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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

[talon]

2016 SR: My rear brake failed horrendously. The caliper bracket (the solid aluminum plate that holds the caliper on top of the swingarm) stress fractured on the bottom side, that keeps it in place if you were to brake slightly while walking the bike backward. It dragged my brake line with it and pinched it flat around the axle nut. The 2017 design is stronger than the 2016 as it is enclosed around the swingarm pin. I got the newer bracket and it was all covered under warranty. I do not believe this could ever happen while braking in the forward direction. I live on a VERY steep hill and need to back the bike out of my cluttered garage and need rear brake to leave (front brake only will slide front tire as not enough weight is on it facing uphill).

Aside from that, a wiring connector's seal and pin faceplate broke off for my charger. I had some water-related error codes. I get the Current Limited warnings and Isolation to Frame in logs occasionally. My cells seem to heat up more than others' Zeros when charging at lowish rates with external chargers. I'm currently looking at replacing swingarm bearings as I'm having a very, very strange belt tension issue that comes and goes (wayyyy above and below range). Oh, and those stock Pirellis were total garbage.

All in all I'm very impressed and happy with my bike, local dealer, and Zero as a whole.

[didierm]

1.
SR/F MY2020 , 800 km : 12V battery is dead (dropped from 13 to < 5V in approx. 24 hours).

A 12V battery replacement at the dealer resulted again in a depleted battery in 24 hours.

The bike has some fused/sealed accessories on its 12V Sumitomo and SAE accessory ports (Gerbing heater, fog lights, camera, GPS), which I transferred from my total loss DSR.
As these accessories are fed by the DC/DC-converter (and hence are shut off when the bike is shut off) and to my knowledge have no direct correlation with the 12V battery,  I would expect the DC/DC-converter (which takes care of the battery charge) to be involved in the issue.

Word is Zero is apparently looking into this ; the (new) bike has been at the dealer (who is dependent on Zero too) for the past 3 weeks.
I guess I need to categorize this as "Major problem" ; the verdict on Zero support is still out.

[valnar]

I set my poll to be 30 days and it looks like that wasn't quite enough.  Thanks to everyone who responded.

It appears from our little group that over 50% have problems. That is not an insignificant amount compared to any other motorcycle brand.

[talon]

I think most bikes (and vehicle purchases in general) have minor problems the first year of ownership. It kind of depends on how picky and attentive to details the owner is. I bet there isn't a bike out there that doesn't have factory over- and under- torqued fasteners, missing threadlocker, something misaligned, small scratches or tears, and other things amiss. There's always a TSB or an update somewhere to fix gripes. The response from the manufacturer/dealer support is all that matters to me. That being said, we have a fair bit of selection bias from the type of people that would sign up for a (wonderful) forum in 2020. Too bad we don't have some resource we all use that could be used to collect data from more owners (like an app or something..) [/end sarcasm]

[Crissa]

People who have problems are more likely to show up in a forum, and more likely to vote in a poll.  You'd get the same in a Mazda owner's forum, too.

-Crissa

[didierm]

People who have problems are more likely to show up in a forum, and more likely to vote in a poll.  You'd get the same in a Mazda owner's forum, too.

Sure, but it's the way problems are handled by the manufacturer that is important, and which provides a good view on efficiency and customer care.
In my opinion, that is not relative (more dissatisfied customers answering to a poll and tipping it to the negative) but absolute (each and every - major - issue should be handled efficiently, or you get a dissatisfied customer).

10 out of 40 respondents (i was just too late to answer the poll ), or 25%, who had a major problem or another bad experience is staggering.

My brand new SR/F (800 km) has now been at the dealership  (who stated two weeks ago they are waiting for an intervention from Zero Europe) for exactly a month (battery problem). I use this bike exclusively to travel to work.
I appreciate that there are mitigating factors in the current health crisis, but no status updates (hence me needing to guess whether COVID-19 is the culprit or Zero Europe is just sitting on its hands ; remember they're supposed to do remote diagnostics), is not something I appreciate

What is the value of technical excellence, if you're stranded and being kept into the dark, when that excellence fails ?
From my point of view, this is amateur hour, and a serious detriment in recommending Zero to fellow bikers.

[Crissa]

It's not staggering, for a self-selected pool in a forum.  It's expected.

If you think this is amateur hour, you must think the largest companies on Earth are amateurs, since pretty much every one has had their help systems brought to its knees.

-Crissa

[didierm]

Don't push me in the 'whining customer' corner.
I already clearly stated I sympathize (our businesses are affected by this too, like about everyone).

May be they're prioritizing their logistics for building and shipping new bikes instead of servicing. Who knows ?

But :

1. Zero performs remote diagnosis at the dealership. Is this affected by the current crisis ?
2. If  they are unable or delayed in providing support/service, why not inform the customer ?
It is not as if they have tens to hundreds of bikes to service in the field. I hope.


Reports of bikes taking ages to service, without hardly any feedback, date from before COVID-19.
It is actually one of the question items in this poll.

