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[Kenmc_3]

I have a 2015 FX with the 5.7 battery pack. It is the Most Fun bike I have ever owned! I commute a 25 mile round trip and have about 50% battery left using mostly side streets. If you ride one, you will understand the power and manoeuvrability   is outstanding. I added a small top case and hand guards also.

[yugi]

I decided not buy Zero for now. There are three problems I see with this:
1. High price. I can buy much better gas bike for the same money.
2. Short range
3. Poor resale value.

I may buy used if I'll find a decent deal, but most likely I'll go for used bike, either Suzuki DR-Z400SM, Honda CB300F, Kawasaki Ninja 300, KTM Duke 390.

[Electric Terry]

If you ask anyone who has owned gas bikes and then a Zero, you will find the fun factor is so much higher with a Zero than with other motorcycles.  I would get the single module FXS for now if money is tight, and you can always get another module later.  But getting a Ninja 300 over an FXS is just silly.  The higher price for the FXS is worth it as you will be much happier with a grin on your face every time you twist the throttle and it silently accelerates.  This is totally worth it.  Why settle for a Ninja 300 and not be as happy as you could be.  My last gas bike was a YZF-R1, and I would always choose to ride the Zero.  Just more fun all the time.

[yugi]

If you ask anyone who has owned gas bikes and then a Zero, you will find the fun factor is so much higher with a Zero than with other motorcycles.  I would get the single module FXS for now if money is tight, and you can always get another module later.  But getting a Ninja 300 over an FXS is just silly.  The higher price for the FXS is worth it as you will be much happier with a grin on your face every time you twist the throttle and it silently accelerates.  This is totally worth it.  Why settle for a Ninja 300 and not be as happy as you could be.  My last gas bike was a YZF-R1, and I would always choose to ride the Zero.  Just more fun all the time.

Actually I test rode R1, and didn't like it, my Buell 1125CR was much better than R1. FXS is also nice, but not at the same league as a Buell.

[ctrlburn]

I decided not buy Zero for now. There are three problems I see with this:
1. High price. I can buy much better gas bike for the same money.
2. Short range
3. Poor resale value.
I may buy used if I'll find a decent deal, but most likely I'll go for used bike, either Suzuki DR-Z400SM, Honda CB300F, Kawasaki Ninja 300, KTM Duke 390.

Most of us EV riders faced your listed 3 factors and split the other way...
1. Affordable price
2. Long enough range
3. I'm never gonna sell it

"better gas bike"  is perhaps an area for iteration. To me, there isn't a "better gas bike".

Consideration for the environment and the non-renewable nature of petroleum fuels eclipses any categorical inadequacies.

[MrDude_1]

Most of us EV riders faced your listed 3 factors and split the other way...
1. Affordable price
2. Long enough range
3. I'm never gonna sell it

"better gas bike"  is perhaps an area for iteration. To me, there isn't a "better gas bike".

Consideration for the environment and the non-renewable nature of petroleum fuels eclipses any categorical inadequacies.

1. no.
2. no.
3. no.
and that last sentence? hell no.
If you ever want EVs to be universally accepted, you're going to have to have them fit mainstream people that are not environmentalists. Not try to shove your ideas to the mainstream and go "see! good enough because the environment over everything!".


That said, a more realistic list is like this:

1. Price is high if you're comparing an entry level ICE bike to a zero. however a zero is entertaining to riders of all levels, while most entry level ICE bikes get outgrown or never ridden. You cant compare a new bike and a used bike, or the used bike makes more sense every time.  Instead of comparing the zero to the smaller bikes, compare them to the middleweights.

2. the range is the range. It works for most but not all. If it works for you, great. If it doesnt work for you, dont try to force it. If you're borderline that is where it becomes a hard decision. I am in the borderline fringe myself. My best rides involve a 4hr high speed trip to some mountains, then some of the best riding in the country for 2 days, then high speed interstate home. Clearly the zero does not work for this... however 95% of my riding is not any of my long trips, its going out at lunch, going to work, going to the store or crusing around town.  the zero works better for this. Its like a magic flying carpet.  silent and a sensation of flying. no warmup, just get on and go. excellent for errands or going out at night without annoying the neighbors.   If I tried to keep my ICE bike and this you end up with a bike with issues from not being ridden... so I just dont go on long trips as much.

3. You will sell it. Like all new motorcycles it will be worth far less when you do. The only way to minimize this depreciation is to buy used. The zero will lose value the same way buying a flagship sportbike and dressing it for racing will lose value... its worth about half the price after 3 years. The zero currently has as a smaller market to sell into as well, so its a hard sell. Sucky but true.  If you can accept this dollar loss, than get one. If its unacceptable, then the economics dont work for you, and you're better off with a used ICE bike. Buying an EV will not save you money in most cases... so if your reasons for getting a zero is lower cost, the depreciation alone makes that impossible. on top of that you have every regular maintenance of a ICE bike except oil changes... instead of valves its motor alignment... but tires, brakes, checkups, bearings, etc all still occur.

