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[Jarrett]

As a "dirt bike" with one battery the weight quoted is in the 250's.  It would be more an adventure or dual purpose at 289 pounds. 

I'm curious if you can name one adventure bike at 289 lbs.

[Fran K]

As a "dirt bike" with one battery the weight quoted is in the 250's.  It would be more an adventure or dual purpose at 289 pounds. 

I'm curious if you can name one adventure bike at 289 lbs.

How about the Yamaha xt250 available in other markets with cush hub and luggage?  South America perhaps elsewhere.

[Jarrett]

That's a dual sport dirt bike that's street legal and its wet weight is 291.

[wavelet]

I've been operating under the assumption that the SR/F was intended to be 2020's model year bump, but was triggered early because of Harley's announcement of the LiveWire and Lightning's announcement of the Strike.

So I'd expect some pretty significant changes to the whole model line in 2020, EXCEPT for the SR/F.

That seems logical to me too.  Why would Zero spend so much development time on an entirely new platform if they were not going to use it on the rest of their lineup in the future?  Plus, this year's owners of the SR/F can be the beta-testers for the new model, before production ramps up and starts infiltrating into the S and DS style platforms. That way any bugs can be worked out before the complete 2020 model line is introduced.

I particularly noticed the significant increase of GVWR of the SR/F vs the S(R) -- to me that implied they're thinking of a sport-tourer (maybe also tourer as well) that can accommodate significant luggage and/or a passenger. Obviously that necessitates a fairing as well. Is the SR/F frame significantly larger physically?
And of course, they could also do a DS(R)/F Adventure-style bike -- much more likely IMO than an FX/F or FXS/F (a porky dirtbike or supermoto is a bit of a contradiction in terms, and  mid- and fullsize Adventure bikes are where much of the sales action is these days).

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I've been operating under the assumption that the SR/F was intended to be 2020's model year bump, but was triggered early because of Harley's announcement of the LiveWire and Lightning's announcement of the Strike.

So I'd expect some pretty significant changes to the whole model line in 2020, EXCEPT for the SR/F.

That seems logical to me too.  Why would Zero spend so much development time on an entirely new platform if they were not going to use it on the rest of their lineup in the future?  Plus, this year's owners of the SR/F can be the beta-testers for the new model, before production ramps up and starts infiltrating into the S and DS style platforms. That way any bugs can be worked out before the complete 2020 model line is introduced.

I particularly noticed the significant increase of GVWR of the SR/F vs the S(R) -- to me that implied they're thinking of a sport-tourer (maybe also tourer as well) that can accommodate significant luggage and/or a passenger. Obviously that necessitates a fairing as well. Is the SR/F frame significantly larger physically?
And of course, they could also do a DS(R)/F Adventure-style bike -- much more likely IMO than an FX/F or FXS/F (a porky dirtbike or supermoto is a bit of a contradiction in terms, and  mid- and fullsize Adventure bikes are where much of the sales action is these days).

The frame is wider and larger diameter (19mm tube for the main spars). The GVWR is not lost on me, nor the fact that the tail subframe is much better constructed and even unbolts from the center frame piece.

Because the frame is steel tubing, it’s easier to attach a fairing support by clamping.

I don’t know whether sport touring or adventure is their next move, but I’ll bet they’ll pick one. I’d prefer anything with a forward bracket detaching the cockpit and headlamp from the steering, because that enables a fairing much better than aftermarket construction.

[Richard230]

I've been operating under the assumption that the SR/F was intended to be 2020's model year bump, but was triggered early because of Harley's announcement of the LiveWire and Lightning's announcement of the Strike.

So I'd expect some pretty significant changes to the whole model line in 2020, EXCEPT for the SR/F.

That seems logical to me too.  Why would Zero spend so much development time on an entirely new platform if they were not going to use it on the rest of their lineup in the future?  Plus, this year's owners of the SR/F can be the beta-testers for the new model, before production ramps up and starts infiltrating into the S and DS style platforms. That way any bugs can be worked out before the complete 2020 model line is introduced.

I particularly noticed the significant increase of GVWR of the SR/F vs the S(R) -- to me that implied they're thinking of a sport-tourer (maybe also tourer as well) that can accommodate significant luggage and/or a passenger. Obviously that necessitates a fairing as well. Is the SR/F frame significantly larger physically?
And of course, they could also do a DS(R)/F Adventure-style bike -- much more likely IMO than an FX/F or FXS/F (a porky dirtbike or supermoto is a bit of a contradiction in terms, and  mid- and fullsize Adventure bikes are where much of the sales action is these days).

