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[jurisdoctor]

Hey all, first time poster long(ish) time lurker.

I'm a former rider looking to get back in to it. I've done some test drives and I'm not too finicky about ride postures and whatnot, so I have frankly found the DSR and FX models to be about of equal comfort.

My use case is small amounts of tooling around town for fun and popping the bike on the back of my Jeep and taking to the woods to explore. The area is relatively flat terrain, the kinds of places you can take most SUVs, and some sandy soil (NJ Pine Barrens, fwiw).

I am torn between an FX and a DSR and, within that, used versus new. The woods I would go to are about 20 miles from my house, so I reckon I would probably tow whatever I get there for the most part ... but being able to ride there on a nice day wouldn't be so bad. That makes me lean DSR. But do they hold up on the dirt?

Right now I have inquiries with dealers about:

2015 FX @ $7k (2500 miles)
2021 FXS @ $10,600
2021 DSR @ MSRP

Any insights/thoughts? Appreciate it!

[sharagan]

Hi jurisdoctor,

I would recommend to go for a KTM Freeride E-XC. Zeros are too fragile from my point of view (others will disagree probably) not to mention the belt drive and the chain kit is also not the best as the sprockets are made from alluminium. I had an electric KTM Freeride for several years, very happy with it, took it off-road and had no issues. My FXS has not seen any dirt and still is a completely different story.

Hope this helps.

[jurisdoctor]

I appreciate the insight! Unfortunately I don't think the E-XC is road legal here, and I would want to be able to bop around at least a bit on the pavement.

[Richard230]

You might want to check out the weight of the two models if you are going to push them into and out of a vehicle, or might have to pick one up if dropped on a trail. I believe the FX is noticeably lighter than the DSR. It is street legal, but doesn't have the same range and top speed as the DSR, if that is a consideration to you.

[jurisdoctor]

You might want to check out the weight of the two models if you are going to push them into and out of a vehicle, or might have to pick one up if dropped on a trail. I believe the FX is noticeably lighter than the DSR. It is street legal, but doesn't have the same range and top speed as the DSR, if that is a consideration to you.

That's a good point. I was thinking of transporting it on a hitch mount -- but I wonder if I would be more able to do that with the FX.

As for range, I'd love to be able to ride the 20 miles to the trails, explore, and return ... but that isn't necessarily a dealbreaker if I can't.

I'm seeing if there is a better deal on the 2015 and leaning that way.

[TEV]

You might want to check out the weight of the two models if you are going to push them into and out of a vehicle, or might have to pick one up if dropped on a trail. I believe the FX is noticeably lighter than the DSR. It is street legal, but doesn't have the same range and top speed as the DSR, if that is a consideration to you.

That's a good point. I was thinking of transporting it on a hitch mount -- but I wonder if I would be more able to do that with the FX.

As for range, I'd love to be able to ride the 20 miles to the trails, explore, and return ... but that isn't necessarily a dealbreaker if I can't.

I'm seeing if there is a better deal on the 2015 and leaning that way.

The DSR is heavier, but you won't need to tow it for the 20 miles, you can just ride it there and back, and, probably, have more battery left  than if you tow a FX or FXS there.

[NEW2elec]

Yeah the DSR will have twice the battery so there is that.  I have one and dirt roads are fine but the cast wheels are heavy and if you bend it you toss it.
I think a FX may be a bit more in line with what you want if you're not looking to commute a longer distance.
I know the 15 FX you're looking at on CT and it's set up nice.  The only thing is those batteries are out of warranty and it would be about $6k for new ones.

If you still want that one I'd low ball it by $2k or more.

[jurisdoctor]

Yeah the DSR will have twice the battery so there is that.  I have one and dirt roads are fine but the cast wheels are heavy and if you bend it you toss it.
I think a FX may be a bit more in line with what you want if you're not looking to commute a longer distance.
I know the 15 FX you're looking at on CT and it's set up nice.  The only thing is those batteries are out of warranty and it would be about $6k for new ones.

