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Author Topic: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple  (Read 7978 times)

MostlyBonkers

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2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« on: July 16, 2013, 08:36:17 PM »

Greetings to you all, this is my first post.  I've read a good many of your posts and wished to contribute with my thoughts having had the opportunity to test ride a Zero S on Saturday morning.  I was also lucky enough to be able to test a new Speed Triple at my local dealership shortly afterwards and can compare the two to riding my own Aprilia Shiver 750.

I've owned an Aprilia Shiver 750 since October 2011 and love it.  I originally bought it to get back into motorcycling after a very long break.  I started commuting to work on the Shiver last spring and have now racked up over 12,000 miles on it.  My commute takes me from Hertfordshire into London (UK), a journey of approximately 24 miles each way.  I commute in all weathers and only revert back to taking the train when the temperature is hovering around 5 degrees Celsius (41F) or below.  At that point it's just too cold and there's also the risk of ice.

I stumbled across a review about the Zero S a few months ago and was immediately attracted by the prospect of using one for my commute.  In advance of Saturday's test ride I've read a number of reviews, watched YouTube clips, read this forum and even gone through the user manual!  So here goes...

The model I rode was had the smaller 8.5 kWh battery.  My first impression of the bike upon seeing it in the dealership was its small size.  It just seems like a smaller bike than my 750; narrower wheels, less bulk etc.  This feeling was reinforced when I sat on it.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it feels more light and nimble.  I also liked the simplicity of the bike, with the green light on and the stand up it's just twist and go.  That first twist of the throttle is quite an experience.  The bike just gradually moves - as slowly as you like until you get a feel for it.  Even though I'd read that the bike is quiet, I wasn't prepared for just how quiet it is.  I ride with earplugs on my Shiver but I had not put them in on purpose for the Zero S.  There was so little noise from the motor that it was almost negligible and it was soon drowned out by wind noise as the speed rose.  Acceleration just happened.  No fuss, no fanfare, just strong and rapid acceleration whenever I twisted the throttle.  The throttle mapping felt extremely well refined and gave minute control along with instant access to full torque if needed.  I can imagine it being an absolute pleasure to ride at length through the city, filtering through traffic and taking off effortlessly from the lights.  All of this was made even more pleasurable due to the lightness and agility of the whole bike.

On the test ride we quickly got onto a dual carriageway to get some speed up.  Again, everything felt effortless and overtaking traffic was a breeze.  The bike reaches its top speed very quickly with strong acceleration all the way until it settles at 95 mph.  However, within minutes of getting on the bike the red temperature warning light came on.  To be honest I don't remember it even flashing at me before it went a solid red.  Stage 1 is when the indicator flashes to warn you that the bike is about to enter its thermal strategy.  Stage 2 is to apply the thermal strategy and start reducing the power delivered to the motor so as to prevent any components overheating.  We can't have been riding more than five minutes when I noticed this.  We were still riding on a dual carriageway and the bike was still maintaining roughly 80-85 mph, which is quite normal on British roads.  Having been geeky enough to read the user manual I knew what was going on. Whilst trying to keep up with my fellow rider (on a big ICE bike), I tried playing with the throttle to see if I could notice any of this power management coming into effect.  Not much is the short answer.  There was a little less acceleration and the bike wouldn't go up to it's top speed at times but seemed to recover quite quickly.  At one point the bike dropped to about 78 mph against my wishes and wouldn't go any faster, but despite the enforced reduction in power it didn't feel unsafe and I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't paying close attention to the speedo.  The red light stayed on until a good while after we'd come off the dual carriageway and started riding more normal roads under 60 mph.  It was a hot day, being around 28C (82F) when we were out, but the bike had been standing in the showroom overnight before I rode it (out of direct sunlight and much cooler).  The bike is also made in California where those kinds of temperatures are a regular occurrence.  Perhaps it's a one-off issue with this bike, or perhaps it needed using more to get itself calibrated somehow?  I was the first person to test ride it and it had only been delivered to the dealership a few days before.  It would be a concern if I owned it and it would be interesting to hear if other owners experience the red temperature light often.

Other things I noticed were that the back brake was very ineffective and needed a good stamp to get any kind of braking out of it.  Again, this might be down to the bike being so new.  The front brake seemed strong and perfectly adequate.  It was a bit noisy and I put that down to it being new as well.

Although we didn't spend much time on twisty roads I did get a sense that the bike would be fun to ride given a few nice bends.  I would have liked to take the Zero S out on my own and ideally I would like to test it for a couple of days during the week and ride it into work on my usual commute.  A fifteen to twenty minute test ride was enough to get a flavour of the bike and to enjoy the unique experience of riding an electric motorcycle though.

The battery gauge had dropped significantly during the short ride and along with the overheating I got the impression that this is not a bike to take on fast roads; you'll be out of juice within about an hour and may find yourself held back by the power management.

