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[Scotchman]

I am interested in potentially adding the Zero top rack to my S, but I don't want a box or anything else.  The idea would be to have a location I could strap cargo to using a cargo net situationally.  I can't really find a place to strap the cargo net now (using the passenger seat as the "rack") so the rack would provide that.

Does anyone have a picture of any Zero with just the rack attached?  Is it going to look really stupid by itself?

[Erasmo]

I need to dig for a picture of that but it looks ok imho.

[heroto]

Before I got the zero rack, I used the usual elastic bungee net with hooks thing and wrapped it around and under the rear seat and adjacent fender. Hooked it to itself. Worked fine for small loads.
With the zero rack, you can  attach any number of aluminum plate racks with a bit of modification for a wider, tougher platform. The altrider aluminum plates offer an extra kit to accept Givi Monokey cases, in case you might want that option from time to time. I am using the Givi plastic monokey plate.  Provides a small platform, light, cheap, and mounted without any modifications. But mostly I use a top case. Otherwise a larger metal plate would be better IMO.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

It doesn't look stupid by itself. Honestly the bike is incomplete for a passenger without grab bars, and the OEM top rack is the only way to get them.

There are top plates for bikes that are meant for attaching lots of straps, and they'll fit the top rack one way or another.

[Doug S]

Do yourself a favor and get the box anyhow, for "occasional use only". You'll wind up doing what I did....deciding you'll give it up when they pry it from your cold, dead hands.

I always carry my J1772 charge cord, summer or winter gloves (while I wear the others), earplugs, some window-cleaner wipes and my registration in there. Plus anything else you carry is secured by a lock, isn't going to shift and fall off, and is far more aerodynamic.

[Richard230]

I am interested in potentially adding the Zero top rack to my S, but I don't want a box or anything else.  The idea would be to have a location I could strap cargo to using a cargo net situationally.  I can't really find a place to strap the cargo net now (using the passenger seat as the "rack") so the rack would provide that.

Does anyone have a picture of any Zero with just the rack attached?  Is it going to look really stupid by itself?

Will this do?

[Richard230]

And another view.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Doug has a good point, although you can just buy a used case anywhere online and it'll probably be fine for your needs.

There are many riders out there who are repulsed by the idea of a top case, and I don't grasp why that is common because I think of motorcycles as useful vehicles.

What I find is that putting a top case on the bike makes the bike immediately more useful for literally every task where I don't take a passenger. For the Zero, that means buying a lot of groceries and putting them in a huge Givi Maxia case using my EV rather than taking the car.

The convenience factor of putting your helmet and gloves and whatever into a locked bin on the bike is enormous, and then you just run errands with this and find the bike indispensable instead of only a nice toy.

I mean, I'll be clear: I always store straps at the bottom of my Maxia case, just to throw on more stuff when the need arises. But there's no way I'd even carry the straps around to do that opportunistically without having the top case in the first place. (The locked storage bin is not the same.)

Basically, it's the easiest way to encourage yourself to get more value out of the bike.

[BamBam]

I couldn't agree more.  I use my DSR to commute to work year round so a top case is a must.  I was lucky enough to get in on the limited edition model that Zero was promoting to move their remaining 2017 models so it came with the Zero top and side racks and Givi 30L Dolomiti cases.  I'm finding that the 30L size top case is a little small for my needs so I may have to upgrade to something larger.  I still have my Pelican 1620 top case that I had mounted on my KLR650 so maybe I'll adapt that to my DSR.  That thing is a monster at 72L.  You could deliver pizzas with it.  I don't use the Givi side cases for every day commuting.

Edit: And no, I don't think your bike would look odd with just the rear rack.

[Doug S]

...I may have to upgrade to something larger.

I doubt anybody has EVER wished for less storage. It's just plain addictive.

Edit: And no, I don't think your bike would look odd with just the rear rack.

Me neither. Although a better answer, to me, is that I don't care. It's your bike, make it yours without thinking about what other people think.

you can just buy a used case anywhere online and it'll probably be fine for your needs.

Amen, brother. Don't waste good money until you've figured out what you like. Find something cheap to get addicted....I mean, try it out.

[Scotchman]

Thanks for the replies all, and thanks for the pictures Richard!  I agree with everything being said; I am using the Zero as my primary/only vehicle, replacing an electric bicycle, which I did have a rack and a huge basket on.  I went through approximately the same thought process there, but I think of that bicycle as a much more utilitarian vehicle than I do the Zero.

I do agree that boxes make the bike a more practical vehicle, but as long as I can have my cake and eat it too, then I would like to continue doing that.

I am not worried about what others think as I see plenty of motorcycles with top boxes, and I still think my Zero with a top box would look a thousand times better than the vast majority of 800lb Harley Davidsons I see around.  I just still have a mental block about putting a big box back there.  Right now I am using a backpack and haven't yet had a situation where that didn't work, EXCEPT picking up takeout that doesn't come in a bag.  The other day I rode with a Papa John's carrying bag (the same kind the delivery guy has) on my storage tank and around the handlebars, and while it worked, I was nervous about how close the edge of the bag was to the kill switch, so I decided it was time to find another solution.

The rack will not change the aesthetics of the bike much, but should allow me to put a pizza or other food back there, cargo netted down.  I'll continue to use the backpack for the other stuff, and if I want to upgrade to a box in the future I can. 

And FWIW, I do find the storage tank very useful.  I keep my gloves there all the time, and my helmet locked to it using the included tether when I am running in to a store quickly.  The only logistical problem that remains is my overpants, which I usually just wear in.  I suppose with a box I could strip down there in the parking lot and stash them but I probably wouldn't bother for the short amount of time I'd be inside.  If I am staying somewhere longer I'll throw them in a backpack.

[Richard230]

I have a suspicion that a top box might increase a Zero's aerodynamics slightly (and therefore increase its range) due to smoothing the flow of air at the rear of the motorcycle/rider combination.  I ride a lot with a top box installed and it does seem to me that my power consumption over the same route is a little less with the top box installed than when riding "naked". 

[Killroy]

I also commute year round on my Zero and the top case is a must for me.  If I see a motorcycle without a top case I think - fair weather weekend warrior.  I have a Givi 37 liter and I consider that as a minimum.