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[evdjerome]

I'm considering buying a 2013 DS, or possibly S.  What quirks / problems do they have?  Recalls? 

I did see another post in here mentioning "electrical problem and the spocket getting loose problem".  What are those issues?

Thanks in advance Zero owners!

[protomech]

We really should have a sticky at the top with "What you need to know if you're looking at buying a Zero"

Generally speaking, the 2013s seem to have had few systemic problems. Not zero, but not nearly as many error reports as with the 2012 bikes.

We've seen a couple reports of chargers not working properly. (Charger is new for 2013)

We've seen numerous reports of 2013 motors with sprockets that loosen and rattle on the output shaft (Motor is new for 2013). Verify that this has been fixed by the dealer.

We've seen a couple reports of BMS or MBB boards failing. (BMS is updated for 2013, based on a 2012 design)

The 2013 modular batteries have been recalled for improper sealing. This only affects 2013 FX / XU / MX bikes, does not affect S and DS bikes.

It's hard to say how prevalent the problems are, since we don't have access to sales figures. If Zero has sold as many bikes this year as last year, or even more, then it seems like most people are out having fun riding.

[protomech]

Aside from glitches, things to consider:

DS has kind of crappy tires. You'll want to replace those if you do any significant offroad riding, which may not be a problem if you're also considering the S.

The DS is taller, though both bikes are less of a problem than the seat heights would indicate, simply because the bikes are very narrow. You may find that one bike fits you better than the other.

Both bikes are relatively light, as street bikes go. The DS is still pretty heavy for trail riding, though it has nothing on 500+ pound "adventure" bikes..

[Justin Andrews]

Its also worth bearing in mind, that while my own 2012 S-ZF9 has the "glitch" I'm still riding it and clocking an average 225 miles a week on it.

[benswing]

I believe the 2013 models are a significant step forward in quality from 2012.  If you live within easy riding distance of your dealer, they should be able to take care of any warranty work pretty easily.  Any issues I have had since Feb 2012 have been resolved quickly under warranty.

[ZeroSinMA]

I've owned a 2011S that gave me no problems whatsoever, own a 2012S that was glitching over the summer but now that cool dry weather is here there is no water condensation in motor components so the glitch went away, and I'm planning to buy a 2014 DS. Skipped 2013 to let Zero iron out any bugs that were caused by making multiple major changes to the bike at once. Turns out they did a great job on development and test because there were very few bugs. I expect the 2014s to be close to perfect and hope Zero has listened to customer feedback re tires and suspension and this is reflected in the 2014s.