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No problems, other than standard maintenance

17 (43.6%)

Minor problems, fixed fairly easily by myself or at dealer

13 (33.3%)

Major problems, or took forever to get fixed. Bad experience with Zero support, etc.

9 (23.1%)

Total Members Voted: 39

Voting closed: March 27, 2020, 09:59:57 PM

[GaryArt1]

So this just made me think.  Jamie, your bike is a 1999 model. 21 years old and still running.  My ICE bike is a 2005. 15 years old and it still runs great.  I wonder what my new Zero would be like when it hits 15-20 years old.  I am going to guess, it would be dead long before that.  That is one thing I have to give to the old ICE bikes.  They will outlast anything electric.

[princec]

But likely just the battery cells will be knackered by then, no? And I expect in 15 years' time, 14kWh of battery cells will probably cost about $500.

Cas

[JaimeC]

Yeah, I agree.  Mechanically, I can't see anything on our eBikes deteriorating that much.  Zero says the battery should last five years or more and they consider the battery toast when it's only at 80% capacity.  80% is still quite usable for commuting duties, but who knows what the replacement battery technology will be like when it is time to replace it?

[princec]

Really it'll come down to availability of spares.

If we're honest though not many bikes see over 50k miles in their lifetime. Most get crashed (or blown up, or abused) long before they see retirement.

Cas

[Crissa]

The vast majority of bikes don't last that long, though, yeah.

Wiring corrosion will be a bit of a problem, since wires are small and a tiny amount of corrosion can do a connector massive damage.

-Crissa

[Hans2183]

Well that really depends on use. For world travellers and commuters it's not uncommon at all. I (as a commuter, not world traveller ) did 140.000 km on my BMW R1200 RT before replacing it for a BMW R1200 GS that now has 70.000 km and currently using the SR/F, getting close to 10.000 km (but now sars-cov-2 is stopping me). 

[JaimeC]

Back on topic:  My 2016 S needed a new motor right at the end of the warranty period.  It took almost a month for the part to arrive, but it was replaced at no charge.  Had the bike not been totaled a few months after that, I'd probably still be riding it.  Still, the fit and finish of my 2018 is just SO much better so things turned out well in the end.

[princec]

How does an electric motor fail? (Not exasperated sarcasm, genuinely interested in failure mode)

Cas

[Hans2183]

How does an electric motor fail? (Not exasperated sarcasm, genuinely interested in failure mode)

Cas

On the electronic level. The most common issue with the SR/F so far is that it fails to work in rain. I had error 43 and and 31 popping up during rides and when wet it won't let me charge the bike with that error 43 "insulation error" and sometimes even not let me ride it.

[JaimeC]

How does an electric motor fail? (Not exasperated sarcasm, genuinely interested in failure mode)

Cas

The bearing failed.  It started making some HORRIBLE sounds.  Not an uncommon problem.  I've had bearing failures in CPU cooling fans and hard drives so I'm familiar with the symptoms.  Those shouldn't fail either, but if the part moves, well...

[princec]

Is the bearing (a very cheap part) not easily replaceable independently of the motor (a rather more expensive part)?

Cas

[JaimeC]

Don't know.  Since Zero was replacing the whole motor at no cost to me, I didn't inquire any further.

[Hero on my Zero]

Bought a 2015 SR with 4.000 k (~2.500 miles) on it. No clue what happened during those first 4.000 kilometers.

1. Had "something" loose in the dashboard that got fixed under dealer warranty (6 months on a used bike). They opened the dash, removed the particle and closed it; done

2. After putting about  4.500 kilometer (2.800 miles) on the bike myself, it stopped charging.
Zero replaced the Charger for free even though the bike was past the warranty period (because most of these chargers will fail around the 8.000 kilometer (5.000 mile) mark). It took a total of about 4 weeks for the charger to arrive at the dealer and for them to install it; it did not help
Then they blamed the BMS and ordered a new one. It came in three weeks. They installed it; it did not help
Then the  bike got shipped to Zero Europe and they replaced the battery (I now have a 13 instead of 12.5 KwH version); that fixed the problem

3. At around 10.000 kilometer (~6.200 miles) the throttle gave up. Total cost to replace 400 euro (~$440)




I have little faith in the bike, but I love  to ride it still.

[Crissa]

I have little faith in the bike, but I love  to ride it still.

With all the new parts in it, it should be a bit more reliable.  You've had to replace what, every probably problematic thing 'cept the kick stand sensor?

I had the blinker module fail.  That's it, really.

-Crissa

[Hero on my Zero]

I have little faith in the bike, but I love  to ride it still.

With all the new parts in it, it should be a bit more reliable.  You've had to replace what, every probably problematic thing 'cept the kick stand sensor?

I had the blinker module fail.  That's it, really.

-Crissa

Waiting for the Sevon Controller and the engine to fail  ................................