I've had my Zero SR for a few days now. I had a 13 S 11.4 that I sold the same day I got my new SR.
My impressions:
First off... wow.. the power and torque are fantastic! Everything I hoped it would be. Acceleration is great off the line and insane once moving.
Suspension is MUCH improved over the 13 S. Its still a bit stiff but much more compliant over bumps. Whatever they did to the damping settings made a huge difference. Still haven't played with the adjustments but I don't feel the immediate need to like I did with the '13. My Zero is used as a commuter so in order to get an acceptably comfortable ride on the '13, I had to soften the suspension more than I normally would. On the 14, the baseline settings seem pretty well adjusted for the bike and aggressive riding.
Brakes. The front brakes feel as good as the 13. Which is good since the 13's front brake had great feel and good stopping power. The rear brake, although a non known brand, is much better than the '13. At first, it was almost as wooden feeling as my 13's rear brake but it is breaking in nicely. I would still prefer a bit more bite out of the rear brake but it is better that the 13's.
Weight. The bike IS noticeably heavier than the 13. I can't imagine how it will feel with the heavy power tank that sits high up... will find out though... I'm waiting for the powertank to become available. Its not a bad thing though. I like the feel of the bike now. Makes it seem more like a real bike and not a toy. I don't really now how to describe it. But with the added weight and the better suspension, I am more at home on this bike than I was on the 13.
Dashboard. The new dash is fantastic! I absolutely love the customizable display. Right now, I have the "A" field showing me distance to empty and the "B" field is the odometer. It is changeable but since the labels of the different modes are so small, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it while moving. The mode switch for selecting ECO, SPORT and CUSTOM is a bit far from the thumb and I have to stretch to reach it. The guts for the throttle potentiometer is in the way but it is much better than having to remove my hand from the left grip to flick the switch on the '13. Wish list would be that all three modes (Sport, ECO and Custom) were adjustable and that regen had more range. Still wishing for a lever (where the clutch lever would normally be) that would be a variable regen.
Cornering. The suspension make cornering more confidence inspiring. But the bike now feels a bit slower to turn in. I would assume that the larger rear tire is the culprit. I might try a 130 rear tire and see if the quick steering comes back. I don't hate it. Its not bad or good, just different than the 13. I haven't really ridden the bike in the twisties yet, just commuting so I cannot say whether it is better or worse in the corners.
I am not sure if its me or if it has actually changed but it seems that my legs sit higher than they did on my 13. Are the pegs higher? It seems that the riding position has changed a bit and my legs notice.
I'm not getting as good battery life on this bike as I did on my 13. Gee I wonder why? Maybe I need to restrain my right wrist a bit more! The power delivery is so damn fun, I swear this bike is gonna be a ticket machine for me!
I have to say this. After getting my '13, I got interviewed by someone from Zero (I think it was Aaron). I spent about an hour explaining the things I loved and the things I thought could use improvement. The 14 addressed almost all of my concerns on my gripe list. Zero listens.
Overall, I am much happier with this bike. It feels more solid and upgrading to the better suspension and more power was way worth it for me.
Jose Soriano
Author
Topic: First impressions of the 2014 Zero SR (Read 8903 times)