Good vid well done. Just so you know you had a mention last week on my channels I like to watch post. I'd like to try a Zero but just can't get hold of one. I think the range is more than acceptable for most everyday commuters but most people still can't get over the range even when they only do 80 miles a week. Electric is brilliant on so many levels. If only they could sort out pricing! Well done folks, good vid🍻👍🏍️
Thanks for the mention. Yes I actually went to buy one but there was too big a gap between what I offered and what they'd let me have it for. I really believe I'd sell these if they could just take a hit on one for me but we just couldn't come up with an agreement. Shame. Loved it.
Roadcraft Nottingham | I bought a Zero a few years back to replace my petrol bike. Even with the downpayment for the loan, I still have more left at the end of the month due to the very low cost of using the bike (read: very little maintenance, no petrol, cheap electricity) The low maintenance is one of the reasons shops can’t give much discount on the purchase … once sold they hardly see the bike again to gain some revenue back on repairs and maintenance. So they need to get as much as possible out of the initial sale to keep themselves afloat.
@@RoadcraftNottingham Yeap, Its worse when they can't see the benefit of someone with your TH-cam high status and the message it would spread. Most in my area don't even know we have a Zero dealer in the area- but the dealer isn't intrested in me reviewing one. It just seems nut's to me. Your a legend Russell - The whole country wants to learn with you. Thanks
Roadcraft Nottingham | If you want A LOT of information on Zero motorcycles check out the facebook group “Zero Motorcycles Owners Group” I think there’s even a UK group
This is a good way to review bikes, riding & chatting the pros & cons. Look forward to you both doing more. Welcome aboard Leanne it's nice to get a womans take on bikes will help our ladies out there.
@@RoadcraftNottingham thanks for the correction lol my cousin is called Leanne can't even blame predictive text for this one. Really enjoy your vids keep up the good work
Completely unrelated, but I just got my first bike (SV650S) after watching you for years. Thanks for all the great content you put out, especially your tips and knowledge shares, you explain in such a great way!
It's cool seeing you making content again, I first found you when i was doing my CBT then A license with an instructor and using your content to do a little extra. Passed all tests first time and its been 2 years since , loved the ride had tonnes of fun, met some fantastic people, Cheers!
Nice honest review Russ & Leanna Hopefully they will make the foot pegs adjustable and the suspension :) But looks like a bike that will be very much fun to ride :)
Great positive video. I don’t personally understand all the hate towards electric bikes. Sure they’re not perfect yet, but once they reach a realistic 160 mile everyday range it will be a game changer. I love a good engine note as much as the next person but I don’t personally mind the lack of noise either. That turbine sound could become quite addictive. I test rode the Harley LiveWire at Millbrook a few years ago at when they were previewing them and loved it.
I really like them it's just that price and charging times currently (get it! 😜) They are definitely the future maybe not in 10 years but certainly will be eventually, they already look good, really fast and plenty power for anyone on the road, once those prices come down they will be very popular I think, great video as always nice to see you more in my timeline again 👍
Great review, thanks for sharing it. I could enjoy a Zero, it’s the quietness that I would want, the ability to hear things around you instead of the engine. Reduced vibration is another advantage I dare say. If only they were cheaper.
It's knowing when to get one. The technology is growing so fast if I bought one of these I'd probably be the laughing stock in a few years and stuck with something I couldn't sell on without losing a wad of dough. I love the fact you can go out for a nice evening bimble round the lanes and still hear the birds fart...something that's been missing all these years.
😂 😂 We've got video of a sheep bleating as Leanna goes past. This'll be in the "Leanna outtakes" and yes, I think the largest gains are already here. DC charging would be nice
@@RoadcraftNottingham That'll be the Lamb baa sensors, I'm sure in time they'll do away with the standard horn sound and use farm animal sounds instead, well ewe'd think so.
