I've had my 2014DSP for well over two years now. It's still under warranty until Jan 2019, due to the amount of time, cost, effort and inconvenience I had to suffer when the bearings in the rear wheel failed.
Despite a few issues I've had with the bike, for the most part it has been fun and very cheap to run. Hmmm, that would be a good tagline for Zero's Marketing department to use...
To put it another way, I've saved around £8,000 on train fares since I bought it, so it doesn't owe me anything. I paid £6,500 for it and aside for a couple of sets of tyres and some brake pads, it has cost me very little to run for 20,000 miles.
Long time members here will recall how enthusiastic I was to own a Zero. It took me almost three years to achieve, and I haven't looked back since. I've thoroughly enjoyed commuting into London on my Zero. It has been perfect for the job. I've told countless fellow commuters that very same message whenever the opportunity arises. I've also enjoyed riding it for fun. Despite the regular commute, I'm still eager to take my bike for a spin around the Chilterns whenever the opportunity arises. It may have cheap Chinese suspension, but the low centre of gravity makes handling a dream. It's fair to say that I've grown very attached to my Zero.
Can you sense a "but" coming? There is one and it's also why I wanted to reach out to all the regulars, newbies and everyone inbetween for your opinions. I appreciate that within the context of an electric motorcycle forum those opinions may be a little biased. However, I want that bias because it was by becoming a member of this community that I was able to make my dream a reality.
My problem is that I just can't make my mind up. Do I keep my DS? It's certainly the sensible thing to do. Even if it suffers an expensive failure outside of the warranty period, it will be cheaper to fix than buying a brand new bike.
On the other hand, a 2018SR with a charge tank is a compelling prospect. I love bikes with lots of acceleration and I would love to go further afield on an electric bike. It's just the cost of that option that makes me wince.
Another option I'm considering is getting a new or used 2017 Yamaha MT10. The 2018 models are out now so I can get a deal on one. I managed to test ride one last Saturday and have to say it was magnificent. With this option, I'd keep my Zero for my commute. Well, ideally. My wife really isn't keen for me to buy a bike in any shape or form. I might be able to convince her if I trade in my Zero with Streetbike, who have already offered me a very generous figure for it. They're confident they can give it a wash, sell it quickly and make a profit on it. The only problem is I'd be left with one bike that runs on petrol for my commute. I'm not terribly keen on abandoning electric motorcycling either. I do want a bike that's more versatile though.
A final option that I can think of is to pick up a cheap used bike for the longer trips. I really enjoyed riding a Fazer 1000 for a year; commuting and everything. Maybe I should just another one of those?
Should I just do nothing and carry on as I've been with my Zero? That's definitely the option that my wife likes. The trouble is that I do miss being able to do a decent day trip once in a while. The only Zero that comes close to doing that is a new one with the charge tank. I've decided to rule out an Energica Eva due to their cost, complexity, lack of dealerships and extremely poor range. I'm not convinced the handling will be good on such a heavy bike either. I owned a VFR 1200 for a short time and it couldn't hide its sheer weight in corners. A BMW GS would be better in that respect.
Any thoughts please? I'm in a quandary!
Author
Topic: Your opinions please: My next bike (Read 639 times)