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[domingo3]

What say you?  I know this is falling back on reliance on anecdotes.  The data so far on the demographics thread are not encouraging, but they cover a range of models and years.  Here I'm asking for opinions on if this will work.  I really want to go electric, but I'm not going to have multiple bikes.   A single ICE bike has been good enough for me to get by on.  In theory, there's so much less to go wrong on a Zero but the demographics poll shows several responses with bikes off the road for weeks or months.  Does this represent other models?  Is it because people are buying this as a "fun" bike and are not as aggressive in pursuing a solution?  What are your specific experiences with the SR?  I'm thinking of purchasing in 2016 either a 2015 or 2016 model.  Of course, we don't know what 2016 will bring, but I'd appreciate any input about reliability.  It seems Zero market share is not big enough yet for the likes of Consumer Reports to do a study.

[pinkyracer]

Well, I have a 2013 FX, so it's not the same model. But it's my main ride, and I put about 20 hard miles/day on it at least. The batteries were recalled shortly after I got it, so I was without the bike for a couple months. Zero compensated us all for our trouble, but it broke my heart not being able to ride my favorite bike. Now, over the past couple months, it's been having a starting issue. Harlan and the folks at Zero are doing everything they can to figure out why it's doing this. It doesn't start, and if I turn it off then on again it's fine. But sometimes it'll just die while I'm riding, which is terrifying.

Since it's still under warranty, they're doing everything they can to fix it. But if I didn't still have my R1 I'd be really bummed. My advice is keep your gas bike as a backup and for touring. Most Americans who ride do so only on weekends, and Zero is a relatively new company trying to build bikes cheap enough to appeal to us using a VERY expensive part (batteries). Batteries are getting cheaper, which is why they're able to offer the 2015's with kick-ass suspension & brakes, and other improvements, while only being around $500 more expensive.

[benswing]

Rode my 2012 Zero S for 23,000 miles without issue.  The only thing I needed to get fixed was a brake light that burned out.  Otherwise, rain, shine or snow I was riding.  The 2014 and 2015's seem to have even better reliability.

[mericle]

I have put over 40k fun commuter miles on my 2012 but I have had to depend on a backup vehicle. When things go wrong, you are at the mercy of Zero getting out the needed parts. The very best is a week. I actually got a part once in a week and the dealer and I had a good laugh of excitement. My main problem with upgrading to a 2015 is that I don't think that Zero has addressed what I believe causes most of my issues and that is water encroachment into the electronics. The BMS is now totally encased in a water proof material but it still fails if water seeps in elsewhere. Making it work may depend on where you live. I live in Florida where it rains often; so staying out of the rain is not really an option for me.

[Doug S]

I have a 2014 SR with 13,000 miles on it at the moment. I live in San Diego so I've been able to commute on my bike (I have a ~50-mile mostly freeway round-trip commute, and I don't recharge at work) an average of well over 4 days per week. I kept my 528i so I don't have to drive in the rain and can drive long distances or pick up a large batch of groceries when I need to.

In 14 months now, I've been out of action for between fifteen and twenty days total. Five were for the recall (got my motor replaced in five days including shipping, which seems pretty reasonable to me), a few were for a warranty rear shock replacement, five to replace a defective charger (under warranty), a couple to replace both tires and front brake pads (routine maintenance), and the balance were to replace the headlight bracket when the bike wouldn't run because a connector got wet when I washed the bike, and an idiot tow truck driver dropped the bike sideways getting it home so I could work on it.

It's never a good feeling when stuff doesn't run right, and the failure rate on my bike is higher than it should be, but then Zero ain't GM, at least yet, and you have to expect some teething pains still at the point they're at on the growth curve. But even if I didn't have the car as backup, I could easily have rented a vehicle for the time I've been unable to ride, and still come out way ahead on transportation costs....in addition to owning just about the coolest vehicle available today.

Life with my Zero isn't perfect...but it's damn good overall!

[amahoser]

I have a 2014 SR that i use for commuting. I put about 10,000 miles on it and it had been great. In the beginning, i had a contactor error that got fixed very quickly by Hollywood electrics and a throttle problem that was also fixed very quick. Also a software upgrade cured a few minor issues that didn't stop me from riding. This was all early in my ownership. After that, the bike has been very solid. I've come to depend on my zero for commuting and cannot think of any other bike that combines practicality, reliability, comfort, convenience and fun as well as the SR for commuting.

Jose Soriano

[Blotman]

Don't have the SR, but my 2013 Zero S is my primary mode of transportation and I commute with it 18 miles each way to work and back, mostly highway. I've recently surpassed 15,000 miles on it since Summer of 2013. It's been through sun and rain, and outdoor temperatures ranging from 35°F to 102°F. For routine maintenance, I've had to change the rear tire. Brake pads are lasting an amazingly long time since I put the motor regen to good use. That poor rear wheel was doing the bulk of the work!


The bike wasn't without issue though. I've had to take it to the dealer a couple times due to this rattling at the motor shaft. They tried tightening a nut and replacing the sprocket and parts for the shaft, and eventually had to just warranty the entire motor. This issue was annoying, but the dealer worked with Zero to get it resolved and didn't jerk me around in the process.


