Finally had the opppurtunity to test ride an SR/F at motoport Rotterdam (Netherlands) yesterday. The dealer had just received their blue(ish) SR/F demo bike and also Zero Netherlands was present with a Red SR/F. Both standard versions.
First the looks, i got only 1 word for it. "Absolutley Gorgeous" (haha that's 2 words
Even die-hard gas-bikers were interested in the looks (but not into test riding it
and they agreed with me, it looks the bombl powerfull, striking etc.
That BIG motor which Zero did not hide any more, the batterypack with all the cooling fins, the rear wheel where the studs for the rear sprocket are integrated into the spokes instead of a big sprocket which is attached in the center.
The guy from Zero which was there explained that they made it apear at speed that the rear sprocket would float in mid air. In fact he said the designers were absolutley thrilled when they heard that for this bike they were allowed to start from absolutely from scratch and build-up a brand new platfrom.
First thing that struck me was that the seat was noticably lower (they do have an option for a higher seat) and also that the handlebar was smaller (no measurements unfortunately). The pegs are slightly higher and the handlebars are a smidge further forward. In my opinion comparable with a triumph street triple 675 I had a few years ago.
The seat was noticeably softer and a bit wider in the normal seating position (the current zero seat is quite narrow at the front and hard as rock)
The test ride was about an hour and no aching whatsoever which does occur on my SR.
Driving away from the dealership in sport mode felt very much like my SR. smooth control and the extra weight is not noticable at all. The bike feels very nimble and yet rock solid planted.
The test ride was awesome, the boys from zero had programmed in a custom mode called "Beast Mode"
where everything was dialed up to the max. Max torque and maximum regen. With those setting you can really ride it without touching the front or rear brake. Very strong regen and off course very strong acceleration
Definitely stronger than the SR.
After about an hours drive I returned to the dealership and was allowed to do a short round with my girlfriend on the backseat. We often ride together and she noticed that the seating position was almost the same as the SR, slightly higher knee postition but not uncomfortable and the seat itself is alot softer (= better) and also longer. All in all that aspect was approved by her
Riding 2-up with the SR/F has less effect on riding compared to riding 2 up on the SR which was to be expected. The higher weight off the bike and also the higher loading capacity (read better springs) will probably contribute to this.
After the ride i sat down with the salesman and he made me a relatively good offer, obviously a SR of only a year old will have a huge depriciation. But hey, that's life
I ordered a Red Premium SR/F and for the delivery time they said it would arrive in early July. That would seem a bit quick for me seeing all the post about people having pre-ordered so I'm counting on late July/early August. I can't wait though
The Zero guy had some interesting details about the bike. Apparently the battery chemistry is different compared to the SR. The capacity is obviously the same at 14.4 kWh. I wonder if thats how they made it more overheating-proof
For now : the waiting begins
Author
Topic: Zero SR-F Order thread (Read 23993 times)