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[Rhamphorhynchus]

Hey,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm considering buying one of the Zero bikes mostly as a fair weather commuter, and the price point and fun factor of the FX would make it my preferred choice. However, I think my commute may be pushing the limits of the bike, so I thought I'd ask the forum. It's a 35 mile round trip, fairly flat, between 30 and 50 mph. I don't think there's any outside power at my office, so probably no chance to charge there (at least outside). Zero's claimed range for mixed riding is 54 miles, so on paper it looks like this should work out ok. Could anyone give me some idea of how accurate the range figure is?

My other (probably stupid) question is about using the off-board charging option at work. Is it possible to charge up just one of the two power packs, or is it necessary to have them both at the same level of charge while they're both in use on the bike? It seems like riding to work with both packs installed, then taking one of the packs inside to charge up during the day would be a good bit easier than lugging both of them inside, but obviously not if it doesn't work that way...

I guess an S is a more practical option, but I just don't see it pushing my hooligan buttons like an FX

[RickSteeb]

My '12 DS ZF6 makes my daily 27 mile round trip, usually 70+ MPH a large portion of the route, as it's 85% freeway.  I have no doubt the FX is up to that duty, and I'm signed up to test drive one Saturday!

I charge at work most days, as freeway speeds can take over 50% of my ZF6's [5kWHr?] battery; a flat extension cord fits under a doorway that only alarms if it's open too long...  The boss "caught me" early on, and during our talk, decided it wasn't worth the accounting costs to accept my offer to pay for the juice [with a Kill-A-Watt to track my consumption].

Then again, I'm also planning to test ride the SR, so all bets are off!  Having put 50k miles on my '88 Magna, I think I'm ready for its awesome power... and I'm signing the papers for a 3.5% HELOC tomorrow!

[trikester]

My 2013 FX will do around 45 to 50 miles on the type of ride you say that you have even with a few hills. I do a pavement ride that is 43 miles round trip measured on a GPS (more accurate than the bike odo). It has a couple of steep hills on the route. I hold my speed to 35 to 45 mph. My gauge is flashing at the end but I still have a few miles left. However, in cold weather it is marginal on this ride. I wouldn't have any worries if the round trip was only 35 miles, even in cold weather. I have found the range of my 2013 FX ZF-5.7 to be nearly identical to my 2012 DS ZF-6.

The two batteries can be vastly different voltages and work together in the bike, according to Zero. However, the controller may lower peak torque, I don't know about that.

Here is measured data from the last time I did this ride:

Total miles: 43 (GPS), 45.8 (bike odo), 44 (iPod)
Moving average: 31 mph
Finish charge remaining: 1.089 kWh, indicated remaining capacity: 23%
Battery: 99 V
Air temp: 76*, Batt temp: 89* to 92*
Recharge: 4.12 kWh @ 6.5 hr

Hope this helps to answer your question.

Trikester

[protomech]

The FX ZF5.7 is rated at 44 miles @ constant 55 mph. Zero's ratings tend to be pretty accurate for level riding, so I don't think you'd have any trouble with your roundtrip route. Riding at slower speeds will extend range in case you go riding for lunch or need to run errands after work.

IIRC the bike will work fine with battery modules at different levels. If one module fully discharges then you will have the same top-end power limitations as only a single module is installed. I'm curious whether the bike tries to balance the modules as it rides by primarily drawing from the module with higher SOC.

The battery modules weigh about 45 pounds apiece, and the charger weighs about 10 pounds. That's a lot of gear to haul around.

[Rhamphorhynchus]

Excellent, thanks for all the detail! Sounds like the bike would fit my needs with a little margin to spare. I guess it was worth asking the single-pack-charging question after all; carrying one of the 45 pound packs into the office isn't something I'd have to do every day, but could be an option on days where I had errands to run and needed some extra range.

[dkw12002]

The S is hard to do wheelies on, but still qualifies for a hooligan ride if that is your aim. You will leave traffic far behind at stop signs and traffic lights. The only thing limiting my  2013 Zero S acceleration is spinning the (stock) tires.  Go do a test ride of an S. Unless someone is on a super sport, reving the engine and drag racing away from the traffic light, you will beat them. You still may if they don't shift or hit the light just right.  And the  electric stealthiness doesn't attract as much attention to your speeding as a gas bike. Plus you can use the S on the highway if you want.  Only if I never planned to take the bike on the highway would I choose the FX over the S.   

