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[The Sleeper]

HI All,

New to the forum, I'm initially looking at some research on a Zero DSR.

I've been riding bikes for almost 20 years have an SV 650 which I love to bits! She is like a family member to me.

I'm looking to move from my current house 10 miles from work to a place which is 50 miles from work. It is almost a no brainer for me to get an electric bike (range allowing) in terms of ongoing costs.

Having looked around it would appear my best chance is going to be a Zero DSR which I think should give me the range I need. The only things I cannot find are what problems people actually experience with these, what they get real world mileage and, how much will a new battery cost me when the time comes.

So, any help would be great, what range do you guys really get and what headaches do you get?

thanks in advance.

[Richard230]

Everything that you ever wanted to know about the Zero DSR and all other Zeros can be found in the "Zero motorcycles forum, 2013+" under the Makes and Models section below.

Just keep in mind that usually only people with problems tend to post complaints about any vehicle on a forum like this.  While owners who are happy with their purchase are less likely to comment, either positively or negatively.

[The Sleeper]

Hi Richard,

Many thanks, I'll have a look in there, fully get that, tell my wife the same every time she looks at reviews.

[TheRan]

Are you actually planning on going off road? I see a lot of people going from road bikes to the DS(R), or from it to an SR/F or SR/S, like they're unaware that the S(R) exists. Not only do you get a lower seat height and better handling but also slightly more range due to the on road tyres (and more options for when it comes time to replace them).

When it comes to range you should know that it can vary greatly depending on how fast you're going (so a lot of high speed riding on the highway is bad), it gets worse when the weather gets colder, and it worse if you have to go up hills all the time. There are also a few things you can do to increase range, the easiest being making sure your tyres are at a good pressure and fitting a wind screen.

https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Efficiency

[NEW2elec]

Hi The Sleeper.  The big question is can you charge at work?  If yes then your golden.  If not it gets a bit tricky for 100 mile round trip.
Like TheRan said going fast kills range.  Also the street versions will get about 10% more range for a few factors.  That said I like my DSR soaking up bad road spots better.  One other thing to keep in mind is a Li ion battery isn't a gas tank so you'll need to avoid dropping the charge below 20% if you can.  A few times won't kill it but not a good habit to get into.

My round trip is about 60 miles of mixed speed riding, rarely going over 60mph and I'll get home with about 38% State of charge (SOC).

Your distance might require a power tank (an extra section of battery where the gas tank would be) or a charge tank (faster charging option also where the gas tank would be.

Mine is coming up on 18k miles with no issues for what it's worth.  The weakest point on these bikes seems to be the on board chargers which can run about $1000 installed at a dealer.  There are options around it but that's the most common fail on the bikes.
There are some great deals on used ones out there and they are great fun and super cheap to put miles on.
Good luck.

[Crissa]

Someone on the forum had a chart for range-at-speed calculations since speed changes the available range by alot.

I have an old S with about the capacity of the newer bikes' lowest option.  I get about 80 miles mixed range.  But if I go at freeway speed, my range drops precipitously.  That's true of all the bikes, but especially the lower battery.  I could make 50 miles, if twenty of that were under 40mph.  But that would be it for the day, it would have to spend the work-day charging, and then all night.  And cycling a battery twice in a day isn't good for it... The more buffer you have the better.

Now, a new bike with a power tank would bet able to do that 50 twice in a day without charging mid-day and have buffer.  If you can charge at work, that would work great, too.

Hope you have great fun!

-Crissa

[KrazyEd]

Welcome to Electric. Once here, You will never want to go back. The phrase " Your mileage will vary " applies to electric much more than dead dinosaurs.
Internal combustion engines are SO inefficient that driving difference is barely noticed. The opposite is true with EVs, 2, 3 or 4 wheels. Taking your sports
car zipping in and out on the freeway drops the mileage a few MPG. Doing the same with an EV, might cut the mileage in half or more. 100 miles is easily
doable unless you are going uphill both ways at a high rate of speed. As pointed out, the S SR would be better for range. If you prefer a DS DSR and have
no intention of going off road, you can put street tires on it and cut the difference in range a little. Wind screen also helps as mentioned. If access to an
outlet at work, then absolutely no problem. If no access, just click your right wrist back a notch or two and you should do well. I presently own 3 Zeros
and a Chevrolet Bolt. My 2013 FX 5.7 which was converted to FXs before they were available has gone over 90 miles on a charge. Not a fun ride, painfully slow,
but, just to see what I could do. I was trying to hit 100. Probably too old now. When a Level II charger was installed in Beatty NV, I wanted to take my
2016 13 KW SR there to see if I could do it. It had the small windscreen. 116 miles from the last charger in Vegas to there. I went at night, rode slowly and
arrived with 7 miles left. Freeway and slight uphill most of the way. Higher speed on the way back but found a 120 outlet just to be sure. I have also ridden
it back and forth from Las Vegas to Los Angeles a few times. Again, not a trip for the faint of heart. My third is a highly modified 2014 S with a 14.4 battery
2019 SR controller and modified race program. I have a modified windscreen that is even taller than the road screen that Zero Sells It does 93 mph in the 1/8th
and 107 in the Quarter with a best ET of 12.11 seconds. Only a little slower than the SR/F. I took that one recently on a ride to The dam and into AZ a little
bit. Total was around 100 miles. Some city, mostly freeway. At one point, I was around 110 mph for a mile or two. Still got home with plenty of range.
SO, it is MOSTLY dependent upon your right wrist and how much attention you pay to your surroundings.

[valnar]

Where do you live?  I would assume that a 50 mile trip isn't just slow speed roads.  If a large portion of that is highway, I don't think that'll be good enough, or just barely.  All previous replies are correct - either you can charge at work, or buy the powertank.  You'll want a buffer for colder days, battery losses as the years go by, or unexpected road detours.

[Curt]

Speed is definitely the factor for you. What is your average time for the 50 miles?

Zeroes have a way of turning your favorite beloved bike into a mothball. That SV 650 is wonderful now... or so you think. I've explained before that my prized beloved blinged out KTM 500 EXC is now a piece of shit that I have to tolerate when I go on dirt rides.