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[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I just wanted to summarize some maintenance milestones I've hit recently on my 2013 Zero DS after two years and warrantee expiration:

• Wheel bearings replaced as a set at 14,500 miles, after notable levels of squealing at low speeds.
• Rear brake pads changed at 11,000 miles; I opted for the 2014 rear brake kit which was an improvement. The brake kit install also resulted in a brake hydraulic fluid flush.
• Tires changed at 11,500 miles.
• Front brake pads changed at 14,000 miles. I applied a set of Honda 45105-MY6-415 pads which exactly matched the OEM pads; found via a post about the 2013 FX brakes where I noticed that the pads have the same part number. The Honda pads are also much cheaper than OEM, and they squeal less.
• Fork oil is fine/clean and no bleeding has really been necessary.
• Steering head bearings were worn, so I had those replaced, too.

Overall, the consumable parts on the bike seem to last longer than they would have on a gas bike. I dial up regen settings so that explains the brake pad longevity. If I were going on a long touring trip, I'd expect to take a spare belt for emergencies, my portable 12V tire pump, and maybe a spare set of brake pads under the seat.

The money I spent on brake upgrades came from the budget I normally assign for motorcycle maintenance, and my yearly budget is still lower overall. $1200 would cover the gas alone for 15k miles at 50mpg and $4/gallon. I'm expecting to put a fairing and some chargers on this bike (or a trade-in) to go touring.

[NEW2elec]

Mine is in the shop right now getting a new BMS to the tune of over $800.  Brakes in the near future good to hear about the honda ones I'll go that route.  Changed the tires at 7700 miles when I got the bike.  Rear tire was ok could have gotten a couple thousand more miles on it but the front one was one of the worst cases of cupping I have ever seen, it looked like some carved out chunks with a knife.  Had to have the throttle replaced during the last month of warranty some little piece broke and wouldn't return to closed position.  I had the only Zero with cruse control.  Would have been funny if it weren't so dangerous.  I have seen other people with BMS problems with all year models I'm wondering if the software updates aren't quite right maybe asking too much from the bike.  All that being said I love the way the thing rides and if it behaves for another 10000 miles its all good.

[Patrick Truchon]

Thanks for the report.  That's great to know.  I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for later.  I bought a 2013 DS as a factory demo with 50 km on it last fall, and I've got about 5600 km on it now.  It's nice to have an idea of what's coming...

Now that you've tried the 2014 brake kit would you still have waited until you needed new brake pads or gotten it sooner?  Is it that much better?

Cheers!

[Justin Andrews]

That rear brake kit is new...
Do you know if it includes a new rear brake disc as well?

[Burton]

I am at about 11k miles on odometer with 10.5k of them being mine since Sept of last year. I suspect I will have about 12k+ miles when my year marker comes around.

1) Pads are still good and with my regen lever I rarely ever use the rear.
2) Rear tire is now at wear marks (BT45's) and the front likely still has 7-9k left on it (if you are ok with scalloping). I plan on changing out the rear here shortly.

Haven't had to replace anything else which wasn't a result of the bike being a former race bike (ie motor bearings / belt / sprockets etc) Granted I have added a lot of mods to the bike

For this same level of yearly miles I would have had to do two 6k maintenance schedules on my ninja 250 and would have only gone 6-8k on the rear tire. Most people who question me about the bike think your savings is in gas ... they are really in maintenance cost / time.


As for bringing a spare belt do you plan on bringing all the tools required to pull your swing-arm as well? Or did you plan on having the bike towed to a shop and having them do it?

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

That rear brake kit is new...
Do you know if it includes a new rear brake disc as well?

It does.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

As for bringing a spare belt do you plan on bringing all the tools required to pull your swing-arm as well? Or did you plan on having the bike towed to a shop and having them do it?

It's not much of a plan yet, just a contingency I would like to cover, to avoid shipment delays. So I'm thinking just the belt and will look for a shop.

[Justin Andrews]

That rear brake kit is new...
Do you know if it includes a new rear brake disc as well?

It does.

Excellent, I have a slightly warped rear brake disc (due to a moments forgetfulness with a disk lock) and that might sort out two problems with one stone.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

My dealer's service department just reported that my steering head bearings are worn and should be replaced soon (still 14,500 miles); they said I might hear some clicking as they approach wear limits. So that's another item [I'll edit my first post when that's done].

Note that I'm trying to focus on expected commodity parts wear and tear, not technical issues specific to Zero's proprietary hardware like the BMS, because there is no reliable way to do statistics on those as end users; by the time a lesson is learned, it's embodied in the next year's design.

I am hoping that the replacement parts will last longer than the OEM parts for 2013. Let's face it - 2015 is the first year where Zero could get a reasonable price on what we'd expect from a major manufacturing brand. Zero has delivered products at a price-point that small-batch motorcycle manufacturers are not hitting, in order to bootstrap. There's no fault or blame to push around: this is how vehicle businesses need to run in order to grow.

[Burton]

It's not much of a plan yet, just a contingency I would like to cover, to avoid shipment delays. So I'm thinking just the belt and will look for a shop.

I bought two belts last time I replaced mine (don't run a 25 front on an SR less you rung 45+kg belt tension or you will strip the belt ) And I have another on order with my stealership now for months :/

The only thing you have to be careful of is how you pack it so it doesn't get crimped. They come pre-wrapped in a way where they should store well so you should be good there.

Are you going to use aftermarket bearings for the steering head?

Thankfully much of the 2015 general parts work on the 2013's

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The only thing you have to be careful of is how you pack it so it doesn't get crimped. They come pre-wrapped in a way where they should store well so you should be good there.

That sounds fine - so, I'll just store it in any flat area available maybe under the cowling.

Are you going to use aftermarket bearings for the steering head?

Thankfully much of the 2015 general parts work on the 2013's

My shop replaced the bearings listed as "6904" size. They described the OEM bearings as being small for the application, and said they'd have a lower life expectancy than most motorcycle bearings. They said the same about the steering head bearings on order, and that in both cases the replacements would be sturdier but they couldn't say how much longer they'd last.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I suppose one interesting factor to add (now that the steering head bearings were changed out) is that the tubed tires have been cheaper to repair than tubeless would have been.

But it's really annoying that I've had two tire repairs this year after 8 years of riding with only one previous tire puncture. Not that that has anything to do with Zero.

[ctrlburn]

When replacing bearings with the 6904's - any advice on the dust shields?

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

When replacing bearings with the 6904's - any advice on the dust shields?

I have no idea. I do ride in dust and rain, though (year round on a gravel alley to my house).

[Justin Andrews]

My front wheel bearings need replacing at 19k miles. One decided to start going last night, made a hell of a fuss.
Glad I'm on an electric bike, as that would have been hard to hear on an ICE bike until it was just about too late.