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Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Jarrett on May 08, 2019, 10:53:18 PM

Title: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Jarrett on May 08, 2019, 10:53:18 PM
I bought a FX a little while back and its a fun bike.  I bought it knowing it wasn't very practical for me.  Just a fun bike for short rides and its worked great for that.  I charge it at home, ride it til its empty, then coast into the driveway and plug it back in at home.  So its good for one ride a day at 60 miles and I don't expect any more from it than that.  when I want to actually go for a motorcycle ride, I still get on my ICE bikes and just ride and don't worry about fuel.

I've got an itch for a faster Zero now.  Something that is quicker and more powerful than the FX at higher speeds and has the ability to do longer miles.  I figure that is pretty much any other model, but the SR/F is obviously the most interesting of the options.

For longer miles, I guess I have the option of a power tank or charge tank.  In my area, there is one L2 charge station and one Tesla station.  Other charging options are many miles beyond that.  I guess if you include RV parks with available 220 plugs, then there are some more options close by.   

It seems like with a S/SR/DS/DSR, the range without a power tank is around 100 miles and with a power tank, the range is around 120 miles or so.  With the SR/F, there is no power tank yet, but there is the option to get a charge tank that can get you to 95% in an hour after riding 100 miles or so.

I'm trying to figure out how practical that really is.  How functional is either a bike that can go 120 miles but takes a long time to recharge, versus a bike that goes 100 miles but can recharge in an hour, but only at specific locations.  Any insights?
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: flattetyre on May 09, 2019, 12:53:42 AM
Nothing electrical is practical for that scenario. Even the fastest charge is an extreme pain in the ass. Who wants to wait an hour while the bike fills up, just to do it again less than 2 hours down the road? That sounds like a situation best avoided, if one could do so...

The correct answer is obviously to get a gas bike.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: pacificcricket on May 09, 2019, 01:35:28 AM
I'm trying to figure out how practical that really is.  How functional is either a bike that can go 120 miles but takes a long time to recharge, versus a bike that goes 100 miles but can recharge in an hour, but only at specific locations.  Any insights?

This question came up in a different thread. Folks are saying that most Level2 stations can't provide more than 6kW of power. I have no way to verify, but that would mean it wouldn't charge in 1 hour at such stations. When it comes to home charging, you can setup the hardware that will ensure that charge rate, not a huge issue.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Jarrett on May 09, 2019, 03:29:17 AM
Yeah, I heard that from Zero today.  L2 chargers just put out 6kw, so the Charge Tank is a bit overkill for now and can be added later.

Also learned that it comes with an adapter cable for 110 and most 220 connections, so you have lots of charging options.  I could theoretically ride to a state park, plug into a RV pole and go hike while its recharging. 
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: MostlyBonkers on May 09, 2019, 03:44:57 AM
I wouldn't count on more than 80 miles from a full charge, especially if you plan to use some of the power and torque it offers.

I also think it depends on the type of riding you do.  Much of the riding I do on country roads nets an average speed of 35mph.  That's a couple of hours on the bike. If you're happy stopping for a couple of hours to charge each time, you could cover over 200 miles a day. 

If that doesn't appeal and you want to cover more miles and not do the charging stops, then the SRF isn't practical.  I'd think of it more as a lifestyle choice.  It really depends on how you like to ride.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: pacificcricket on May 09, 2019, 03:50:34 AM
Also learned that it comes with an adapter cable for 110 and most 220 connections, so you have lots of charging options.  I could theoretically ride to a state park, plug into a RV pole and go hike while its recharging.

Most US homes have range outlets that are 50A. Like somebody said before, you can potentially pull 12kW from such outlet with minimal effort. You can also use the dryer outlet which will be 30A. The only challenge is getting the bike close enough to such hookups. Personally I'd just wire a new 50A outlet from the same breaker as the range.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Jarrett on May 09, 2019, 03:51:38 AM
80 miles would be horrible.  My FX will do 50-60.

Website says:

City?   161 miles   161 miles
Highway, 55 mph (89 km/h)?   99 miles   99 miles
Combined?   123 miles   123 miles
Highway, 70 mph (113 km/h)?   82 miles   82 miles
Combined?   109 miles   109 miles

I was guessing maybe 98 miles a charge on average.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: David S on May 09, 2019, 03:56:00 AM
I'm trying to figure out how practical that really is.  How functional is either a bike that can go 120 miles but takes a long time to recharge, versus a bike that goes 100 miles but can recharge in an hour, but only at specific locations.  Any insights?

This question came up in a different thread. Folks are saying that most Level2 stations can't provide more than 6kW of power. I have no way to verify, but that would mean it wouldn't charge in 1 hour at such stations. When it comes to home charging, you can setup the hardware that will ensure that charge rate, not a huge issue.

There is no reason you need 1 hour charging at your home though.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: alko on May 09, 2019, 04:22:45 AM
Depends on where you ride too. If you do any dirt roads, the SR/F is not the best option. A DSR will take you more places and is plenty fast. I consistently get around 130-140 miles at 30-35mph around town in the summer months. Less range in cold temps.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: chrisho on May 09, 2019, 04:25:34 AM
plus in the area of practicality the dealer told me the rear end is completely new so Givi options may take a bit of time to adapt for those who go the hard luggage route
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: NEW2elec on May 09, 2019, 08:42:25 PM
Shad is doing the top cases for the SRF not Givi at least to start with.  They are part of the accessories page for the SRF.

