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[Killroy]

My 2015 Zero SR just arrived last night after a Alabama to California trip and I went on my first ride up HYW 9 and 35.  Awesome cold ride.

Nothing wrong here, but I noticed that stopped at a light with no throttle, the Zero will make a whirling noise before going completely silent.  Maybe 1 or 2 seconds.  To me it sounds like a flywheel spinning, but I thought that the Zero was a direct drive fixed gear.  It does not really sound like typical controller noise.

Sound familiar? Thanks.

[gborgan]

Sounds normal to me. Ride it a few hundred miles. There are many new sounds in the world of electric power one must get used to.

[Killroy]

Sounds normal to me. Ride it a few hundred miles. There are many new sounds in the world of electric power one must get used to.

I know it is normal and fine.  I'm just wondering what it is.

I bet a lot of motorcyclist have never notice brake rotor sound before riding a zero. 

[uhoherk]

I now notice my rear brake rotor sounds horrible. Made me worried first time I heard it. Then I realized I never heard my brakes before.


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[evtricity]

The sound comes from the motor turning.

It happens whenever the bike is turned on and you roll the bike forward or back even if only a few centimetres. If the bike is still you shouldn't hear anything.

[Killroy]

That is not it.

The bike does not make the noise turned off. 

When it's turned on, it will make the noise just like I described it and even for a second after the bike has stopped rolling.

Everything else is fine.  I'm just wondering why it is happening and should I be worried.

[Electric Terry]

Congrats on your new bike!  Didn't we meet at Scotts Valley market a month or two ago and we talked for an hour or so about Zero?  You got a picture with my bike and my dog Charger right?  I think you said you work at Bell helmets?  Was that right?  So glad you decided to get one!  I know you're going to love it!

The noise you refer to is normal.  It happens when the bike is on and you roll forward or backwards.  It will growl for a few seconds here and there.  It has to do with the Sevcon controller causing a vibration inside the motor as it detects position.  If it wasn't 9:30 at night I'd go record the noise from my bike, but perhaps someone here can find a youtube video with the noise.  I'm sure everyone here that first got their Zero wondered what that was at first, so there must be a thread on here about it already.  Maybe 20 threads about it lol.

Congrats again on your bike!  Glad you decided to get one!  I'm sure I'll see you on the road one of these days!  I do the highway 9 to 35 ride quite often!

[mrwilsn]

That is not it.

The bike does not make the noise turned off. 

When it's turned on, it will make the noise just like I described it and even for a second after the bike has stopped rolling.

Everything else is fine.  I'm just wondering why it is happening and should I be worried.

Like evtricity and Electric Terry said, this is a normal sound whenever the bike rolls.  Do a test to confirm this is the noise you are talking about.  With the key in the off position, roll the bike forward and backward....no noise.  Turn the key to the run position and repeat test.  When the bike rolls forward or backward (no throttle, just push it back and forth) you will hear a sort of a growling noise.  And its normal for it to continue for a half second to a second after the bike actually stops.

It has to do with the Sevcon controller causing a vibration inside the motor as it detects position.

Cool....I never knew the root cause. Thanks for spreading the word!

[Killroy]

Congrats on your new bike!  Didn't we meet at Scotts Valley market a month or two ago and we talked for an hour or so about Zero?  You got a picture with my bike and my dog Charger right?  I think you said you work at Bell helmets?  Was that right?  So glad you decided to get one!  I know you're going to love it!

The noise you refer to is normal.  It happens when the bike is on and you roll forward or backwards.  It will growl for a few seconds here and there.  It has to do with the Sevcon controller causing a vibration inside the motor as it detects position.  If it wasn't 9:30 at night I'd go record the noise from my bike, but perhaps someone here can find a youtube video with the noise.  I'm sure everyone here that first got their Zero wondered what that was at first, so there must be a thread on here about it already.  Maybe 20 threads about it lol.

Congrats again on your bike!  Glad you decided to get one!  I'm sure I'll see you on the road one of these days!  I do the highway 9 to 35 ride quite often!

Yes, that is me. Thanks.

And that is a good explanation of the sound. 

[Richard230]

It also makes that noise when the charger is plugged in and you try to move the bike because it is in the way of getting to the lawnmower.   

[codeoptimist]

I now notice my rear brake rotor sounds horrible. Made me worried first time I heard it. Then I realized I never heard my brakes before.

I thought there was something wrong with my bike! There aren't any scoring/marks on the brake disc, but engaging the rear brake makes a really strange noise that sounds halfway between scraping and a bubbling brook, haha. Is that normal?

[Farfle]

I now notice my rear brake rotor sounds horrible. Made me worried first time I heard it. Then I realized I never heard my brakes before.

I thought there was something wrong with my bike! There aren't any scoring/marks on the brake disc, but engaging the rear brake makes a really strange noise that sounds halfway between scraping and a bubbling brook, haha. Is that normal?

Sadly yes. My 2015 DS did the same thing. I found dragging the brake for a bit on the highway shut it up for a week, but it would come back eventually.