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I'm more than a little skeptical that anyone would buy an SR/F to save moneyIf they bought a SR/F instead of LiveWire, they saved quite a bit!
-Don- Auburn, NV
Yesterday I had the brake fluid and coolant replaced in my BMW R1200RS. Those two service items cost $342. In 1500 miles I will need the 24K mile service. I bet that will set me back around $800. So I have no complaints about the cost of servicing my Zero, every 8K miles or so. It is a lot cheaper than servicing an ICE motorcycle of similar performance.
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I'm in the same exact boat as you. I've always liked that Zero had staying power, but I honestly hate all of their bikes. I saw the SR/F on the website and thought "now that is more like it, probably won't buy it tho". Stopped in the dealer and saw it in person, traded my harley in and ordered on the spot.
Same here. Had been thinking about buying an electric motorcycle for years. Never really liked what was out there, both, performance-wise and looks.
When I read the specs and early reviews on the SR/F, decided it was time. Went to the dealer and they had sold their demo so I could not try one.
Put a deposit and was told minimum 3 months.
Not happy about that long wait, started to browse the internet and found a dealer in the north east that sold me their demo with only 50 miles.
Was a bit worried about buying a bike so expensive without first riding it for a bit but decided to do it anyways and I am glad I did.
It is easy to love that machine: much better looking that most previous Zeros and then all that instant, quiet and plentiful torque at your disposal.
I like it now more than when I first got it as it's becoming quieter and softer on the suspension and the rear brake is biting better, as I put miles on it.
The only thing I don't like is the forward-leaning riding position but this is primarily due to my back and shoulders hurting due to an injury many moons ago.
I am in the middle of replacing the handlebar with a Pro Taper Evo Adventure (high model) and I am sure after that I will be sitting in the right position for me.
I think some of you guys miss the point of this bike. It is not intended, I believe, to appeal to existing Zero customers. It is not intended for long range or economical commuting, though my early testing seems to show it matches Zero's range claims if ridden carefully. This bike is clearly targeted at people riding ICE sportsbikes or streetfighters in urban environments today. People like me.
I am enthralled with my new SR/F. I never seriously considered buying a Zero before even though I drive electric cars and admire what Zero has done in the past. Generally I found riding the earlier Zeros to be boring. I just got back from a 30 mile blast at about 3/4 hooligan mode and it was absolutely wonderful. Doing range/energy consumption testing yesterday along with a test Level 2 charge while I was out I found I can easily travel efficiently to nearby country roads where I can let it loose a bit and still get a charge to make it home.
I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where charging options are maybe more scarce than in other parts of the country, certainly less than in Europe. This bike will bring in hundreds of new riders with different priorities than someone who might rather have an S or DSR. Making the riding position more relaxed or adding a heavier battery would reduce the appeal of the SR/F to me and other new Zero customers.
Today Zero is swamped with orders, reportedly stopping production on all other bikes to meet the demand. They have a hit on their hands. I would expect the DSR to get a similar upgrade soon (and the SR to be cancelled). Some people won't be happy with the SR/F. Those people aren't the target market.
They got an email on Saturday that it had shipped Thursday. The truck arrived Tuesday morning when they opened (closed Monday).
Delivery charge was $720
The problem is, people will still complain about the range and charge time. The lightning solves both of those problems..for the most part. DC isn't perfect, but it is better than banking on the 12Kw. Making the SR/F with the Lightning Carbons battery, lvl 3 charging and selling it closer to 16-17k would probably have a lot of ICE bike riders consider buying it.DC would be the way to go if it were more common. That means 100% of the charger is on the street, not in your bike. Bike would be lighter with no on-board charger and no charging accessories needed, other than perhaps a high current DC charger at home.
Or better yet, Tesla should just buy Zero and rebadge them. That would boost sales and give us access to all the tesla charging infrastructure.
But before you go for the DC charging, be sure you know where you can charge.
Elon Musk has already said that Tesla will NOT get into the motorcycle business. I heard he was almost killed on a motorcycle and doesn't really care much for them from then on.
But for now, the J1772 AC outlets are perhaps the most common--and often free to use, especially here in the Reno area, but that means the charger must be in the vehicle (or carried).
But I don't find it to be a big deal, in most cases. The slower AC charging just means better planning is necessary. And I kinda enjoy the forced breaks to charge, in many cases.
If I am going on a real long trip to the middle of nowhere, I will not consider any E-motocycle. At least not in my lifetime. Maybe someday they will have a very common DC standard for all EVs, which will make them much more popular.
Perhaps the sales of the SR/F will make Zero a larger company--and then be able to buy out Lightning and be even larger!
-Don- Reno, NV
Ah my bad, did not notice, but I don't really want to keep throwing more and more money to a bike that is already over 20k. There are plenty of DC stations, not many in my area but they are expanding. Plus the range is already better at a cheaper price. Not sure what voltage it needs.IMO, anything new and expensive means we will usually throw more money at it. We can have much better luck when we buy used and often get a few extras with the deal.
Either way, I'm hoping the Lightning is as good as it sounds on paper, because I will be trading in my SR/F if there is a lightning dealer that opens up within a reasonable distance from me. On paper it is better than the SR/F in almost every way.
But I was wondering what voltage and what type of DC chargers the lightning can use.
I only find the Tesla Superchargers when it comes to DC, but I don't look for anything else and rarely even those. 99% of my charging is done at home on any of my EVs.
-Don- Reno, NV
