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[dvdwin]

2014 fx here and just broke 1500.

Trouble free. One time I was going through the woods jumping over logs, but when I came out the motor had a "wobble" sound like something bent. After many looks I noticed a piece of wood lodged in the front sprocket but it was compressed from the belt and you couldn't notice it without putting it on a jack. Anyways I picked it out and still runs great. Scared me a little though.

[gasdive]

2014 DSP 11.4

Only 5000 km since bought as ex-demo Sept 2015.

Headlight was aimed too low, Moments to adjust once I figured out the manual was telling me the wrong bolt to adjust... The seat bolts weren't even finger tight. (I think that the person who removed the Police equipment was a bit slapdash) The front brake sounds funny sometimes.

Other than that dead reliable. Original tyres (Kenda?) are gripping and wearing well, wouldn't hesitate to use them again. Scrubbed all the way to the edge.

Modifications, Old Hyosung screen cabletied to the handlebars. I carry two Elcons when touring that sit on the pillion seat. I've managed to scratch the tail. Removed the stock crash bars which seems to have added about 10% to the range.

Usage by distance is about 50% freeway (in the slow lane) or rural roads 40% around town (I live in a rural town) and about 10% good dirt road. Suspension is set *****WAY***** too hard even with everything backed off to nothing (except rebound which is one up from nothing)..

[Fivespeed302]

Excuse my ignorance, what is an Elcon?

[benswing]

https://hollywoodelectrics.com/product/elcon-quick-charger/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gandalf]

I'm glad I found this thread! I've been wanting to read reviews from people who put serious mileage on their Zeros and owned them for a few years. After all, if they're only reliable in the first year or two of owning, there's no point in wasting a ton of money on one. So far it seems to me that once 2013-2014 models starting coming out, things got a little better all around. Then 2015-16 seems to be another overall improvement to all models. The thing is, most people post on here right after they got one in the first couple hundred/thousand miles. It's great for potential customers like me to read the reviews from long term riders. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I'm still torn between the DSR or the S and I might wait until 2017 or 2018 to get one.

[MostlyBonkers]

I don't fall into the long term owner category yet, but for what it's worth:

Charger failed at 500 miles, replaced under warranty and the new one has been prefect ever since.

Belt snapped at 1,500 miles. Replaced under warranty and the new one is great. I've done much more off-road riding with the new belt. The tension hasn't changed one bit and I'm confident it'll be fine until it's natural end. The jury is still out on why the original snapped. It was either misalignment or my first off-road jaunt when I got a couple of wood chips in between the belt and the sprocket. However, the belt didn't fail until weeks after that event. Still waiting for feedback from Zero as I recovered the belt and went to the effort of sending it back.

Almost at 5,000 miles now.

Get the DSR if you want to take it off road. It's a lot of fun. If you can afford a DSR then don't buy an S, get the SR. Not just for the acceleration, but for the IPM motor. The overheating does get a little annoying at times. It depends on your riding style and whether or not you anticipate spending much time at constant speeds above 70mph.

Despite having made the leap I'm still looking forward to seeing what the future models offer.

[oregonrider89]

I love feel good posts.

I agree with what has been said by Sir Terry and others knowledgeable about these motorcycles. I had a 2010 and even though I got over 15,000 miles out of it there was a lot of work and learning involved. But what fun it was.

I now have a 2015 SR. The only problem I had was a charger failure at ~2,500 miles. I was replaced immediately by my dealer. Hundreds of charges since then and no issues of any kind.

Here is my point: the customer service from Zero is exceptional. Only BMW offers the same level of customer service.

Model Year-2015
Model-SR
Purchase date (mo/yr)- July 2015
Mileage-11,000
Modifications? If so, what?-none. Just charge and ride.
Primary terrain during use (city, highway, dirt, combo, etc)- mostly highway
Max/min/average ambient temperatures during use- Min temp just above freezing and max in the low 100s

Each year they get waaay better.

