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[j_humph]

If there is anyone there reading this post an owner of a 2009 zero x?

I'm curious about your impressions with the bike. I am looking at a used one, and would like to know what the major issues have been with that bike.

Thanks

[pennjon]

I had the 2009 X extreme with the PERM Motor and White Bros Forks.   My opinion is based on a dirtbike background so take it for what's it worth.  

Power:  The power was never a problem for riding single track.  The bike had an issue getting traction on rocky hills,  it would bounce and spin alot.  I assumed this was due to the lack of weight 150lbs.

Suspension:  I tryed numerous times to dial in the fork and shock settings but could never find a better setting.  The mountain bike components used air to adjust bottoming resistance which I didn't care for.

Brakes:  I felt the brakes were too weak and not up to the task.  Pads wore out quickly.

Handling:  Light weight and the linear power delivery of the electric motor made for a fun time riding tight trails.

Battery Life: Max 2 hours of ride time with minimal  full throttle..... mostly up /down trail riding on the side of the mountain.  Usually around 1.5 hrs with some spirited riding.  Ran the battery down a few times and pushed home to recharge.  Battery later had a dead cell which was repaired under warranty.

Noted:  The lack of engine braking made for a quick decent downhill and put stress on F/R brakes to control speed.  Also when freewheeling, power  wouldn't engage until motor rpm gets below throttle position.......ex. going downhill freewheeling and using  full throttle to accelerate faster.......motor controller will disable power  
This proved nerve racking when approaching a downhill tabletop jump and attempted to launch  off jump face with power on.   Power  would hit suddenly almost causing a loop out and crash   .
I did have fun riding this  bike in different environments and the newer models addressed many of my complaints here.

Thx  Pennjon

[j_humph]

OK Thanks Pennjon.  That's great info.  You describe pretty much what I would be doing with it-mountainous singletrack. It's good to know you can get 1.5-2 hours out of a charge. I guess I'll have to learn how to deal with the downhill freewheeling  behavior.

Thanks again

[dkw12002]

I would like the X's acceleration off the line in the S model too. As you may know, the S models are a little slow off the line until they get to 20 mph or so and then they accelerate nicely.

[pennjon]

j_humph..........
 
other things I failed to mention about the 2009 Zero X

1.  My bike had  a recall from Zero for the instrument cluster.

2.  Zero provided a  software upgrade by exchanging the old charger with an updated one.

3.  Zero also advised against heavy track use because of a known frame failure.   No official recall was
     offered but the improved frame could be purchased if you wanted to upgrade.  I never had an issue with
     mine and never upgraded.

4.  Also original batteries had issues with packs becoming unbalanced and not charging fully.   Later
     upgraded battery packs had electronics to help with "balancing cells"   Newer style packs had metal
     panels on the ends of battery vs plastic.

Hope this helps you out,   Pennjon

[Lipo423]

dkw12002,

I agree with you.
The new model S has a "slow throttle reaction" too slow from my view...when I asked the question I was told that it was a safety-related issue, well, I´m familiar with safety standards, and this is too safe...

I would strongly suggest to Zero to check this out. I find very annoying having to move more than a quarter of the throttle to take off.

The slow acceleration could also be improved, but I guess they face this because AC motors do not have a lot of torque in the low rpm's range, and to preserve battery life (this last one is very critical).

[Richard230]

I too have noticed a somewhat slow throttle response from a stop with my "S", compared to the take-off of an IC motorcycle in first gear, while slipping the clutch with the revs up.  But once you get it rolling the first 10 feet, it moves out smartly and will leave most cars in the dust off the line.  However, having the lackluster slow speed throttle response really makes it easy to move around in parking lots and to follow cars equipped with automatic transmissions in traffic jams, where the vehicles move just a few feet at a time and then stop again.

As usual, there are pros and cons to every compromise.