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[MostlyBonkers]

I've had my Fazer FZS 1000 for approx. 3 months now so I'm getting pretty familiar with its capabilities. I've come up with a bit of a theory and I wonder if it bears any relation to the experience of you lucky SR owners out there.

I'm fascinated with the way that EVs produce torque and how that changes the real world riding experience. In order for my Fazer to produce anything close to the torque figures quoted for the SR I have to keep the engine on the boil between 7-11,000 rpm. That can be rather difficult to do with everyday riding as the top end of the rev range results in 70 mph in 1st and 90 mph in 2nd.

I had a little play around with this on some very quiet back roads a little while ago. I can assure you that tranquility was broken for the duration! Gear changes between 1st and 2nd are seldom smooth at the best of times and constantly flicking between the two at every bend does not feel good. I did make it into 3rd gear on a couple of occasions but as you can imagine my speed was soon well over the ton and I was entering the zone of insanity, especially on single lane country roads.

With the Zero SR's top speed of 105 mph I estimate that its single gear is equivalent to somewhere between 2nd and 3rd on my Fazer. Unless you've got some kind of death wish, 1st gear isn't really useable around corners. That's partly due to the risk of wheel spin (although that's easy to control with the throttle), but also because you have no time in the gear before you're hitting the redline and having to change up. Therefore, 2nd gear is the cog of choice if you want to rag it, although it suffers just a little in very slow bends.

With the Zero SR's extra torque, available across the entire rev range, I'm thinking that opening the throttle coming out of a low speed corner is the equivalent of the kind of acceleration you get from the Fazer with the top end rush from 60-90 mph in 2nd.  If that's the case then the SR must be an animal at tearing up the twisties!

How does it feel in reality? Is it as good as I imagine? Or do the electronics hold you back too much below 40 mph?  There's also the question of the big difference in power output between the two motors. Whilst the SR must give you a good shove when accelerating from low speeds, surely this soon tails off as the speed rises above 60 mph?

[krash7172]

Accelerating from 20 mph to 80 mph on an SR is quick. The top and bottom 20 aren't as impressive but I like the range myself. Leaving a corner is exceptional. Flick of the wrist and you are gone while everyone else is figuring out what gear to be in

[MostlyBonkers]

Thanks k7. It really makes a compelling argument for electric vs ICE. Even for die hard petrol heads! I just wish I could afford one...

[krash7172]

My long love is a 23 yr old Honda V4 and it eats highway miles for breakfast, rain or shine even with a passenger. EV has it's place. It's here to stay. My zero is great for 90% of what I need but it can't replace my ICE Honda (yet)

[Richard230]

Don't forget that on an ICE bike (like my FZ1 or Fazer 1000), you have to have a fully opened throttle to achieve the maximum torque at those quoted revs and how long can you hold the throttle fully open when operating in first or second gear at high revs?  So you only get the maximum quoted torque for a second or two, whereas on an SR, it is available almost all of the time at most speeds just by opening up the throttle. 

I also note that my Zero S is geared just slightly higher than my FZ1, which does 4000 rpm at 60 mph when in top gear, while my Zero is turning 3900 rpm at 60 mph.  Of course, the Yamaha revs to almost twice the rpm as does the Zero at maximum speed, making it much faster when fully wound out.

[MostlyBonkers]

Ahh... my estimate of a 2nd/3rd gear equivalence was wrong because I assumed the motors would be doing the same revs. I can't really compare then. In top gear on the Fazer you'd be doing well over 100 mph before you came close to max torque. At those speeds so much of the torque and power is countered by drag. It would be better to measure torque delivered at the back wheel at different speeds. This would be constant for the Zero but variable on the Fazer, even more so when measuring it with different gears selected for each speed increment. The Zero SR should beat the Fazer from 30 - 70 mph with the Fazer in top gear. I think the Fazer would win in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear though. Drag race anyone?

[Richard230]

I would be happy to drag race my Zero, but not so my Yamaha.  Spinning the engine up to 7000 rpm and letting the clutch out slowly so that the rear tire will not spin, or the bike wheelie, or the engine bog, is not a talent that I have.  But just sitting there and opening up the throttle is something that I can do.   

[MostlyBonkers]

Good point Richard. Sums up the joy of electric really - effortless acceleration without all the fuss. I want one! I'd have to keep my Fazer though, just like you've done. [emoji41]