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 P98 tic whine that's the only sound you hear from the SR/F at lower speeds, is banished at high speed by the wind. The SR/F is most at home on a twisting hillside road, where the motor's formidable torque deliv- ery and capable, confidence-inspiring handling, making it the king of the road. The J.Juan brakes deliver fabulous stopping power, with heaps of feel. The Pirelli tires are a sound choice, too—aside from offering outstanding grip (and the Zero's mas- sive torque was a stern test of how well the rear Diablo Rosso III hooked up), they're lighter than their rivals, so they contribute to that impressive acceleration via reduced rotational inertia. And neither trail braking nor grabbing a handful of front brake mid-corner would deflect the SR/F from its chosen line. Its handling is very forgiving. I can immodestly claim to have ridden more different electric motorcycles—not scooters— than anyone else on this planet, including each Isle of Man Zero TT race-winner, and the cur- rent holder of the E-bike land speed record, as well as a huge variety of street-legal E-models produced over the past decade in Europe and the USA. The Zero SR/F is the best production elec- tric motorcycle I've yet ridden, and it sets a new benchmark for others to aim at. Zero has pro- duced an E-bike for which no excuses are in order, which delivers intoxicating performance coupled with inherent practicality, that's ready to be compared on equal terms dynamically with any equivalent combustion-engined bike. It's a game-changer. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N 2019 ZERO SR/F ($18,995 SR/F PREMIUM $20,995) POWER UNIT: .... Z-Force 75-10 enhanced thermal efficiency, passively air-cooled, interior permanent magnet AC motor CONTROLLER: ................... High efficiency and power dense, 900 Amp, 3-phase AC controller with regenerative deceleration POWERPACK: ...................... Z-Force Li-Ion intelligent integrated MAX CAPACITY: ........................ 14.4 kW/h NORMAL CAPACITY: ..............12.6 kW/h CHARGER TYPE: .... 3.0 kW, integrated (SR/F Premium: 6.0 kW/h) CHARGE TIME: ...........4.5 hours to 100 percent charge/4.0 hours to 95 percent (SR/F Premium: 2.5 hours, 2.0 hours to 95 percent) WITH 6KW RAPID CHARGE: ...1.8 hours (100 percent charged)/1.3 hours (95% charged), (SR/F Premium 1.5 hours to 100 percent / 1.0 hour to 95 percent) DRIVETRAIN TRANSMISSION: ...Clutchless direct drive FINAL DRIVE: ..............90T / 20T, Poly Chain HTD Carbon belt FRONT SUSPENSION: ... Showa 43 mm Big Piston Separate Function forks, with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping, 4.72 in travel REAR SUSPENSION: ...................Showa 40mm piston, piggy-back reservoir shock with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping, 5.51 in travel FRONT BRAKES: ........ Bosch Advanced MSC, dual J-Juan radial four-piston calipers with radial master cylinder, dual 320mm discs REAR BRAKE: ............. Bosch Advanced MSC, J-Juan single-piston floating caliper, 240 mm disc FRONT TIRE: ..... Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 120/70-17 REAR TIRE: ....... Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 180/55-17 FRONT WHEEL: ....................3.50 x 17 in REAR WHEEL: ...................... 5.50 x 17 in WHEELBASE: ................................ 57.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ................................ 31 in. RAKE: .............................................. 24.5° TRAIL: ............................................ 3.7 in. WEIGHT: .................................... 485 lbs.