After returning to the dealership and talking at length to the guys I was keen to get back to my local dealership and the motorway was the quickest way of getting there.  Back on my Shiver I was please to find that the acceleration was at least comparable to the Zero S.  The Shiver has 81Nm of torque compared to the Zero's 92Nm. However, the Shiver has six gears to make the most of that torque when you need it and also 95bhp compared to the 54bhp of the Zero.  The motorway really showed up the limitations of the Zero.  I know my Shiver would be happy cruising at the Zero's top speed all day long, it would easily manage 100 miles at that speed before a five minute stop for fuel would allow me to carry on for another 100 miles with no worries and no warning lights.

Trying out a Triumph Speed Triple brought into focus another aspect of owning a Zero S: the cost.  The Speed Triple is the next step up from my Shiver in terms of performance and size.  Its 1050cc engine gives up to 111 Nm of torque and 133 bhp.  It weights 214 kg wet versus the Shiver's 189 kg dry.  I reckon fuel, oil and water has got to be about 20 kg, so the Triumph's extra power comes with no compromises.  The brakes are truly astonishing.  It has a nice ride, soaking up bumpy country lanes nicely and handles at least as well as my Shiver, if not better.  My only gripe was the clunky gearbox which needed a good strong heave from my foot to change gear and was noisy doing it.  That might loosen as the bike was run in though.  So a truly great machine that is all that most people would ever want from a motorcycle.  The cost: £9,000 GBP.  The Zero S retails for £11,750 here in the UK.  Even with our sky high fuel prices and assuming you'll only get 40 mpg from the Triumph (probably more like 50 mpg); you've ridden 18,000 miles on the Triple before you've burn up the £2,270 price difference in fuel.  Admittedly, you'd have also had three major services by then, but I'm sure you get my point.  The greatest cost of owning a motor vehicle is always depreciation.  The Triple has less money to depreciate in the first place and will likely hold it's value much better as next year's model won't be much different.  You're also more likely to get favourable financing on a Triumph whereas the Zero weighs in with an APR of 14% - which isn't cheap.  The only way the cost of ownership of a Zero is likely to start getting beneficial over that of a middle to high end ICE bike is if you're willing to own one for five years and do the kind of mileage I'm doing with my commute.  Even then, do you really want to own the same bike for 5 years?  Many bikers seem to want to try a different bike every year or two and I'm sure the 2016 model Zero S will knock the socks off the current model.

What we need is a Henry Ford's Model T version of the electric motorcycle for the masses.  They would make a great replacement for all the scooters and small bikes on the road, especially the smelly two strokers.  I would like to think that a bike like the Zero S has great potential to come down in price.  After all, there are much fewer moving parts and the motor is much simpler to build than an internal combustion engine and a gearbox.  I would also like to optional chargers provided as standard.  The fast charging adaptor is £1,500!  Surely this should be built in?  Zero has worked wonders producing the 2013 model Zero S.  The technology is fantastic.  The next frontier has surely to make it affordable.  I'd like to see the government subsidising electric vehicles more. Production volumes need to go up and the manufacturers and customers can start benefiting from economies of scale.

Whilst I wouldn't worry about range using a Zero S on my commute, it would prevent me from going on day trips out.  I enjoy motorcycling the most when I have the opportunity to enjoy the freedom of being able to point my bike in a general direction and go where the road takes me.  The ideal would be to own a Zero S as a second bike, but I can't afford it and don't have the space.

I hope this post is of some interest to readers and I look forward to any comments.
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dkw12002

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2013, 11:07:05 PM »

Good observations. I traded my 2012 Street Triple R in on the Zero S and the Streetie performs about the same as the Shiver, perhaps a little better. My other bikes are a 2012 Vespa 300 and a 2011 Gixxer 1000, so I have something for every situation. Basically I ride them differently. Yes, the Zero is not the best bike to own for 80mph plus speeds. It will drain your battery quickly, plus you are at the edge of over-heating. It shines at more normal interstate speeds of 65-75 mph indicated though and does not overheat in stop and go or stalled traffic either. My Gixxer does not like to be stopped at traffic signals and the Triumph won't either. There you have to deal with brakes, clutch, and throttle constantly. My Gixxer is not supposed to be ridden below 12 mph in 1st gear, so when I come to a line of cars, I have to stay busy shifting and stopping.The temp will climb quickly and emit a lot of heat making it very hot to ride as well. The Zero just takes a break when you are stopped of course. The Zero is so much different than the other 2 bikes...the Aprilia and the Triumph though that really you may want both. It would be tough for me to just have one bike. From your description of your riding style, it does sound like if you can only go with one bike, it should be a faster bike than the Zero S. The other things I really appreciate about the Zero S are: no need to warm it up, its light weight (355 lbs) makes it easy to maneuver and move in and out of a garage, the built-in storage, and effortless acceleration and roll-on speeds. Electric bikes, like electric cars for lots of us serve as second vehicles so you can have the best of both. I think you are right about resale value being better with the Speed Triple too. I considered a Speed Triple myself....problem was for me there is no convenient dealer. Fantastic bike though.
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NoiseBoy

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2013, 05:05:53 AM »

Nice review. You forgot to consider that the speed triple, depending on riding style, would you need a new chain and and sprocket yearly with your 12k miles. Then factor in tyres, brake pads, air and oil filters, coolant, oil, clutch packs, servicing labour on major intervals like valve clearances is extortionate.

