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[Richard230]

Here is a review of the Zero DSR/X by the British publication MCN after the bike had been ridden by their office manager for the past year. One of the big complaints about riding an electric motorcycle in Brittan is the lousy charging infrastructure in the country:

[princec]

Oddly enough it's not that lousy, if you have a 12kW charge tank. Though 12kW still sucks. I'd say the infrastructure is fine but the Zero's charging capability is lousy.

Cas

[Specter]

The USA's charger network is not the greatest yet either, at least not for fast charging.
if you could get a nice AC run say 7 or 8 kw or even more!  that would not be bad.  an hour for lunch can get you some decent miles back on.

Aaron

[efull]

with the 12kw charger tank the maximum is only obtained up to 35% since the last sfotware update (before it was 45%)

[heroto]

This is excellent, thanks.
After going over range and charging issues, they got to (IMO) the second biggest issue with this and other Zeros: low quality suspension and brakes. From the video regarding the components: "It's really a poor bike". Alas, Zero stays with JJuan and mediocre suspension.

[princec]

Crappy switchgear, rusting components, razor sharp plastic edges too. Build quality is no better than previous generation Chinese machinery but at five times the price. I do love my bike but I know it's a bit shit compared to most bikes I've owned in the last 20 years.

Cas

[TheRan]

I really don't get people's issues with the suspension and brakes, it's better than the crap you get on a lot of bikes these days. Nothing wrong with J Juan and even the low end caliper on my DS performs much better than the radial Bybres with double the pistons on my KTM with the same size rotor. Suspension is also a fair bit better and is fully adjustable and I haven't even fiddled with mine. I can only imagine the stuff on the gen 3 bikes is even better.

The only thing I will agree with is some of the screws rust easily as well as the hinge for the side panel, although at the same time I don't clean my bike very often and ride in all weathers including when the roads have been salted in the winter.

[GS-A-Day]

Since we're talking Gen 3 bikes, I would not say that the build quality of my DSR/X is substantially worse than my BMW R1200GSA. The Gen 2 bikes may be different.

[princec]

My Gen3 is substantially worse than any BMW I've owned in terms of finish (and I've owned 7). My SR/F is liberally plastered in ACF50 and XCP Clearcoat rust blocker, yet it seems that there are still a number of parts for example the front indicator bracket, just under the dash, that have actually rusted somehow, as they're made from mild steel.

The brakes are fine... once you throw away the OEM discs and put EBC ones on. Well, the front brakes anyway, the rear one is so feeble I don't even know if it's working or not.

Other bikes at this price point have semi-active suspension or Ohlins, LED indicators as standard, sometimes heated seats, and now, radar cruise control too, as well as alloys and plastics that make you swoon and gaze lovingly at them in the garage. Zero should perhaps be festooning these top of the range bikes with these trinkets to make them appeal to the sort of people making comparisons with other bikes competing for their £25k.

Cas

[TheRan]

You do realise where you are? I figured we were all well aware that electric vehicle demand an extra cost over their gas equivalents and the reasons why. Gas bikes are also significantly more powerful and faster for the same price, have longer ranges, are often lighter weight, but we accept that all because of the advantages that electric bikes have for us. There are pros and cons to each. Sure you could shit on Zero for not offering some of those options like active Ohlins and radar cruise control with blind spot monitoring, but then you're asking them to make even more expensive bikes that will be an even harder sell.

[Specter]

why would you need radar cruise control?  wouldn't just a tach work or looking at the speedo?
but yes, more gadgetry to bump up the price and cost a butt ton when it breaks and needs fixing.

Hit a deer and see how proud car manu's are of their plastic   

Aaron

[princec]

I personally don't want cruise control, I'm describing the current state of the market competition. These are the features and toys available on ICE bikes at these price points.

We are now at the point in the car world where EVs and ICE are now almost broadly similar in price and specification, give or take - the motorcycling world probably needs to wake up and realise that the demand would likely be there if the price was not outrageous for the specification. As I have noted elsewhere, the rolling chassis and gubbins on a KTM 390 cost under $1000 to actually produce and are no worse than the same parts on a Zero; I would like to know how a battery, MBB and electric motor can contrive to add $20000 to that, especially when we know that a) a new battery costs about $6k and b) the price of cells has actually tumbled in the last 5 years. There are decent ICE cars costing less.

Cas

[TheRan]

The difference is the 390 is manufactured in India at a much larger scale and uses components like brakes and suspension (which again, are worse or comparable to Zero's) from KTM's own sub brands, while the Zero is made in America in comparably miniscule number using a whole lot of parts sourced from other brands. I mean what is there that's actually made by Zero, the frame and swingarm, plastics, motor, battery case, some of the electronics, and a few other little bits. And who knows whether they actually make all of that themselves or some of it's farmed out to other companies.

[Richard230]

The difference is the 390 is manufactured in India at a much larger scale and uses components like brakes and suspension (which again, are worse or comparable to Zero's) from KTM's own sub brands, while the Zero is made in America in comparably miniscule number using a whole lot of parts sourced from other brands. I mean what is there that's actually made by Zero, the frame and swingarm, plastics, motor, battery case, some of the electronics, and a few other little bits. And who knows whether they actually make all of that themselves or some of it's farmed out to other companies.

I believe that the frame, swingarm, plastics, motor, battery case and other random items are manufactured in Asia to Zero's specifications, while most of the electronics, switches, speedometer display, brakes and suspension are "off the shelf" items.  If anything is manufactured directly by Zero, I can't think what it might be. All of those parts are then assembled in the U.S. at Zero's factory into a motorcycle. However, I have read here that assembly of the bikes for markets other than the U.S. are now being accomplished in the Philippians, which should lower the manufactured price and shipping costs a bit.

[Specter]

Well it might appear to lower the costs but then they will smack tariffs on it, which will put the price right back where it was.
Personally I think them moving to the Philippines is a move to eventually divest themselves from the US for the most part.  They may stick around here in the US a bit because they DO have bikes here, and to suck up the federal grants, but I think they are wanting to expand in India and other countries rather than give it another poke in the US markets.  They didn't exactly do exceptionally well in the US.

Aaron