Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1166337
2019 ZERO SR/F F I R ST R I D E R E V I E W P88 I t's logical that it should be California-based Zero Motorcycles which has finally smashed this barrier down, because it essentially invented the electric motorcycle a decade ago with the 2009 Zero S—the first series production E-bike ever. Until now, Zero has focused on producing ever more capable versions of that original model, with more power and torque, greater range and reduced recharg- ing times. The fact that Europe has now overtaken the USA in the company's sales charts confirmed that Zero's decision 30 months ago to recast its lead model as a muscular-looking European-style naked hotrod ready to appeal to global customers, with performance and handling to match its looks, was the right call. "If riding electric is a transformational experience in feeling more connected to the environment owing to the lack of noise and other issues, we wanted to make sure this motorcycle did that on steroids!" says Zero's CTO/ Chief Technical Officer Abe Askenazi, who over the past decade has been responsible for driving the steep development curve Zero's products have followed since he came on board in 2010, after being CTO at Buell. "What does the F in SR/F stand for? Okay, mostly for Fighter, but you could also say that it's fast, it's furious, and it's fun—there's a lot of "F" words that describe it!" To create that vision, Askenazi & Co. started from almost zero (sorry!)—fewer than 10 percent of the components employed in the company's previous range-topping SR model made it to the new one. The battery box containing the lithium-ion pouch cells that's at the heart of the motorcycle both visually and dynami- cally has been totally redesigned, its cast aluminum structure gaining vertical fins to assist cooling when it's re-charging (and thus stationary). Zero's Director of Industrial Design, Matt Bentley, and his three-man team have produced an appealing design in which form follows function, the same as the bike as a whole—it's no coincidence the SR/F was the first Zero model to be created via a clay model, after Bentley & Co. combined 3D-printed chassis and motor components with clay sculpting to produce a full-size model for fine-tuning. ZERO STARTING FROM (ALMOST) (Top to bottom) The AC motor is well packaged, helping keep the center of gravity low. Front and rear suspension are fully adjustable on the SR/F. Essentially, it's taken $250 mil- lion of venture capital invested over the past 11 years by Zero's owner, NYC-based Invus Group, to get Zero this far. But after spending two days riding the SR/F for around 170 miles in every kind of situation on the demanding roads of North- ern California, it's clear it is indeed finally showtime for a real-world sportbike that's intoxicating to ride, but just happens to be powered by an electric motor, not an I.C.E., or internal combustion engine. Why so? Until now there's been one significant drawback to deter anyone who rides bikes for fun from going electric. Besides range anxiety and recharging time issues, there have always been too many inherent compromises in E-bike design to make them genuine rivals to conventional bikes. Running on skinny tires to increase range via