I feel Gary's frustration. Zero have made a hash of marketing the SRF. They teased it back in February, which was fine, but they just aren't getting them into customers' hands quickly enough. We all know the dirty tricks that marketing departments like to play... Tease the product, keep people hanging, etc, etc... We're bored with that shit. Better marketing would be just to launch the bikes and tell everyone that they can demo the bike tomorrow and buy one at the same time, if they wish. Delivered the next day! Why is that so difficult? It stops pissing people off.
I gave an SRF a good spanking today and I'll tell you this: I rode it for about 20 minutes and the SoC dropped by 50%. It couldn't manage its claimed top speed because the motor overheated. 105 was the best I could get out of it.
Those are the negatives, which pail into insignificance compared to the positives. I put my deposit down last Friday before a test ride, but I was having second thoughts by this Thursday after a couple of test rides. Not so after getting an opportunity to give it the beans today though! The bike is genuinely fast. Probably not as fast as my CB1000R, but still very fast. What's most important, to me, is that it is fast without making a big deal about it. I'm fed up of screaming engines trying too hard. The one thing Zero's marketing department got right was the slogan 'Effortless Power.' That, remarkably for a marketing department, isn't bullshit.
I love that effortless power. The SRF has more than enough of it for the road. Don't think it's quick enough? Go and get some advanced motorcycle training from people who know how to ride a bike fast. You'll probably smoke most sportsbike riders with the SRF if you know what you're doing.
Don't take my word for it though, just go and get your leg over one and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's a lot of fun. It's smooth, refined and quiet. The ride quality is better than my CB1000R on our bumpy British roads (the likes of Spain and Greece got lots of EU subsidies and loans to do their roads up which the UK helped payfor).
My Honda handles better, but only in a way that's important on a racetrack. My Honda produces more power, which I can't safely use on the road. My Honda will go further on a tank of fuel which can be refilled in five minutes. Can't argue with that... The cost of petrol is insignificant compared to the cost of depreciation on a bike. But all that gets wiped away by the pure joy of riding an EV.
Gary, be patient. All good things come to those who wait. I only have to wait another two weeks for mine and I'm in the UK. You'll get yours soon enough mate. [emoji4]