Don, I was shopping both the SR/F and the 9. I *really* wanted the 9 (I did end up with the SR/F). Every time I looked at the SR/F and the esse esse 9 side by side I just kept coming back to it. I really just liked the way it looked. But the more I sat on the decision and thought about it, the better the SR/F started looking holistically.
Ultimately came down to two major points. I live in a state that doesn't allow Tesla sales. Everyone here that has one had to get it from the neighboring state. That gets reflected in our charging infrastructure. There are only three level 3 DC chargers within 100 miles of here. Level 2 is significantly more prevalent, but not exactly on every street corner.
The second big issue was dealer proximity. The closest Energica dealer is something like 800 miles away. I just couldn't rationalize having to crate and ship the bike back if anything went wrong with it - or if it needed a firmware update. I have a Zero dealer about 60 miles away.
I wanted to ride them both, I had spoken briefly with the dealer in Austin about flying out and riding both bikes when they got their SR/F demo.
Ultimately decided that since I'm not a connoisseur, I'd almost certainly enjoy riding either bike.
Now if I lived in a more urban area with more L3 stations and a closer dealer, it would have been a much harder decision. But FWIW a reverse option and chain weren't deciding factors at all.
Kind of long, but I'll end it by saying that when I bought the bike, I knew it was going to be a 3-5 year relationship. I bought what I felt would be the best bike over the next 3 years, expecting that the landscape is going to change so dramatically over that period with better batteries, better/more charging, and more compelling designs.
I'm definitely keeping an eye on Energica to see what they do. If the dealer network matures and they come out with something next gen that resonates as much as the esse esse 9 did with me, I'd probably make the jump.
I was there 10 days ago. No new Energicas were in the showroom and that includes no new SS9. They were down to just the two that have been there for a while. Maybe the rumors of the new 2020 models have cut the legs out from under the market for the current versions? 
That sort of thing has happened in the past, especially when marketing new technology. 
I assume you mean a 2021 model, as my SS9 is a 2020 model.
To me, if there are enough charge stations around, a larger battery only means wait twice as long, but half as often. I would prefer the more charge stations to a larger battery. I like the shot breaks once an hour or so.
Between here and Auburn, on I-80, there are at least six locations to CCS charge from, evenly spread out, each with more than one charger. Add in the J1772 charge stations, there are a lot more. I just wish it were like that everywhere. Perhaps someday it will be, but perhaps not in our lifetimes. But it sure is improving fairly quickly.
BTW, it seems to me that the Zero SR/F is a hot selling bike, unlike any of the the Energicas. I wonder why, when the SR/F compared to any of the Energias. The SS9 charges at 25KW, yet can still use a J1772 at 3 KW. Uses a drive chain that does not snap, is a lot more comfy that the SR/F, has a reverse, etc. I wonder if the main reason is the lack of Energica dealers to the point most have never even heard of it. That includes me, until i started reading about them in this forum.
-Don- Reno, NV
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Topic: Motorcycle.com picks their "Electric Bike of the Year" (Read 1230 times)