‘More fun than petrol bikes’

Alan Bradshaw takes his 2019 Zero S out for client visits and loves the move to electric

“I have been looking at electric bikes for about ten years now and knew that I had to have one.

“The day finally arrived just over a year ago when I had the opportunity to buy one at a substantial discount because it was an insurance write off. With a combination of repairs and replacements, it was delivered one cold Tuesday morning and I got out on it immediately despite needing to go to work designing and printing circuit boards.

“I had heard stories about the sudden power being a handful, so used Eco mode. Once I was happy, I got to the bottom of a slip road and switched to Sport mode and was at 70mph by the time I hit the inside lane – it was like trying to hang onto a scalded cat!

“I inputted my preferences into the Custom setting and now have a machine that performs with the top speed dialled back so I won’t risk my licence on a daily basis. It has the weight and handling of a 250, and that coupled with the power means more smiles than any bike I’ve had. I own a 599cc Royal Enfield Electra X and a Honda CB500T which I built but have owned many including BMWs from my time as a despatch rider.

“I added bar risers to make the bike more of a ‘sit up style’ and fitted a topbox to add versatility. I have also fitted a centrestand.

“Until recently I have only charged at home but found a used charge tank for sale. So now I can look forward to longer trips and charging away from home – anyone with a Zero will understand that – and have some long trips planned to hopefully prove the practicality. “Due to working from home for the last few years I’ve not used my bikes as much, but under normal circumstances I commute and go for leisure rides.”