2016 ZERO FXS
TRACK TEST
P70
and wheelies are what made me
interested in bikes 30 years ago.
It's good to see some things never
change.
Scott Valley's Zero Motorcycles
has been leading the electric mo-
torcycle game for a decade now.
As the largest mass-produced
electric motorcycle manufac-
turer (discounting Polaris, who's
Brammo concern is part of a
wider conglomerate), Zero has en-
joyed solid year-on-year growth as
their products get better and their
customers become more plentiful.
I remember the first time I rode a Zero back in
2010 in Sydney. It was awful. The weight felt like
it was sitting on top of where a traditional gas
tank would sit, its balance was like a drunken
clown and the range was terrible.
Six years is a long time between
drinks in motorcycle manufactur-
ing, and I was pleased to see by the
time I rode a Zero SR last year in
California they had vastly improved
in terms of power and torque,
suspension quality, handling—every-
where that mattered.
Now, with their app well and truly
sorted, these bikes have become
genuine alternatives to petrol pow-
er. The bikes are tuneable via your
phone, meaning you can dial in and
out as much engine/regenerative
braking as you like, and check all the main param-
eters like charge time, average watts per mile, time
until fully charged, etc. They are still some ways off
in terms of overall charge times—I don't think these
I DON'T THINK
THESE BIKES
WILL BECOME
FULLY ACCEPTED
UNTIL THEY
ARE ABLE TO BE
CHARGED AT THE
SPEED OF FILLING
A TANK OF GAS.
A touch mountain
bike-ish, the
Zero's super slim
dimensions mean
anyone can ride it.
