Thanks for the article and analyses, Nige. It looks like you put a lot of thought into your evaluation. But to be fair, it is worth mentioning that the torque figures used in the comparison are for top gear on the IC motorcycles, most of which have a 6-speed transmission, including the Brammo Empulse. If those motorcycles were shifted into a lower gear, the results would be different. I like to ride in top gear as much as possible, so that fact doesn't concern me, but if two bikes were riding side-by-side and the IC bike was able to be shifted several gears down, it might very well get the jump on the Zero SR as it would be producing greater torque at the rear wheel, depending upon the gear chosen and the rpm of the engine during the comparison. In an IC engine the torque fluctuates much more over its rpm range than the very flat torque curve of the Zero motor, so these side-by-side comparisons are very hard to make, unless you specify that they are taken in top gear and at the IC engine's maximum torque rpm.
One very important advantage that the Zero has for the owner that you neglected to mention is its lack of periodic maintenance cost. Most BMWs typically cost around $600 for a dealer performed service, the Japanese brands are only a little lower, while the other European brands are likely higher. Not only does the Zero save you in fuel costs, but it saves you a lot in both maintenance costs as well as the hassle and time of taking it to a dealer and waiting around for the bike to be serviced. I feel that this is a real benefit for the Zero owner that is usually neglected when discussing the brand. During the 20 months that I have owned my Zero, it has yet to need any servicing, other than needing its belt tension adjusted once, which I was able to perform in my garage in about 30 minutes.
Author
Topic: 2014 specs, comparison and graphs (Read 2126 times)