The frame is wider and larger diameter (19mm tube for the main spars). The GVWR is not lost on me, nor the fact that the tail subframe is much better constructed and even unbolts from the center frame piece.

Because the frame is steel tubing, it’s easier to attach a fairing support by clamping.

I don’t know whether sport touring or adventure is their next move, but I’ll bet they’ll pick one. I’d prefer anything with a forward bracket detaching the cockpit and headlamp from the steering, because that enables a fairing much better than aftermarket construction.

My money is on an ADV model. That is what is hot and selling right now.  One thing is for sure, Zero will go with whatever they believe will sell the most "units".   

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

My money is on an ADV model. That is what is hot and selling right now.  One thing is for sure, Zero will go with whatever they believe will sell the most "units".   

Zero did not expect the DSR to be a big seller, and they seem at least surprised at the demand for the SR/F. I think they don't have a confident way to assess where they should be in the market.

For example, they might make one of these "scrambler" models that I cannot see the appeal of. But I'm not in the market for a streetfighter, either. The SR/F does not excite me as a model at all, although I really like the platform. If I have to buy the SR/F, it'll be for the platform capabilities and once again I'll be working against the grain trying to turn a Zero into a touring-worthy machine.

[Richard230]

My money is on an ADV model. That is what is hot and selling right now.  One thing is for sure, Zero will go with whatever they believe will sell the most "units".   

Zero did not expect the DSR to be a big seller, and they seem at least surprised at the demand for the SR/F. I think they don't have a confident way to assess where they should be in the market.

For example, they might make one of these "scrambler" models that I cannot see the appeal of. But I'm not in the market for a streetfighter, either. The SR/F does not excite me as a model at all, although I really like the platform. If I have to buy the SR/F, it'll be for the platform capabilities and once again I'll be working against the grain trying to turn a Zero into a touring-worthy machine.

But how can you design a "Scrambler" model without a high exhaust pipe?  Now that would be a challenge for the Zero designers - whomever they are.   

[wavelet]

A scrambler is simply a retro-1960s-look standard with more-or-less minimalist components. The real scramblers back then also had knobbies, since they needed to go off-asphalt.
The entire concept makes no sense whatsoever for a company that (1) didn't exist back then and (2) makes BEV bikes.

[Jarrett]

I imagine its tough knowing which model aesthetic to choose next at Zero.  The market is all over the place right now.

[wavelet]

I imagine its tough knowing which model aesthetic to choose next at Zero.  The market is all over the place right now.

I suspect it's really an issue of being resource-limited, as a small company.
I don't think there's a worthwhile model they can add at this point that doesn't require some kind of fairing (well, in theory, a Harley-esque cruiser, but I seriously doubt there'll be a siginficant number of buyers for it. It's a shrinking market segment, and I don't think it overlaps with people who like electrics).
It'll be interesting to see if the decision to retain 100V for the /F platform (anybody have a good name for it?) harms them in the short-to-medium range (probably more of an issue in Europe), as at this point, I don't see them launching a new higher-voltage platform for the next few years (unless sales explode,but that won't happen IMO unless at least 2-3 large motorcycle makers get fully onboard the electric wagon, and with actual motorcycles, not scooters.)

[Richard230]

I am not betting on Zero coming out with a factory fairing on a production model.  I think designing, developing and manufacturing an integrated plastic fairing is more than they want to tackle.  My money remains on an ADV bike, which does not require a fairing to meet that market's expectations.

[Jarrett]

I had no idea fairings were the hard part of motorcycle design.

[Richard230]

I had no idea fairings were the hard part of motorcycle design.

They might require some expensive wind tunnel time to make sure that they are stable at all speeds and the production molds are also expensive.

[wavelet]

I had no idea fairings were the hard part of motorcycle design.

They might require some expensive wind tunnel time to make sure that they are stable at all speeds and the production molds are also expensive.

It also requires heavyweight computer modeling of air flows, which done by aerodynamics experts; Zero presumably doesn't have any on staff and doesn't want  to hire them fulltime for a project or two, but surely they could cooperate with someone who does have the expertise -- I'm puzzled they haven't done that yet. Sure, the fairings would be expensive but it would (IMHO) expand the market significantly. Maybe they're waiting for 5-digit annual sales...