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[Jarrett]

There are a lot of questions about how far various Zero models can go on a charge.  I started a tracking discussion on my 2019 FX range here:

https://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=9042.0

Since I just bought a 2019 DSR (14.4) + Power Tank, I figured I'd start a range tracking thread for it as well just in case people were interested in real world range numbers on that bike.

Here is the range info for my first long ride on my 2019 DSR + Power Tank from today:

Distance   Charge Used   Avg Speed   Max Speed   Min Temp   Ride Time
132.82      100%              33.7             63.8            75.2     3:56:28

I did the whole ride in Eco mode and tried to keep the throttle as even as possible with no high speed bursts


I'll update this as I go if there is interest.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Thanks for tracking some data.

Can you clarify whether you have any windscreen or cases installed? As well as your height and weight in vague terms. All of these I've found to be significant factors (up to 10%) in range.

I should say that in warm weather, without a severe headwind, and with a throttle lock to steady my output, I can travel on my 2016 DSR with Power Tank for about 135 miles at 65mph.

[Jarrett]

I'm 6'1, 270 lbs.  Just the stock dual sport windscreen, which does pretty much nothing for me. 

No side cases, but I do have the Givi FX Top Case on it.  But I'm guessing I'm blocking more wind than it is.

Bike is setup like this:



If I remember correctly, you have a series of aerodynamic add-ons for your DSR?

Just curious, why not use the app to limit max speed to 65 instead of a throttle lock?

[Jarrett]

I would like to buy a different windscreen for it, any recommendations?

[dittoalex]

https://madstad.com/collections/zero/products/zero-s-ds-2013-up

[DonTom]

Just curious, why not use the app to limit max speed to 65 instead of a throttle lock?

On the freeway, that can be dangerous at times. I leaned that the hard way  when  I had my  max speed set at 70 MPH. I needed to speed up to switch lanes to get away from the AH who was tailgating me. But because of Zero's wisdom, I would have  to slow down below 60 MPH to switch modes. If I did slow down that much, I probably  would not be here to tell you about it.

I now keep my custom set at 85 MPH max. No more  of me trying to use custom max speed as a cruise control.

-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[Jarrett]

Did another ride today:



At 40 mph, the FX goes about 40 miles, so it was nice to get 107 out of the DSR at those speeds. 

I could have gotten more miles today, but towards the end of the ride, I started trying to keep up with a KTM 1290 Adventure R.  Mistake.  The DSR is nowhere close to a match for that monster.  All I did by trying was lose pride and range. 

I hit 0% charge at about 102 or 103 miles, then dropped to 0 on the range meter at 106 or so.  Interestingly, the bike would  go 45 mph even at that point, which impressed me as the FX will only do like 17 mph or so then.

Here's the speed graph:



I learned something interested though.  If you see that plateau section towards the end of the ride where it says 66mph, that was me on the highway in Eco mode with the throttle pinned.  The speedo was reading 70 mph, but my GPS was holding steady around 66.5 mph, suggesting that the DSR speedo is 3.5 mph off at those speeds.  Kinda of a bummer.  Makes me wonder about all those 0-60 videos, they might have been 0-56.5 mph.

Also, I jumped on the FX immediately when I got home and it felt different.  It has more torque from the get go, but now I can really feel where it falls on its face, power wise.  That's about right where the DSR really kicks in.  After doing 3 hours on the DSR, the FX front wheel felt giant and kind of bouncy.  Which I thought was odd since the DSR has the more aggressive tire of the two.  The FX suspension is softer and more jarring than my DSR, which also surprised me.  When I first demoed a DS, the suspension felt really jarring to me compared to the FX demo bike.  But between my FX and my DSR, the DSR seems to have the better feeling suspension. 

[Jarrett]

I should probably point out that the KTM Super Adventure R claims 100 ft-lbs of torque compared to 116 ft-lbs. claimed on the DSR. 

But the KTM has literally double the horsepower.  He said his bike could do near 300 miles a tank versus 107 miles for the DSR + Power Tank.

I think they cost a little less than a DSR + Power Tank as well.  Makes you think.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I'm 6'1, 270 lbs.  Just the stock dual sport windscreen, which does pretty much nothing for me. 

No side cases, but I do have the Givi FX Top Case on it.  But I'm guessing I'm blocking more wind than it is.

If I remember correctly, you have a series of aerodynamic add-ons for your DSR?

Yes, I currently have the Hollywood Electrics fairing with the Madstad windscreen for Zero mounted atop it for a full sport-touring upper coverage, and a very large (68L) but streamlined Corbin trunk for the Concours 14.