@@RoadcraftNottingham zero had to drop DC charging as a high percentage of the Chademo chargers don't implement the spec fully in regards to lowest support voltages. chargedevs.com/features/zero-motorcycles-was-forced-to-abandon-a-dc-fast-charging-option-in-2013-better-interoperability-testing-is-needed/
That's the thing about reviews: the facts and figures are easy to Google. You gave a nice personal take on the bike (actually your partner did... next time make sure you ride it first 😂🤣) which is great, but anyone looking to buy one ought to do a test ride themselves to find out how it suits them. Still, thanks for the insights around comfort and suspension. If I was commuting into London I'd look at one (20-30 miles per day an plug it in at home). The real worry is the long term life of the battery, and warranty fine print as already highlighted by other comments. Some honesty and transparency are sorely needed in this area from all manufacturers. Thanks for your nice and honest review. Wish I could do slow manoeuvres like you, and without a clutch and engine revs too!!!
@@RoadcraftNottingham always watch your uploads. Kind of gutted I didn't live in Nottingham so I could have had you as instructor, I'm sure I would have passed my DAS a lot sooner 😂
Nice video! Great to see you both enjoying this. I think the SR/S has the edge on the SR/F, primarily because of the screen and fairing. I found the suspension hard on the SR/F too compared to the SR/S, and the SR/S I rode was from Streetbike, so clearly it's a default set-up thing. You really can't beat the quietness when coming up to junctions in the country and hearing birds tweeting. Electric definitely is a perfect bike for instructing (or observing 😉). I've done over 16,000 on my Zero DSR now (lots of miles doing IAM RoadSmart observing) and it's been great. No noticeable decrease in battery capacity to date either, by the way.
Hey dude! Glad ya liked the bike :D To answer your question before about charging, Zeros are low-ish voltage, so they can only do AC charging. So it goes through that port on the bike, into a charger (in the storage area), then into the battery. With DC charging, the power goes straight from the station into the battery, without the need for chargers mounted on the bike. It's a whole lot faster but also more expensive and dependent on how high the battery's voltage is. If you haven't tried an Energica, definitely do! I'm pretty sure English Electric Co has an Eva Ribelle now. The range and recharge times on that will blow your mind haha.
Thanks for the details, it's massive learning curve for me. The ribelle looks really nice but I want a fairing and comfy riding position so looks like it's the sr/s for me. The ex demo I'm looking at already has the fast charger fitted so under an hour to full at 12....thingy...power.... Thing 😂
@@RoadcraftNottingham haha, kilowatts! Think of it like a 12hp charger.. and the battery is a container that holds 12 horses. So it takes 1 hour to charge 12 horses at 12hp. If you were able to charge at 24hp, you could charge in 30 minutes, which is how Energica does it. I get what you mean though. The SR/S is way more comfortable than anything Energica has.
Great review, love the format. Love the concept of the bike but I'd prefer it to be physically bigger with a 250 mile range and have luggage...! Maybe these sorts of bikes will exist soon.
At last!!! An objective review of an electric bike!!! Thank you madam! All the guys can’t see past the “but I love engine noise” and “but the range is only ###) 🙄🙄 My prediction is this. Once electric bikes are faster than petrol bikes we will jump ship in droves.
Is this still the same Scala intercom system you're using you presented years ago? Also, looking back at that video I just noticed how much content you uploaded that TH-cam failed to notify me about!! Looking through it, I think the last one I remember watching was the student crashing on the U-turn. I just thought you'd gone on with real life and left YT!
And I didn't get notification of this comment either, sorry for the delay. I did lose interest but people kept asking for content so thought I'd take it up again. Welcome back. ☺
I agree that there is not much requirement for the stat overkill. Much better with a discussion about the bike. Good to see different perspectives too.
Fantastic to hear a female biker. Seriously FFS😱 2023. Also, had no idea of the joys of riding electric bikes. Thank you so much. Absolute joy to watch your videos.
Nice video and chat much better then stats....However it might be the future if range can increase and price tumbles downwards...I also assume none of these futuristic bikes will be around after 8 to 10 on the road without parting with five gran for batteries. And yes you save while you ride, yet how many bikes today cost £20000? Plus sorry to bang on but at times on the motorway when I pull in for coffee I to often see Electric stations out of order.....That could be a serious issue that she wanna live on the M6
Some very fair points. I think that someone's gotta step in there to get things moving. In 2002 I spent 4k on a basic plasma monitor before tech improved and others purchased and the price came down. Suppose I'd be paying for the novelty.