[yugi]

I decided not buy Zero for now. There are three problems I see with this:
1. High price. I can buy much better gas bike for the same money.
2. Short range
3. Poor resale value.
I may buy used if I'll find a decent deal, but most likely I'll go for used bike, either Suzuki DR-Z400SM, Honda CB300F, Kawasaki Ninja 300, KTM Duke 390.

Most of us EV riders faced your listed 3 factors and split the other way...
1. Affordable price
2. Long enough range
3. I'm never gonna sell it

"better gas bike"  is perhaps an area for iteration. To me, there isn't a "better gas bike".

Consideration for the environment and the non-renewable nature of petroleum fuels eclipses any categorical inadequacies.

Electric vehicles are not better for environment, and they pollute more than a gas ones.

[mrwilsn]

Electric vehicles are not better for environment, and they pollute more than a gas ones.

This is a pure BS statement.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[MrDude_1]

Electric vehicles are not better for environment, and they pollute more than a gas ones.

The first half of that statement is debatable...

 you can argue over "better". better than what? what is better? Isnt a bus or bicycle better than any motorcycle?
you can argue over "environment".  Are we talking city air quality? mining? theres room to talk.



but that last statement of "they pollute more than a gas ones" is incorrect.
The bike itself is made just like ICE motorcycles... including the motor (starter), controller (ECU) etc.. only large difference is the battery. Lithium for batteries is mined in salt flats, far from the popular pics of strip mining.  overall the bike creation is a net zero compared to ICE.

So then theres pollution in use.
People argue that the pollution is moved from the tailpipe to the power station, but thats not exactly true.
First of all, some parts of the world are primarily nuclear, with solar and wind helping. Its true others are coal or natural gas. How energy is generated near you is not universal.
So lets say you have dirty power, like coal. Because its stationary instead of moving, it can be scrubbed and filtered easier. Per unit of power generated, its still cleaner than even the most efficient catalyst equipped ICE motorcycle.
On top of this, your ICE bike at best uses 1/3 of the energy of gasoline to move. The other 2/3 leaves as heat and emissions. With an electric bike, there are losses from chargers to battery to the inverter and motor... but it still is an 80% efficient pathway.  So even if the bike is really running of coal instead of solar, its cleaner overall.

Then theres wastes. Brakes and tires are identical. so is grease and bearings. Oil however is another story... thats a couple quarts every 3 to 5 thousand miles for some bikes. After the bike is totalled, the battery, copper and aluminum have significant value as scrap and will likely be recycled. The motor of an ICE has mixed metals and is of far less value as scrap.


so no, from creation to power generation in use to trash, the electric bike creates less pollution, and the energy pollution it creates is in a managed area, not in the middle of the living areas. (unless you live downwind of a old powerplant outside the USA)

[MrDude_1]

on the otherhand... I suppose ANYTHING could pollute if you try hard enough...



from:
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/a-malfunctioning-flaming-wind-turbine-is-actually-quit-1784760987

[Zen]

on the otherhand... I suppose ANYTHING could pollute if you try hard enough...



from:
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/a-malfunctioning-flaming-wind-turbine-is-actually-quit-1784760987

well played MrDude_1

[gman669]

One thing to keep in mind when buying a bike is insurance cost. The Zero cost me around $11 a month . I was looking into a Yamaha fz-07 and fz-09 and the cost was around 80-90 per month. I also considered a used supermoto bike but all the 250/450 bikes out there are not meant to last without engine rebuilds every couple hundred hours. I would suggest doing a long demo ride or two to see if it fits your needs. If you still are not sure then look elsewhere . You don't want to be pushing range to the very edge or you won't enjoy riding it as much.

[Richard230]

My first Electric Motorsport cost me $5 a year for $250K/500K liability-only insurance when I first insured it with Progressive Insurance 5 years ago. Every year after that my electric motorcycle insurance premium has been rising.  Now it is up to $90 a year, which is more than I pay for my new BMW R1200RS ($80 a year). Kind of odd.  I can only surmise that Progressive Insurance believes that an electric motorcycle has a higher possibility of causing property damage than does a large, fast and heavy IC motorcycle.  If that is the case, I wonder how they arrived at that conclusion?   

[yugi]

Electric vehicles are not better for environment, and they pollute more than a gas ones.

This is a pure BS statement.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084440_does-the-tesla-model-s-electric-car-pollute-more-than-an-suv

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/21/tesla-pollute-more-hong-kong-than-gas-cars/

http://www.wired.com/2016/03/teslas-electric-cars-might-not-green-think/

Etc,etc,etc. I don't care about gas savings by electric vehicles.  It's all hype to up the sales. I'm not considering to buy an electric bike because I'll save on gas.

[yugi]

One thing to keep in mind when buying a bike is insurance cost. The Zero cost me around $11 a month . I was looking into a Yamaha fz-07 and fz-09 and the cost was around 80-90 per month. I also considered a used supermoto bike but all the 250/450 bikes out there are not meant to last without engine rebuilds every couple hundred hours. I would suggest doing a long demo ride or two to see if it fits your needs. If you still are not sure then look elsewhere . You don't want to be pushing range to the very edge or you won't enjoy riding it as much.

Do you know how much is insurance for my Sym Wolf 150? Forty seven f-king dollars per year! This includes collision and comprehensive. is your BMW liability only?