Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Straightedg4lif]

Hello all, new to this forum and was hoping to get some opinions on the new Zero S. I have wanted one for a couple of years but wanted to wait until they had ABS. Now it seems like I am ready to pull the trigger come spring! I currently ride a non electric bike (Aprilia Mana) and like it a lot but since I am only 5'3 the bike is a little heavy for me. My questions are has anyone lowered their Zero bikes, and if so how low can it go? Plus has anyone taken a Zero S on the highway? I wanted to know how it faired with the flow of traffic and if anyone would recommend going on the highway with it or sticking to back roads? I look forward to any and all replies thank you for your time!

[oobflyer]

I just got mine one week ago (SR) - I cannot recommend it enough. The thing is just amazing.
As far as lowering the bike - I dont' have experience with that, but the 2015 seat is an inch or so lower than the 2012. Have you sat on one of the new bikes? I'm 5' 7" and I can easily put both feet flat on the ground. I have a buddy that is about your height - he wears some nice riding boots and he can also reach the ground - no problem.
Freeway? Are you kidding? This electric monster was made for the freeway! With more torque than most sport bikes you will have more than enough acceleration and speed for the freeway. If you are making a longer ride you can switch from 'Sport' mode to 'Eco' mode on the fly and cruise in the slow lane, knowing that you can switch back to 'Sport' mode any time you need it.
Have you decided on the 'S' vs. the 'SR' for sure? It took me awhile to decide, but in the end I went with the 'SR' and I'm glad I did. Even at age 54 it turns out that I'm still 'young at heart' ;-)

[dkw12002]

Be sure to sit on the bike first. The seat is going to be tall for you.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Definitely take that bike on the highway. The smooth roll on of torque means that you have a lot of maneuverability in traffic situations and no stress about what gear you're in.

As for weight, it'll depend on how much battery capacity you opt for. Looking at the specs page, it seems like 375-450 lbs is the range. I think the power tank brings up the center of gravity a bit, but generally I've found Zeros to be pretty low-centered.

If you're wondering how well it goes high speed, well, it does it with less complaint than any gas bike will. It's actually too easy to speed when you get the urge. :p

[Burton]

One unique thing about highway traffic with this bike is merging or "slotting in" with traffic.

You can come off or on a ramp and just pick where you want to slot in and throttle on. It isn't hard at all. I commute about 53 miles every day on the highway at 75mph and it is a great ride. I have to be careful not to speed though as it is so easy to do.

The bike feels like a ninja 250 in weight since most of the weight is low to the ground and well centered. Your main issue will be lowering the bike. You will likely have to replace the rear shock with a shorter one and or raise the forks in the triple tree. My bike was previously used for racing and has the DS shock and front forks. The forks however are slid up / down in the triple tree to adjust height. I am not sure how much you could do this on a stock bike as my S forks are off the bike in a box

[Straightedg4lif]

I just got mine one week ago (SR) - I cannot recommend it enough. The thing is just amazing.
As far as lowering the bike - I dont' have experience with that, but the 2015 seat is an inch or so lower than the 2012. Have you sat on one of the new bikes? I'm 5' 7" and I can easily put both feet flat on the ground. I have a buddy that is about your height - he wears some nice riding boots and he can also reach the ground - no problem.
Freeway? Are you kidding? This electric monster was made for the freeway! With more torque than most sport bikes you will have more than enough acceleration and speed for the freeway. If you are making a longer ride you can switch from 'Sport' mode to 'Eco' mode on the fly and cruise in the slow lane, knowing that you can switch back to 'Sport' mode any time you need it.
Have you decided on the 'S' vs. the 'SR' for sure? It took me awhile to decide, but in the end I went with the 'SR' and I'm glad I did. Even at age 54 it turns out that I'm still 'young at heart' ;-)

I haven't yet sat on one of the bikes. I plan to do so in the near future just wanted to get some advice since the bikes are a bit costly!
I decided on the S for the fact that I do not like the color red! I wish it came in all black but since I am only riding for pleasure not for commuting I think the S will be just fine for me. I am coming from an 850cc bike and that was why I was asking about the highway. I want to make sure it will keep up with all the speed demons out there.
Thanks for responding to my questions.

