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[xmjsilverx]

I agree with the comment of not enjoying the ride at high speeds.  I find the wind beats me up a lot so I either go slower or I do a bit of drafting.  Drafting would definitely help your range and your comfort level.  I don't get super close to the car/truck in front of me but enough to benefit from some wind blockage.  I do think you could do it on a 2016 with a power tank but you may get home with very low soc constantly and I'm not sure that would be enjoyable.

[MostlyBonkers]

My experience may be helpful here.

I have two routes to work, one I used for a couple of years or so takes me along three fast roads before I hit the 50mph speed limits approaching London. It's the shortest route without going on back roads all the way and is approximately 24 miles. In April last year, I bought a Honda NC750 and a couple of days in, I thought I'd try an alternative route that takes me down the M1. It's further, at 28 miles, but you spend much more time at high speed, so the journey time is still around 50 minutes. The NC was much more fuel efficient than my previous bikes, so I felt happier about the longer route. I also found the new route bypassed some of the traffic going into London and was therefore more relaxing. There was simply less work to do.

As I'd found a better route, I stuck to it all summer. The NC750 could handle it, no problem. I kept up with the faster traffic and would cruise at 85-90mph. My conclusion after 6 months with the NC750 was that it isn't a bike for motorways though. There's the wind from the lack of fairing, which also makes it cooler and wetter. There's also the lack of power at high speeds which limits your maneuverability.

I had bought the NC750 DCT mostly because I couldn't afford to go electric and we didn't have a dealership in the UK. It's about as close as you can get to a Zero S.

I then decided that I didn't want to go into winter with the NC750 and the M1 route and chopped it in for a VFR 1200FD, also with the DCT box (automatic). It was perfect for the motorway, less so in town. It certainly made my M1 commute more fun as it literally ate motorway traffic for breakfast. You need tons of power to be able to accelerate quickly when you're already doing 70mph. Neither the NC750 or the Zero SR have that and they both top out a little over 100mph. The VFR just started to wake up at 100mph and would just keep accelerating hard up to... Well, I never found out. When there was a gap between the traffic I would pin it and be up at 130mph in no time. I always keep my relative speed low, for safety, so I'd drop back to 80-90mph to leisurely pass the next clump of traffic. I didn't upset anyone, there aren't any speed cameras, I kept an eye out for coppers and most of all, it was fun!

Then Streetbike became a dealership and I was able to get my hands on a DSP for a reasonable price.

I'm back to my old route because I enjoy riding the Zero at lower speeds. It's difficult to explain, but I just don't get that urge to blast down the road like I did on all my ICE bikes. I'm convinced the lack of engine noise is a big part of that.  I still go 80mph on the short sections of my original route, but each high speed run only lasts a couple of minutes. Where as I enjoyed high speeds on the VFR, I enjoy lower speeds more on the Zero.

If you really like the idea of getting a Zero, like I did, then I strongly recommend getting a very good screen fitted to it. Otherwise, for your commute, you'd be better off on a touring machine. A VFR or ZZR if you want to make it fun.

There are plenty of cheap bikes out there with decent fairings, which makes it all the more irksome that Zero haven't come up with one yet.

[StephentheEE]

I'll add my voice to the general consensus is that a 2016 SR should be fine. I ride a 2014 SR with the surface-mounted PMSM motor. My experience with that bike is that 70+ miles at 80-85 mph is doable. I should point out that I have no aftermarket gear on the bike, I weigh 135 pounds, and always ride in a pretty low crouch, however. Your results will vary .

If you can charge for even 1 hour at work, range is completely a non-issue. I make it a habit to always plug the bike in whenever I'm not riding, whether at work or home.

Living in Tucson, I have ridden on 105-110 Fahrenheit days on the I-10 at around 85 mph. That was really pushing the motor to its thermal limits, tickling 100 Celsius at those speeds. That's one reason why I added an air scoop to my SR. You can check my design here: http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=5430.msg39017#msg39017
With the new IPM motor I understand this shouldn't be a problem. Not sure if TX gets quite as hot as Tucson anyway.

[Erasmo]

If you live near Dallas, San Antonio, Austin or Houston, those areas are just slammed full of fast (J1772) charging stations everywhere.

Funny, around here that is considered normal/destination charging, unless it's about 43kW AC.

