Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Kocho]

Hi,

Is there any difference between S and SR in the seating position? I think there are identical, correct?

How about S vs. DS/DSR? Yes, the suspension is taller on the DS/DSR, but that's not important to me. What I am curious is if the seat and foot pegs/foot brake are identical to the S/SR or not. I think the handlebars are different too, the DS being wider/taller?

Anything else different?

I'm 6'4" tall (192cm). Haven't had a chance to test-ride the DS yet (hopefully next week). On the S/SR I felt surprisingly good for the short demo ride, considering how small these bikes look. The FX had more appropriate leg room though and the seating position generally felt more relaxed, but the range is a little too short.

Thoughts from other tall riders?

[webster]

I'm 6'4" also. The FX fits me perfect, but it's more like a motocross bike thin, tall and light. The range is limited, but it's off the charts for fun factor. I test rode the SR and loved the powerful acceleration, but it's on the small side and the front end does not come up like the FX. If your buying new I would go for the DSR because of the taller riding position and wider bars. It's the same motor as the SR and you can put more street worthy tires for better corning performance. The S and SR are the same size, but after ridding the SR forget about it. The same holds true for the DS and DSR.

[Kocho]

Thanks, webster!

Yeah the FX was lots of fun when I test-rode it, and excellent fit for me ergonomically. Though, perhaps a bit too upright. I'm one of these people who likes to keep both wheels on the ground (I won't live to tell the tale if I tried and actually did a wheelie!). That said, if the FX or FXS came in about 10KW at a price not higher than the S/DS, I might be tempted. As they are, they are actually more $ than S/DS because Maryland rebate is per KWh on the battery pack, so an FX with the 6.7KW battery is $400 more expensive than an S with the 9.8KW...

I definitely can see myself enjoying the added power of the SR/DSR. But the regular S/DS would be more than enough in reality. Price-wise, I don't think I want to spend as much as the R and the mandatory bigger battery adds to the cost. With the April incentives, the S/DS are just beginning to approach what I'd be willing to spend and with the 9.8KW battery they are the next lightest bike in the Zero line, 90lb more than the FX, so still under 400lb...

Yes, I'm aware of the features differences. Asking to learn about differences in the height/layout of the bike during riding that would be more accommodating to a tall rider.

[Day Trippin]

I found myself cramped on the S/SR. I've ridden them all. In your situation, I'd go with the DS or DSR and put on better street tires when the stock ones wore out if you never ventured off road. OTOH, you can do some mild offroad exploring with the dual sport tires.

The most comfortable for me was the FX(S) models. They were also the most fun to ride but that isn't your main concern. I could stretch out and move around on them. Too bad about the battery rebate based solely on pack size. The performance of these was so close to the (D)SR models and playing on the back roads was the most fun.

I am about 6'1" and have a 34" inseam. I couldn't live with the S model if I rode a lot of miles each day on it. It felt like I was riding more like a 400cc sized motorcycle.

[Kocho]

Other than the suspension height, do you know if there is a difference in how the seat, foot pegs and foot brake, and handlebars are setup on the FX vs. FXS? They look identical to me. The rear end is of almost the same height on both, the front is higher on the FX, which changes the riding position to be more upright on the FX, probably easier to lift the front wheel too. Handlebars appear identical from the side.

Between the S and DS the only differences that I can spot in the photos is the higher handlebar position on the DS and the slightly bigger front wheel that brings the front up a bit more than in S. But the foot pegs and foot brake, the seat, and the frame seem identical. The DS seat seems a smidgen higher in the front vs. the S, but mounted the same on the bike itself vs. the S , so just tilted slightly upwards, not as much as the FX vs. FXS though. I would imagine, I could get the taller handlebars from a DS mounted on the S and vice versa without much trouble?

From the photos it appears my hip bones would be more over my heels on the S/DS, vs. they would be slightly more towards the rear on the FX and FXS, which is why, I think, my shin bones formed a less acute (and a lot more comfortable) angle with my feet when operating the foot brake... The height of the seat over the foot pegs appears the same on all bikes.

The most comfortable for me was the FX(S) models.

