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[Ranga]

This guy takes a 2015 SR for a demo ride and goes down in a low speed turn.  Some people just don't understand what instant torque means. 

[Richard230]

That was painful to watch.  And he wasn't even riding on wet streets.  Even my S will spin its tire without much effort when accelerating on wet pavement.  You need to be careful out there.   

[CrashCash]

Sigh. That would explain the 5 crashed demo bikes at my dealer. [facepalm]

[mrwilsn]

A lot of the demo bikes don't have a lot of miles on them so the tires can still be slick.  The Pirelli tires seem to be a lot slicker when new than I remember the Road Warriors being on 2014 and older.  Of course once broken in the Road Warriors can't even come close to the Pirelli's.  New tires that haven't been properly worn in combined with SR torque can be a dangerous combination in a turn for someone that isn't ready for it. Temperature (road and tire) can be a factor too.  Asphalt with new tar, road paint and grease/oil on the road can also be factors.  It's hard to say what factors are at play here.  Bottom line is that it's really easy to break traction on the rear tire on a Zero (even the S) using the throttle if you don't respect it.

Also, it can be easier to lose traction at low speed if you lean too far than at higher speed because there isn't as much preload on the tires.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[ticobrahe]

I demo'd a '16 zero DSR last week with Sean the Zero demo-master. The bike was thrashed. I asked how often somebody messes up on it and he says he's witnessed dozens of crashes in the 2.5K+ demos he's provided and hundreds of times the bikes have been dropped. Asked if anybody died, he responded that one crash was fatal. Said it was an older gentleman who claimed he had been riding his entire life. So ya, I'll be telling all my friends that want to ride one to respect the torque... It's not a moped.

[MrDude_1]

I read all this before my demo ride and got worked up... then disappointed.

Its less torque than any 1000cc (or larger) bike... still enough to wipe you out if you dont have throttle control, but no where near anything to be scared of if you have any experience.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I read all this before my demo ride and got worked up... then disappointed.

Its less torque than any 1000cc (or larger) bike... still enough to wipe you out if you dont have throttle control, but no where near anything to be scared of if you have any experience.

This is why it's hard to communicate on internet forums: it's very easy to take someone else's experience as comparable to yours when there's no way to clarify how many years and with what kind of background you're speaking from. There are a handful of riders I've known in person that I trust with my DSR, and then the vast majority can go satisfy their curiosity on a dealer demo ride. Even a DS can fishtail for a naive/impulsive rider.

Personally, I've been riding for 9 years and developed my skills in many ways (commuting, touring, and offroad), but I feel like the SR/DSR are on the high end of what I feel comfortable using. Your experience is just as valid, but not translatable to others' expectations. Zeros aren't liter bikes; they're mid-range.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The customizer's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/White-Collar-Bike-219889524820096/