Right J1772 is typically not referred to as fast because of cars using 3-4 times the energy to cover the same distance.
It can take 15 hours to Charge a Tesla P90D.  Definitely not fast.

But for a Zero, you can charge the FXS in a hour (found out you can use 2 Elcons on it!) and the S, SR, DS and DSR in under 2 hours.  But since most of the time you aren't empty, it takes even less time.  If you can charge by the time it takes to take your gear off, go to the bathroom, order food, eat, wash your hands, and put your gear back on, I would call that fast charging for us. 

I'm more in the market for filling to 80% in less than thirty minutes. The problem is amperage, because the relatively low voltage on the pack you pull a lot of amps and at the maximum of 100 you're 'only' charging with around 10kW-ish.

[MrDude_1]

If you live near Dallas, San Antonio, Austin or Houston, those areas are just slammed full of fast (J1772) charging stations everywhere.

Funny, around here that is considered normal/destination charging, unless it's about 43kW AC.

Right J1772 is typically not referred to as fast because of cars using 3-4 times the energy to cover the same distance.
It can take 15 hours to Charge a Tesla P90D.  Definitely not fast.

But for a Zero, you can charge the FXS in a hour (found out you can use 2 Elcons on it!) and the S, SR, DS and DSR in under 2 hours.  But since most of the time you aren't empty, it takes even less time.  If you can charge by the time it takes to take your gear off, go to the bathroom, order food, eat, wash your hands, and put your gear back on, I would call that fast charging for us. 

I'm more in the market for filling to 80% in less than thirty minutes. The problem is amperage, because the relatively low voltage on the pack you pull a lot of amps and at the maximum of 100 you're 'only' charging with around 10kW-ish.

Amperage isn't a problem. The problem is you want to charge at a 2C rate on a battery that shouldn't be charged faster than 1C.

[Electric Terry]

If you live near Dallas, San Antonio, Austin or Houston, those areas are just slammed full of fast (J1772) charging stations everywhere.

Funny, around here that is considered normal/destination charging, unless it's about 43kW AC.

Right J1772 is typically not referred to as fast because of cars using 3-4 times the energy to cover the same distance.
It can take 15 hours to Charge a Tesla P90D.  Definitely not fast.

But for a Zero, you can charge the FXS in a hour (found out you can use 2 Elcons on it!) and the S, SR, DS and DSR in under 2 hours.  But since most of the time you aren't empty, it takes even less time.  If you can charge by the time it takes to take your gear off, go to the bathroom, order food, eat, wash your hands, and put your gear back on, I would call that fast charging for us. 

I'm more in the market for filling to 80% in less than thirty minutes. The problem is amperage, because the relatively low voltage on the pack you pull a lot of amps and at the maximum of 100 you're 'only' charging with around 10kW-ish.

Amperage isn't a problem. The problem is you want to charge at a 2C rate on a battery that shouldn't be charged faster than 1C.

Actually it is amperage that is the problem.  The CHAdeMO stations will deliver up to 125 amps at up to 500 volts.  Unfortunately at 102 volts, 125 amps is about 12.5 kW, well under the 1C limit of a 4 brick with a powertank that has over 15 kW now.   If the standard were to be raised to 200 amps which is being discussed, than the 1C charge rate will be the limit.  Although Farasis has done 2C and 3C charging tests.  My guess is the rate will be increased eventually.  My 2012 EIG cells were rated at 0.5C charge rate and I used to blast them at 2C all the time.  I just made sure they stayed under 40-50 degrees Celsius.   On my most recent 300 mile run on a single charge, when recharging I was able to put more energy back in than I ever before.  They haven't lost an ounce of capacity after 75,000 miles yet.  I think Zero and Farasis are just playing it safe for now.

But trust me, charging at 6 kW is still good for a motorcycle.  Just charge while you're eating or taking a pee break or just stopping to stretch and you'd be surprised how easy it is never to have any problems.  It just requires a little planning and the ability you use a phone app to find the charge stations.  I know some old folks like my parents could never use the phone app to do that or get confused. 

But for the most of us, especially the younger generation with a little smarts and common sense, riding an electric motorcycle to do anything you want once you can use the full power of a J1772 station.  There are 30,000 stations out there and increasing at over 100 a day now it seems everywhere.  There is no doubt this is the future for everyone.  Each person just has a different comfort level to try new things.

