First off, thanks much for asking!
1) Service manuals: Since Zero issues illustrated dealer service bulletins regularly, it seems there's enough digital infrastructure already in place to make this happen immediately for a few models/years at least (gotta start somewhere!) - and regarding new bikes, almost any Zero employee with an outline of the preliminary manual text and a pair of
Pivothead video glasses could gather plenty of on-point raw images on the assembly line very quickly; after that it would be a matter of editing, distribution, etc. When the Big Four get involved in EV MC's - as they surely will - Zero's lack of any kind of service manual could be a real 'tipping factor' deal-breaker, as it would've been for me had I had a viable alternative to Zero; might as well get ahead of it now, or at least start on it. Obviously no NDA-related stuff, but there's no shortage of other things that may need servicing, distant dealers, and hands-on owners to make this a very popular item, possibly an overnight best-seller.
2) Fairing / storage frame-mounting areas: these could just be extra-thick frame sections at key points on the bike (surely someone like Craig Vetter might be happy to provide an excellent list of potential locations) that would leave a clean look for those who didn't need them, while providing almost unlimited sturdy mounting options for those who do. IMO this would be well worth the extra aluminum, especially as a selling point (try adding this option later on
).
3) Optional lowering swingarm: having seen much mention here of both seat height and suspension performance, this seems like the ideal way to reduce the one without affecting the other. Having completed work on this last week on my '14 FX dirt bike (details to follow after testing, as usual), I realized the swingarm could be easily modified for 30-40mm rear lowering during fabrication w/no dimensional changes; just rotate the crosstube 180° around the motorcycle centerline (bulge down) & weld as before, then weld the shock ears on the straight tube top in the original locations (w/no diagrams really needed, perhaps the fabricators might easily provide Zero a test sample?). NOTE: this is NOT a bolt-on option for the '14 FX as the swingarm only moves upward a limited amount from level before frame contact (160mm / 6.3") and requires relieving the front of the swingarm a little, but should work fine as-is on the shorter-travel bikes & possibly the post-'14 FX too, I don't know.
4) Online parts fiche: I saw another poster mention this, can't believe I forgot to. Maybe Zero owners could be E-mailed passwords to the existing parts database, giving access via a view-only portal? If feasible, this could get things going quickly with minimal expense. I seriously doubt they'll be any kind of prolonged parts-lookup stampede; interest will likely be high initially, then settle down to maybe the level of having added 5-10 busy dealers. At the very least, having correct part numbers in hand makes dealer ordering easier and far more likely to result in correct/complete orders, especially if the dealer's new with Zero. I don't know if they still do it, but in the recent past Zero drop-shipped a number of parts orders direct to my home: perhaps if confronted with many $K of online sales, they might reinstitute this practice, which made things
so much more convenient when my nearest dealer was several hours away.
Ray
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Topic: Parts and Accessories wish list (Read 4454 times)