I am going to test ride a Zero Sr/s faired version of the Sr/f in the upcoming weeks. the only thing I had from the test riding the zero Sr three years ago that I miss a gear box and think that the kymco electric bike due next year might be a good ride, can't wait to see what triumph and mclarien come up with eventually.
Christchurch city council (NZ) have ordered 6 SuperSoco TC Max as a replacement for their current fleet of Honda PCX. I am looking forward to getting about on a electric motorcycle.
Fascinating. TBH I don't know what to think of it. I guess riding one would be the way to find out. The range would be a massive issue over here, though, which is probably why I haven't seen or heard of them here.
Well I've been in talks with the English electric motor co but they've gone quiet on me... Update... They were waiting for Zero to get back to them about when the get their 2021 demo model so they can sell me their current one. Maybe Sept/Oct. If it comes up I think I'll go for it.
A really fun video and a nice alternative to half of the video being about 'but how will you ever cope with the range'. Let's be honest, for most people most of the time the range would be fine. Yes there are always outliers who really do do big miles pretty much every journey, but the majority of us would cope. And like all things it's only going to improve.
Exactly my thoughts too. My Tuono only did 90-100 to the tank. Just means I'd be planning my coffee breaks, no biggie. I've put an offer in for a demo faired version. Fingers crossed
@@RoadcraftNottingham I don't drive anywhere near enough to consider forking out for an electric car, but it's always been my argument that 99% of what I do is well within range (and isn't the average car journey in the UK something like under five miles?), the odd time we travel a lot further, say to my wife's granddad's 200 miles away, well we're going to need to stop so you just plan ahead and choose the spot with the charging station. Seems like with a quick charger by the time you've had a wee and grabbed a coffee you'll be mostly done for the rest of the journey. Must say I was impressed by that acceleration on the mod 1 course, that was an eye opener!
Nice. A good review, totally agree with you about reviews that are 'spec heavy' as you say, easily found on Google if you are interested. Bike looks like a winner but too expensive and too new. I've been caught before with 'Early Adopter Syndrome' so I'll wait. Nice wristwatch BTW :-)
Hi rcn, another great vid . Do you think hiydreon would be better because you would just have the bike converted to run on hiydreon and you would not ha e to buy anew bike which I think would would save money . It seems we are being made to go electric or nothing else and the electric bikes are so much money , there needs to be some thing else like what I mentioned I can see the advantage to electric bikes but it's just the raing and the high priece paul
I had a lady instructor on my one-to-one mature back to biking day a few years ago and for some reason felt more at ease than with some of the instructors in days gone by. Electric bikes do seem interesting but wonder what the second hand market will be like?
@@RoadcraftNottingham - cheers- as i said i did feel at ease with a lady instructor as felt she was more communicative. Remember we parked up for a coffee and cake and felt she put things across slightly better. Roll on the end of lockdown.
I thought the parking brake was required by law in the EU for bigger bikes without a manual gearbox. Either I have misunderstood or ev bikes have a loop hole for that. Anyway, good review, seems like a fun bike, just not for me as my riding is usually minimum 120 miles on country roads.
I would have one for my daily commute (50 mile round trip) but the initial cost puts me off (top spec Zero SR/S with extra range etc near £27k!) and if you are with a group of riders (say my RoSPa group) then they are not going to wait around for you to charge for an hour at a time!, also if you are with other electric bike riders and need to charge and there is only one charger, you could be there for a while.
I would look forward to having myself an electric bike, but there will be a few caveats for me; - Range-anxiety, as temperature will have a big influence so I expect you might plan for a trip you would be able to reach but due to some sudden weather-change you just did not make it. - Pure weight, as I expect the batteries do add significant weight to the electric bike (why they do not use LiFePo's, instead of packs of 18650's, that weight next to nothing?) - No fast-charging, so whenever charging is needed in-between trips, you have toi be really patient? (hours and hours of charging) As for engine-braking, as a diesel-rider (on the 4-wheels) I personally really love that feature, as, once I know the bike's behaviour, I can really fine-control when, where and how I brake. (without compromising safety of course!) And for the suspension, I'm sure some after-market progressive springs can fix that, as I noticed on all my heavy(er) bikes, linear springs often do not cope good enough with the weight. Thanks for sharing! Sharing is caring :)
Great comment thanks. Maybe the lighter batteries are less reliable? Range anxiety wouldn't bother me as I'd plan my stops, I don't ride in groups anyway so it's all my time.
