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[benswing]

Good article on the benefits of moving police bikes to electric. 

Favorite section:  "Have you ever ridden a supermoto? When you get on one, something bad happens. That small screw in your head, the one that attaches your Commonsense Module to your Actions Control Unit…. that falls out. Shortly after getting on you are popping wheelies onto sidewalks and terrorizing the general public. Well if a cop were to see this on a Zero, they have a fighting chance to follow you and stop you from being a complete ass."

http://theperfectline.kinja.com/electric-motorcycles-for-law-enforcement-1748805330

[protomech]

Interesting.

If you follow the link, they show some quantitative results for the test bikes.
http://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/michigan-state-cops-prove-once-again-that-harleys-hav-1745748906

They tested a BMW R1200RT, two Harleys, one Can-Am Spyder, and the Zero DSP.

The preliminary 2016 test results (PDF) are available from the Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation site.

The Zero DSP fared worst in acceleration overall, though not far behind the 60-70 hp Harleys. Above 80 mph, the Zero even beat the Harley FLHTP Electra Glide. Zero does not appear to offer a police version of the SR or DSR.

The Zero performed pretty well in braking - just barely behind the dual-rotor R1200RT - and much better than the Harleys. The Can-Am performed very well in straight-line braking, on par with cars.

On the road course, the Zero was about a second and a half behind the Harleys, and a full 11 seconds behind the 125 bhp BMW. The Can-Am was dead last in this event.

On a performance basis, the Zeros are at least in spitting distance of the Harleys - an admittedly low bar. Probably surprised a few officers. Factor in cost of operations and Zero can build a pretty compelling case around their bikes.

[Ranga]

That a zero was slower than a Harley Electra Glide leaves me wondering if they tested it in Eco mode.

[ctrlburn]

December 17 2015 - SciTechNow did a nice fluff piece on Police Electrics.



The second half includes LAPD's training centers use of Zero Electric.

https://youtu.be/R9NQaGq5Jak?t=238

[BenS]

December 17 2015 - SciTechNow did a nice fluff piece on Police Electrics.



The second half includes LAPD's training centers use of Zero Electric.

https://youtu.be/R9NQaGq5Jak?t=238

Must be an old FX, it has different fork guards, nicer pegs and a mud flap to guard the rear shock, which I wish the 2015 had; I've cut up an old tyre inner tube and used it as a temporay  guard for the rear shock.

[protomech]

December 17 2015 - SciTechNow did a nice fluff piece on Police Electrics.



The second half includes LAPD's training centers use of Zero Electric.

https://youtu.be/R9NQaGq5Jak?t=238

Must be an old FX, it has different fork guards, nicer pegs and a mud flap to guard the rear shock, which I wish the 2015 had; I've cut up an old tyre inner tube and used it as a temporay  guard for the rear shock.

I don't think the mud guard ever came stock.

Pretty sure it is a 2014 FX. Headlights and dash are from a 2014+. Holes for rear pegs are present but have been removed from this particular motorcycle. Does not appear to have ABS from the 2015+ bikes.

Zero used to make some burlier foot pegs for the MX bike, perhaps they fitted this bike with those pegs.

That a zero was slower than a Harley Electra Glide leaves me wondering if they tested it in Eco mode.

6.89s 0-60 is indeed quite slow.

The test bike - DS ZF12.5 - is rated by Zero at 5.7 seconds, though the 44 pound power tank reduces Zero's performance claim to 6.4 seconds.

That should give an indication of the difference in weight between Zero's apparent test rider and a police DS and their own test rider.

The 2016 DSR with power tank is rated at 4.5 seconds; if this bike was available it would have out-accelerated everything but the BMW R1200. The 2016 SR with power tank is rated at 3.9 seconds and would likely have out-accelerated the BMW. Curious that the SR and DSR do not appear to be available for fleet applications.

[kingcharles]

And the Zero police bikes carry some extra equipment adding even more weight. This will also cause slower acceleration, longer braking and hurts handling.
Normal street bikes should do better.

But as the other police bikes will have the same equipment fitted the comparison is still valid.

[protomech]

Michigan has posted their 2017 test results.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/2017_MY_Police_Vehicle_Evaluation_Test_Book-Final_544109_7.pdf

They tested a DSRP, a new for 2017 police version of the DSR. Curiously they list the 15.9 kWh spec for the 2016 ZF2.8 power tank.

Unfortunately, the Zero crashed during the track test and was unable to complete the remainder of the test program.

Grattan Raceway – Motorcycle Dynamics Testing – Zero DSP ZF 12.5
During Motorcycle Dynamics testing, one of the test riders experienced an acceleration skid while in a lean negotiating turn three. The rider was not able to control the motorcycle which subsequently resulted in the motorcycle crashing. Unfortunately, due to the damage of the motorcycle, the Zero was not able to continue with the testing and evaluation for motorcycle dynamics or acceleration and top speed.

other bikes in test:
- BMW R1200 RT
- Can-Am Spyder F3
- Harley FLHP Road King
- Harley FLHTP Electra Glide
- and Harley FLHTP Electra Glide Stage 3 (previous but with go-fast bits)

notes:
- the six laps the Zero did complete on the track outperformed every bike except the BMW .. great showing for Zero!
- due to the crash, the Zero's acceleration was not tested
- Zero claims 4.5 seconds for the PT DSR; given Zero's historical optimistic, perhaps closer to 5 seconds, behind the BMW and go-fast Harley
- the Zero's top speed is slightly lower than all tested bikes, which topped out at 110 for the Harleys, 120 for the Can-Am, and nearly 140 mph for the BMW
- the Can-Am dramatically outperformed the other bikes under braking. The Zero required approximately 4% more distance to brake than the rest of the bikes.
- The Zero's rear brake FAILED during the brake test! I'm curious if this was due to damage from the earlier crash; either way, a really bad result for the Zero.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

That is a damn good showing for the Zero. It's nowhere near the classes the other bikes are in, more like a 750 if the 2017 specs are as good as they sound.

[protomech]

That is a damn good showing for the Zero. It's nowhere near the classes the other bikes are in, more like a 750 if the 2017 specs are as good as they sound.

It's down on power for sure, even compared to the Harleys. It also weighs almost 200 pounds less than the BMW and 400 pounds less than the Harleys!

The DSR and SR are still firmly in the 650 twin class. 750 sport bikes make similar power to the BMW but weigh much less.