[trikester]

The FX is perfectly fine on the highway and weighs a lot less than the S. It's fun to ride even if you never take it onto the dirt. If that's the case, then put street tires on it and you'll get even more mileage.

Trikester

[BSDThw]

I agree with most - the FX is able to make this trip, you will have less range at cold weather (0-7°C) (32-44°F) but the most imported effect is the speed.

If you "know" your bike - you are able to stretch distance with your driving style a lot.

To charge the Battery outside: I never did but it is a bit fiddling to open the lock and to insert the holder (top frame part) again - maybe you can test it at the dealer.
I like the removable batteries but I wouldn't like to do it every day.

I never tried to run an "empty/low" and "full" Battery but Zero claims it works. (and I believe this! if you need this information 100% PM me and I do a test ride next week for you)

Have you tested a FX jet? Yesterday a Test-driver of a German motorcycle magazine had a spin on my bike "he had a lot of fun and told the other fellas when stop "he will not return the bike "
So you will have fun with a FX   

[dkw12002]

You can always slow down to extend your range, but remember too, you lose range with time as your batteries age. I have 6700 miles on my 2013 S and notice range loss already, so I would want to have a couple of bars left after the trip to feel safe. One trip I have made many times is exactly 48 miles from my house to Harbor Freight and back...same route every time. The first few times I made the trip, I spent a lot of interstate speed at 80 mph, even had the slow down red flashing light show up. I returned with 2 bars showing. The last few times I have done the trip, I have had to take the access road for about 8 miles in order to get back home safely, so I have definitely lost range from when the bike was new.

[Rhamphorhynchus]

So, the point of buying an FX would definitely not be to slow down

I haven't had a chance to try any of the bikes yet. I figure any of the bigger bikes would have no problem with the range, so I was asking about the FX to see whether it was worth trying. It's the light, fun machine, I like the price, and it would probably suit the tight slow roads on my commute better than something bigger, but I guess may not have the legs after the first year or so.

Hm...

[dkw12002]

From what you've written, it would be close. I find those website ranges to be optimistic.  If you get a chance to test ride an FX, you could try a shorter trip and interpolate. The bars showing your charge level are fairly consistent so if you get 6 miles with one bar, you should probably get 6 miles with every bar. If only you could charge at work, that would make it work for sure. Speed is a huge factor, so I'm sure you could do the 35 miles, but maybe not at the speed you would like.   

[kensiko]

You can always slow down to extend your range, but remember too, you lose range with time as your batteries age. I have 6700 miles on my 2013 S and notice range loss already, so I would want to have a couple of bars left after the trip to feel safe. One trip I have made many times is exactly 48 miles from my house to Harbor Freight and back...same route every time. The first few times I made the trip, I spent a lot of interstate speed at 80 mph, even had the slow down red flashing light show up. I returned with 2 bars showing. The last few times I have done the trip, I have had to take the access road for about 8 miles in order to get back home safely, so I have definitely lost range from when the bike was new.

Interesting, Zero says 80% capacity at 200000 miles but you've already hit it?

[RickSteeb]

The FX is perfectly fine on the highway and weighs a lot less than the S. It's fun to ride even if you never take it onto the dirt. If that's the case, then put street tires on it and you'll get even more mileage.

Trikester

I visited my new "local" dealer [50 miles from San Jose] yesterday and test rode the SR and the FX.  Loved them both... Now I'm having trouble deciding which one I want to replace my '12 DS ZF6.  Most of my 9000 miles thus far have been commuting up and down 101, often seeing the overheat indicator trying to keep up with traffic going 75 MPH.  If the FX can hang at those speeds for the 12 miles of freeway I use on my daily commute, I think it would be my first choice.

Unless I could get a DSR....   

[Burton]

I don't think it would be hard to swap out the shocks / forks / tires on an SR to convert it to a DSR ^_^

My S 2013 with size 6 controller has the DS shocks / forks installed.

[trikester]

If the FX can hang at those speeds for the 12 miles of freeway I use on my daily commute, I think it would be my first choice.

It can definitely hang at those speeds for 12 miles. In addition to the ride data I posted, I've also ridden mine like that.

Trikester