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No problems, other than standard maintenance

17 (43.6%)

Minor problems, fixed fairly easily by myself or at dealer

13 (33.3%)

Major problems, or took forever to get fixed. Bad experience with Zero support, etc.

9 (23.1%)

Total Members Voted: 39

Voting closed: March 27, 2020, 09:59:57 PM

[DonTom]

2016 SR purchased 2018 brand new.
-Kickstand sensor failed
-been through 1 or 2 belts already from road debris
-Rear brake caliper bracket snapped (damaging brake line)
-Swingarm bearing is notchy now
-Front forks probably need service as stiction has increased
-Battery heats up MUCH more easily now but balance and range seem fine. Throttle cutbacks are a bit more common now, starting at slightly higher SOC but I have warranty until 2023 so I'm riding like crazy now
-Front temporary bright headlight switch is hard to push now

-been through 2 sets of brake pads so far just commuting. wish regen was stronger but not modding it yet.
Honestly very happy, most of this is routine service stuff. Switches go bad, bearings wear out. In line with my expectations of the bike so far and I enjoy it. The brake line bracket was a design "flaw"/weakness that was fixed in 2017.

My absolute biggest gripes with Zero are the amount of heat the stock charger used to put into my battery (sometimes cutting off charge early on a cool day) and the safety oversight of not having a backup 12V battery. If the bike cuts off on you to protect the battery, you have no 12v lights or horn which is just so stupid and dangerous.

How many miles / KM  on it?


On my 2017 DS, I had a bad battery during warranty which was good news as my 6.5k KW battery was replaced with a 7.2 KWH. Time in shop was around three weeks.


On my 2017 Zero SR, I had a bad front brake ABS sensor. I replaced that myself at my cost even though the bike was then still in warranty. I didn't want to bother with bringing the bike in for that.


Those were the only issues I have had. Around 15,000 miles (24,000KM) on each bike. Original belts on both.


I had the issue on a VERY hot day (104F/40C )where I could not charge during a ride. I then didn't know about turning off the OBC and only using my external chargers, which would have been a lot better.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Curt]

2016 Zero FX with several problems over six years:
- I noticed the tires leak air and I've had to add some, more than a dozen times.
- The tires themselves went bad after only 7,000 miles and had to be replaced.
- The brake pads and rotor failed to maintain adequate thickness. They also had to be replaced.
- The brake fluid may be absorbing water from the air and I fear it will have to be replaced someday.
- It keeps running out of electricity and I have to plug it in quite often.
NONE of this was covered under warranty.

In all seriousness, the only thing that has gone wrong was front spokes breaking repeatedly. I re-laced them with heavier ones.

[talon]

Don, just checked and a measly 13,000 miles after 4 years with most of that riding being the first year. I didn't ride much during peak COVID as I lost some family in traffic accidents.

I also go through tires every 3,000-6,000 miles. The stock Pirelli diablo rosso IIs were super dangerous IMO but my Bridgestone S20 Evos have amazing traction in the wet and a stiff carcass where if you were to get a puncture you feel safer. I've not needed to add any air to them since 2021. If I get 60,000 miles out of my bike I will have broken even on cost with gasoline alone.

[grmarks]

I don't seem able to post a new topic in this forum (been a member for a long time)
My 2015 SR had a main bike board fail, after the local dealer went bust and then Zero pulled out of Australia, got it fixed by email (he would email me instructions of what to test and I would email the results, just using a multimeter) with a tech from the US under warranty.
Now after 7 years and only 54,000 km the battery seems to be failing, top speed is about 100 km/h but only on 100% SOC and only for the first 30 seconds then it slows down slowly until it hits 90 km/h. Outside temp of about 10 C (about 50 F)
At 70% SOC it can only maintain 79 km/h. Almost unrideable.
On a day of, say 25 C, it can maintain over 100 km/h  (or it did when it was summer)
When it's been sitting for a while and I turn it on I get EEE on the display for about 1 second.
My guess is one module falls below voltage compared to the others but once the contactors join them all together the higher voltage ones bring up the lower voltage one and the error disappears. The BMS is detecting the weak cell/s and limiting power.
The odd thing is it can accurate as fast as ever up to the max speed as outlined above with the gauge showing full torque and power to that point then you can see, and feel, the BMS cut the power.

[rgutt]

I don't seem able to post a new topic in this forum (been a member for a long time)
My 2015 SR had a main bike board fail, after the local dealer went bust and then Zero pulled out of Australia, got it fixed by email (he would email me instructions of what to test and I would email the results, just using a multimeter) with a tech from the US under warranty.
Now after 7 years and only 54,000 km the battery seems to be failing, top speed is about 100 km/h but only on 100% SOC and only for the first 30 seconds then it slows down slowly until it hits 90 km/h. Outside temp of about 10 C (about 50 F)
At 70% SOC it can only maintain 79 km/h. Almost unrideable.
On a day of, say 25 C, it can maintain over 100 km/h  (or it did when it was summer)
When it's been sitting for a while and I turn it on I get EEE on the display for about 1 second.
My guess is one module falls below voltage compared to the others but once the contactors join them all together the higher voltage ones bring up the lower voltage one and the error disappears. The BMS is detecting the weak cell/s and limiting power.
The odd thing is it can accurate as fast as ever up to the max speed as outlined above with the gauge showing full torque and power to that point then you can see, and feel, the BMS cut the power.

Since the battery is out of warranty, you could always get your hands on an IXXAT cable and reprogram the Sevcon to ignore the current limiting commands from the BMS. That would at least let the motor/controller draw what it can. The BMS protects the weakest cells even from voltage sag from high current draw, which isn't necessarily dangerous for the battery for the same reason that short duration charging of well over 1C isn't dangerous either. I've seen at least one study evaluating the effect of regen breaking up to 1.6C that showed the increased regen actually reduced battery degradation, it's thought due to the reduction in cycle depth. That said, if you have sufficient cell imbalance and run your battery low enough with sufficiently high current draw over a long enough period, you could brick your battery. I think the BMS will open the contactor if a cell gets dangerously low though, so there might still be some protection at play.