[Erasmo]

Now these are the charging stations I like 

Actually it is amperage that is the problem.  The CHAdeMO stations will deliver up to 125 amps at up to 500 volts.  Unfortunately at 102 volts, 125 amps is about 12.5 kW, well under the 1C limit of a 4 brick with a powertank that has over 15 kW now.   If the standard were to be raised to 200 amps which is being discussed, than the 1C charge rate will be the limit.  Although Farasis has done 2C and 3C charging tests.  My guess is the rate will be increased eventually.  My 2012 EIG cells were rated at 0.5C charge rate and I used to blast them at 2C all the time.  I just made sure they stayed under 40-50 degrees Celsius.   On my most recent 300 mile run on a single charge, when recharging I was able to put more energy back in than I ever before.  They haven't lost an ounce of capacity after 75,000 miles yet.  I think Zero and Farasis are just playing it safe for now.

But trust me, charging at 6 kW is still good for a motorcycle.  Just charge while you're eating or taking a pee break or just stopping to stretch and you'd be surprised how easy it is never to have any problems.  It just requires a little planning and the ability you use a phone app to find the charge stations.  I know some old folks like my parents could never use the phone app to do that or get confused. 

But for the most of us, especially the younger generation with a little smarts and common sense, riding an electric motorcycle to do anything you want once you can use the full power of a J1772 station.  There are 30,000 stations out there and increasing at over 100 a day now it seems everywhere.  There is no doubt this is the future for everyone.  Each person just has a different comfort level to try new things.

I have to charge on my commute so I'll try to make it as fast as possible, first with 100A and maybe a little faster in the future when I have the guts to change the aux. fuse for a 125A one.
And of course improve the aerodynamics to increase range, first to go on the bike is a decent screen with spoiler.

[manitou]

I'm in Texas with 2013 DS.  I left last summer for a few months because I overheated (haha).  I stay off the 80mph highway with the bike and just take alternate routes.  If I had the balls to lane split (it was legal where i moved here from, CA) the alternate route would be just as fast and more fun.  Sadly, I keep waiting for some other bike to zoom by before I'll do it.
Get the bike, enjoy the ride.

[Manzanita]

I have a 2014 S with the power tank. At ~70 mph on the freeway, I go from 100% charge to less than 20% charge in 60 miles. Sure, if I tucked down to increase the aerodynamics, or if I weighed 50 pounds less, I'd go farther (I weigh 180 and did not tuck at all). But you are right on the edge of the bikes range, and I think the lack of consensus on this thread is evidence of that.

You don't want to have the daily drama of wondering whether you will make it home every day. I'd want to have at least 15% charge left when I got home just as a safety margin to avoid any worry. You will likely not have that margin going 85 mph 65 miles unless you were willing to tuck down and/or work on the aerodynamics (also depending on your weight). Will any part of your commute be at lower speeds? Even if 10-15 miles were done at 55mph or less, that would increase your range. 

[JasonS]

This has been pretty well covered already, but I'll throw a bit more info in:  http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=4778.msg32362#msg32362

Generally:
Is it really 80-85 (vs a "motorcycle: 80-85) ?
It'll run hot much of the year.
Between the modest bump in range the 2016s have over the 2015s (unless that's just marketing) and the likelihood you're talking "motorcycle" 80-85, I'm inclined to think you'll be Ok, but you may have occasional days where, with 10 or 20 miles to go, you decide you better slow down to be sure you make it.

[Day Trippin]

This has been an interesting thread to read. I’ve spent a lot of time in Texas. I understand why the OP would want to try and keep up with traffic. A lot of big trucks that can run you down if you aren’t staying out of their way. It was this same issue that caused me to give up on a commuter bike I had in SoCal. It was just being pushed too hard, all the time, to run 80-85 mph. Its top speed wasn’t much over a 100 mph.

On a 40 minute commute, you aren’t saving a lot of time though by going 85 vs. 75 mph. If you feel comfortable going slower, your increased time isn’t going to be significant but your range increase could. I don’t know what Zero doesn’t make a faired bike yet. I can live with the city range ok but the highway is the killer for me and has been keeping me from buying one so far even though I am very inclined to do so. I don’t just ride in one place all the time and one of the states I ride in doesn’t have a good electric charging infrastructure yet. Still I’ll likely pick up a Zero later this year and find the slow way home.