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[tamjam]

Ended up going with the DSR. If the wife had allowed be to hang onto the Tiger as well, I probably would have gone with the DS, but I spent the extra money knowing it would be my only bike. Looking forward to many miles on it!

[MostlyBonkers]

Good choice. Once you've had the DSR for a while, you can get hold of a cheap second hand ICE bike for the longer trips. That's if you feel the need, of course.

[WoadRaider]

I'm fairly certain that all bikes sold as new are required to have a 2yr warranty by law, at least in CA.

Good choice going with the 2016, although I think I would have gone with the DS over the DSR if you don't need a performance bike.

If range is a concern the biggest controllable factors seem to be speed and riding position. So if you stick to 60-65 for long trips, and tuck as much as you can, you should be getting 125+ miles out of a charge (so ~65 miles each way, without charging). I lay on a tank bag I put on top of the false tank bag, and if you really want you can buy some tank grips (zero sells them now) and flip the handlebars (or buy new ones) to make it more comfortable.

[Electric Terry]

With fast charging, there is no need to have an ICE bike for long trips anymore.  Also while riding slower and in a tuck is definitely good to extend range, it's not needed if you don't want to.  Just find a charge station on your route, plug in, grab a drink and a quick bite, and keep going as long and as far as you want.  Ben Rich and myself have gone over 500 miles a day on our Zero's.  So going 200-300 miles is a piece of cake at any speed, especially with the 2016 bikes with the more energy dense battery.

Contact Hollywood Electrics about the full line of chargers they can get for your Zero: Delta Q Quiq, Elcon, ChargeTank and SuperCharger.  A solution for everyone.

[WoadRaider]

With fast charging, there is no need to have an ICE bike for long trips anymore...Just find a charge station on your route, plug in, grab a drink and a quick bite, and keep going as long and as far as you want.  Ben Rich and myself have gone over 500 miles a day on our Zero's.  So going 200-300 miles is a piece of cake at any speed, especially with the 2016 bikes with the more energy dense battery... A solution for everyone.

Terry, as amazing as that all is, and it is amazing (although maybe a bit crazy too, but that never hurt!), what you and Ben do is not yet practical. You are still tied to just a few charging stations in most places (which could be in use or inoperative), and it still takes much longer to charge than to fill a tank of gas, and the charging equipment is still expensive.

[Electric Terry]

Well I will say it requires planning using an app on your phone, but if you time your charging with meals on the road, or bathroom stops, you really don't spend any time waiting to charge.  It just takes learning how to do it.  In remote areas it does mean your choice of restaurants is limited to those near the few charging stations, but I've never found it hard to go anywhere I want to go.  And its so easy today.  I've been all electric for almost 5 years now and there are an order of magnitude more charge stations than there were 5 years ago if not more.  And it will only get better from here.  Give it a try and see WoadRaider.  I think you're thinking its a lot harder than it really is.

[WoadRaider]

I'm not saying you can't make it work (obviously you can) and I'm not even saying it's hard. I'm saying it's impractical for most people (because of high cost and added effort). Most people would rather use the ICE bike they already have (and are familiar with), for practical reasons. ICE bikes have virtually limitless versatility; there really aren't any fuel or range/destination concerns on most bikes, they can go anywhere, anytime, without any hassle. And given the current state of inexpensive gasoline..... Whereas you have to stop for hours at a time, at specific points in your journey's. I looked up charge stations just a few months ago, they are quite scarce in some places, so you really are tied to them, and are hoping that they won't be inoperable or otherwise inaccessible. I've also heard Ben talk about his journey's, I know that there are difficulties that wouldn't exist with an ICE bike. And then there is the cost... how much do the superchargers run? It's $750+ for an elcon, so I'm guessing it's 3k for a supercharger?
Personally, I'm not adverse to a little effort and expense (so long as it is comparable to the alternatives). I'll consider upgrading to a supercharger in a few years (assuming there's one compatible with the monolith upgraded 2013). But if gas is cheap (and looks like it will stay that way) I'd be better off, financially, getting a cheap ICE bike (or using a car or trike).
But there's also new technologies to consider... Batteries might not even be the future of electric transportation. There are folks working on super-capacitors that can store energy as we speak, and we already have spark plugs that convert gas powered vehicles into water powered.

[ElectricZen]

Once you get used to the power curve of the Zero bikes, you will appreciate the additional power being available to get out of sticky situations where a driver near you starts to make erratic movements.  I would always recommend an experienced rider get a bike with more power vs not for fun yes, but also as an insurance policy to have all the tools available to use at your disposal to be safe.

^this a million times this!!!

I had a close call coming through Wolf Creek park on the I5.  Long story short, pissing rain car bounce off the barrier, does a couple spins, I slow and avoid.  The semi behind me does the same but his trailer starts to wag as he's coming up to me.  That DSR power saved my bacon! 

So tamjam, congratulations, good call on the DSR and welcome to the good life[emoji23]



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[ElectricZen]

I'm not saying you can't make it work (obviously you can) and I'm not even saying it's hard. I'm saying it's impractical for most people (because of high cost and added effort). Most people would rather use the ICE bike they already have (and are familiar with), for practical reasons.

Hey friend! 

I don't think you will find many people who will disagree with your points.  And one day lithium - air or some other technology will make it an obvious choice economically and practically to ride an electric.

But I fear you might be missing the point.  Our electric bikes aren't going to save the world.  It not going to stop climate change!  And frankly it's probably not for most people.  Most people would just drive a car!  Most people just ride their bikes on the weekend and when it's sunny out.  Understand, Terry and Ben are NOT most people.  In fact if you described me as like most people I would be insulted.  Haha. 

All we got is right now!  And right now we got Zero and they make amazing bikes.  We have people like Brandon that can allow us to do amazing things with our bikes.  I get that economics is a barrier for most people.  It's a barrier for me as well.  But it comes back to the  moment.  How much is the perfect riding experience on an electric motorcycle worth to you?  That moment where you can't stop grinning and you don't want the road to end!

I know what it's worth to me!  And Terry knows what it worth to him.  Everyone has a different answer.  All I can say is for me, there isn't a gas bike that can replace my zero not for any purpose!  And yes slow charging is a PITA but it's also part of the adventure.  Just maybe not for you and that's OK friend!  We don't have to like the same things:)


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