@@RoadcraftNottingham LiFePo's do indeed have more "quirks", mainly that they are more sensitive to lower temperatures. You sometimes have to turn on a significant load (e.g. headlight on without starting the bike for a few minutes) to allow the LiFePo to heat-up (literally) a wee bit, if temperatures are dropping towards freezing. But LiFePo's are used quite often, as I understand it, in racing- and drag-bikes, they truly have the weight of (empty) carton boxes, (grams instead of kilo's) I have one myself. And LiFePo definitely do need balance-charging (read: a BMC) as the capacity-density is also a wee bit lower. But the oomph for a LiFePo is quite significant, plus you can charge them with truly high amps. And really fast. But I'm no expert of course. I do expect that in the very near future (5 to 6 years?) solid state batteries will become the true saviour for electrification of all kinds of vehicles. I do agree with your stance about planned stops, I do not ride in groups either. But as I understand it, the range can vary significantly due to changing weather. On a 4-wheel vehicle, the batteries are fairly well shielded against the elements, but how about 2-wheels, as there is less fairing etc, so more direct influence of temperatures. But even then, these are just relatively minor "issues", I have not seen or read about significant negative reviews about electric motorcycles. I do hope with the electrification of 4-wheel vehicles, such technology will also progress on electric motorcycles. Next to prices, but than I'm Dutch ;-) Yes, I will miss the exhaust- and (to some degree) engine-sounds on an electric motorcycle, but the sheer handeling, almost near perfect balance (at least, that is what I expect) due to more linear torque of the electric engine (and no more imbalances/vibrations due to a crankshaft of a combustion engine) all make w=me think I would like riding motorcycle even more. Thank you, looking forward to the next one!
@@RoadcraftNottingham I'm not in favour of noise and definitely not for nosier, but I do listen to my engine, also trying to feel the intricate movements (I'm odd, I know) on how the bike behaves, I rarely look at the rev counter. I feel & listen to the motorcycle. Again, I'm odd. I wonder if I can still use that practice (of listening to the motorcycle) on an electric motorcycle? Your Tuono was, I think, about 6 ~7 years ago? Then those LiFePo's were even more ridiculous expensive. (LiFePo's still are, for a good wide-temperature version, not looking @ebai nor Amazon) But still, I would not mind a Zero (or equivalent) when the time comes that they are more affordable & mainstream. And in the Netherlands, charging-points are becoming available plentiful, even in small villages. Electric? I would say, bring it on! (btw, State Forrest Management Enforcers in the Netherlands already use a few electric motorcycles in nature reserves not to upset the birds & wildlife) Thanks Russ for showing us, I would not have mind a longer version of the upload though ;-)
@@InspectorGadget2014 a longer version? Really? I don't want to bore people lol. I do have some cute/funny musings from Leanna on that day to upload sometime.
My only concern is electric bikes are quiet, how many more smidsy's are we going to see happening, they are going to need a forward projecting white noise generator for safety.
My concern is that people should take responsibility for their own safety and anticipate things more. For example, bicycles are quiet too but it'll be riders like us suffering with stupid white noise laws because of the "ride it like you stole it" brigade. I don't have stats but with modern cars and their soundproofing/music playing, I'd imagine there wouldn't be much difference in the amount of smidsys that'll happen.... but only time will tell.
I was looking at buying one earlier this year. When looking on autotrader there where alot of them less than 2 years old which already had a failed battery swap. When i looked up the price of the battries they are about 3k. That every 2 years aint worth it
Really? The warranty is 5 years on the zero battery. If you have any links pointing to the battery problems, please post here as I'm looking at buying one.. And I heard closer to 6k
@@RoadcraftNottingham the comments were under the autotrader descriptions of the bike. I asked one of the sellers how much the replacements where, and he said they didnt list the prices (he had it under warrenty), and couldnt confirm if the battery warrenty was passed on the next buyer. I just left it at that after a few google searches (US sites saying how much they paid).
