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[zap mc]

Reprinted from online magazine "Motorcycle Sport and Leisure"

Zero has re-engineered the 2013 range by installing an all-new Z-Force electric motor created in-house by Canadian designer, Ryan Biffard, and funded by a $900,000 grant secured from the California Energy Commission, but made in China via Wisconsin-based Motenergy.

[NoiseBoy]

They are making some excellent equipment over there now.  Its a bit of a leap (and borderline offensive) to assume that something is crap just because it is made in China.

[Richard230]

They are making some excellent equipment over there now.  Its a bit of a leap (and borderline offensive) to assume that something is crap just because it is made in China.

I agree, it depends upon which manufacturer you choose to make your product, how tight your specifications are and what level of quality control supervision you are willing to invest in your product.  There are some good products coming out of China and there is a lot of crap.  But, in general, I think you get what you are willing to pay for and ultimately, if you end up with crap, it is your fault and you will have to live with the consequences. My guess is that Zero is not going to install crap in their motorcycles.  The wouldn't go to all of the trouble to design a new electric motor that they plan on using for several years into the future without making sure that it is going to work well and be reliable.  If the new motor has any issues (and I don't know that it does), I am sure that they have been resolved by now.

[zap mc]

They are making some excellent equipment over there now.  Its a bit of a leap (and borderline offensive) to assume that something is crap just because it is made in China.

Maybe they are making some good equipment in China but is the Zero motor one of them bearing in mind the problems some people are experiencing?
Why would you want to outsource a vital component like the motor?! particularly after getting such a generous Government grant? Penny pinching Madness

If you are Chinese then you are entitled to be offended ( but only as offended as I might be if you said that British Leyland cars are rusty and unreliable ) but if you're not, then don't be drawn into this politically correct nonsense of being offended on behalf of someone else who probably isn't offended themselves in the first place lest we are afraid to put Christmas decorations for fear of offending the Muslims ).
If you have ever tried to do business with Chinese companies you will know that it is frought with difficulties and rarely worth the amount you save particularly if it is your own bespoke product and not something off the shelf.

[WindRider]

No.   This is not the reason for the glitch. 

This motor is used in 2013 and newer bikes and I have not seen any reports of the glitch on the 2013s.   

The glitch is happening on 2012s which use a different motor that was not manufactured or engineered by Zero but it was modified by them as I understand.  I have ridden a 2012 now 6500 miles and have never experienced the glitch so it does not affect all bikes. 

[trikester]

One Chinese product that I (& other manufacturers) had reliability problems with some years ago were bearings. So much so that we made a company decision to not use any made in China bearings or other products (like cooling fans) that were built using Chinese bearings. We also had customers that said they would not buy our products if any Chinese bearings were used in them. If Zero's motors are using bearings made in China, I sincerely hope that they are making better bearings now, than they were some years back.

Trikester

[NoiseBoy]

One Chinese product that I (& other manufacturers) had reliability problems with some years ago were bearings. So much so that we made a company decision to not use any made in China bearings or other products (like cooling fans) that were built using Chinese bearings. We also had customers that said they would not buy our products if any Chinese bearings were used in them. If Zero's motors are using bearings made in China, I sincerely hope that they are making better bearings now, than they were some years back.

Trikester

That is like buying a Ford, noticing the glass has fallen out of the wing mirror and then saying "gee, I sure hope America is making better cars now" and never buying a Chevy.

[Richard230]

Chevy owners say:  FORD = Fix Or Repair Daily.   

And as far as bearings go, the ones BMW buys from Bulgaria aren't any better than the ones made in China.  The $5 Bulgarian steering head bearings that BMW installed in my F650GS only lasted 10,000 miles before they became notched and that was riding on nothing but paved roads.  The Czechoslovakian O-ring chain that came on my bike wasn't much better.  It started spitting out its O-rings after only 12,000 miles.   

So you can get crap parts anywhere in the world.  All you have to do is ask for the cheapest part that your suppliers can provide.

[nicktulloh]

Alan Shepard - "It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract."

[zap mc]

Alan Shepard - "It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract."

 

[ZeroSinMA]

Reprinted from online magazine "Motorcycle Sport and Leisure"

Zero has re-engineered the 2013 range by installing an all-new Z-Force electric motor created in-house by Canadian designer, Ryan Biffard, and funded by a $900,000 grant secured from the California Energy Commission, but made in China via Wisconsin-based Motenergy.

The reason for the motor synch problems has been known now for at least four months: water condensation in the motor. The fix is to repot the motor or replace it with a repotted motor.

This is not to be confused with the condition of a wet motor such as occurs in the rain which is not a problem. Condensation occurs when the motor is cold and is exposed to a warm and humid atmosphere.

Problem solved.