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[DeSelbyofDalkey]

I am thinking of getting a Zero SR/S and was wondering how much the 600 mile initial service cost for those who own the SR/S or SR/F.

TIA

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

It's generally understood that firmware updates when performed at dealers are covered by Zero.

The motor commissioning at 600 miles is important preventative maintenance to perform and I am unsure whether it is gratis/OEM-covered but takes under an hour to perform. The rest is a system checkup and fastener/mechanical checks like most other bikes.

Warranty statement on Zero's part: https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/warranty/

[Crissa]

And don't let them charge you for firmware!  Service centers will have a code for that, but they're supposed to bill Zero, not you.

Even on an old bike like mine

-Crissa

[DonTom]

The motor commissioning at 600 miles is important preventative maintenance to perform and I am unsure whether it is gratis/OEM-covered but takes under an hour to perform.

At two different dealers, Elk Grove PowerSports (for my SR)  as well as In Reno at Eurocycles (DS). I asked for the (first) FW update as well as the motor commissioning.

Both places did the FW updates, neither place did the motor commissioning.  I am wondering if they have decided it isn't necessary if the bike is still running okay.

Both my bikes run perfectly at 10K miles. Neither one of them has had the motor commissioning done since the day I purchased the bikes new in 2017.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

And don't let them charge you for firmware!  Service centers will have a code for that, but they're supposed to bill Zero, not you.

Even on an old bike like mine

-Crissa

If that is the case, I got screwed-twice! It cost me a hundred bucks for the very first FW update on each.  Now I can do them myself OTA.

Or could it be only for the older bikes? Can yours also now do FW updates OTA?

Or could it have been a safety related recall on yours?

-Don-  Reno, NV

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Preventative maintenance like motor commissioning should be performed even when it is not immediately necessary per current symptoms.

Motor controller alignment checks are part of motor commissioning and help identify whether a correction is needed. The precursor to an alignment problem may be imperceptible to the owner and to the technician until damage is occurring.

Almost all bikes stay in alignment and do not need correction. But the cost of letting alignment slip can be very costly by damaging the motor or worse, and conceivably lead to a catastrophic accident if the inbuilt safeguards don’t engage properly or some other aggravating condition comes into play.

The maintenance is preventative vs corrective for that reason. Suggesting that owners not perform this because their bike runs fine is irresponsible and I cannot condone this.

[Crissa]

Commissioning was not on the Zero maintenance schedule prior to 2018.  It's also described as 'timing' so I'm not sure what all it entails.  And yes, if the motor is out of alignment, that would make good parts wear out!

-Crissa

PS:  Yes, they tried to charge me, too!  And I was like, 'no, it says firmware is free' and they were like, 'oh, right, this is what we show Zero, whoops.'  I think once it's up to date everyone but 13&14 can do over the air updates.  But there will be situations where it might not be up to date, and even then, it's supposed to be free.

[DonTom]

The maintenance is preventative vs corrective for that reason. Suggesting that owners not perform this because their bike runs fine is irresponsible and I cannot condone this.

I am not suggesting such, I am only telling you my experience. I tried to get it done at two different dealers where I don't think the service manager even knew what it meant. So obviously, it isn't done at either place often.

But I do have some advice, based on my own experience. And that is when you go in for a motor commissioning do NOT ask to have any other services done, or the same may happen to you, where you get everything you ask for except for the motor commissioning.

If you ask for the motor commissioning only they will have no other reason to accept the bike and it will be more likely to get done.

I have been wondering if I should now do that. But both of mine  are still running like new, so I am not all that concerned, but perhaps I should be.

But I was wondering if Zero changed their minds about how necessary it is on a well running bike over the years.

And I know such changes do happen. For an example, when I purchased my Tesla in 2017, they said the battery coolant should be changed every 50K miles. Now they are saying it should last the life of the car and don't bother to change it unless changing the batteries or something like that.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I believe that the powertrain sensitivity to this issue changed with design revisions such that upgrades to older bikes get the newer more stringent recommendation.

Alignment issues have in any case occasionally cropped up on older bikes and anyone with a technical understanding of PMAC motor controllers should be able to work out the risk and at least say that for the average owner, an occasional check and correction is good practice if you care about your bike’s durability and longevity.

[Richard230]

When my 2018 S was first serviced I was charged for 1.5 hours of labor, which included the motor commissioning, checking for firmware updates and going over the chassis while checking a long list of specific chassis items - like making sure that there was air in the tires.    I was not charged for any parts, other than for a couple of andom environmental fees.

[DonTom]

When my 2018 S was first serviced I was charged for 1.5 hours of labor, which included the motor commissioning, checking for firmware updates and going over the chassis while checking a long list of specific chassis items - like making sure that there was air in the tires.    I was not charged for any parts, other than for a couple of andom environmental fees.

Where did you have it serviced?

Do you have paperwork that says the motor commissioning was done? The reason I ask is because I asked them to do my bikes  at two different places and I received no paperwork that has a word about the commissioning from either place, just the $110.00 (IIRC) for the first FW update.

Do you know if they made any adjustments for your motor commissioning?

I probably didn't even look at the paperwork until I got home, so I didn't realize at first it wasn't done when I picked up the bike. IOW, I made the same mistake twice, about a month apart.

And when I got my new DS battery under warranty, I didn't even think about the commissioning then.

-Don-   Reno, NV

[TheRan]

Is there any way to tell if it's been done? Mine's overdue, it's probably the only thing they'd do during the service that I can't do myself so if I'm paying for it I'd want to make sure it's done. Is it something any Zero dealer can do? I've only got two that are within a comfortable distance.

[Crissa]

I don't know, it's a measure of alignment and timing, it might not show anything visible unless it were out of calibration.

-Crissa

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The act of motor commissioning consists of a reprogramming of the Sevcon controller, if it results in corrections. I do not know whether it results in an event in the MBB log, but I have never identified such an event.

Any maintenance action ought to result in an event entry in a vehicle's log, though, as a legal matter.

I don't think Zero engineers have implemented the MBB event log with any such discipline, though. The fact that the Gen3 logs show each turn signal toggle is just ridiculous, and Gen2 logs have always lacked rigorous design and structure.

[Hans2183]

This was my initial service cost. They charged 15 EUR for an UPDATE? 242 EUR was for the luggage rack that they also mounted so that 106.33 EUR is partially for the service and partially for the mounting. Those small parts were just for the rack mounting at 6,80 EUR.

So initial service cost was 106,33 + 15 EUR = 121,33 EUR or less depending on how much of that service was for mounting the rack. 

The technician did mention motor commissioning and that he performed it with support from Zero on the phone. Turned out the offset was less than 0.3% (or could 've been even 0.03%, it's been a while) and therefor wasn't really needed at that point. But they do it as part of the first check up anyway.