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[reini]

Quite close to me a guy is selling a 2017 DSR with only 700km. The price went down in the last 2 weeks from 14k to 12k EUR.

What do you think would be a fair price for this, and is it dangerous to buy an electric motorcycle that has been used that infrequently? One of the pictures shows the current SoC to be 89%.

If I would buy it, I'd look to fit a charge tank to it since I don't have a garage to charge, but a close-by L2 station.

Looking forward to hearing your opinions.

[NEW2elec]

I have one and love it.  As for price, the old rule of "it's worth what someone will pay" still applies.  You can look around and see what other options are out there but it's not a crazy price for the bike IF it's working fine.

The 89% SOC could be nothing or it "might" show a problem with the charger.  It's a stretch to worry about that but it is possible.
Not being able to charge to 100% is one of the first signs the charger could be failing.  On the other hand most battery guys will tell you to store it at around 80% SOC if not in use so that might be what the owner is doing.

Some guys get caught up in the image of having a motorcycle but after owning it they see it isn't for them and sell bikes with very low miles on them.  Being a 17 it's very likely the two year full coverage warranty has expired but still some time left on the five year battery warranty.

You can ask him to charge the bike to full SOC and take a picture to show the charger is still working.  Other than that if there are no error codes flashing it's just a little used bike.  Note the ABS light will be on until it rolls forward a few feet then it turns off.

Good luck.

[reini]

Thanks for the tip with the charging! Is there any other way to check battery health on the bike? I guess, I'll try to setup a test ride and find out why it only has so few kilometers on the ODO.

[Richard230]

If the battery pack will not charge to 100% then the charger is going bad.  A new and improved charger is available from Zero for $800 USD.  It will take about an hour to remove the old charger and replace it with a new one. The only issue is reattaching two connectors which are difficult to access because of their confined location.

[reini]

I think it is a bad sign that the conversation comes back to a possibly faulty charger. Is this really this bad for "old" Zeros? Makes me wonder if I should look somewhere else.

Does anyone have an idea how to assess battery health on the bike?

[Richard230]

I think it is a bad sign that the conversation comes back to a possibly faulty charger. Is this really this bad for "old" Zeros? Makes me wonder if I should look somewhere else.

Does anyone have an idea how to assess battery health on the bike?

When my daughter's 2014 S refused to charge past 88% SOC, I was worried that the battery pack was getting tired. But once we replaced the charger, not only did it now charge to 100% SOC but it also showed 117 volts at 100%, whereas my 2018 S stop charging at 116 volts. If you ask me, I don't think you have to worry about the battery pack degrading, if that is concern.  I am pretty sure that the battery pack will outlast the bike's chassis and power train.

[NEW2elec]

The charger is the weak point on these bikes but mine has 13k miles and no problems.  My 13 has over 30k miles with no problems (but they used a different charger).  The charger not working was the only issue I could come up with for you to check off your description of the bike.  I don't want to scare you off. 
As for battery health, like I said you've got years left on the battery warranty.  If it charges to 100% and shows 116Vs on the app and a cell imbalance of under 10-15 (it's in milli volts, also on the app) I wouldn't worry about the battery.  If something goes wrong they give you (and install) a new 14.4 kWh battery for free, while under warranty.

I read over some of your other posts and saw you were looking at two of the newer models from Zero and Energica and both are very nice bikes.  The DSR would be about 1/2 the cost and still a great fun bike IMO.  With the charge tank you really increase the usability of the bike.  Take it for a test ride and see if you like how it rides which is most important of all and go from there.
To me that magic carpet ride is close to describing what it's like.

[reini]

Thansk for the clarifications!

New2elec, you are right. I thought that I would want the newest and fastest bike there is. But with this offer I was thinking that maybe spending half the money would be enough for me

It is good to know that the battery pack is not considered the weak spot. I imagine changing the charger is easier and cheaper than the battery pack.

[Richard230]

Thansk for the clarifications!

New2elec, you are right. I thought that I would want the newest and fastest bike there is. But with this offer I was thinking that maybe spending half the money would be enough for me

It is good to know that the battery pack is not considered the weak spot. I imagine changing the charger is easier and cheaper than the battery pack.

For sure!   

[NEW2elec]

Did you get a chance to test ride it?

[reini]

Did you get a chance to test ride it?

Not yet, but I maybe pass as the price went down another 1K EUR in the meantime. Tough sell it seems...

[NEW2elec]

Well your a grown man and can make your own choice.  It's been my experience that the general public thinks of EV batteries like they are filled with a bunch of AA batteries and are worthless after a couple of years.  I can't promise there wouldn't ever be any trouble with the bike of course but many members on here have had years and years and thousands of miles worth of enjoyment from these bikes.

The math for cheap ownership for these bikes works out much faster when the sell price is low to start with.  Both of my bikes were from rather wealthy guys who wanted to move on to nicer toys and as a result I got a main bike and a weekend/backup bike for less than they both paid for each bike new.

And I've already put more miles on them than either one did.   

[alko]

Did you get a chance to test ride it?

Not yet, but I maybe pass as the price went down another 1K EUR in the meantime. Tough sell it seems...

I paid 11,000 USD (9800 euro) for my 2017 dsr a year ago with only 1200 miles on it. Best purchase I've ever made. I use it as commuter and to run errands. Put another 8000 miles on it so far.  No regrets.

[dfautheree]

If this was on Jalopnik's "Nice Price or Crack Pipe", I would vote Nice Price!

[reini]

In the meantime my dilemma has been solved by my clumsiness. I fell and broke my lower leg, so Im going to be immobilized for the next 6-8 weeks. I'm going to take a look at motorcycles again next season. Thanks for all the tips!