any hope of customers considering their products to be anything more than a disposable toy good for at most a couple of years. I don't see how it can be cost effective to devalue your product in such a specialized market.
At the very least I would expect Zero to pack your existing battery module with non-obsolete cells to achieve at least the original capacity, or to help you find someone who can. If not, then they deserve a huge public relations black eye for this. They would be validating one of every EV naysayer's primary arguments.
Please contact Zero directly and politely insist they make a solution available to you. Then post the responses, good and bad.
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Hey Zero, have a look at how Tesla offers an upgrade to their 2008 Roadster and learn from it....
You need happy customers to survive in this niche market!