[Straightedg4lif]

One unique thing about highway traffic with this bike is merging or "slotting in" with traffic.

You can come off or on a ramp and just pick where you want to slot in and throttle on. It isn't hard at all. I commute about 53 miles every day on the highway at 75mph and it is a great ride. I have to be careful not to speed though as it is so easy to do.

The bike feels like a ninja 250 in weight since most of the weight is low to the ground and well centered. Your main issue will be lowering the bike. You will likely have to replace the rear shock with a shorter one and or raise the forks in the triple tree. My bike was previously used for racing and has the DS shock and front forks. The forks however are slid up / down in the triple tree to adjust height. I am not sure how much you could do this on a stock bike as my S forks are off the bike in a box

The reason I was asking about the highway was because I was emailing a rep from Zero and he said that he has ridden the S quite a bit but not on the highway. He felt that it would not be able to keep up with the traffic and I have heard conflicting things on that and wanted to hear what actual riders have to say about it. I appreciate your input!

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

One unique thing about highway traffic with this bike is merging or "slotting in" with traffic.

You can come off or on a ramp and just pick where you want to slot in and throttle on. It isn't hard at all. I commute about 53 miles every day on the highway at 75mph and it is a great ride. I have to be careful not to speed though as it is so easy to do.

The Zero is maybe the best bike in the world at "slotting in". I do this every day. You can just dial in exactly how you want to come in and the bike executes it perfectly.

The reason I was asking about the highway was because I was emailing a rep from Zero and he said that he has ridden the S quite a bit but not on the highway. He felt that it would not be able to keep up with the traffic and I have heard conflicting things on that and wanted to hear what actual riders have to say about it. I appreciate your input!

A Zero rep probably lives near SF's South Bay area where highway speeds are really high (80+mph sometimes) and that speed can make the bike's range pretty short. Also, high speeds in hot temperatures after a while can start to overheat the motor which will cause the bike to self-limit; I think the 2015 lower cowling will reduce that somewhat since it improves airflow, though.

[Straightedg4lif]

One unique thing about highway traffic with this bike is merging or "slotting in" with traffic.

You can come off or on a ramp and just pick where you want to slot in and throttle on. It isn't hard at all. I commute about 53 miles every day on the highway at 75mph and it is a great ride. I have to be careful not to speed though as it is so easy to do.

The Zero is maybe the best bike in the world at "slotting in". I do this every day. You can just dial in exactly how you want to come in and the bike executes it perfectly.

The reason I was asking about the highway was because I was emailing a rep from Zero and he said that he has ridden the S quite a bit but not on the highway. He felt that it would not be able to keep up with the traffic and I have heard conflicting things on that and wanted to hear what actual riders have to say about it. I appreciate your input!

A Zero rep probably lives near SF's South Bay area where highway speeds are really high (80+mph sometimes) and that speed can make the bike's range pretty short. Also, high speeds in hot temperatures after a while can start to overheat the motor which will cause the bike to self-limit; I think the 2015 lower cowling will reduce that somewhat since it improves airflow, though.

Thanks for your reply. I live in the Philadelphia area so should be fine on the highway, and really don't travel that much on it but wanted to make sure it was a possibility.

[Blotman]

I'm about as tall as you, and can sit on the bike comfortably. I can flat one foot with the other on the peg. Can't quite get both feet flat at the same time though. I didn't bother lowering it.

Now screw anyone that says this isn't a highway bike, or that it's just for getting around the city. The Zero S is simply perfect for highway commuting! I'm nearing 14,000 mostly highway miles with this thing, and it has been more capable than my previously owned BMW F800R. You have max torque and instant response at ANY speed up to 95 mph, without the hassle of down-shifting and building revs to get it. This bike can coast at around 60, 70, 80, maybe 90 mph. Although, overheating may occur on warmer days the harder you push the bike.

