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Washington DC

I have just about wrapped up mounting boxes to the 2016 DSR, this has been in the works since I bought the bike new! First plan was to weld up a custom frame. Then life happened.

You can find the SW-Motech rack listed here twisted throttle:
https://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-quick-lock-evo-side-carriers-to-fit-many-side-case-types-for-zero-dsr-15-17

20181101_114733 by Ethestral, on Flickr

I had to drill two new holes to get the plate adapter to mount properly.
20181101_105213 by Ethestral, on Flickr

20181101_112403 by Ethestral, on Flickr

I already had the Touratech boxes (bought for the custom build) so I didn't buy the SW Motech boxes. It did mean I had to adjust the mounting hardware to get them to mount properly. I will still need to add a 1/8" spacer to keep them from rattling as the SW Motech rack is just that much smaller than the Touratech rack system.

20190113_125607 by Ethestral, on Flickr

Here you see the turn signals relocated, I scratched my head about where to put them as the rack install instructions include zip tying the extended leads to the narrow plastic piece that holds the plate from the factory. Using 14 ga wire (4 strands), adding a cable keyway (one already present for the plate light) and enlarging the weep hole at the base of the license stalk assembly I was able to extend the wires inside factory body work for the relocated turn signals.

20190113_130318 by Ethestral, on Flickr

20190113_130235 by Ethestral, on Flickr

These are the large boxes, big enough to fit a large full face helmet. I have no idea what it will do to my efficiency yet but I can say I am happy to have them on the bike for sure. Aside from drilling some holes there are few tools needed to install this system. Additionally it uses the same strong points I planned to use. I had planned to use the passenger peg mounting bolt locations but the clamp style seems to work alright.

No these boxes will not survive a Dakar rally, but neither would I.  Let me know if there are questions.

Excellent information, thank you all.

At its most basic, no danger. It'll likely fail to charge as there's no communication at the wall for the car.

Lastly thank you for not jumping on the charging/char-ing spelling error I had in the title. The entire thread could have gone up in smoke.

Added a diginow 6.6 v2. The only problem I've got is never seeking a belt go above 6k miles. I get excited and give it too much throttle over a suspension compression of some kind and skip the teeth.

I'm happy because the 2017s have a wider belt and splined shaft off the rotor, so zero fixed the drama. I'm too poor to buy another right now so I've got extra belts on hand and watch the tension stays inside factory spec.

My buddy's BMW touring bike, has valve issues. Required adjustments every 6k repeated failures of the neutral switch, on and on. Suppose I should change my brake fluid soon...

I'll jump on the bandwagon.

Broke two, high torque and the suspension travel seems to give enough flex to either the belt or the rear subframe. lengthening the effective belt path and allowing the teeth to skip/belt to break.

It's more likely it's a belt dimension issue. The design accounted for ideal conditions with a certain rider in mind. On The 2017's they increased the belt width and I don't believe people are still having this problem.

In the beginning they didn't expect those of us that ride stupid (harsh treatment of the throttle). While I don't think I'm extreme buy any means my riding style is outside their parameters. We play with the line of capable and danger. It's foolish to whack the throttle on any large displacement bike, typically you lose the rear wheel and drop the bike instantly. Watch some of the zero test ride clips and you'll see this more than once.

The zeros come close to throwing the wheel, there's a limiter that keeps it from happening at stop or very low speeds. At relatively slow speed you've got access to all the torque and if foolish enough it's easy to overwhelm the machine.

While possible to retrofit an older zero with the adapted sprockets and wider belt it moves the weak point in the system. The belt, while expensive costs way less than a new motor because of a broken keyway on the output shaft.

Basically my fix has been have extra belts nearby, and do my best to modulate the throttle when crossing debris or any roadway imperfections. Like mountain biking but I get to keep my breath and rarely risk vomiting when I push it hard.

Since your still reading, I'll mention I still love my 2016 DS. It's got enough power to make me giggle but not so much that I wrap myself around fixed roadside objects.

I actually wrestled with this recently when upgrading from 3.3 kw  to 6.6 kw. They reason is not diginow or any supplier,  a J1772 is only rated to 7 kw. 7.9 kw is nearly  10% above the load it was designed for.  So while possible to overrun in North  Dakota (during winter), UL or whichever rating body agreed to the specification believes it can not handle the extra power.

This means on a nice warm day in the Carolinas it would be possible to melt the power delivery system and do your own personal impression of a flaming Ferrari 458. That's the one that likes to self combust when you use the brakes and have fuel in it at the same time.

The information I've been given (but not tested) is that in most places where 7.9 kw or greater charging is available you can usually find a normal 120V 15 amp circuit beside it.  This means most RV parks.  While I personally loathe the idea of having to carry a cable around again I can't bring myself to buy the second JPlug socket from Hollywood. Who sells a kit for anyone that wants to JPlug  charge the giant laptop setup hanging u get the frame.  If I buy another 3.3 module from diginow I'll pony up the change for the plug.  As it stands now I'll keep using just the 6.6 (which is awesome!) And jump in the extra 1.3 kw I carry around when at home or at one specific charger near work that has the needed extra circuit.

Hope my rambling was helpful.

I wanted to update the internet on this one, it's been a while. The sideways mounting is not recommended by the manufacturer. The compressor has gotten weaker and weaker as I continue to use my moto and its lively noise maker. I haven't trouble-shot to see if its the nylon air delivery hose expanding/leaking or the compressor slowly dying. Either way the horn is more squeak and less honk these days. When I finish my new rack set up the horn will be mounted to the rack frame near the rear wheel, outside of the suspension travel area.