Cycle News

2014 ZERO SR TEST P56 weighs 22 pounds and is un- changed from the previous mod- el. It still wraps around the battery pack and uses the motor as a fully stressed component. But the entire 2014 Zero lineup gets improved Fastace suspen- sion, with beefier 43mm front forks (up from 38mm) and wider triple clamps, plus a completely reworked and now fully adjust- able longer rear shock, more refined styling by designer Matt Bentley, and a far more informa- tive and readable blue backlit LCD dash. Using new switchgear, the rid- er can now toggle with his right hand between a choice of three different riding modes – Eco, Sport or Custom, as shown on the dash – and set the Custom performance profile using the Bluetooth enabled connectivity for both iPhone and Android mo- bile devices and the Zero Motor- cycles app. There's an optional mount to clip the phone to your handlebars. Zero produces its own lithium- ion pouch cell battery packs, which come in two different 102- volt power configurations. The customer chooses which one and the difference is in the range. Both are claimed to be good for 2500 recharge cycles from zero, which gives an effective battery pack lifetime of 308,000 city HE LIKES IT Pierre Terblanche is acclaimed as one of the world's leading motorcycle designers, renowned for his creativity and innovative design flair, as manifested in the several benchmark models he's produced over the past 25 years for Ducati, Cagiva, Moto Guzzi and most recently Confederate. Responsible for creating such successful models for Ducati as the Multistrada and Hyper- motard, and before that the Supermono, Sport Classic, 900SS, and a host of other iconic desmo V-twin models - includ- ing the controversial 999 that's now turned into a prized collector's item – the South African-born designer's creations were responsible for fueling the resurgence of a struggling Ducati, in the wake of the 1997 takeover of the Italian company by U.S. investors TPG. Thus his take on electric bikes may be surprising to some, but is definitely worth noting. "Electric bikes rock!" Terblanche said. "I've rid- den the Zero in two differ- ent horsepower ratings, as well as the Mission R and the BRD Supermotard - so three quite different kinds of an E-bike, and each time I loved the experience. "No matter what anyone tells you, all present elec- tric bikes are best used in urban areas, due to the current state of battery development. The range is not good enough at the moment for anything too far afield, but for the type of riding that most people do on a daily basis, this just isn't an issue. Off the lights, they are phenom- enal – quick to respond, easy to ride, and fast, plus the battery placement al- lows a low center of gravity which on a racetrack may be a problem, but on the road is just great. "Is the lack of noise a problem? No, because it's just a change of noise - they sound like turbines. Super cool. Fresh. New. The 65bhp Zero that I rode felt much like an 800cc Ducati V-twin, mainly due to the instant torque: 100 lb/ft of torque from almost zero rpm - fantastic. No gears. Fast and efficient. And above all, fun. So what's wrong with that? "And E-bikes can be blindingly fast under the right circumstances. The Lightning's overall victory in the motorcycle category at the 2013 Pikes Peak hill- climb was a good indica- tion of their potential – and that's amazingly after only four years of real develop- ment. There's so much more to come. We only have to wait for a Japanese company or another large firm like BMW to pour mon- ey into the development of E-bikes, and they'll become commonplace, rather than rare. And, of course, on the styling side the totally new technical package, and the different overall layout with batteries and the motor, will allow and even force designers to do new, differ- ent and fresh things. I can hardly wait! "Electric? Yes!"

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