TORQUE OF THE TOWN ON A ZERO
I was impressed with the delivery driver’s efficiency.
He’d texted me to say he was about 30 minutes from my home, so I’d strolled into town to grab a coffee and the Daily Mirror.
By the time I got back, he was already there and a gleaming naked sports bike was sitting on the pavement waiting for me. I jumped on to spin the bike round to the garage. I turned the key, hit the start button and… nothing. I pressed the button again. Still nothing. The dash was all lit up, so it definitely had power… I scratched my head and absentmindedly twisted the throttle.
Whoosh! The bike took off like a rocket, with me hanging on and just about keeping it under control.
Of course, it had been on since I turned the key.
The green button I had been pressing was actually the ridemode switch. What had thrown me was the complete lack of any sound.
And that’s the thing that takes the most getting used to with the Zero SR – the rather excellent electric bike we are talking about here. In all other respects, this is a “proper” motorbike.
It looks like a smallish capacity street bike, with Showa front and rear suspension, Bosch ABS disc brakes and Pirelli tyres. What it doesn’t have is a clutch, gears or an exhaust.
It has a lithium ion battery and brushless motor, which makes an astounding 146 Nm of torque.
That’s the equivalent of the world’s most powerful superbikes.
Depending on how you ride, the range is almost 100 miles – there are two modes, “eco” and “sport”. Or three, because once you download the app, you can custom program your ride. An optional Power Tank increases the range by about 25 miles. It plugs into a standard wall socket via a power cable housed in a lockable tank storage compartment.
A full charge will take about eight hours, but optional quick-chargers can reduce that to less than three hours.
What’s it like to ride? Ride position is comfortable, fairly upright. It’s heavier than you might think (188kg), but handles perfectly reliably, with the Showas doing a good job.
The acceleration is incredible, especially with that almost complete lack of sound. I loved it.
Is the Zero the future? Well, around 100,000 EVs (electric vehicles) were sold in the UK in the past 12 months. And we all know fossil fuels aren’t going to last for ever.
In terms of two wheels, Zero is definitely leading the way.