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[DPsSRnSD]

1. Provide a full-time service concierge via phone, txt, or Twitter, who gets owners back on their own bike or a loaner within 24 hours anywhere in the world.

2. Extend the wheelbase by 6" to increase passenger space.

3. Eliminate the belly charger and drop the bike frame by 1+" to lower the seat height and/or provide more padding in the buttockal area for the rider and passenger.

4. Add battery frames in front of the rider's calves to provide 24+ kWh.

5. Mount chargers above the batteries with both CCS and Tesla inputs.

6. Tank, top case, and side case storage with keyfob locking and unlocking.

7. Option for clip-ons, flat bars, standard bars, and high-rise bars.

8. Larger, color, resistive-touchscreen with simple toggling between displays and with emphasis on navigation and battery monitors.

9. 12V always-on accessory battery.

10. WiFi or 3G connectivity in addition to Bluetooth.

11. Tablet and phone app focused on bike status and location, setting charging parameters including scheduling, creating navigation routes for download to the bike. App syncs the bike clock.

12. Watertight compartments for bike electronics and user-added accessories.

13. Quick seat removal with lock.

14. Tank-area glove, glasses, & small tool storage, side cases long enough for a soft drink 12-pack, 40+ liter heavy duty top case with duplicate turn signals and brake light.

15. Aero-fairing for improved range and rider comfort in all weather at interstate speeds.

16. Mirrors mounted more inboard and with convex sections for easier lane-splitting on heavily congested city streets.

17. All LED lighting.

18. Integrated drop protection for the rider's legs and for the controls.

19. Optional centerstand.

20. Mounting points for front and back cameras and for auxiliary lighting.

21. 30" maximum width, including handlebars, mirrors, fairings, and side cases.

22. Traction control and adaptive cruise control.

23. Keyless unlock and power-up, tablet and phone app unlock and power-up.

24. Direct as well as dealer sales. Design for repair or part-swap by any competent motorcycle mechanic.

25. Spare belt and AC charging cord storage in a fairing pocket.

26. Available in every color on the resistor chart.

27. Walking-speed reverse.

28. Thumb brake or left-hand rear brake lever, or thumb brake and left-hand regen brake lever.

29. Restructure pricing so the entry level models are $1500 less. I estimate a fully optioned LT with the premium electronics and convenience package, the extended range package (which would include a 2nd front rotor), and the fast charging package would be in excess of $30K, in the upper range of an HD full dresser.

[Doug S]

All cool stuff, very cool in some instances. But literally every single thing on your list would raise the price of the bikes. I'm of the considered opinion that they're on the right track right now. The bikes are good enough, could be better in a lot of ways, but they're good enough, especially with the aftermarket helping supply things like fast chargers, seats and other mods. Incremental improvements to battery capacity (=range) are very helpful, but to me, Zero needs to focus hard on bringing the prices down for the next few years.

I went on another fairly long ride today with my club, close to 200 miles round-trip, and every time I stopped to recharge, had nice conversations with several people. They'd look the bike over, and the response seemed positive. First question is always, "What's the range?". I tell them maybe 80 miles on the freeway, twice that around town, and the response is pretty positive. Then they ask the price. I tell them, and the response is.....not so positive.

I say no more bells and whistles for a few years, lots of engineering effort devoted to price reduction with incremental improvements overall. Price, along with (still) range, are the real barriers to widespread acceptance.

[grmarks]

When you quote the price you should also quote the expected life as well, it's not so bad then.

I don't want side batteries and I love my tank storage (which could be bigger - I have a 2015 SR) so you can't please everyone.

But for minimal cost I think they could remove the onboard charger (as you say) and drop the battery 2 inches lower, then they could put a fan cooled charger above the battery keeping the same overall height (and tank storage area) and have the air intake and exit at the rear of the charger covered with a cowl pointing downwards to keep water out.

But as Doug S said the rest would raise the price. But I would like to see them as optional accessories.

[stevenh]

I'd be happy if they added optional traction control.  Seems like it could be done with existing hardware with a firmware update (there is already a rotation sensor on the rear wheel).

Steve

[Hansi]

I'd like to see faster charging as an option. If they can add faster charging as standard without raising the price much I'd be fine with that, but in my opinion the main thing missing from the Zero bikes as of today is ~1C(+) charging (yes, there are aftermarket options, but it's not the same IMO. I might still go that route if Zero doesn't offer anything). My suggested recipe for success for Zero before the big brands enter the market is adding faster charging then work on everything else. Better charging control and some fairing options would be nice, but the main thing is charging.

[Richard230]

All l want is more battery capacity and a reliable on-board 120 V charger.  My IC owning friends are looking for at least a 200-mile range at freeway speeds before they would buy an electric motorcycle.  Fast charging is not on their radar, unless the batteries can be recharged as fast as refueling an IC gas tank - or however long it takes to relieve themselves in the bushes. 

I think Zero needs to find out what IC motorcycle enthusiasts want in an electric motorcycle and work on designing those features.

[DPsSRnSD]

All cool stuff, very cool in some instances. But literally every single thing on your list would raise the price of the bikes.

29. Restructure pricing so the entry level models are $1500 less. I estimate a fully optioned LT with the premium electronics and convenience package, the extended range package (which would include a 2nd front rotor), and the fast charging package would be in excess of $30K, in the upper range of an HD full dresser.

A full optioned LT would be a nice pre-retirement present to oneself.

[ESokoloff]

I'd be happy if they added optional traction control.  Seems like it could be done with existing hardware with a firmware update (there is already a rotation sensor on the rear wheel).

Steve

I agree.
My 16DSR already has front & rear wheel speed sensors for the ABS.
Would it be possible for Zero to add Traction Control with just a software change?

[stevenh]

I'd be happy if they added optional traction control.  Seems like it could be done with existing hardware with a firmware update (there is already a rotation sensor on the rear wheel).

Steve

I agree.
My 16DSR already has front & rear wheel speed sensors for the ABS.
Would it be possible for Zero to add Traction Control with just a software change?

It would depend on a lot of things I am sure. 

 - Is the output from the rotation sensor available to the firmware (could just be integral to the ABS system)?
 - Could this be done external to the motor controller?
 - Is there enough processing power on our current bikes to handle the feature (either on the controller or in the bikes main firmware)?

Seems like a really important option given the number of folks on this forum that have wiped out due to loss of traction in wet conditions on acceleration (including me).  Sometimes it's hard to see slick spots.

Steve