[stevenh]

I found myself cramped on the S/SR. I've ridden them all. In your situation, I'd go with the DS or DSR and put on better street tires when the stock ones wore out if you never ventured off road. OTOH, you can do some mild offroad exploring with the dual sport tires.

The most comfortable for me was the FX(S) models. They were also the most fun to ride but that isn't your main concern. I could stretch out and move around on them. Too bad about the battery rebate based solely on pack size. The performance of these was so close to the (D)SR models and playing on the back roads was the most fun.

I am about 6'1" and have a 34" inseam. I couldn't live with the S model if I rode a lot of miles each day on it. It felt like I was riding more like a 400cc sized motorcycle.

I went with the DSR.  I liked the seat high and riding stance better.  I am 6'1" as well.  I was buying more for the street than the dirt, but liked the feel of the DSR better than the SR.  Since I got the bike, I have found myself exploring some tame trails around my neighborhood.  Nice to have the suspension travel in case you want it.

Steve

[Kocho]

OK, so I test-rode the DS and the FXS today. I fully intended to like the DS, but I did not completely. The seat is terrible for me: very hard and with some sort of edges on the side that are in the wrong place for my bottom. I was uncomfortable after a short demo ride. Towards the end of the ride I experimented sitting at the rear seat, and actually felt great from there: higher and a more natural position, rather than the upright and slightly slouched position before. The seating position is also almost too upright, have to keep myself in place rather than lean slightly on the handlebars. That also causes slouching, a problem I have with my current scooter because the handlebars are too close to me and the seat too low for me. And I know that gets really uncomfortable after 30 minutes or so. Maybe lower or more forward position of the handlebars would cure that. Not terrible, but with wind hitting me in the chest, I think I would have preferred a bit of a forward lean.

Second, the heavy and large front wheel/tire combination made the bike very "unflickable". Probably great for straight-line point to point type of riding, but I did not like that heavy steering input needed. I remember from riding the S/SR in 2014 that they were just about "perfect" balance between stability and cornering.

I tried the FXS for a few minutes too. I wish I had tried it for longer. So much fun! I wonder if there is a thing like "too clickable" - it steers about as easy if not easier as my scooter. If it had at least 9KW battery I would buy that. The seat is also a lot more comfortable for me, probably because it is contoured differently (does not seem softer and if anything has less padding than the DS seat). yup, the handlebars are even closer and the riding position is also upright, but the fun factor might compensate :-)

In terms of power, the DS at full power was not an issue, meaning it had more than enough for sane riding, but I would not mind having a bit more for the rare occasion I might want it (but not need it, I think).  Eco mode was not enough on dry roads, Sport was just right :-). Interestingly, Eco mode on the FXS felt stronger than on the DS and Sport was even better, he-he...

Unfortunately, there was no S/SR available to test-ride. Based on what I felt today for the DS, I don't think I want a bike like that - too steady (the seat can be fixed). And the battery on the FX/FXS is too small so it won't handle some of my commuting options. So, I'm left with S or SR to try again and decide if I go with one of them or keep my Vectrix until Zero gets a bigger pack in the FXS...

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

As an aside for those considering a DS from a sport perspective: are you trying to turn the bike by leaning/pushing from the thighs? Because dual sport bikes are meant to turn over from light pressure at the handlebars, very focused on counter-steering.

For comparison, I find most sport bikes undesirable to work with.

One customization that might change perspectives is changing out the handlebars to match intended riding style.

[Kocho]

Countersteering. It just takes more input than smaller and lighter-wheeled bikes, normal. Probably the geometry has something to do with it too. It was a big contrast with the frisky FXS... The DS was actually a very nice to ride, though I was not that impressed with the smoothness of the brakes, but they work (maybe the slight roughness has something to do with the off-roadish tires and they also seemed a bit underinflated). And I'm not a fan of the flappy front fenders either.

I liked the ride overall quite a bit though, just not the seat comfort - I think I need more vertical space between the foot pegs and the seat to get my legs in a truly comfortable position, which would also address the slouching issue to some extent. Relocating the foot pegs down or the seat  up would do it, with some padding on the seat for my boney bottom.