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[MostlyBonkers]

If I do take the plunge and buy a Zero I will probably have to live with it for at least four years to get anywhere close to justifying the up-front purchase price.  In those four years I am likely to average approximately 10,000 miles using it to commute to work.  I'll be riding in all weathers, the exceptions being temperatures below about 3 degrees Celsius and those few occasions when the forecast is heavy rain all day.  I don't mind getting soaked on one leg of the trip, but both ways starts to become an ordeal!

I've no doubt that I'll enjoy the experience of commuting on a Zero at first and hope that continues.  However, for those of you that have owned your bikes for at least a year or longer, how do you feel about your bike now?  If you have a 2012 model, are you itching to upgrade to a 2015?

I fear that the second hand market for Zero's will be quite a difficult one, so once I buy in to a Zero I'm going to be married to it for better or worse.

[ColoPaul]

I have a 2012SZF6, 18K miles, 2.5 years of ownership.   I am very happy with it, although the first ~2500 miles were problematic.  I often ride in very cold temps, works fine (expect reduced range however!).   I rarely ride in the rain, but it does happen sometimes.   Of course I'd love to have a 2015, but it doesn't make sense $$-wise since I already own the 2012.   The secondhand market for 2012's is pretty difficult.

[Doug S]

I've had my SR since the end of January 2014, have 9400 miles on it now, and couldn't be happier with it, except for the rear shock absorber which has already worn out (though it's going to be repaired under warranty this Saturday). I don't like to ride mine in the rain, but then I do live in San Diego and that doesn't take much of a bite out of my riding schedule. I don't mind so much getting wet on my way home, where I can always change into dry clothes, but I hate getting wet riding to work and having to sit in wet clothes until they dry out.

I'd agree that you shouldn't count on resale in later years when balancing the equation for when/if you should buy. Electric motorcycles are still a pretty small niche market and I don't think there's a lot of certainty about the future market for used machines, let alone that they'll have reasonable values. I have no intention to sell mine, though maybe you could pry it from my cold, dead hands. Not even sure about that, though, my brother wants it pretty badly and I do plan on putting it in my living trust next time I revise it.

[Electric Terry]

There was a big jump in the technology on the motorcycles each year up to the 2013.  So resale values on the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Zero's should be quite good.  Meaning upgrading each year if you want shouldn't be hard to take advantage of small increases in range or something else.   It should be getting similar to the Tesla Model S.  A car 3 years old is still going for about $100k when sold just over that new.

Yes those who own a 2012 or earlier model took a little of a depreciation hit because of the jump in voltage, power and motor design in 2013.  But from what I have seen the used 2013's on the market haven't depreciated much.  Meaning the used market is beginning to stabilize to follow normal curves that used vehicles follow.

So it looks pretty safe to say purchasing a 2015 Zero will be a financially responsible purchasing decision.

If you plan on doing about 10,000 miles a year, you would pay for over half the bike in 4 years in gas and maintenance costs.  At 70,000 miles on my 2012 Zero the bike fully paid for itself, and all my charging upgrades, versus if I had continued riding a gas bike like my Yamaha R1.

My 2012 had some issues early on, but after I got them fixed it's been smooth sailing for the most part the last 50,000+ miles or so.  I've had to replace tires and wheel bearings but that's about it.

Riding a newer Zero like the 2015 SR that has better suspension and ABS has a value in itself that is hard to put a price on.  The safety and confidence in braking hard in an emergency and not having the wheel lock up could save you from injury or even getting killed.  How do you determine what it's worth to you to have that.  So even though to me it makes good financial sense to buy a Zero from saving on gas and maintenance, but there is so much more to consider.   I mean the enjoyment of riding and accelerating hard without making everyone around you go deaf, from each and every stoplight, without looking like a jerk or getting attention from the cops is so valuable to me.  The smoothness of torque at any speed in corners knowing the back tire isn't going to jump from shifting gears and slide out on you, and just the pure electric grin of happiness everyone has when getting off the 2015 Zero's is something that is hard to quantify.  Also knowing you are helping to be a pioneer in the electric vehicle movement that will help us get past dirty forms of energy is also something that makes you feel good in a way that is hard to value.  How much would you otherwise spend to do things to make you happy if you didn't have an electric motorcycle?  I know it's cliché but owning a new Zero is almost priceless when you add up all the ways it brings value to your life.

As much as I love my 2012 Zero, you will see me on a 2015 Zero soon.  I hope to see everyone here on one this year.  Feel free to print out the paragraph above for cliff notes when discussing this with your significant other.

- Terry

[NoiseBoy]

I developed a real affinity for my 2012 S, moreso than any ICE bike I have owned.  I was pretty upset when the 13 model was such a big step up and came out about 3 months after I received my 12.  I loved it until it started falling apart.  Unlike the ICE's it has always got me home, although a couple of times at 15mph because of failed throttle pots.

It squeaks, shakes and rattles like a humpback whale being murdered by a pack of rapid dolphins with tambourines.  Which really detracts from the original magic carpet ride experience.  I haven't found Zero customer service to be very good at all, parts delivery is extremely slow but luckily my dealer is great and always sorts me out with their demo bike as a loaner.  Oh and the brakes are rubbish.