Great video...I'm not convinced electric cars/bikes are the way forward....with the waitin times for chargin... and battery life..my guess is the government will make us have them by stoppin production of petrol and diesel vehicles that will be a sad day..
I'm actually quite excited after riding one. Probably it's that I'm getting old that I'm past having to hear the roar from a combustion engine although I'll still keep my classics. ☺
I've heard that handbrake comment from lots, but I've never left a bike in gear in 40 years of having a motorcycle as my primary transport. Even as a courier, I never once left a bike in gear and never needed it. In the hills of the Himalayan ranges, in the dirt, in the city. Never once. My first bike was a GT750 Suzuki and you could easily roll it around in gear as long as you did it slowly. So leaving it in gear did nothing. After that bike was a Ducati Pantah. Same thing. All leaving it in gear would have done is make it hard to put on the centre stand. It's the most mysterious objection. If you're going to say it's missing something, cup holders. It's missing cup holders. That's something that would be far more use than a handbrake! I'd use that.
Cup holders 😂 nice one. ☺ My driveway is steep and with the wind we sometimes get it can take the weight off the stand but I do take your point. Thanks for making me smile today. ☺
@@RoadcraftNottingham no worries. But I'm semi serious. My wife drinks two cups of coffee every day and they have to come from the local coffee shop. I usually get them on my Zero DS. They go in the fake tank with a towel to hold them still. So if it had cup holders, I'd use them twice a day!
If you get a chance try the energica eva ribelle. Just don't look at the price tag lol. Range this year on the Eva MUCH better than the zero and it has much faster charger (about 40 mins on a fast charge) and it has even more torque, which now I'm on the railways means I can just about justify the increase in price tag lol
I disagree. After riding a zero for a few years now, I believe the technology is already here. It’s the supporting infrastructure (public chargers) which is lagging.
Zero just need to add DC charging to their bikes and I'd buy one and never look back. DC fast chargers are practically everywhere and it takes 10 minutes to charge. I drive an EV as my daily 4 wheeler and range anxiety isn't a thing, so as soon as the big Japanese makers get involved and embrace DC charging, I'll never own a gas engine again. Come on Yamaha, I want my MT-E
That'd be great. The one we borrowed had the fast charger fitted so we went from 50 to 95 ish in 25 mins.full charge would be under an hour and we were on for 120 miles how we were legally (as instructors have to) riding. That's perfectly acceptable to me.
@@RoadcraftNottingham I noticed the FX is "affordable" and has a modular battery optional extra...for £3000+ ...FML. The future is expensive. BTW: Good to see you back making videos again. Keep it up sir!
Finally a bike with good fuel injection mapping!
😂 😂 😂
Good vid well done. Just so you know you had a mention last week on my channels I like to watch post.
I'd like to try a Zero but just can't get hold of one. I think the range is more than acceptable for most everyday commuters but most people still can't get over the range even when they only do 80 miles a week. Electric is brilliant on so many levels.
If only they could sort out pricing!
Well done folks, good vid🍻👍🏍️
Thanks for the mention. Yes I actually went to buy one but there was too big a gap between what I offered and what they'd let me have it for. I really believe I'd sell these if they could just take a hit on one for me but we just couldn't come up with an agreement. Shame. Loved it.
Roadcraft Nottingham | I bought a Zero a few years back to replace my petrol bike.
Even with the downpayment for the loan, I still have more left at the end of the month due to the very low cost of using the bike (read: very little maintenance, no petrol, cheap electricity)
The low maintenance is one of the reasons shops can’t give much discount on the purchase … once sold they hardly see the bike again to gain some revenue back on repairs and maintenance.
So they need to get as much as possible out of the initial sale to keep themselves afloat.