[Richard230]

I was visiting my daughter the other day and her 2012 S is still running perfectly.  She keeps the bike connected to a power source 24/7, unless she is charging the batteries of one of her other IC motorcycles.

[benswing]

My 2014 Zero SR with power tank was perfect during a 8,640 mile road trip this past summer!  The only issue was a broken belt, but that was my fault for riding in the dirt and getting a rock caught up in there.  Otherwise riding through the heat, rain, wind, altitudes, fast charging, etc. worked out great! 

I had plenty of challenges along the way, but the bike was completely reliable and rock solid!  (The challenges all involved securing and executing fast charging with 3rd party chargers.  The onboard charger worked like a champ!)

[Martin]

Model Year- 2014
Model-SR 11.4
Purchase date (mo/yr)- 05-2014
Mileage- 25,000
Modifications? If so, what?- None.
Primary terrain during use (city, highway, dirt, combo, etc)-Highway
Max/min/average ambient temperatures during use- 40-100

Two major service events:

1. Problem - Bike would turn off in first 15 miles. Usually while I was on highway. Cycling power would fix it.
Fix - New motor.
Length in Shop: One month.

2. Problem - Bike would lose power (lowering speed) because of battery over temp during ride. Bike would not charge at destination because battery temp to high. Wait for charging to begin usually took 3-4 hours.
Fix - Replacement Battery. Zero upgraded me to the 13.0kWh
Length in Shop: One month and a couple days.

Thank you Hollywood Electrics and Zero.

[mrwilsn]

My 2014 Zero SR with power tank was perfect during a 8,640 mile road trip this past summer!  The only issue was a broken belt, but that was my fault for riding in the dirt and getting a rock caught up in there.  Otherwise riding through the heat, rain, wind, altitudes, fast charging, etc. worked out great! 

I had plenty of challenges along the way, but the bike was completely reliable and rock solid!  (The challenges all involved securing and executing fast charging with 3rd party chargers.  The onboard charger worked like a champ!)

Did you go through a set of tires?  I only got about 6k miles out of the Diablo Rosso II

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[forestlane]

Model Year- 2014
Model- Zero S 11.4
Purchase date (mo/yr)- feb 2016
Mileage- 6700 km
Modifications? If so, what?- none
Primary terrain during use (city, highway, dirt, combo, etc)- city, highway
Max/min/average ambient temperatures during use- ?

trouble free motorcycle

[benswing]

My 2014 Zero SR with power tank was perfect during a 8,640 mile road trip this past summer!

Did you go through a set of tires?  I only got about 6k miles out of the Diablo Rosso II

My Pirelli Angel GT tires have lasted at least 10,000 miles so far.  Still plenty of tread but they are starting to scallop.  Will replace them soon.


Subscribe to Benswing on YouTube to follow my summer journeys.
Like Ben Rich - Electric Biker on Facebook.

[ctrlburn]

Well take my 2015 SR off the list of "completely reliable" bikes as previously reported and hopefully on the list of "bad chargers", and not the list of something more major.

About 5,600 miles - no more charging.
Does not acknowledge the charger is plugged in.
No Error Codes   0000   (kickstand up)
BMS - says OK too.

Delivered to the dealer and they started downloading the error logs before I got out of the parking lot so they can get "logmein" session scheduled to focus on getting it back in plenty of time for "Drive Electric Week."

[Kocho]

The charger is placed in a bad position under the battery and almost fully enclosed, without active cooling. I would bet those failures are in no small part related to that. Does anyone know exactly what's failing?

Well take my 2015 SR off the list of "completely reliable" bikes as previously reported and hopefully on the list of "bad chargers", and not the list of something more major.

About 5,600 miles - no more charging.
Does not acknowledge the charger is plugged in.
No Error Codes   0000   (kickstand up)
BMS - says OK too.

Delivered to the dealer and they started downloading the error logs before I got out of the parking lot so they can get "logmein" session scheduled to focus on getting it back in plenty of time for "Drive Electric Week."