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[Maxgroup]

New to the electric bike scene but not to EV.
After riding a BMW R1150R since 2004, same bike, and looking every couple of years if BMW has something new and exciting to offer, and deciding that for 4 more HP and a nicer color they do not, I finally looked at zero.
I was debating DS or DSR and decided the range difference makes the DSR a better buy.
I got mine delivered today and it was an interesting ride.
It was of course in ECO mode and I decided to keep it this way as I was worried about torque and handling, and went for a ride. 90 plus degrees in NJ today so not ideal.

First impression was dismal, in ECO settings this was so underwhelming, I was thinking about trying to have the guy that bought my Bimmer sell it back to me.
5 minutes out, I stopped and switched to Sport mode.

Yeah baby, what a difference, the throttle is responsive, the bike has a lot of power, and it actually handles as good if not better then the bimmer which is pretty forgiving bike.
10 minutes later I was so happy I got this and was leaning into curves as if I had it for months. The bike is actually lighter then I expected, and the weight is all tucked in to the center, which is pretty amazing.
Now a dual sport is not a racer, but the DSR feels really solid and responsive. I'm sure that once I have a couple of weeks of riding it, I will feel even better shredding the road. And I still need to get the custom setting done to my liking,

I'm not sure yet if the range will be enough with my kind of driving, but for me and hour on the bike is worth 10 hours of therapy, so I'm more about the smiles then the miles...
So happy to be here, and looking forward to learn from the Zero veterans all the little tips and tricks!

[ESokoloff]

…looking forward to learn from the Zero veterans all the little tips and tricks!

Welcome (insert little wavy guy here).
The most important tip I can give is you need to retrain your wrist to the instant & full response of an electric motor vs an ICE.

With ICE you tend to crack the throttle & then dial it back as the motor spools up.
With electric it’s more like you ramp the throttle up gradually until you reach equilibrium.

Also beware of the trials tires on the DS(R)
I had the rear of my 2016 DSR step out on me 3 times until I changed them out with a more street oriented tire.

[TheRan]

+1 on swapping out the tyres, even on my lower powered DS I had it break traction plenty of times. Most people seem to wait until they wear them out to swap to something better but for the relatively low cost I'd just do it as soon as possible, I wish I had.

What ESokoloff said about the throttle is very true, with a gas bike it's more of a suggestion where as an electric bike will give you exactly what you ask for. For those just starting to ride it can more intuitive but for those coming from a gas bike it could end up with them asking for too much too quickly, expecting the torque to build more slowly.

[Maxgroup]

Thank you both for the tire advice!
I think that when I take off the wheels for powder coating, I'll install back with a better tire.

As to the throttle response, I don't think it is necessarily an EV thing, in sport mode it is almost as good as ice, and on my wife's Tesla, the throttle response is so quick you can literally make yourself car sick in sport mode. I was assuming that the sport mode gives you 100% of the torque, but it may be a false assumption.

[MrBlc]

Welcome aboard! *waves*

<quote> I was assuming that the sport mode gives you 100% of the torque, but it may be a false assumption. </quote> Kinda, yes.. from standing still it won't give you all like Tesla does.. The mapping goes a little more gradually up to 30 mph. That's kinda what makes it more forgiving than just outright madness. I suspect they did this to not overwhelm experienced riders yet retain that sportiness you're seeking.
I too came from EV cars and had many kilometres from specifically a Model S P85, so i was used to that insane acceleration as well. Even so, i kinda like that it's a bit more sedated in that sense.

That said, my time in ECO mode was extremely short.. Same with sport. I went straight for custom mode, and stayed there 3'rd year running..
I like that you can set it to your preferences.

[TheRan]

I think the torque limiting is at a lower speed, I've heard people say 15-16mph. This is why it can catch some people out on low speed corner such as pulling out from a junction. With my DS on a decent road surface and the new tyres I can go full throttle from a stop with little chance of it losing traction, although this would be less viable with the higher torque of a DSR. Otherwise if I'm already rolling I'll tend to leave the full throttle acceleration until I'm up to like 30-40mph, below that it's a more gradual roll on.

[opengl]

Where in NJ are you? I'm in SE PA if you ever want to meet up for a ride.

[Tony]

Congrats with your DSR. I also started out with the DSR before I switched to SR/F later. Both great bikes.

If I were to give any advice, then beware of high torque on low traction surfaces. The tires on the DSR quickly spins out of control on a rainy day, especially on slippy stuff like the painted areas of pedestrian crossings, wet leaves or tram tracks. Happened to me a couple of times, one time it caused the bike to fall over, just going out of a parking house and some leaking cleaning machine had spilled near invisible water all over. Just a tiny twist on my wrist, going from 0 to 20kmh a bit too fast, and I stood no chance. Nearly broke my knee in half, as the even the light DSR is plenty heavy for crushing you against asphalt, and there are no railings that will take the damage off your feet, so your legs will instead most likely cushion the bike if it falls over.

So, rain mode all the way on a rainy day here, just to be safe...