Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[protomech]

Still, it's not like you have to get the revs up and pop the clutch to do this. It is deceptively sneaky to stand there looking around and take off that fast. On my Gixxer 1000, everyone knows my intentions just from the sound. Thanks for the info.

Yep. That's really the thing - electric motors feel very unstressed even when completely maxed out. The power delivery is effortless - so it feels much stronger than it actually is, versus a combustion engine which can either scream or lug.

In normal traffic I have no problems zipping past almost everyone, even in Eco .. simply because most people don't floor their vehicles off the line. 300 hp but only using 50 hp. Very inefficient in a combustion engine.

[CliC]

I had an informal stoplight drag race with a Harley dresser rider the other day. He was interested in the Zero, and I wanted to compare my acceleration (2012 DS9) to something else I'm familiar with.

His bike had the typical "first level" Harley performance mods (freer-flowing pipes and air filter and ECU reprogramming to support those). His daughter also was on the back, though she may have had about as much influence on his rig as she has on the Earth's rotation .

Anyway, we were neck-and-neck to about 50 mph (the speed limit). He jumped off the line a bit faster, but in typical Zero fashion my torque started to come on at 10-15 mph and I closed the gap.

All that said, I've never had a problem keeping up with (or ahead of) normal traffic. But I wouldn't say no to some more off-the-line grunt.

[protomech]

That speaks to how slow and heavy most Harleys are.

The 2012 bikes are quite slow by non-Harley bike standards, at least comparing 0-60 times. Above 10 mph or so it feels nearly as fast as my former GS500 .. and on the few curvy bits of road I felt like I could go as fast or faster on the Zero.

[CliC]

Yeah, I'll get a better idea of whether the Zero's acceleration characteristics will be a problem once I move to the city (soon I hope) and start riding in heavier traffic.

I'd love, however, to one day bolster my justification for riding electric by saying  "because it's fast"

[w34p0n2m4n]

I doubt it will impress anyone on the track, but it's definitely fast enough to deal with anything on the street. You can jump in and out of holes in the traffic like everyone else was standing still.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I doubt it will impress anyone on the track, but it's definitely fast enough to deal with anything on the street. You can jump in and out of holes in the traffic like everyone else was standing still.

Yes, the bike is nothing but nimble, agile, and zippy in traffic. It's very easy to lanesplit, or just get ahead of a traffic wave to avoid negotiating with negligent drivers. The only competition are supersport bikes and cars specifically bought/modified for racing (around my area, that basically means people with more money to spend than you and less taste!).