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[Richard230]

Here it is.  The latest from Zero.  Not cheap, though.  And check out that huge top box.  I bet that does nothing for the bike's aerodynamics.    No mention if it will be available in the U.S. market.

https://electricmotorcycles.news/first-zero-dsr-black-forest-edition-delivered-to-ecomobiel-in-antwerp/

[dukecola]

My cases are bigger than those tiny side cases and I have a 52L top case. I havent seen much effect on range, but I do ride mostly 50mph or less on backroads, never the highway. I'm sure at higher speeds that may be the case.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

At least one Zero traveler with boxy side cases has had a battery overheat from the power consumption at high highway speeds.

Zero needs to hedge this "touring" label carefully. Motorcycle aerodynamics matter a great deal.

[Richard230]

The September issue of Bike magazine contains a two page (starting on page 14) review of the Black Forest version of the DSR. That thing is really decked out with every accessory that Zero could toss at it. It had Givi bags, but the article said that each bag needed a different key, making a total of 4 keys on their key ring. The reviewer seemed to like the bike's performance, but said that the suspension was too soft and the bike bounced back and forth when the brakes were used. They didn't think that it was a very good off-road vehicle. But they did like its on-highway performance and said that it would make a great commuter. They rode the Zero after having tested the Energica SS9 (I think it was) and said that the Zero had about twice the estimated range of the Energica. The reviewer estimated that the Zero had a maximum range of 111 miles, ridden briskly. The Energica had an estimated range of 54 miles under similar conditions - if I recall the statements in the article correctly.    Price of the Black Forest model is not cheap though.  The price given was about $21,500 Euros.

[caza]

TBH there's nothing really special about it. It's a fully loaded DSR with some nice accessories bolted onto it. You can bolt the same stuff on a grom but it doesn't make it the right bike for touring.

I think the biggest issue with touring on the zero is charging, and without the charge tank that thing is DOA. People like to go 300+ miles in a day, you can't do that if you're charging for ten hours every 163 miles. Even with the charge tank it's honestly not going to be a great experience.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The model does have a reference page, and it’s unclear to me whether it can actually be bought without a Charge Tank:
https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/eu/zero-ds/black-forest

Just to be clear, at the rate indicated (7kW), traveling on that Zero DSR at 55mph is likely to net 400 miles per day, which is not shabby, but definitely not what the market typically labels as a “touring” capability.

Without the charge tank, you’d have to travel slower than 40mph to cover 250 miles per day, which for most is painful but is exactly what Elektrogirl did to ride from Amsterdam to Instanbul and back.

I know one adventure touring handbook that explains “an adventure bike is any bike you take an adventure on”, which is true for a rider who decides on that for themselves, but isn’t something Zero PR should really be leaning on.

[Richard230]

The article didn't mention that the bike had a charge tank. I believe they said it had a 14.4 kWh battery. The editors asked the Zero distributor how it was that the bike had such a longer range than the Energica that they had previously tested. The Zero rep said it was because the batteries that they use have the highest power density in the industry. 

[Richard230]

One other thing that I just remembered about the review is that there was a comment that Zero was developing a new comfort seat for the Black Forest model (and hopefully for all of their other models, too), but the bike that was tested didn't have this seat because the magazine was told by the distributor that it was still under development by Zero.

[BamBam]

Does anyone know if the crash bars can be purchased separately?

[caza]

Yeah you can get crash bars from your dealer.

[BamBam]

Right, I see that they are now shown as an accessory on Zero's website.  Maybe they were in the past and I just missed it.