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« on: July 19, 2020, 08:20:25 AM »
Just an update after picking my bike up from the dealership today. First, thanks for all the comments. I'm glad at least a couple other owners agree on some areas for improvement. And I agree, the mirrors, fenders, turn signals, and belt drive all could be considered consumable, and I'll take responsibility, because those are not my primary complaint. Today I found out Zero denied my warranty claim to replace the battery which won't accept a charge. Yes the battery with the big yellow decal that says 5 year warranty on the side. The only explanation provided was denied due to damage. Nothing specific, and no option to service the battery. According to Zero, my only option is to buy a new battery for $2895. I tried to argue, that if there is damage to the battery, then without knowing any details about what specific damage they are referring to, then wouldn't the most likely cause of damage to the battery be related to the 3 motor failures that were replaced under warranty, as opposed to something that I could do to the battery as the operator? The motor is the consumer of the battery output, and if the motor failed 3 times (one time it started to run the bike in reverse, and another time the temperature indicator would skyrocket as soon as the throttle was applied without power going to the wheels, so internal short with excessive battery drain to instantly overheat..) those correlate as related to the battery where failure of motor could cause damage to battery., How could I as user damage the battery? Sure there are a few minor scratches on the case, but there are no cracks, and no specific damage cited by Zero. I could swallow my anger and frustration, had they denied my claim because of something specific, such as had they found evidence I performed deep water crossings, or rode in the rain, or rode when it was 110 degrees, had any of those reasons be listed in the Owner's manual as abuse, and had there been evidence I committed those acts. But there is nothing in the manual describing limitations that I exceeded. I actually drive the bike pretty tame compared to the advertising videos. I don't jump the bike, ride wheelies, or do burnouts. I ride as fast as I can on trails, which is about half the speed of the marketing videos (I'm 56 years old and only been riding for 4 years.) I haven't been injured on the Zero, and the only damage I did to the bike was cosmetic and those consumables. I probably do ride it harder than most riders, and I can keep up with some of the riders half my age, but I don't think I deserve this treatment from Zero. The Zero FX would be the perfect bike for me, if only it would live up to what it is marketed as.. a dual sport that kicks the pants off of the KTM E-XC. And Alta went out of business, so not a viable option. Zero might be heading towards the same fate unless they make some improvements, starting with building trust in their brand. Right now, on a scale of 1 to 10, based on my experience... well a lot can be said in just a name, and maybe the name speaks for itself. ha ha.. ok not funny.
