ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

Thanks for the info so far, everyone.

As someone who has put over 100,000 miles combined on each model year Zero 2012 and up, I can tell you the bikes have progressively gotten more reliable each year.  Not that there aren't plenty of 2013's out there that have been trouble free, and all of them are receiving the new 2015 battery pack, if having an issue here or there that might require you taking the bike to the dealer is something that will cause you stress or anxiety you are not good at dealing with, I would highly suggest getting a 2016 Zero.  Not just for the better power, range, suspension, brakes, display, seat, motor redesign and cooling, tires and more, but the fine tuning of refinement to prevent issues is huge.  If you haven't bought one yet, go test ride the 2016 and see if you like it enough and what you can save on gas and vehicle maintenance each month can justify the additional cost over getting a 2013, which for most people I think it will and I hope it makes sense for you too.

The other thing I have noticed, is lots of people join the forums either before they buy a bike, or after they have an issue to seek community help.  Many Zero owners I know from facebook that haven't had any issues have never joined the forum as they have had no reason to.  Keep that in mind.  Anyway please take my advice and strongly consider a 2016.  They have gotten better and less expensive each year.  This month there is a "free fuel for life" program that basically will get you an additional $1000 back, reducing the cost of a new 9.8 S or DS to under $9000 with the tax credit.  I want to see every new owner as happy as they can be, and I think you will enjoy a 2016 much more than what you would save by getting a 2013.  Trust me.  I've put in the miles on these bikes to be able to say that. 

Thanks for that. I am indeed considering a new 2016, not a 2013. I posted "2013+" since they are all the same generation from that point forward. I'm really only personally concerned with the 2016's since I wouldn't buy an older one, but I didn't figure there would be enough data yet to post up about 2016's alone. I know you have tons of experience with Zeros and have some ties to the people in the know so it's good to hear that you feel the 2016's should be more reliable. What specifically have they changed to address reliability for the 2016's vs 2015's (aside from the IPM motors, etc.)? Did they simply up the QC inspections and tests or have hard changes been made, or all of the above?
For example, I read about many problems with 2015 on-board chargers and as far as I can tell, those chargers carried over to 2016. Are they all-new chargers or did they fix whatever issues the 2015 units had or are they just inspecting/testing them for problems more carefully?

Zero also needs to fix the issues with service when problems do arise. I've read way too many stories on here of super long waits for diagnosis, parts, and/or repair. Be it dealer problems or factory problems, Zero needs to jump all over it if they want more people to feel comfortable about spending a relatively large sum of money on these. I understand that sometimes unexpected problems arise, but how they are handled counts for a lot. I'm one of those who has not the time or patience (because I don't have the health) to deal with months of back-and-forths without clear and concise resolution. Hopefully they have recently decided to put some serious effort into this, because if some of the previously posted experiences are what is to be expected, I'm not ready to jump in yet.

Again, thanks for all the responses (past and future).

I'd like to see:
- variable regen via clutch lever

I think this would be a bad idea to offer from the factory simply because it is almost universal among motorcycles to use that lever to decouple the drivetrain from the wheel, not to provide back-torque to it. One thing every reviewer and every demo rider has seemed to do is go for the clutch lever repeatedly. That could get dangerous real quick in the wrong situation. Also, many riders have multiple bikes and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that many still try to grab a handful of clutch after switching back to the Zero. I just think it is not worth the potential safety issues and the lever is better left gone. I could be wrong, but that's my feeling.

However, I'm not against individuals adding one themselves as some have. They bear full responsibility for that and it could be a useful feature at times.

Definitely fairings for me. Not race replica fairings (unless on a model like that described above), but more upright middleweight sport-touring type fairings like a Ninja 650R or the like (with different styling of course). I think that those on an SR would make for a nice highway commuter compared to a naked, as weather protection and range would both be improved.
I don't think a full Vetter style fairing would be very marketable except to the hardcore E-enthusiasts. Electric motorcycles are already a niche within a niche, and that would be a niche within a niche within a niche. I do think a modest conventional fairing would be more palatable to more people. A good middle ground. I would certainly pay more for this. Of course, the naked could still be offered for those who don't want fairings.
Zero... please do this. I see a lot of customers and potential customers asking for it.

Visa gift card, sent 4-6 weeks after warranty registration

Visa gift card... as in you can spend it anywhere that accepts Visa? Any restrictions on that? If it can act as a card you can use pretty much anywhere, I'd esentially get the $1000 savings within a month of receiving it just by buying things we regularly need from month to month with the card (groceries and the like, for example).
Am I understanding correctly how it works?

Oh, well if that's the case then at least I can say I'm riding my $12,770 Zero SR for free for 75k miles.    (Of course, that IS how they're advertising it).

Good timing for it too! I hope...
Anyone wanna buy my 2014 Corvette that I have to sell?

Sounds like the C3 is a good match with a Zero.

As I lie here sick in bed I've been watching and reading everything I can on both of these bikes (and looking up a few others). Man, they're both so awesome in their own right. I am leaning more toward the Zero though. If I'm honest, 95% of my riding will be commuting and running around close to home so it really makes more sense. With a few relatively easy mods regarding wind management it sounds like it'll be just fine at the highway speeds I run.

There's still time so I'll continue to mull for now. Thanks again for all the info!

Hey Allvlts

It sounds like you already know what you want. As for my short experience with my zero (a week): Its seat is ok, not super comfortable. Depending on your size you'd have to put a huge wind screen on it, and the bug fly, as well as whatever other fairing additions you can come up with. So far, when I'm at speed I just learn all the way forward with the front of my helmet past the display (for aerodynamics), but it's super uncomfortable.

And I just want to correct that while the Zero is much better than other motorcycles when it comes to stop and go traffic or city driving there are gas and electric scooters that are even better (and usually a little cheaper). I doubt it's your style but the ZEV LRC comes to mind.

You can get charging equipment now that allows you to go long distances and charge in 1-2 hours. Look on plugshare and a few of the other apps/websites, I'm confident you'll find one near where you are going (or on the way). Where do you live?

From what I've heard and read: Reliability is really a crap-shoot. Either the bike doesn't have any problems and almost no maintenance or it does have problems and they take months to straighten out. But if you're getting a 2016 I'd assume it's much more likely to be issue free.

I do know what I want... Everything!    Can't have it all, though. Both bikes really do have strong high points for me but they're opposing.
I've thought about adding the Zero fly screen in addition to the commuter windscreen but I'm not sure if they'd fit together (though the windscreen is adjustable so maybe) but it's so tiny that I doubt it would make any difference whatsoever, except cosmetically. I've also thought about lower fairing 'wings' that I can attach for cold weather to keep the wind off my legs. That doesn't seem too hard. Definitely not interested in riding in a full tuck, full time.

Yeah, I don't want a scooter or a ZEV in general, either.

Plugshare does show lots of level 2's in the DC area (where I live) of course, and some out toward the WV areas that I'd like to explore. It might be doable but would take careful planning and probably two seperate charging stops since it's all so far out. Another option I've considered is loading up the Zero into my truck and driving it to a good start/end point, but that takes away some of the fun and convienience of just hopping on and going wherever.

Reliability (and service) being a crapshoot bothers me. I'm hoping 2016's are better but riding season is just starting up for many people so I don't know how much data there is available for them yet. I'm not ready just this second to buy so maybe more experiences will be available shortly.