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[snoop]

I am selling my Vstrom to get my first electric motorbike.  I really like the FX or FXS and I was trying to understand if there are differences in the model years from 2016-2021? I would consider used or new.

[Crissa]

Well, the FX and FXS have different wheels.  They have different motors in those years... the unofficial manual has links to archives of the specs from different years.

http://zeromanual.com/

-Crissa

[TheRan]

Over the years the main changes have been the battery capacity, the drive belt and pulleys, and the motor design was improved. Only the archive for 2016 models is working and the FX and FXS from that year had a 6.5kW/h capacity and the narrower 14mm with larger pulleys. All FXS models in 2016 should have the newer motor but the FX didn't get it until 2017. 2017 and newer will have the better motor as well as the wider 17mm belt and smaller pulleys. From what I could find it would seem the capacity increased to 7.2kW/h in 2018. If you're in Europe then the 2020 models were available as an "11kW" model which basically just means the top speed is limited to 85mph (non-11kW S/DS models can do something like 98mph, it would seem that the FX/S has also been 85mph) and insurance should be cheaper as it's classed as an A1 bike. They also have a second OBD port which is permanently powered and could drain the battery if the bike is left for an extended period, non-European models may also have this but I don't think we've confirmed it yet.

https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Z-Force_Motor/IPM_Update
https://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=10574.0

[NEW2elec]

Most of the newer 7.2 kWh battery bikes are setup in what they call the long brick configuration.  Those are not removable like the earlier bikes that had 2 smaller units that could be both taken out and stored or charged out of the bike with an optional additional charger.  You could also just take one unit out to ride around lighter.

They do still make the modular units but new they are about $1k more for that setup.

I would recommend one of Zero's Delta Q chargers to decrease the charge time.

Good luck.

Also if your looking at used ones I'd advise staying away from the 2013 as the battery connection was different and they don't support it with new batteries.

[Curt]

A new one would be best if possible. Otherwise, 2017+ for important technical improvements as posted by TheRan. The newer the better, as far as remaining battery warranty and freedom from maintenance. Modular battery is completely unnecessary unless you're in competitions; skip it.