@@RoadcraftNottingham Yeap, Its worse when they can't see the benefit of someone with your TH-cam high status and the message it would spread. Most in my area don't even know we have a Zero dealer in the area- but the dealer isn't intrested in me reviewing one. It just seems nut's to me. Your a legend Russell - The whole country wants to learn with you. Thanks
@@GapWim that makes sense. I've upped my offer. We're very close now. Watch this space.
Roadcraft Nottingham | If you want A LOT of information on Zero motorcycles check out the facebook group “Zero Motorcycles Owners Group”
I think there’s even a UK group
This is a good way to review bikes, riding & chatting the pros & cons. Look forward to you both doing more.
Welcome aboard Leanne it's nice to get a womans take on bikes will help our ladies out there.
Thanks Christopher (it's Leanna with an "a" but don't tell her I told you) 😉
@@RoadcraftNottingham thanks for the correction lol my cousin is called Leanne can't even blame predictive text for this one.
Really enjoy your vids keep up the good work
2 minutes in already the best test of seen on a motorcycle just because of this honest immediate opinion very good I will continue
Thanks, enjoy.
Completely unrelated, but I just got my first bike (SV650S) after watching you for years. Thanks for all the great content you put out, especially your tips and knowledge shares, you explain in such a great way!
You're welcome and congratulations, the sv is an excellent bike!
It's cool seeing you making content again, I first found you when i was doing my CBT then A license with an instructor and using your content to do a little extra. Passed all tests first time and its been 2 years since , loved the ride had tonnes of fun, met some fantastic people, Cheers!
Thanks for staying subbed Christian.
Nice honest review Russ & Leanna Hopefully they will make the foot pegs adjustable and the suspension :) But looks like a bike that will be very much fun to ride :)
Nice to see a positive outlook to start a electric bike review 👍
Thanks
Had Zero FXS for a weekend. Light, torque of a Fireblade and SOOOO easy to ride. And yet, still an ideal beginner's bike.
Great positive video. I don’t personally understand all the hate towards electric bikes. Sure they’re not perfect yet, but once they reach a realistic 160 mile everyday range it will be a game changer. I love a good engine note as much as the next person but I don’t personally mind the lack of noise either. That turbine sound could become quite addictive. I test rode the Harley LiveWire at Millbrook a few years ago at when they were previewing them and loved it.
We were on for about 120 miles the way we were riding, town/country so that wasn't that bad.
Roadcraft Nottingham as a commuter bike or even a second bike for short weekend blasts I could live with that. 👍🏻
I really like them it's just that price and charging times currently (get it! 😜) They are definitely the future maybe not in 10 years but certainly will be eventually, they already look good, really fast and plenty power for anyone on the road, once those prices come down they will be very popular I think, great video as always nice to see you more in my timeline again 👍
Thanks buddy. ☺
Such a cool paint job! Also it's funny when people touch "contactless" payments XD
Great review, thanks for sharing it. I could enjoy a Zero, it’s the quietness that I would want, the ability to hear things around you instead of the engine. Reduced vibration is another advantage I dare say. If only they were cheaper.
Agreed. Don't think it'll be too long before the masses can have one now
It's knowing when to get one. The technology is growing so fast if I bought one of these I'd probably be the laughing stock in a few years and stuck with something I couldn't sell on without losing a wad of dough. I love the fact you can go out for a nice evening bimble round the lanes and still hear the birds fart...something that's been missing all these years.
😂 😂 We've got video of a sheep bleating as Leanna goes past. This'll be in the "Leanna outtakes" and yes, I think the largest gains are already here. DC charging would be nice
@@RoadcraftNottingham That'll be the Lamb baa sensors, I'm sure in time they'll do away with the standard horn sound and use farm animal sounds instead, well ewe'd think so.
@@HepcatHarley OMG! That actually nearly made me spit my coffee out 😂 Ewe, are one funny bloke. ☺
@@RoadcraftNottingham zero had to drop DC charging as a high percentage of the Chademo chargers don't implement the spec fully in regards to lowest support voltages. chargedevs.com/features/zero-motorcycles-was-forced-to-abandon-a-dc-fast-charging-option-in-2013-better-interoperability-testing-is-needed/
@@JamieJones1985 interesting, thanks. I suppose with the 12kw charge tank fitted, 0-full in under an hour is liveable
Great review. Nice change from the usual format we're all familiar with across youtube.