Your dual sport windscreen probably recovers 5% over what you'd be getting without it, even though it doesn't provide the fatigue reduction you'd want. But your height and mass probably impact range compared to Zero's certification test rider height and mass.

Just curious, why not use the app to limit max speed to 65 instead of a throttle lock?

The (Atlas) throttle lock is a friction lock with a slip pad, so I can easily unlock it with a thumb button or just move the throttle position when I need to either escape a situation near/behind me, or brake hard/swerve for a situation ahead of me.

The app speed limit still requires pinning the throttle manually, and uses up the only mode the owner is allowed to customize. Getting out of that mode for more speed requires:

• pressing the mode shift button correctly (I can't remember offhand if it's once or twice to get from Custom to Sport; I'm sure that's easy when you do it often)
• releasing and re-engaging the throttle to ensure the mode shift takes hold, and then
• pulling open the throttle to escape.

There's no good reason to choose that delay when a direct throttle input is available instead to perform the same escape maneuver. The steps above cost a half a second that I'd rather spend on getting my course correction going.


PLUS, maintaining a constant groundspeed is not quite as efficient as maintaining a constant current/torque output, which is what setting the throttle position does. If your airspeed or inclination changes, the load on the powertrain changes to maintain a given groundspeed.


The reason to maintain constant current output is that it stabilizes the battery voltage because of sag or droop under load. More changes in throttle to maintain speed can overall result in a little more power consumption (all else being equal, granted).

[Jarrett]

Looks like about 94 miles on a stock bike at 45 mph average.  I did run it up to 90 a few times and overheated it twice.



I need to go do a highway run and see how far it will go at those speeds at some point.

[chrisho]

thank you for numbers, I have been interested in Zero motorcycles off and on and the SR/F caught my eye but damn if numbers never add up for me. To me EV motorcycles are still trapped in what I term "Leaf Gen 1" stage, such a cool technology but not executed properly yet. I have at least one more gasoline powered motorcycle in my future and hopefully by the time I put some substantial miles on it electric motorcycles will be in a much better place

[Jarrett]

Keep in mind, my numbers are probably worse case scenario based on my weight.  I suspect a significantly lighter rider would see some percentage of better range than this.  I'm also pretty hard on the throttle so someone without the constant urge to feel the acceleration of the bike would likely fare better as well.

Before I bought a Zero, I had the same questions, what is real world range and it was hard to find.  Unlike with bicycles (where I came from) most motorcycle riders don't closely track their ride stats and generally have no idea how far they went or how fast.  I was used to tracking these stats from cycling and just carried it over when I got into riding motorcycles.  On ICE bikes, its not that interesting, but with electric bikes, this info is pretty crucial, imo.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Keep in mind, my numbers are probably worse case scenario based on my weight.  I suspect a significantly lighter rider would see some percentage of better range than this.  I'm also pretty hard on the throttle so someone without the constant urge to feel the acceleration of the bike would likely fare better as well.

Before I bought a Zero, I had the same questions, what is real world range and it was hard to find.  Unlike with bicycles (where I came from) most motorcycle riders don't closely track their ride stats and generally have no idea how far they went or how fast.  I was used to tracking these stats from cycling and just carried it over when I got into riding motorcycles.  On ICE bikes, its not that interesting, but with electric bikes, this info is pretty crucial, imo.

I think we just need a website dedicated to tracking such information, like Fuelly or maybe actually Fuelly with electric motorcycle support (since EV cars don't require knowledge of rider height and mass).

The question is whether anyone is up to the site building and maintenance...


My fuelly profile: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/briantrice

[Jarrett]

Quick update:



The speedo is off to varying degrees at diff speeds.  Like 2mph at 40mph, 3 mph at 60mph, 5mph at 106 mph, hence 101 mph is as fast as it will ever go.

So when you see those 0-60 video runs posted, know that it is not doing 60 until it hits 63 mph.

[Fran K]

Quick update:

The speedo is off to varying degrees at diff speeds.  Like 2mph at 40mph, 3 mph at 60mph, 5mph at 106 mph, hence 101 mph is as fast as it will ever go.

So when you see those 0-60 video runs posted, know that it is not doing 60 until it hits 63 mph.

Just for a little clarification,
Can't wheel circumference be adjusted in the module that displays speed?
Average speed on my electronic speedometer seems somehow to not count when standing still.  Do you believe this is the case in figures you post?