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[mentalvmaxrider]

Hello ll. I am new to the forum and so far I like it very much. I just bought a new demo zero xu with 40kms on it this past Monday. So far I have put about 200kms on it trouble free,I even rode it to work one day which is 41kms from home with 25kms highway!! I did make it to work with no bars left on the gage and I am impressed but would like just a bit more range. Is there an economical way to do this or do I need to get a bigger battery or a zero ds?
Thanks
Jer

[Richard230]

The most economical thing to do is to slow down a bit and make sure that you can always recharge a work.  It is possible that your range may improve after several charge/discharge cycles.  It seemed like my range improved noticeably after several hundred miles of riding my 2012 Zero S.

[protomech]

A wind screen will help a little at highway speeds. Maybe 5% in my experience.

Richard230 identified the wind screen Zero was shipping as an accessory for the 2012 as the Slipstream Spitfire. Looks right. I have this and it works well on my 2012 S, I can't say for sure it would fit a 2012 XU but the mounting system is very flexible.
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=2358.msg9555#msg9555

But also as Richard230 said, slowing down where safe to do so or picking a slower route will definitely help range.

[eyeinsky]

Talk to Zero the other day about the range on my 2011 XU, I thought that 12m or 20km was low. According them that is the average range of the 2 Kwatt bike. So base on the spec. I'm about 1/2 of the rated range. They told me the range that they post is based on empty (no rider) on free wheeling drum a slow speed. So you will never get it....

Anyways I like the bike it work good for me but there should be more education on the realistic range expectation of these bikes.

[manlytom]

Talk to Zero the other day about the range on my 2011 XU, I thought that 12m or 20km was low. According them that is the average range of the 2 Kwatt bike. So base on the spec. I'm about 1/2 of the rated range. They told me the range that they post is based on empty (no rider) on free wheeling drum a slow speed. So you will never get it....

Anyways I like the bike it work good for me but there should be more education on the realistic range expectation of these bikes.

Hi, I am on  2011 S with a 4kW battery. I get a save 60km range in mixed riding. The GPS tells me average speed of a typical ride to be 30km/hr. I might try to add some batteries (as Doc started at one stage) to extend range a bit. OVerall happy as commute is well covered as well as some additional riding. Charging up wherever there is power ....

cheers

[kingcharles]

Increasing the tyre pressure to the maximum allowed will also help to increase range, but at the cost of some comfort.
Avoiding WOT take off helps a lot too but I guess you already would have guessed that 

[mentalvmaxrider]

Thanks for all the replies.Well,I've been riding to work (approx. 45kms each way mixed) and the little xu makes it no problem so long as I keep an average speed of 95kms or less on the highway......super impressed to say the least..I now want the fx...

[pluto]

I'm amazed you are able to ride 41km with 25 of that on the highway, it must be completely flat. I have a 2012 XU and I am on the last bar, sometimes no bars after a 40km roundtrip commute with a short stretch at 80-90km/h and the rest around 60. My route is fairly hilly however and I hate eco mode too much to use it 

[craigq]

FWIW when my XU is working I'm at 1-2 bars remaining after 48.8 KM on the odometer, mixed 50/60/70/80 kph riding (mostly 50/60), full-throttle (LOL  ) acceleration etc.

[CliC]

Man, you guys are better men (and women, if I were one) than I.  I peg the throttle on my DS on takeoff pretty much any time there isn't a car in front of me . Being able to do that without worrying too much about shortening drivetrain life is one of the things I like about the Zero compared to ICE bikes.

[nicktulloh]

I'm amazed you are able to ride 41km with 25 of that on the highway, it must be completely flat. I have a 2012 XU and I am on the last bar, sometimes no bars after a 40km roundtrip commute with a short stretch at 80-90km/h and the rest around 60. My route is fairly hilly however and I hate eco mode too much to use it 

So no real complaints, eh? If it's really hilly, even more reason to use ECON. It really does make a difference.

[KrazyEd]

I picked up my 2012 XU a couple weeks ago. I have put about 400 miles on it since. My route to and from work is
almost perfect for economy. It is right at 20 miles each way, city streets, or freeway. Altitude is pretty much the
same at start  and end. Some mild up and down sections along the way. Last night, I thought I would see how
far I could go. First leg was to work, 20.2 miles, averaged between 25 mph and 35 mph, all city streets. This
section took exactly one hour. The ride home was quite a bit longer. Most of the speed was at 25 mph or less.
I took a different route home so that I could zig zag my way home. I hit the flashing bars at just over 45 miles.
I got to the last bar at 51 miles, and, finally hit "E" at 56.6 miles. As I was approaching my street, I opened
the throttle to see if I had lost any power. It accelerated to speed with no sign of power loss. I pulled into
my driveway with exactly 57 miles on the charge. Total time on this section was about two and a half hours.
My Kill A Watt meter showed 2.89 KW used to charge.
If my math is correct, that is about 19.7 miles per KW multiply that by 33.7, and, it comes out to almost
665 MPGe. I have heard, and believed that the stock speedometers were optimistic, Mileage on meter is
similar to what Google maps shows for the trip, and, a RADAR speed indicator I passed showed the same
as indicated on my speedometer. Perhaps the low speeds I was traveling weren't high enough to show a
significant difference, oe, maybe the speed difference is cumulative. Either way, at least now, I know
how far I can squeeze range if I HAVE to.
Now to go ride for fun.

[mentalvmaxrider]

man...you sure you're not talking kilometers? That's some pretty good range. My commute is 20km flat streets but 25kms of hilly highway 400....you don't realize how much inclination there is on a highway until you're on a small bike.....

[KrazyEd]

   The 57 miles was PAINFULLY slow. Everyday range on city streets, going 35~45 gets me
to work 20 miles with 4 bars used.. 7 miles slight downhill, then, 13 miles freeway at
57 mph ( eco top speed ), and, I arrive at work with 3 bars. If I put it in sport, and, crank
it up to 65, the last two bars just start flashing as I exit the freeway for work. City streets
to work, have the same slight down grade for the first 7~8 miles, then, mostly level until
a mile or two from work, then, slight up and down hill streets. Freeway, mostly level for
first half, then, slight downhill for a few miles, then, 1~2 miles of slight to moderate
uphill just before my exit. Riding strictly for range, I lose my first bar at 2~4 miles.
Remaining bars fall off between 5~7 miles per bar. Freeway in ECO mode, they drop off
at 3~4 miles per bar. I got the bike August 20 2013, and, already have 700 miles on it.
I would have more, but, we have had a pretty long Monsoon season this year in Vegas.
I just received my 28 tooth sprocket today, once installed, I should be able to hit
60~65 mph in ECO mode. Possibly an extra mile or two of range as well in "pain mode".

[mentalvmaxrider]

I hear you on the pain involved with slow speeds. I'm about 35mph on the small roads and 50-55 on the highway. Still,as impressive as the little bike is I would like to have a larger bike with a bit more range....I get nervous when I see the last bar on the gage and still have 10-15 minutes of my commute left......I am hooked on e bikes now but the gassers will always have their place. I'm looking at an fx or ds.