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[DesignerDan]

After over a year of owning my 2013 Zero S, I hit the 20,000 mile mark. I want to give a "year review" of the bike but I want to keep it short so I will just list the pros and cons.

Things I like:

Reliability -When I flip the key switch, it's nice to know that the Zero will most likely start up
Longevity -Only brake pads and tires needed replacing so far
Comfort -The ladies all love the Zero because the rider and passenger riding positions are very comfortable
Quietness -I can take the Zero where gas bikes can't go because they are too loud and obnoxious
Zero emissions -This comes into play when you want to bring the Zero inside of a building.
Torque at any RPM
No shifting
No clutch
Instant throttle response -Makes throttle cables seem primitive
Tunability - Via the mobile app
BELT DRIVE - I never want a chain again. The Zero's belt drive has shown me the light
Storage compartment - I use it every single day. My life would suck without it

Things I don't like:

Lack of a goddamn reverse! - As a guy that lives in Florida, I like to park the Zero in shade whenever I can. This usually means driving on grass to park under a tree. It is such a pain in the ass to back up the Zero in grass. Sometimes I can't do it and it's really frustrating because adding a reverse is as easy as adding an electrical switch. It's a key advantage to electrics and to see Zero not exploiting this makes me really sad.
Lack of fairing - would help with range and riding comfort

Well those were my main complaints.

Hope this was helpful.

[dkw12002]

Congratulations on the mileage. I (only) have 7500 mi. on my 2013 S 8.5. I'll need a rear tire soon, but brakes look fine, in part because I don't use them much since I ride in eco with max everything, so the regen does most of the slowing and stopping for me. What I like most is light weight, fast off the line, no warming up needed, short trips are fine, along with no shifting, throttle response, quietness, and I prefer the belt drive too.

[protomech]

Nice! That's a big ol' pile of electric miles : )

I know you had a few issues early on .. then you swapped for a ZF11.4 bike I think? Has the 11.4 bike been reliable since then?

[benswing]

Congrats on the milestone!  Just passed 17,000 and hope to be in the 20,000's by August. 

Great to see more electric bikes with high mileage!

[DesignerDan]

Nice! That's a big ol' pile of electric miles : )

I know you had a few issues early on .. then you swapped for a ZF11.4 bike I think? Has the 11.4 bike been reliable since then?

Yes Zero did swap bikes and that's how I ended up with the 11.4 kWh. There has been one issue with it a while back. The contactor welded itself shut. Zero replaced the contactor and update the software to prevent it from happening.

So the only problems I've had with it have been software bugs. I hope to see future bikes be like tesla; the owner can update the software themselves as it becomes available.

[MostlyBonkers]

Are you commuting Dan? How long is your round trip? Impressive work!

[DesignerDan]

Are you commuting Dan? How long is your round trip? Impressive work!

My Zero is and has been my only vehicle for over a year. No matter where I need to go, the Zero takes me there.

The biggest inconvenience ISNT the range. I've been averaging 100 miles per charge and that's enough for me. The problem is the 8 hour recharge time AND the lack of charging infrastructure. If Chademo were available every 10 miles, having the an electric vehicle would be a dream.

But so far I'm so happy with the Zero that I really don't have much motivation to buy a car. I don't want to deal with the insurance and maintenance.

[MostlyBonkers]

Well that says it all really. It's such a shame that Zero fell flat here in the UK. Tesla motors seem to be leading the way with charging stations. Hopefully electric bikes will be able to take full advantage of the infrastructure being built out for electric cars. I think way too much is made of range limitations. I'm sure at least 95% of bike miles are done well within a 100 mile/day maximum usage. For those who only ever take their bikes on long day trips, go touring and never commute, then an ICE bike is going to be the only real choice for some years to come. Besides, why suffer the depreciation of an EV and the quick obsolescence of current technology when you're only doing 3,000 miles a year?

[Richard230]

Most of my riding is done within a 40-mile radius and the Zero works perfectly for me.  I do my chores, family visits and ride here and there then come home and put the bike on the charger and it is ready to go the next morning.  If I want to go camping, or to a BMW rally, I take one of my IC bikes. They work out just fine for long distances, which typically involve a 4 or 500 mile day and about three 5-minute stops at a gas station to refuel.

[MostlyBonkers]

Just a thought, have you got in touch with Zero Motorcycles and told them about your achievement? Despite their best efforts it seems they need all the help they can get with marketing.

[dkw12002]

I just crossed 8200 miles, so my 2013 S 8.5 is probably one of the higher mileage bikes now. I ride it a few miles every day that it isn't raining. Besides Designer Dan, anyone else with high mileage on a Zero?

[Doug S]

... anyone else with high mileage on a Zero?

I don't think it qualifies as "high mileage" yet, but I'm racking them up pretty fast. I have a 50-mile round-trip commute that I do almost every day on my '14 SR. Since the end of January, I've racked up 5400 miles. "Zero" problems so far (sorry), except for the recall (my motor failed and had to be replaced), the stitching on my storage bag ripped out (replaced for free when the bike was in for the recall), and an occasional failure to boot up correctly, which is solved by simply turning the key to the "off" position and back on again. I couldn't be happier with my bike and look forward to testing the 100,000 mile reliability in the not-too-distant future!

[benswing]

Over 21,000 now.  My commute is tiny, and most of my miles come from going into NYC 40 mi round trip), and 10,000 miles from summer road trips.

Keep it up!

[Justin Andrews]

I'm homing in fast on the 10,000 mile mark. Its really hard to say what high mileage is on these bikes, but I find 20,000 miles "a good start"

Its the race to 100,000 miles. :p

[WindRider]

Nice post and great to see that the Pro list is way longer than the cons.