If you still want that one I'd low ball it by $2k or more.

Super helpful. I’ll give it a shot.

[mdjak1]

That's a good point. I was thinking of transporting it on a hitch mount -- but I wonder if I would be more able to do that with the FX.

As for range, I'd love to be able to ride the 20 miles to the trails, explore, and return ... but that isn't necessarily a dealbreaker if I can't.

I'm seeing if there is a better deal on the 2015 and leaning that way.

I suspect with the FX you would probably ride 20 miles to your trails (very dependent on the type of roads), be able to ride 5 to 15 miles on trails, and then just barely make it back the return 20 miles.   The DSR would be able to do it easily but there is a lot more weight you are going to lug around on the trails.   

If there is any opportunity to level 2 charge near the trails, then your best bet might be a DS with a charge tank.  Same range as an FX but extendable with fast charging.   Much less weight than a DSR. 

As for the price of the 2015 FX, it seems a bit high.   The 2015 is likely to be a 5.7 kWh bike versus the below 2019 which is a 7.2 kWh bike:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/d/rocklin-2019-zero-fx-electric/7399040441.html

[NEW2elec]

By the way I use one of those hitch carriers and the beauty of electric is no clutch and no gear lever.
You just stand on the ground and use the bike's power to just ease it up the ramp.  Very easy and controllable.

[jurisdoctor]

By the way I use one of those hitch carriers and the beauty of electric is no clutch and no gear lever.
You just stand on the ground and use the bike's power to just ease it up the ramp.  Very easy and controllable.

This is promising, with an FX or a DSR? I reckon it would work either way, just looking for anecdata.

[NEW2elec]

I put my DSR on it but it's even easier with a smaller bike.  My Tundra has a class 3 hitch but I also cross over 2500lb ratchet straps and hook them to the outer corners of the rack and then to my bed tie downs.

For a Jeep I think the FX is no problem at all.  That 2015 has the removable batteries so if you pull them it's about 90 lbs lighter.  It can also ride with just one battery if you want a lighter ride.

There is an old Youtube video from a guy called Matt Fish doing some beautiful trail rides and gives you some idea of what it's like.

[jurisdoctor]

I put my DSR on it but it's even easier with a smaller bike.  My Tundra has a class 3 hitch but I also cross over 2500lb ratchet straps and hook them to the outer corners of the rack and then to my bed tie downs.

For a Jeep I think the FX is no problem at all.  That 2015 has the removable batteries so if you pull them it's about 90 lbs lighter.  It can also ride with just one battery if you want a lighter ride.

There is an old Youtube video from a guy called Matt Fish doing some beautiful trail rides and gives you some idea of what it's like.

Interesting, I thought I read somewhere that the removable batteries caused more issues than they provided benefits -- honestly my head is spinning at this point so I may have invented that.

I'm leaning towards going the FX route, but maybe going new and getting the 5 year warranty. The price differential doesn't seem to be that substantial.

The 2015 I referred to above is available for $8k out the door, seems to be the lowest they're willing to go.

[NEW2elec]

Yeah they may sell it to someone who doesn't use this forum but that's it. 

The newer ones have the long fixed battery (mostly) the removable ones cost extra now.
Pulling a battery in and out a lot can wear down connections but that's really everything I guess.

Just to complicate things a bit more Zero has a copyright on a new model called a DSRX but no idea what that will lean to,
an FX or a DSR.
I think you will enjoy the FX though.

[Richard230]

I think the new 2022 FX model would be a better deal in the long run. It has good performance, weighs under 300 pounds, is freeway legal and has some other features, like the TFT display and Cyber II system that the older model doesn't have. Plus, it has a 2-year warranty and 5-years on the battery. While it is not cheap at $12K, you can get a 10% deduction off of your federal tax return and a few states (like California) also offer cash rebates to anyone buying a new EV. But buying used will not get you either of those rebates. Finally, the new model will have a much greater resale value in the future than any 2015 Zero. Before making your decision more research will be worthwhile.