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[dkw12002]

Hard to say how much battery I've lost since each trip is slightly different with wind resistance, tire pressure, acceleration, speed, temperature, etc, but I would guess I've lost 5% in one year and 6700 miles. 

[Rhamphorhynchus]

Am I right in thinking that, given similar riding conditions, a larger pack will lose capacity slower? So, using most (or all) of the FX capacity every day for my commute would age the pack faster than an S pack used for the same riding?

[benswing]

The first few times I made the trip, I spent a lot of interstate speed at 80 mph, even had the slow down red flashing light show up. I returned with 2 bars showing. The last few times I have done the trip, I have had to take the access road for about 8 miles in order to get back home safely, so I have definitely lost range from when the bike was new.

You may want to verify that using a voltmeter, just in case other conditions are causing that behavior. 

I have 14,300 miles on my 2012 and have not noticed any range loss.  When someone loses a battery bar, then we'll have better data on this, but it seems unlikely that a Li-Ion battery would degrade at that rate.

[trikester]

What is it that Zero claims on the newer models? It's something like 240,000 miles to 80% capacity. Don't remember exactly, but the number is very high, compared to the 2010's & 2011's.

I'm 79 so it isn't a factor for me, so I didn't pay much attention to the number. Whoever inherits my Zero's can worry about the battery life. 

Trikester

[Rhamphorhynchus]

Zero say 158,000 miles to 80% on the FX5.7 and 308,000 miles on the S11.4

[LiveandLetDrive]

Plenty of opinions already but one more data point.

My round trip is right about 35mi, and I ride it hard every day.  Most days I ride mostly highway in and combined highway/city home.  I can charge at work which you'd definitely have to do if you were planning to hit more than a mile or three of highway but surface streets even flirting with a wheelie from literally every stop and cruising at 45-50mph I only use half the charge and can do both ways easily.  2500mi on my odo.  I've set off with only two bars (29%) remaining and made it 17mi home riding very gently with a mile or two blinking zero bars at the end.  Forgetting to plug in or plugging into a blown circuit sucks!   

It would be interesting to establish a map of how much continuous power these bikes can dissipate for how long before limiting.  At 75-78mph I can easily make my 9 highway miles without limiting.  80-82mph I can make it 7 miles or so before it starts blinking and I start losing top speed just in the last 1/2mi uphill.  I've never maintained the limited 89mph all the way to torque limiting but I imagine it wouldn't take long!  How much it is pre-heated by getting to the highway and powering your way up to speed will make a difference to that also.  You can temp limit by doing consecutive 0-50 runs as I learned trying to learn to do stoppies on the way to work this morning...     Or by doing 5000 vertical feet of continuous high-torque hill-climbing on the dirt without a break.

In short, yes it can make it, consider how many years you'll own it as far as degradation goes, and the one number that should make up your mind if you really want to play:  275lbs.  (Or 230 with one battery which is great for short dirt loops!)

Supermoto setup from Hollywood Electrics highly recommended and it's surprisingly reasonable as Zero's parts are quite cheap (not including the options and batteries!)  Or at least get some great street rubber to do the bike justice.

[zap mc]

have you considered the relative sizes of the two bikes as the FX is based on the old Zero X which is a 7/8ths size bike?
make sure you actually see it in the flesh and ride it before you buy it as many people cannot tell the actual difference in physical size unless they see the bikes firsthand, if you are a big dude then the FX may feel a bit small. oh and get a long warranty and a good dealer, you will need it...

[trikester]

if you are a big dude then the FX may feel a bit small. oh and get a long warranty and a good dealer, you will need it...

I'm 6'3" and I ride an FX. It was somewhat cramped until I put handle bar risers on it. The risers I used also can swing forward some, which I dad. I like the feel of my FX now. It even seems to handle better.

Trikester

[Rhamphorhynchus]

Thanks all. Definitely planning to test ride first! There's a dealer about an hour from me.

[bammerburn]

6'4'' here, my 2014 FX feels great in size, even more than my SV650 with handlebar and seat modifications. I have a 34'' inseam.

[Opa]

I am 6'4" as well. Compared to the Aprilia RSV-R it replaced, the 2014 FX is very comfortable. I will now stay off the main highway as I don't like to play "Bumper-Cars". The range is fine, I just need to reprogram myself to ride it properly.

[KrazyEd]

Not sure if this is the right area,but, it seems as good as any. I recently picked up a used 2013 FX and have a few questions.
The bike has a little under 700 miles. I have left it plugged in when not riding to keep batteries balanced.
When I use the on board charger, the FX shows fully charged, but, the phone app shows 95%. Do others notice this?
When I use the On Board and Fast charger, I get to 100% showing 5.336 Capacity KWhour. Is this also normal?
I hear a lot about thermal slow down. I live in Vegas where it is over 100 degrees for about half the year, so, this
is a concern. I have not had issues yet, but, have been gentle. My 2012 XU has never had any problems in over 3000 miles.
The only temperature that I have seen anyone post is 250 degrees. Is this normal, or, does it occur at lower temperatures?
I am sure that I will have other questions, but, these are concerns that I have now.
If not appropriate for this section, feel free to answer directly.
Thanks

[LiveandLetDrive]

I don't have any specific info for you on the charging but it's a common comment I've seen to end up with non-100% at completed charging.  There could be some battery degradation over time but mostly I think it's just variability in the charger or voltage reporting (with temp, etc.).  Personally I don't worry about it.

I hear a lot about thermal slow down. I live in Vegas where it is over 100 degrees for about half the year, so, this
is a concern. I have not had issues yet, but, have been gentle. My 2012 XU has never had any problems in over 3000 miles.
The only temperature that I have seen anyone post is 250 degrees. Is this normal, or, does it occur at lower temperatures?

I thought 232*F was when thermal limiting begins.  212*F is when it starts the warning flash.  I only run into thermal limits when:

continuous highway operation in the high 70s mph (~10mi) or mid 80s (a few miles max.)
continuous extreme hill climbing off-road
repeated 0-60mph runs and supermoto racing.

It's designed to protect itself so if you hit it, you just need to go easy on it until it cools, you won't hurt it or so Zero explicitly says in the manual.  Now if you're like me and hit it every day, who knows, maybe this will be rough on it over time.  Personally I've found no significant difference in the thermal limiting whether it's 45F or 90F.  The motor is so poorly cooled relative to how quickly it can generate heat the ambient temp only matters if you're right on the edge.  Very cold temps will reduce effective battery capacity somewhat.

If you run the app while you ride you can watch the temps and feel when it starts limiting and the warning light goes solid red.