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[theoutsider]

Hi Everyone. I'm new and wanted to get some feedback and/or caveats in buying an old/used Zero.

I found a 2013 FX with the 5.7 battery kind of locally and it only has 120 miles on the ODO for $4.5K. I have no idea how the battery was stored, but I saw a photo of the dash saying it was 50% full. Every thing else looks dusty but brand new.

Would you buy this bike or walk away? What would you keep an eye out for? Any help would be appreciated?

[princec]

It will need new tyres. Brake fluids will need replacing. Fork seals probably toast as well. Unless it was stored absolutely bone-dry there may be a few small areas of corrosion on critical bits of electronics such as earthing points which can cause mysterious gremlins.

Other than that... the battery is essentially irreplaceable at this point I think? ... so I advise taking it out for a spin, like a 40 mile spin, and see if it goes the distance (it should manage at least 40 miles if you ride conservatively).

Cas

[NEW2elec]

There is a problem with that model year.  The battery connects to the bike from the opposite side of the newer bikes.  You can contact Zero HQ and ask if they have a newer solution to this problem to make sure.

Having to buy new batteries is bad enough but not being able to even get them would be a deal breaker for me.
I'd look for a 7.2 battery model for a couple grand more.

[Fred]

Definitely worth a proper ride and a range check. I'd suggest agreeing to leave the cash as security with the seller (so he knows you're not stealing it) and riding it until it's shouting "empty". Maybe even charge it up and do that again if possible.

[TEV]

It may take a few charging/discharging for that battery to get the cells back in balance if it sat for a long time. So, if you ride it, don't be surprised if you won't get the expected range. If that year can connect to the Zero app, you should see the cell balance number in the app, and you want to bring that number under 10, but you will have to let it plugged in, even after it gets charged to 100%, for a few charging cycles.

[theoutsider]

Yeah, the seller won't let me do a long test ride. She is quite obviously not a rider and doesn't know anything about the bike. In fact, she had it listed as a 2011, but it is clearly a 2013 model. Still waiting for her to share the VIN to verify everything.

I noted that this unit might be covered under a 2013 recall on the battery packs. If it is covered, then Zero would be obligated to replace both packs and I have a pretty darn new bike.