VOL. 52 ISSUE 17 APRIL 28, 2015 P77
wrong it made me feel
like I was riding on the
edge of a box – wait,
wait and… now we turn.
But I did admire the
fact the cats from Zero
were really giving this
electric thingy a proper
go. In fact it's probably
a good thing I waited
so long between drinks
with a Zero, because
the changes they have
wrought over the last
five years have made
this DS I'm on now quite
a stratospheric leap
over the old one.
Riding a DS, when
you're going in a straight
line, it feels like you
could be on any small
capacity Supermoto –
the bar position feels fa-
miliar, the seat the usual
dirtbike plank – but ac-
tually use the machine
and while you're used to
mechanical talk (engine
noise, gearbox clank)
the Zero speaks to you
in motorcycle computer
code, which, like com-
puter code, isn't actually
that hard to understand
once you get used to it.
Electric motorcycles
have one distinct advan-
tage over pretty much
anything on the road –
instant torque. You can
go from nothing to full
torque of 68 ft-lbs in the
slow blink of an eye; the
Zero's acceleration is
extremely rapid; it jumps
off the line like Mason
Crosby has given it a
kick up the bum. In
Sport mode (you also
get Eco and Custom) it's
almost two-stroke-like
in the way it accelerates
– like it's got a pro-
grammed power band.
The way the torque
comes in is much more
predictable than it was
during my last Zero ex-
perience. Now the new
ZF12.5 electric motor
allows you to modu-
late the throttle and
therefore the speed in
a traditional way, like rid-
ing up and down the rev
range on a petrol bike.
But then you realize
you've got no gearbox
(ride one and I guaran-
tee you'll reach for the
absent clutch lever at
least once), and the fact
you can modulate the
engine in such a tradi-
(Top to bootom) New
generation ZF12.5 power
unit punches out plenty
of torque. Best not to hit
up big jumps with a set-up
like this, you could be up
for a few replacement
belts. Seat is surprisingly
comfortable over long
distances. This little cord
and you will become
great friends if you pick
up a Zero.
