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[lolachampcar]

Wow, Zero was really listening to their customers.  I just put twenty miles on my 13 DS and here are my first impressions. 

I can see what is behind me and ON BOTH SIDES.  The mirrors are much better. 
When I went to go, the bike WENT.  The new motor as a very different sound but somehow feels smoother.  I'm sure I'll have a better description of it with some more time but first impressions are much different and in a good way. 
Power wise, there is simply no comparison.  You just need to go ride the 13.  If you're in the West Palm Beach area, come ride mine.
The seat is wonderful and the chassis seems just a little narrower about mid-thigh.  My 12 had some sort of a sharp edge about mid-thigh that would dig in over time while the 13 feels like a normal (comfortable) bike.  The seat is now contoured and fits my butt much better.  It is still firm like the 12 but not the 2X4 feel of the 12.
Thank you Zero for the storage area.  Nice work.
The new wheels allow for much wider choice in rubber.  I'm looking forward to the street tires as the front kind of looks like an off road golf cart's balloon tires.  Its not bad, but the super motard look will be much better.
Overall the bike as a much cleaner and finished look.  The styling is more in line with current motorcycles making it less obvious that it is electric.

I'm not one for badges so I immediately started fiddling with the stick on ZERO label at the first traffic light only to determine that I had no place to stick the letters I was removing.  I promptly put the Z I had pulled off back on the bike rotated by 90 degrees.  I now have the world's first Nero but only as long as it takes me to remove all the letters.

In closing, if you liked the 12 DS as I did you will absolutely love the 13 DS.  If you've not picked a dealer yet, I highly recommend Harlan at Hollywood Electrics.  He knows his stuff and he does exactly what he says he will do with no BS.  You can hardly ask for more.

As for Zero, thank you for listening to the feedback from your customers.  Nice Bike!

[BSDThw]

Congratulations!

Your decision for a 2013 was the right thing - I am jealous!

Have fun with your "Nero" = if you use a hairdryer to make the sticker "warm/hot" it will come off better

I am curious, how can you decide what vehicle you use to drive? The Tesla or the Zero, maybe you need a coin with one "Zero" and one "Tesla" imprint

[lolachampcar]

Its out of my hands....  Daughter wakes up in the morning when it is my turn to take her to school and says "Daddy, El Moto today!" and off we go.

I forgot to mention, the dial on the display is now used for RPM (motor I assume..  need to check the manual) and not speed.

[wainair]

Congrats! I can hardly wait to get my hands on one. Sadly I have to wait until it stops snowing!

[Richard230]

All of the changes that you mentioned are the same ones that also irritate me when riding my 2012 S.  I agree, it sounds like Zero has really been listening to their customers.  No doubt Richard Walker's outreach to his customers last summer helped with the design of the new models.  I can hardly wait until the 2014 bikes are announced.   

I keep thinking of the past 25 years that I have been a BMW customer and all of the nutty design decisions and goofy manufacturing that they have made to their bikes over the years (such as spring-loaded side stands and weird turn signal buttons).  The more their customers would complain, the more they would dig their heels in and refuse to make the requested changes.  Their motto always seemed to be:  "BMW makes the perfect motorcycle, the customer knows nothing."

Zero's response to their customer's concerns is welcome and very much appreciated.  I think it goes to show you what can be accomplished by a small and growing company with their focus on the future.