What’s yours is mine…
ZERO DSR-X 3110 MILES The joys of married life get another list entry when hubby Mark steals the Zero DSR/X and doesn’t want to give it back
With the battery-powered Zero DSR/X in the garage and a husband who needs a bike without gears, I had no choice but to hand over the keys for a few days – and it seems that the Zero has reignited Mark’s passion for riding.
Bikes are in Mark’s DNA, he’s been riding since he was a kid and ridden thousands of miles on all manner of two-wheelers. After a racing mishap he has minimal use of his left foot and in recent years his Ducati 998S has been adapted to a hand gearshift, he also rides a Yamaha XMAX 400. So what does he think of electric living?
“This is my first experience of riding an electric bike and I’ve also never ridden an adventure style bike,” Mark reports. “So I was keen to give the Zero a try. My first impression is how big and heavy the bike feels as you push it out of the garage. On the move the weight disappears and it’s an easy ride.
“With the lack of clutch, as soon as you touch the throttle the acceleration is instant. It’s not too fierce but I’m tentative when I set off from the garage, which leads directly onto a rutted lane.
“It’s an upright riding position and feels comfortable, and the seat height is good. I’m 5ft 8in and can almost flat foot it when I’m stationary at junctions, which is great for my confidence.
“When approaching junctions and through corners the regen engine braking is great, it feels similar to my twin-cylinder Ducati 998S. I find the motor a little too sensitive on the open road, it’s as if there is no idle speed to soften the deceleration, so the minute I roll my wrist from an open or neutral throttle position it feels like I’ve put the brakes on.
“The fact it has cruise control is great, because the engine braking is more fierce than my petrol bike, I find the throttle needs to be maintained in the same position, as the DSR/X doesn’t coast at all. This makes my arm ache if I don’t click the cruise control on. There’s a button on the right switchgear – one click to turn cruise control on, and then a second click to set the speed. It’s slightly annoying that once I touch the brakes and turn the cruise control off, there’s no memory of the pre-set speed, so you can’t ‘resume’ and have to start again from scratch.
“At over £20,000, it is expensive to buy and the finish doesn’t feel as plush as it could; that said, I do appreciate that the technology would have cost a lot to develop.
“I’m not one for long distances these days and an average ride would be around an 150-mile trip, so with me getting about 100 miles to a ‘full tank’ I would need to charge away from home at least once. My favourite charging set up is the Gridserve Electric Forecourt in Braintree, their chargers are operated by credit card and you don’t need any silly apps.
“With my disability I can see electric being a viable option, but for me the charging time, range and cost of the bike are limiting factors.”