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[skadamo]

Larger packs and full redesigns with production starting early next year. Looking forward to the pics...

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/2012-zero-motorcycles-leak/

[zap mc]

Thanks for the leak!

The main problem with electric bikes is primarily the price.
Who the hell is going to buy a $13 000 electric bike??!! ( other then the dealers of course)

Dealer numbers have been decimated by the policy of trying to recruit bike shops and stranding the previous ISRs with unsaleable stock therefore reducing Zero's primary market

We also know the quoted range of 42 miles equates to 27 miles in the real world, so you would be best to apply a 36% reduction to any quoted range figures.

Early release of production stock could suggest urgent cash flow needs as the cost of all the management staff eat into the $23M investment.

[manlytom]

Hi zap
so you are into selling ICE bikes? or do you have a better business proposal. at least Zero has been delivering on what they advertise, and I mean they advertise as opposed to leaks.
So range. all about riding it and then adopting your pattern to a bike for run around short/medium trips with a charge stop of possible. Same when the first computers came out - no accountant would buy into that these "things" would be essential part of the business as they are now. now figures or tax return without one ....
just the 2cents of me.

cheers
T

[Richard230]

One thing to consider, I think that the government's e-vehicle rebate is still in effect until the end of this year. That helps with the price. But I am not sure if it will be continued next year, which might hurt Brammo when the Empulse and Enertia Plus finally arrive.

[zap mc]

Hi zap
so you are into selling ICE bikes? or do you have a better business proposal. at least Zero has been delivering on what they advertise, and I mean they advertise as opposed to leaks.
So range. all about riding it and then adopting your pattern to a bike for run around short/medium trips with a charge stop of possible. Same when the first computers came out - no accountant would buy into that these "things" would be essential part of the business as they are now. now figures or tax return without one ....
just the 2cents of me.

cheers
T

Hi Tom
I am not into selling ICE bikes, in fact i am into selling Electric motorcycles,(but that is not a proftable business in my opinion as you have to be an advocate with deep pockets as you will only make 10% on your Zero sales AND have to fund a demo fleet, do the math and you will get an idea of the volumes needed to make a business of it.)  and that experience forms the basis of my opinions so i know what puts people off, and the truth is that there is range anxiety and price resistance but not in that order. The Zero is just a mass produced prototype which is why it cannot be built for a reaonable price that the market will pay. If you doubt this then take a look at how to get the battery out of a Zero S or get the top off to work inside on the electronics, some of the screws on the battery pack are obscured by the frame spar! so its plain to see that joined up thinking has not been applied to the build, someone has designed a battery and someone has designed the frame. Its quite frustrating really.

[gasdive]

I agree comlpletely that there appears to have been no "joined up thinking" in the Zero.  I had a post on my blog about that were I bemoaned the strange mix of delicate and beautiful parts next to rusty crap right on the same bike. 

I am pretty sure that the way out is not to make them heavier and more expensive.  Neil Saiki was right and the motorcycle "experts" that they've employed instead are wrong. 

I've never run my Zero down below 50% except for one "see how far I can go" ride where I intentionally didn't recharge in places I could have.  Making the bike twice the weight and twice the cost to go 150% as far as the current bike is stupid.  It's still not going to make it a tourer, it's still not going to win over the "it has to go 100 miles on a charge or it's useless" brigade because they'll just change to "it has to go 200 miles on a charge or it's useless" (I've already seen them do that!).  They need to stop listening to the good old boys who are never going to buy their product anyway.

Hopefully they'll continue with the current bikes and just add this overpriced overspeced one to the range.  The XU looks like the pick of the bunch with the low weight and small (cheaper) battery and I would have bought that if it had been available when I got the DS. 

[skadamo]

More information on the 2012 Zeros...

Passenger seating for DS and S.

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/eicma-2011-zero-electric-motorcycle-2012-improvements.htm

[skadamo]

Their new engines will increase in range, up to 114 miles (183 kilometers) for the Zero S and Zero DS. The Zero X, MX and XU get a good 75% extra range.

[gasdive]

videos now up

!

[manlytom]

thx gasdive -

great vid - a bike for nearly everyone. so lets bring them on and ride...

like the even more black look.

t

[Brammofan]

Interesting - they are using the same headlight module (or extremely similar) to the Empulse.  Apparently, it's the MT-03 headlight, designed by Michael Uhlarik... or a close approximation thereof (according to HellForLeather).

[skadamo]

The headlight is cool. It was a nice jab at Brammo to use it. Ouch. It does suck that they did because now it's obvious we can all go to www.alibaba.com and buy one. Anyone find it yet?

Does anyone know who makes the motors for these bikes?

[zap mc]

More information on the 2012 Zeros...

Passenger seating for DS and S.

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/eicma-2011-zero-electric-motorcycle-2012-improvements.htm

you cant just retrospectively sell footpegs, the bike needs to be homnologated for pillion use, this entails ensuring the bike is up to handling 2 people and testing it to that end.

[zap mc]

The headlight is cool. It was a nice jab at Brammo to use it. Ouch. It does suck that they did because now it's obvious we can all go to www.alibaba.com and buy one. Anyone find it yet?

Does anyone know who makes the motors for these bikes?

interesting about the headlights, they should have stuck to the elipsoidal as on the prototypes but for "homologation reasons" they put the lame round one on and then just used it again in 2010 and 2011, what a shame and a missed opportunity.

The motors i assume are the result of their in house drive train programme, but i may be wrong, if they have developed them then they are to be congratulated as they seem to have much higher rpm than the other market offerings, coupled with the regen facility and brushless too.

[skadamo]

Yeah, could be part of the funding they got to build a drivetrain. Good thought.

I liked the round headlight. Looked "offroad".