If you haven't test ridden an electric motorcycle, do it. I ride e-bikes and bought a 2011 Zero S a couple of years ago. When the 2013s came out, I test rode the Zero S and was impressed, so I bought that and traded in the 2011. I just turned 7600 miles on the 2013 S and it is in many ways the best motorcycle I have owned.
What do I like about it? 1) it is light depending on the size of the battery. My 8.5 kwh S weighs just 367 lbs. There is a larger battery plus a power pack that can be added, however those add a lot of weight. Lithium batteries are much lighter than lead acid, but when you use them for powering a bike, they are not so light. Light weight means faster too. The 0-60 time is 4.8 seconds. No skill required. Just turn the throttle, the tires spin a bit and you are out ahead of all traffic. Sure there are faster motorcycles, but as you probably know, to get those fast times, they do burn outs, rev, pop the clutch, shift perfectly....drag race in other words. 4.8 seconds is FAST. Plus nobody has a clue you are about to set off like a bat out of hell.
2) You do not have to warm up the bike, nor worry about running the bike for a certain time to lubricate seals and keep the battery charged, exhaust up to temp so you don't corrode exhaust, burn off water from your gas, etc. In other words, you can use the Zero for short trips. That turns out to be huge for me.
3) There is storage where the gas tank would be. Not much, but plenty for a drink refill, cell phone, glasses, etc. There are also tubes where the aluminum frame members come together when you can roll up newspapers or the computer cord used to charge the bike, etc.
4) No shifting and smooth throttle control means you can edge forward in bumper to bumper traffic with ease, even at walking speed, even while you are walking the bike forward. No heat is generated to make you hot or to heat up the motor (well of course there is some heat if the motor is turning, but it is negligible unless you are going highway speeds, and even then, the motor can always be touched. I does not get hot enough to burn you hand. This is an advantage of course for hot summer riding in slow traffic.
5) The Zero is cheap to run....notice I say run, not buy...more on that later. Mine costs a quarter of a penny per mile to run.
Disadvantages: 1) The bike is expensive.
2) It is high tech. Basically a computer on wheels. Not really a fix it yourself motorcycle, so you need to have a dealer or be prepared to ship the bike back to California and be without it for a long time if things go wrong. So, you NEED a dealer. There aren't many of them either...yet. I have one who is my neighbor and the dealership is 3 miles from my home, so this disadvantage does not apply to me.
3) Range. This is not a touring bike and don't expect to buy the bike and wait on infrastructure in the way of charging stations to appear. Know the range of the bike and don't plan trips beyond that. My bike has a range of 100 miles or so at slow, city traffic and about half that at interstate speeds. I charge in my garage. A recharge if the battery is fully discharged takes 6 hours...this varies a little depending on the battery size.
Zeros are programmable using an Iphone or Ipad, downloading a free program from Zero on ITunes and connecting with your bike by Bluetooth. I have mine set for Max regeneration for both off-throttle and braking. Regeneration is minimal, a couple of extra miles is all (about 5%), BUT what this does is mimic engine braking. It is something like dropping down 2 or more gears in a big gas bike. This slows your bike and assists with braking. Many people don't use this feature at all and prefer to use minimal regeneration and let the bike roll when they let off the throttle. Besides eco mode, just described, there is also sport mode. Zero has other models too including a race bike and a dual sport bike.
What do I like about it? 1) it is light depending on the size of the battery. My 8.5 kwh S weighs just 367 lbs. There is a larger battery plus a power pack that can be added, however those add a lot of weight. Lithium batteries are much lighter than lead acid, but when you use them for powering a bike, they are not so light. Light weight means faster too. The 0-60 time is 4.8 seconds. No skill required. Just turn the throttle, the tires spin a bit and you are out ahead of all traffic. Sure there are faster motorcycles, but as you probably know, to get those fast times, they do burn outs, rev, pop the clutch, shift perfectly....drag race in other words. 4.8 seconds is FAST. Plus nobody has a clue you are about to set off like a bat out of hell.
2) You do not have to warm up the bike, nor worry about running the bike for a certain time to lubricate seals and keep the battery charged, exhaust up to temp so you don't corrode exhaust, burn off water from your gas, etc. In other words, you can use the Zero for short trips. That turns out to be huge for me.
3) There is storage where the gas tank would be. Not much, but plenty for a drink refill, cell phone, glasses, etc. There are also tubes where the aluminum frame members come together when you can roll up newspapers or the computer cord used to charge the bike, etc.
4) No shifting and smooth throttle control means you can edge forward in bumper to bumper traffic with ease, even at walking speed, even while you are walking the bike forward. No heat is generated to make you hot or to heat up the motor (well of course there is some heat if the motor is turning, but it is negligible unless you are going highway speeds, and even then, the motor can always be touched. I does not get hot enough to burn you hand. This is an advantage of course for hot summer riding in slow traffic.
5) The Zero is cheap to run....notice I say run, not buy...more on that later. Mine costs a quarter of a penny per mile to run.
Disadvantages: 1) The bike is expensive.
2) It is high tech. Basically a computer on wheels. Not really a fix it yourself motorcycle, so you need to have a dealer or be prepared to ship the bike back to California and be without it for a long time if things go wrong. So, you NEED a dealer. There aren't many of them either...yet. I have one who is my neighbor and the dealership is 3 miles from my home, so this disadvantage does not apply to me.
3) Range. This is not a touring bike and don't expect to buy the bike and wait on infrastructure in the way of charging stations to appear. Know the range of the bike and don't plan trips beyond that. My bike has a range of 100 miles or so at slow, city traffic and about half that at interstate speeds. I charge in my garage. A recharge if the battery is fully discharged takes 6 hours...this varies a little depending on the battery size.
Zeros are programmable using an Iphone or Ipad, downloading a free program from Zero on ITunes and connecting with your bike by Bluetooth. I have mine set for Max regeneration for both off-throttle and braking. Regeneration is minimal, a couple of extra miles is all (about 5%), BUT what this does is mimic engine braking. It is something like dropping down 2 or more gears in a big gas bike. This slows your bike and assists with braking. Many people don't use this feature at all and prefer to use minimal regeneration and let the bike roll when they let off the throttle. Besides eco mode, just described, there is also sport mode. Zero has other models too including a race bike and a dual sport bike.