I've also had to take it in for a recall on the firmware. That one wasn't as big of a deal as it took less than a day to load the updates onto the bike. It did reset the mileage in the computer which you'd only see if you use the Zero smartphone App. The odometer on the dash appears to run independently and shows the correct mileage.


The bike has held itself together fine otherwise, and I've sold my ICE bike due to it being inactive. The only time I needed the ICE as a backup was when the Zero was in the shop for the motor issues, and it's poetic that the ICE still has seen more days at the shop for maintenance alone. The longest trip I need to make is 80 miles, which the Zero is able to do as long as I obey all posted speed limits. No numb limbs from vibrations! My secondary vehicle is used to cart kids and large objects around.

[Richard230]

I have been putting about 500 miles a month on my Zero (as well as trying to ride all of my other motorcycles at least once a week) and have never had a problem.  I have not had any firmware updates performed since over a year ago.  It just runs and runs and has been very reliable.  But I don't ride in the rain.  The 2012 S that I gave my daughter is still running fine, also.  The only problems that she has had is trying to keep the plastic fairing parts attached to the bike.   

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I'll chime in with 13,000 miles in two years on a 2013 DS. I would characterize both times the bike was under repair as warrantee / recall issues for the BMS and the front sprocket key, which seem to have been one-time teething issues with the manufacturing scale-up they encountered with the new platform in 2013. Since then, I've had the bike in for single-day upgrades, like tires, the 2014 rear brake kit (totally worthwhile), and heated grip installations.

I do not own a car; I keep one ICE bike and the Zero both with three cases and occasionally borrow/rent a car or truck for bigger errands.

I'm sure it's not a flawless vehicle, but it's a very low-maintenance machine that keeps my garage clean and reduces a lot of messy and time-consuming maintenance tasks. It's also important that I started getting the benefits two years ago; I would buy a 2015 machine without hesitation if I had not already started using and customizing my Zero. I've test ridden the new bikes and they are very well put together and seem to have a lot of lessons built into them.

Personally, I feel like a DS will be more robust than an S or SR just because the suspension is softer.

Issues I expect to eventually pay for on the 2013: some kind of suspension upgrade and bearings. Everything else will be upgrades so I can make it more useful (big fairing, fast charger).

[evdjerome]

I love my Zero, but wouldn't rely on it as my only mode of transportation. It's a 2012 DS with 13,700 miles. I have a car as a backup / inclement weather. My commute is 45 miles one way.

The motor was replaced once under warranty. The front wheel bearings were replaced once under warranty. Other than that, no problems.

But as others have said, you are at the mercy of Zero to get the parts and it can sometimes take a while.

[manlytom]

Love my Zeros. Commuted for 4+ years. A 2010, then 2011, now 2014S. All good and great for a super fun commute. Since 2011/2012 have the Zero become reliable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ultrarnr]

I have a 2014 SR with just over 17K miles on it. I consider it to be reliable but would definitely not rely on it for sole transportation. When problems do come up they seem to take a long time to resolve. Power Tank problem: 6 weeks. Randon turning off and then back on: 5 weeks. Currently been on the shop for over a month now as a result of something that happened during the troubleshooting of the last problem that has killed my range. My SR has spent most of 2015 so far in the shop.

[jheth]

2015 SR here. 3 months and 1500 miles in rainless San Jose, California. No major problems thus far. Minor brake (or motor?) sounds at low speeds, and motor temperature sensor reads 20 degrees high. No functional problems, but I don't have high mileage on it yet. I anticipate it will run great for a long time... the latest models have lots of design improvements from lessons learned in past years. And better quality components too (suspension, brakes, etc.). Nothing beats an electric motorcycle for fun, cheap and maintenance free commuting. The Zero SR is at the top of the pack in that category too.

You should have ICE vehicle (car or bike) as a backup/alternative. My wife has a C-Max Energi that I can use when needed. I had a Honda 1000RR that I kept around as a backup, but it had a fuel leak and was stinking up my garage. My electric vehicles complained about that, so I sold it [emoji2]

The Zero works great if you'll use it for commuting and short weekend rides (I haven't ridden more than 100 miles in a day in a long time). You won't regret getting a Zero. Purchase price is high, but the value is long term gas, repair and maintenance savings. My personal prediction is that 2016 won't have any ground-breaking changes. The 2015's are at a level (performance, quality, reliability) that now warrants efforts on price reduction. I suspect year-to-year changes will be a mix of design changes and cost reduction. Zero knows that cost is now the main thing limiting their sales. And dealership network/expertise too.

Overall, highly recommend the product. Main thing you need to look into is how good (and far) is your local dealer. Some people have gotten burned because their dealer sucks, and didn't learn that until their bike needed service. Good luck!

[MostlyBonkers]

Or just go and buy a Honda NC750 DCT, like I did. You'll get most of the benefits of electric but with no range issues, better storage, better handling and Honda's reliability and customer service. Oh, I forgot to mention that they're at least half the price of a new zero s here in the UK too. They don't depreciate like a lead balloon either.

[Chocula]

...most of the benefits of electric...

Please, please elaborate!  I think we may have very different opinions on what the benefits of electric are.