Having said all that I would never go back to a gas bike now and will buy a new Zero when I can afford it, because they have fixed everything I complain about (except possibly the poor service.)  I also get irritated every time i drive my car now, nothing wrong with the car except it has an engine and gears!

[Richard230]

I was very happy with my 2012 S and gave it to my daughter, who is still riding it around town when she doesn't need to drive her car to haul the kids around.  The bike has over 10K miles so far and still runs like a top.  Some of the plastic fairing parts, screws and brackets need attention at times to keep them from falling off the bike, so that is something to watch.  But the motor, batteries and all of the other power-train components work like new.  The Fast Ace suspension isn't the best, but it still goes up and down and hasn't leaked any oil yet.

I have had no issues with my 2014 S, once its power tank was sorted, and I ride it almost every day for rides under 100 miles in lieu of driving my car.  For longer trips I take one of my IC motorcycles, but the Zero is ridden more miles each month than all of my other 4 bikes combined.

[benswing]

She isn't perfect, but I still love my 2012 Zero S.  Basically for the same reasons as everyone else.  I ride rain or shine and have been caught in some impressive downpours.  Still going strong after 23k miles!

Upgraded to a size 6 controller and dual Elcon chargers so I can take road trips.  Went 6,000 miles last summer in a month.  That was my favorite month!

[Justin Andrews]

In just under six months I've put about five and half thousand miles on my Zero-S, my Diversion is sitting on my driveway, rusting.
The Diversion is VERY likely to be sold in the next couple of months as I never use it.

Yeah, I'm happy with my Zero, my 2013 probably rates up there with the favorite bikes I've owned.

[mericle]

I commute rain or shine to my office every day on my 2012 and have never had an issue with being soaked. I just wear rain gear; it really works. The cold is not an issue here in central Florida either. Riding my Zero is still very enjoyable after 37k miles. I really cannot image having to go back to commuting without it. One thing that I really love about the bike is how portable it is. I can very quickly load the bike into my pickup truck and take it with me on vacations. My wife and I toured all around Key West and had a unique experience. I love to sail and riding my Zero is almost like sailing on the road.

[MostlyBonkers]

Thanks for all your comments.  It's good to see a few of you have racked up many thousands of trouble-free miles on your 2012's, despite them seeming to be the model is the most issues.  The message from you all has been consistent over the 18 months I've been involved with this forum; that you enjoy riding your Zeros and any ICE bikes you keep get neglected.  The current round of talks with my wife have been initiated and I'm more certain in my mind than ever that it's time to take the plunge!

[flexydude]

completely dissapointed with both my 2010 ds which is dead in the water with only 1200 miles on it, and my 2012 zf9 which has been in the shop 3 MONTHS waiting for a new motor. I have since bought a new suzuki gw 250 which gets 72 mpg and is faster and cost a fraction of what the zero cost, and a new 2014 yamaha xt 250 which gets 76 mpg . I'l never get an electric bike or recommend anyone get one till they are as dependable as zero claims.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I have 11,000 miles on my 2013 DS and extremely happy with it; it's a perfect commuter with extremely little maintenance. I had two warrantee repairs which both covered reliability flaws with the bike's initial parts and assembly (all repairs involved replacements that addressed the original defect). I'd assume that 2015 will work better. These vehicles are still in an early phase of quality assurance and scale, but the 2013 and forward bikes seem to be pretty robust.

Once my warranty expires, I may sing a different tune, but at that point I also intend to customize the firmware a bit. Honestly, I know what amount of my budget I am saving because I use the bike daily instead of a gas vehicle.

[dvdt]

Overall, I've really appreciated my 2012S for commuting. Over the course of 18k miles, I did suffer through a major issue (the 'glitch') and a minor issue, but each was resolved under warranty. As noted in another post in the thread, that there were such issues during the warranty period causes me to be somewhat concerned regarding the post-warranty period (my warranty will expire imminently). Still, I find that the general low maintenance provides peace of mind as this is my primary commute vehicle.

I did find my range to be substantially reduced at low temperatures (e.g., 25F). If your commute requires use even under cold weather conditions, I recommend having ample battery capacity to preclude anxiety.

[peter]

I'll join flexydude here with another note of caution. Given the issues experienced with my wife's 2012 XU, I can't say I'm happy with it. At the moment it's working again and we've got a few months left on its warranty. Fingers crossed our problems are over, but who knows....

Bonkers you might want to think about your sampling design here - how do you sample folks whose experience with a 2012 Zero has driven them from electric motorcycles and this forum? If such folks exist. Go to whichever [insert motorcycle name here] forum and ask what they're like and you'll get that [reinsert name] are awesome in their awesomeness.

And personally I still prefer riding my ICE bike over the Zero, for added grinchiness (grinchitude?).
Peter

[benswing]

It seems that there is a trend with the 2012 and earlier bikes having issues such as those listed above and the 2013+ bikes being much more robust and receiving faster technical support. 

I think you can have confidence that you will have a good experience if you get a 2013+ bike.