[valnar]

There are many stories on this forum about Zero taking months to solve issues with customers, albeit many of them outside of America.  While it's nice that dealer and Zero support exist, I'd rather have a reliable bike any day of the week.  Support means nothing if it constantly breaks, strands you out in the middle of the street, or worse, is a safety hazard when something goes bad.

I did buy a new Zero FXS and it makes me somewhat happy to hear less stories about that model than all others combined, however it can still be worrisome knowing that if anything goes wrong short a belt breaking, you're pretty much not able to fix it yourself.  Zero should sell their chargers or other problematic components at reasonable prices, and let the public (out of warranty) who are willing to fix it, do it.

[Crissa]

Don't push me in the 'whining customer' corner.

You started there.

1. Zero performs remote diagnosis at the dealership. Is this affected by the current crisis ?

Yes.  All of their personnel have to work from home right now.  Which means an already imperfect system where things can get dropped is being done remotely through phone-trees.

2. If  they are unable or delayed in providing support/service, why not inform the customer ?

Do you really want an email from every company you've registered a device from right now telling you they're responding to a pandemic?  That seems unreasonable and I've already gotten dozens.

[quote)It is not as if they have tens to hundreds of bikes to service in the field. I hope.[/quote]
Who knows?  The best evidence we have sold thousands of bikes.  If just one percent need service at any one time, yes, that would be dozens of bikes.

Reports of bikes taking ages to service, without hardly any feedback, date from before COVID-19.
It is actually one of the question items in this poll.

What defines 'ages' and 'feedback'?  How does this differ from say, BMW?  That's what matters.

Their handling seems no different than any other manufacturer I have dealt with; Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Mazda.  And on top of that they're a relatively tiny company.

-Crissa

[Auriga]

There are many stories on this forum about Zero taking months to solve issues with customers, albeit many of them outside of America.  While it's nice that dealer and Zero support exist, I'd rather have a reliable bike any day of the week.  Support means nothing if it constantly breaks, strands you out in the middle of the street, or worse, is a safety hazard when something goes bad.

I did buy a new Zero FXS and it makes me somewhat happy to hear less stories about that model than all others combined, however it can still be worrisome knowing that if anything goes wrong short a belt breaking, you're pretty much not able to fix it yourself.  Zero should sell their chargers or other problematic components at reasonable prices, and let the public (out of warranty) who are willing to fix it, do it.

You gotta remember that some of the stories on here are incomplete and missing key details. Service really comes down to the dealer level. If your dealer sits on the bike for a month or is just unorganized, they can always blame Zero. Zero has a tech support email and phone number, and I have never failed to get a response in a day or two, This is from the dealer perspective. Things happen, parts go missing, and things get missed, but I much prefer them over some of the other manufacturers. COVID-19 has got everything and everyone delayed, and that can hardly be blamed on them.

[didierm]

Don't push me in the 'whining customer' corner.

You started there.

I surely value your resolute approach, for what it's worth, but read again what I wrote :

"... the verdict on Zero support is still out ..."
"... I appreciate that there are mitigating factors in the current health crisis ..."

1. Zero performs remote diagnosis at the dealership. Is this affected by the current crisis ?

Yes.  All of their personnel have to work from home right now.  Which means an already imperfect system where things can get dropped is being done remotely through phone-trees.

An already imperfect system : that is what it's all about.

2. If  they are unable or delayed in providing support/service, why not inform the customer ?

Do you really want an email from every company you've registered a device from right now telling you they're responding to a pandemic?  That seems unreasonable and I've already gotten dozens.

Let's try to stay on-topic : my SR/F battery issue dates from before COVID-19.


But I appreciate you defending Zero so vigorously : I sympathize with them as much as probably anyone on the forum, otherwise I wouldn't have bought 40 k€ of their gear.

[Hero on my Zero]

2. If  they are unable or delayed in providing support/service, why not inform the customer ?
It is not as if they have tens to hundreds of bikes to service in the field. I hope.

I received an email letter from Zero Europe on 20MAR2020 informing their clientele what they are doing and what the impact of COVID-19 is on their operations.

[alby62]

in 39000 km gl' unici problemi sono stati ,  cinghia  strappata   dopo atterraggio  su un salto  su strada  asfaltata, ma se sarei stato + accorto non sarebbe  successo, ora
 conosco il punto debole   e stato molto attento,  cmq  la  cinghia  l'ho cambiata  io,
poi avevo eseguito l'ultimo aggiornamento, ma  è andato in default   per cui ho caricato  la  moto , portata  al concessionario fino a milano e in 10 minuti la  moto era  ok. ora  problemino lieve  del cuscinetto  da  cambiare  appena  cambio pneumatico posteriore , cambio anche il cuscinetto.
problema   maggiore ,  MA  è lo PER TUTTI  NOI   il coronavirus  che ci blocca la  moto in garage ,  ciao  a tutti  e teniamo duro che  passa.
forza  Zero

[didierm]

I received an email letter from Zero Europe on 20MAR2020 informing their clientele what they are doing and what the impact of COVID-19 is on their operations.

It is probably out of scope for this thread, but would you care to share the letter (perhaps in a new thread) ?
It may be of interest to forum members who didn't receive the email.