GENERAL ELECTRIC
Does the Zero SR/S prove electric power can work in a sports-tourer styled all-rounder?
‘It’s not as dramatic as an engine, but far more cerebral’
There are electric superbikes, cruisers, scooters and commuters… yet nobody has yet made a battery powered motorcycle that can do a bit of everything. Until now.
The new SR/S is the first faired machine from Californian electric veterans Zero. But, despite appearances, it isn’t a superbike. With its high bars, pillion grabhandles and optional luggage, the SR/S instead straddles the line between commuter and sports-tourer. Think Kawasaki ER-6f or Honda VFR800F, rather than ZX-6R or Fireblade.
Beneath the plastic it’s mostly an SR/F, Zero’s next-generation naked and MCN’s Best Electric Bike of 2019. Surprisingly, ergonomics and suspension are a whisker more relaxed on the S. A new handlebar brings grips higher and wider, pegs are lower, while springs and damping have been softened. The pillion seat is longer and broader, too.
At a standstill it all feels familiar: Seat height is level with a Ninja 650; weight the same as a Ninja 1000SX. The steel trellis frame wraps tightly around the 12.6kWh battery, feeling slim between your knees. Electric bikes don’t have to feel bloated or unwieldy.
The powertrain is identical to the SR/F, too: an air-cooled electric motor inline with the swingarm pivot, driving the rear wheel via a belt – there’s no clutch, gearbox or chain. It’s a twist-and-go, but with 110bhp and a whopping 140lbft of torque. Straight-line speed is brisk rather than bonkers. That’s for two reasons: firstly because there’s only one gear; and secondly, because torque is reduced in any mode other than fullon ‘Sport’. In ‘Street’ acceleration feels comparable to a Yamaha MT-07, albeit with that bike’s snappy, wheellifting silliness replaced by a more measured, constant turn of speed. Top speed is 120mph, so it’s plenty fast to have some fun. Gearshifts and exhaust notes aren’t really missed. The SR/S isn’t silent – there’s a hum from the motor that changes pitch as it spins faster. It’s not as viscerally dramatic as an engine but far more cerebral, tickling your brain’s sci-fi glands as it conjures up thoughts of Return of the Jedi’s Speeder Bikes. At speed, handling is easy and accurate, the Pirelli tyres give confidence, brakes are powerful and a big Bosch brain adds cornerning ABS and traction control. On the motorway, the cockpit-mounted mirrors are crystal clear and the cruise control is useful, although the windscreen could do with being taller.
As with all electric bikes, three numbers are key: range, recharge time and price. Our 70-mile test route, which mixed coast-road cruising, town-centre traffic, brief motorway blasts and a mountainroad thrash, used 70% of the battery in our hands, but up to 90% in others. That puts range between 70 and 100 miles, depending on style and speed.
Recharge time also varies. On a 3kW household socket it’s four hours. Find a three-phase public charging point and this Premium model’s 6kW charger cuts that to two. Fitting a second 6kW charger lets you refill in an hour, but costs an extra £2640. Yes, really. Which leads us to price. List is £19,590 for the base SR/S, or £21,590 for this Premium model (with heated grips and the 6kW charger). Absurdly, it doesn’t include a threepin charging cable (£445), nor first registration (£55). Even after a government grant pays the first £1500, that’s still £20,590. Rockbottom running costs mean the SR/S will claw back savings every mile you ride, but the break-even point still lies several years away.