If you could find a better highway commuter, I would love to hear about it!

[Straightedg4lif]

I'm about as tall as you, and can sit on the bike comfortably. I can flat one foot with the other on the peg. Can't quite get both feet flat at the same time though. I didn't bother lowering it.

Now screw anyone that says this isn't a highway bike, or that it's just for getting around the city. The Zero S is simply perfect for highway commuting! I'm nearing 14,000 mostly highway miles with this thing, and it has been more capable than my previously owned BMW F800R. You have max torque and instant response at ANY speed up to 95 mph, without the hassle of down-shifting and building revs to get it. This bike can coast at around 60, 70, 80, maybe 90 mph. Although, overheating may occur on warmer days the harder you push the bike.

If you could find a better highway commuter, I would love to hear about it!

Thanks that is exactly what I wanted to hear! Do you know how quick the bike is likely to overheat? If you are going normal mph like 45-55? Will it overheat then or only if you are pushing it 80-90 mph?

[KenMac]

Other than making sure you're not in ECO mode, it has no problem on the highway.  ECO will likely just speed limit you to 70mph so you may still be happy but I like having the extra there if needed so used sport mode on the highway.  I've only test ridden the S a couple of times at this point but made it a point to get it on the highway for a bit and feel how it rode.  It did great.  Now I have a SR on order.  Like you, I wish the SR had an all black option but just had to go for the extra power the SR provided.

[oobflyer]

Zero claims that the "sustained" top speed is 80 MPH - I haven't tried riding mine at that speed for very long, so I haven't seen the speed limiter come on.
I did, however, push it to 100 MPH the other day - just for a second though - don't want to go back to jail  ;-)
The 2012 bikes had a "sustained" top speed of 75 MPH. If I rode my 2012 at 80 MPH for more than five minutes or so the temperature warning light would light up and the speed limiter would come on - slowing you down to 75 MPH. But if you slow down to the speed limit for just a few seconds the temp would decrease and the warning light would turn back off.
I'm hoping to do some riding this weekend to see how the 2015 SR behaves in various situations.

[Burton]

The reason I was asking about the highway was because I was emailing a rep from Zero and he said that he has ridden the S quite a bit but not on the highway. He felt that it would not be able to keep up with the traffic and I have heard conflicting things on that and wanted to hear what actual riders have to say about it. I appreciate your input!

As you can see from my signature my 2013 is slightly modified. It is basically a SR and it has no problem going fast I have about 6k miles on it in mostly fall / winter riding and haven't had a chance to ride it in summer yet. By then I hope my vetter fairing is in place helping me push my range farther.

Now having said that and owning a geared down ninja 250 I can tell you it is perfectly fine to run slower than traffic around you. I have 50k+ commuting miles under my belt in the DC metropolitan area and never had an issue with going slower than the traffic around me. In fact it tends to create a huge open area in front of me and behind me.

I could see where you could tack on some custom air vents to direct more flow toward the motor if you are worried about it overheating. You can also gear it for speed using the 25/98 gearing I think and it will lower the rpm at 80 increasing your top sustained speed if I recall. My bike goes about 75mph at 4krpm with the higher gearing.

[Straightedg4lif]

Other than making sure you're not in ECO mode, it has no problem on the highway.  ECO will likely just speed limit you to 70mph so you may still be happy but I like having the extra there if needed so used sport mode on the highway.  I've only test ridden the S a couple of times at this point but made it a point to get it on the highway for a bit and feel how it rode.  It did great.  Now I have a SR on order.  Like you, I wish the SR had an all black option but just had to go for the extra power the SR provided.

Have you ridden the SR at all yet? I know it has more power, but just can't get over the red color...ugh! I feel for what I intend to do that the S will probably be good enough for me. Now this might seem like a dumb question but what is the S like in comparison to CC's? And the same question for the SR? I know it probably doesn't convert but I was wondering if there is a way to compare in any way.