RIDE’S month in bikes

SAY WHAT YOU like about the government, but they want you to buy a new motorcycle – and they’ll even give you a £1500 grant. The catch? It applies only to electric bikes.

RIDE got to try the latest bikes from Californian firm Zero. The two models at the heart of its range are the roadster-style S and the dual-purpose DS (pictured). Both cost £13,745, with the grant knocking your share down to £12,245. They use an air-cooled electric motor making 60bhp and 80lb.ft of torque, driving the rear wheel via a single gear, no clutch and a maintenancefree belt. It’s intuitive to ride, despite the eerie lack of noise other than a high-pitched warbling whine.

Pace, weight and size lie somewhere between Honda’s CB500 and Suzuki’s SV650, though the big question is range. This depends on how you ride, but a full charge will get around 80 miles of mixed, speed-limit riding – less if you sit on motorways, more if you stay in the city.

The problem is charging: it’s done through a household three-pin socket and takes up to nine hours to refill the 11.4kwh lithium-ion battery. So a Zero only really works as a daily commuter that can be left to charge overnight, though a range of practical accessories help it fit this role.

The Zero range includes racier R versions of both models – the SR and DSR. They cost £2000 more, but have a Ducati Panigalerivalling 108lb.ft of torque, sprinting from 0-60mph in less than four seconds. There’s also a supermoto-style FXS for £9045, which has a 44bhp motor, weighs 133kg and goes 40-50 miles on a charge.

Running costs are tiny – around 2p a mile in electricity, with no oil, coolant or filters to change at service time – though the initial price means the sums still won’t work out for most riders, even with the grant. For more info or to book a test ride see www. zeromotorcycles.com/eu. MARTIN FITZ-GIBBONS