Zero produced a comparison document against a GSR750 and the zero was well in profit after 3 years at 10k miles per year without considering labour costs. If like me you put a price on your own time (i serviced my own bikes and no longer have to go to a petrol station) it pays for itself a whole lot quicker than that.
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Richard230

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2013, 06:34:28 AM »

I agree, a well balanced review.  I have my IC bikes when I need to go fast and far and my Zero for all of the other riding that I do.

I might add that last year I had the 24,000 mile servicing on my Triumph Bonneville performed by my dealer.  It set me back $850 USD.  That kind of servicing cost takes a pretty substantial bite out of the relative cost of owning a Zero.  So far, I haven't had to spend a penny on servicing the Zero.  My BMW and Triumph would have already needed two services at $200 for the 600 mile service and $400 for the 6K servicing.  So, in addition to saving a lot of gas and warm-up time, I have already saved about $600 in typical maintenance expenditures.  Plus, I got $1400 back from the U.S. government and another $900 back from the state of California for my Zero purchase.  It is still expensive to buy, but things should get better if the volume of EV sales increase.
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Richard's motorcycle collection:  2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM 390 Duke, 2002 Yamaha FZ1 (FZS1000N) and a 1978 Honda Kick 'N Go Senior.

vchampain

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2013, 11:33:28 AM »

I suppose it all depends on what you do with your bike. I had a Triumpmh 900 Tiger and a Honda CBF. I first bought a Zero as an alternative bike. After 1 months, considering I was not using the others anymore, i sold them and kept the zero.

But I mostly ride at 75 mph max (legal limit here), with a lot or urban commuting. For some uses, ICE is probably better (like long travels, especially over 150 km where electric automony is an issue). But it is not the case for me.

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lolachampcar

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2013, 01:40:48 PM »

I second vchampain's comments.  The S1000RR sits by itself in the hangar and has to have a battery tender to keep the battery from going flat.  It is just too easy to grab the Zero and go and it is much more comfortable to live with on a daily basis.  Is it the all out motorcycle that the BMW is? No, but it is so much better in all the ways that matter when I'm using the bike to commute.

Lastly, we do not have the opportunity to use bikes in the US like you do in Europe.  We'd get nicked in a heartbeat at those speeds and they would put us under the jail.  I guess the speed limitations for the Zero are just more suited to US driving.
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Life is too short not to enjoy what you do each day.

MostlyBonkers

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2013, 09:44:00 PM »

Thanks for all your comments and for taking the time to share your experiences.  I get the impression that all of you that have taken the plunge are enjoying owning a Zero S and are using it almost exclusively.  I also take on board the point about servicing costs.  I included those in my initial calculations and it does make a big difference.  I'd also expect tyres to be cheaper and last longer than they do on my Shiver.  My test ride wasn't really a true reflection of day-to-day use and I'm sure a Zero S would be a great way of getting me to work.  I just wish I could afford one!  Perhaps a second hand 2013 model in two or three years time?  With the batteries having such a long service life and the fact that people can't over-rev the motor and treat it badly like they can with a traditional engine, I'd be very tempted.  We might see them happily buzzing around in 10-15 years time with 100k+ miles on the clock!
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BSDThw

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2013, 12:33:00 PM »

A bit away form the topic but I like to command.
Quote
Lastly, we do not have the opportunity to use bikes in the US like you do in Europe.  We'd get nicked in a heartbeat at those speeds and they would put us under the jail.  I guess the speed limitations for the Zero are just more suited to US driving.
Europe is quite different of speed and street rules but in Germany you often have no speed limit on the "Autobahn" highway but really it is no fun to zoom straight. On the interurban road 100km/h is normal, so 115km/h will be not to bad if you got clocked 130km/h I some times ride when the road is free.

Having a strong ICE some do really more but than it will be no different to the US - maybe we are not on knees with ziptied wrists; behind the bike ;D
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mehve

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Re: 2013 Zero S vs. Aprilia Shiver vs. Triumph Speed Triple
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2013, 10:21:57 PM »

In my case, my Zero S replaced my Aprillia Scarabeo 100 scooter.  So in a way, I'm approaching this from the other end of the riding spectrum. Earlier on, going on two wheels was just a more economical way to commute (and more fun), now I would often ride my Zero for short recreational rides.  I have ridden the Zero for a few hours on paved country roads at 40-65mph, and I can rightly say that the battery lasts longer than I do! By the time I get home, the gauge has two blinking bars, roughly 77 miles on the odometer, and I am ready for a soak in the tub or a long nap. If the seat was more comfy (perhaps with the Sargent seat?) I might start feeling like I am ready for a second bike. The call of the open road gets louder every year out here in the Pacific Northwest. I know my husband wishes he has a Zero. :)

Thanks for the comparisons!
 We kinda have room for just one more motorcycle. There is no shortage of moto dealers out here so we're taking some time to do research.

Cheers!
+m
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Rides a 2013 Zero S 11.4
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