Cycle News

2014 ZERO SR TEST P58 els, in that it pays to preload the throttle slightly at a standstill while resting your foot on the brake le- ver. Then you simply lift your toes while "gassing" it up. Remember, there's no clutch lever to slip for a smooth depar- ture, but this technique com- pensates for that in controlling access to the electric motor is greatly enhanced diagonal power curve - and its horizontal torque readout now running across the top of the dyno sheet. Acceleration is now even more impressive – and we don't think there's something out there with an exhaust pipe that can beat it from the line. Yet in urban conditions the SR is just as easy and controllable to ride as any less potent E-pack- age, especially since you don't have to worry about working the clutch lever to coax the motor into delivering drive. The Eco mode makes it docile and usable and you can just putter silently through city streets paying special atten- tion to pedestrians stepping off the curb in front of you - because they hadn't heard you coming. Believe me, it does happen. But there's still nothing to match an e-bike with such re- sponsive throttle control in riding around town, where because it's so well balanced you rarely need to bother putting a foot down until after you come to a stop. But when you get out of the city and get to crank the SR wide is when you find that the more po- tent powerpack delivers incred- ible acceleration with so much grunt that you'll be glad its been fitted with a bigger size tire. The SR's midrange roll-on is even more muscular than before, while still super-controllable, and indeed winding the throttle hard open anywhere above 20 mph delivers an impressively torquey response that's honestly worthy of a Superbike. The Zero SR also gets a seat height that's been raised half an inch over last year's S model – to 31.8 inches vs. 31./3 inches. The handlebar has also been rotated slightly so you lean forward a bit more than before, so it offers up a more sporty seating position than before. The compliance of the Fastace suspension on the 2014 models has been improved. Up from the 38mm unit used before, the stur- dier 43mm successor and wider triple clamps shows the ongoing development both Fastace and Zero have undertaken. The bikes feel more solid and planted than before. But the bigger improvement is at the rear, where on both bikes the Taiwanese cantilever rear shock has been transformed. Last year's very harsh response, lack of com- pliance, and poor ride quality over bumps is now more composed and relatively supple. It's more comfortable and offers superior damping to the previous model. Those Nissin front brake cali- pers gripping Chinese-made GSK discs introduced for 2013 were better than the units on the 2012 models, but the rear brakes are still nothing to write home about – even though they've been up- graded to a new J.Juan single-pot caliper. Fortunately, the regen- erative braking dialed in to the Zero's controller, which has two different modes – one comes into play when you simply back off the throttle – so there is some feel of residual engine braking. But there's also a sensor that monitors when you're using the front brake lever and that also dials in additional regen – an- other factor in helping the Zero stop in spite of zero mechanical engine (sorry, motor!) braking. But you can also dial up more or less regen via your smartphone, or alter the Custom riding mode and several other parameters via the Bluetooth enabled connectiv- ity for both iPhone and Android mobile devices that's included as standard, via the new Zero app. If the all-new 2013 Zero Mo- torcycles E-bike range was a 70 percent improvement over what the company produced for 2012, these 2014 models are a further 40 percent better than 2013 - es- pecially in terms of substance and performance. The 2014 Zero SR is an increasingly capable and well-developed motorcycle that happens to be powered by an electric motor rather than a com- bustion engine. The bottom line is they are extremely fun to ride. Now Zero's challenge is to per- suade people to give them a try – both committed motorcyclists and newcomers. CN

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