Jarrett if your even considering getting a SRF at this point then your in good financial shape and should get what makes you happy.
The feeling of an electric motorcycle ride is addictive isn't it?   :)

As for practicality, do you ride to work?  I've only filled my car's gas tank up 3 times in the last three months instead of every week if I don't ride in.  So I've saved 9 weeks times $30 that's $270.  Pocket change for some but it works for me.  Plus I enjoy the commute more so added perk.


Just take one out for a test ride and go from there.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Jarrett on May 10, 2019, 12:23:07 AM
I rode the pre-prod bike already.  It was cool.

Going to test the production demo bike in an hour or so.

I did a track day on Monday and thought a SR/F would be fun out there.

Just not sure how useful an electric Streetfighter bike is over time.  I could ride it to work, but my route is pretty dangerous.  Free L2 charging at work though.

It would end up just being a really expensive toy mainly. 
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Doug S on May 10, 2019, 01:14:06 AM
Practicality is a commodity. So is performance. So are range, comfort, style and sheer fun. You just have to decide how important each of those things are to you, and how much you're willing to pay.

If practicality were the only concern, we'd all be driving Nissan Versas and/or riding Ninja 250s. Buy what's going to make your riding experience satisfying to you.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: chrisho on May 10, 2019, 01:19:08 AM
Shad is doing the top cases for the SRF not Givi at least to start with.  They are part of the accessories page for the SRF.

Where is that page on their site, it is not the most fun of sites to navigate. I can find accessories but they are not model specific
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: NEW2elec on May 10, 2019, 08:32:31 PM
Chrisho I think Richard230 posted a pic or video of the wall behind the SRF at the reveal event that had all the accessories for the bike and the top case was a Shad.  I did a quick search on here but couldn't find it.  It isn't on the Zero webpage though.

It's on one of these SRF threads.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Richard230 on May 11, 2019, 03:24:46 AM
Chrisho I think Richard230 posted a pic or video of the wall behind the SRF at the reveal event that had all the accessories for the bike and the top case was a Shad.  I did a quick search on here but couldn't find it.  It isn't on the Zero webpage though.

It's on one of these SRF threads.

Here it is:  https://electricmotorcycles.news/ecomobiel-antwerp-at-official-dealer-launch-zero-sr-f/
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: NEW2elec on May 11, 2019, 09:50:24 AM
I knew you'd have it.   :)

Thanks.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: GaryArt1 on May 11, 2019, 10:16:45 AM
The one thing I can't figure out in the photo is the set of handle bars.  Are they going to come out with an optional set of handle bars.  Maybe a set of high rise bars similar to the higher seat.  Unless of course it is just the standard bars used to display the optional bar ends, heated grips and flyscreen.  But I hope it is high rise bars.
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Richard230 on May 11, 2019, 07:28:56 PM
I don't have a clue about the bars, but I can mention that SHAD luggage is decent stuff.  SHAD is a Spanish company that manufactures the hard cases for BMW motorcycles.  But their version is a lot lighter, single-wall, much less complicated and cost less than half that of the price of BMW cases.  I say this as someone who has owned BMW hard luggage over the years and now use SHAD cases on both my R12RS and my F650GS. I think anyone buying SHAD cases for their SR/F will be happy with their purchase - although I am not sure how much of a markup Zero might add to their price.  ???
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: alko on May 13, 2019, 07:17:17 PM
I don't have a clue about the bars, but I can mention that SHAD luggage is decent stuff.  SHAD is a Spanish company that manufactures the hard cases for BMW motorcycles.  But their version is a lot lighter, single-wall, much less complicated and cost less than half that of the price of BMW cases.  I say this as someone who has owned BMW hard luggage over the years and now use SHAD cases on both my R12RS and my F650GS. I think anyone buying SHAD cases for their SR/F will be happy with their purchase - although I am not sure how much of a markup Zero might add to their price.  ???

The J. Juan brakes are also Spanish and I have no complaints about them. I don't think people should be concerned with the lack of Brembo brakes. Imo
Title: Re: How Practical Is The SR/F?
Post by: Richard230 on May 13, 2019, 07:34:48 PM
I don't have a clue about the bars, but I can mention that SHAD luggage is decent stuff.  SHAD is a Spanish company that manufactures the hard cases for BMW motorcycles.  But their version is a lot lighter, single-wall, much less complicated and cost less than half that of the price of BMW cases.  I say this as someone who has owned BMW hard luggage over the years and now use SHAD cases on both my R12RS and my F650GS. I think anyone buying SHAD cases for their SR/F will be happy with their purchase - although I am not sure how much of a markup Zero might add to their price.  ???

The J. Juan brakes are also Spanish and I have no complaints about them. I don't think people should be concerned with the lack of Brembo brakes. Imo

You might be interested to know that BMW seems to be switching from Brembo brake components to the Hayes brand (a U.S. company, I believe) on their 2019 R1250GS models. (Likely because they are cheaper than Brembo stuff.)   Hayes made the brake calipers on the 2012 Zeros.