Cheers Mick. ☺
That's the thing about reviews: the facts and figures are easy to Google. You gave a nice personal take on the bike (actually your partner did... next time make sure you ride it first 😂🤣) which is great, but anyone looking to buy one ought to do a test ride themselves to find out how it suits them.
Still, thanks for the insights around comfort and suspension. If I was commuting into London I'd look at one (20-30 miles per day an plug it in at home).
The real worry is the long term life of the battery, and warranty fine print as already highlighted by other comments. Some honesty and transparency are sorely needed in this area from all manufacturers.
Thanks for your nice and honest review.
Wish I could do slow manoeuvres like you, and without a clutch and engine revs too!!!
Nice to know you actually watched the upload 😂. I did ride it before Leanna but once she got her hands on it, that was game over for me 😂
@@RoadcraftNottingham always watch your uploads. Kind of gutted I didn't live in Nottingham so I could have had you as instructor, I'm sure I would have passed my DAS a lot sooner 😂
Nice, zero BS review! Thanks!
Nice video! Great to see you both enjoying this. I think the SR/S has the edge on the SR/F, primarily because of the screen and fairing. I found the suspension hard on the SR/F too compared to the SR/S, and the SR/S I rode was from Streetbike, so clearly it's a default set-up thing.
You really can't beat the quietness when coming up to junctions in the country and hearing birds tweeting.
Electric definitely is a perfect bike for instructing (or observing 😉).
I've done over 16,000 on my Zero DSR now (lots of miles doing IAM RoadSmart observing) and it's been great. No noticeable decrease in battery capacity to date either, by the way.
That's great to hear, thanks. I'm in talks with the English electric motor co so let's see what we can come up with.... ☺
Great vid and reveiw thanks. Made my mind up. I will definitely not repeat, not be getting one.
That's understandable.... Think I might take the plunge. ☺
Hey dude! Glad ya liked the bike :D To answer your question before about charging, Zeros are low-ish voltage, so they can only do AC charging. So it goes through that port on the bike, into a charger (in the storage area), then into the battery. With DC charging, the power goes straight from the station into the battery, without the need for chargers mounted on the bike. It's a whole lot faster but also more expensive and dependent on how high the battery's voltage is. If you haven't tried an Energica, definitely do! I'm pretty sure English Electric Co has an Eva Ribelle now. The range and recharge times on that will blow your mind haha.
Thanks for the details, it's massive learning curve for me. The ribelle looks really nice but I want a fairing and comfy riding position so looks like it's the sr/s for me. The ex demo I'm looking at already has the fast charger fitted so under an hour to full at 12....thingy...power.... Thing 😂
@@RoadcraftNottingham haha, kilowatts! Think of it like a 12hp charger.. and the battery is a container that holds 12 horses. So it takes 1 hour to charge 12 horses at 12hp. If you were able to charge at 24hp, you could charge in 30 minutes, which is how Energica does it. I get what you mean though. The SR/S is way more comfortable than anything Energica has.
That's made it sound so much easier.... You're my new best friend! 😂
@@RoadcraftNottingham HAHA yessss!
Really good - sensible useful review, none of the hyperbole and cr4p of others.
Am I right in thinking you were riding a CX turbo at the very start?
Thanks, that's nice to hear and yes, that's my Turbo. ☺
Great review, love the format. Love the concept of the bike but I'd prefer it to be physically bigger with a 250 mile range and have luggage...! Maybe these sorts of bikes will exist soon.
I don't recon it'll be too long, or faster charging and more chargers
@@RoadcraftNottingham I think you're right, but it will also be 300kg and £30,000...
At last!!! An objective review of an electric bike!!! Thank you madam! All the guys can’t see past the “but I love engine noise” and “but the range is only ###) 🙄🙄
My prediction is this. Once electric bikes are faster than petrol bikes we will jump ship in droves.
Thanks. We went on to buy a zero and the more we ride it the more we love it. There's another upload on this channel, take a look. ☺
Is this still the same Scala intercom system you're using you presented years ago? Also, looking back at that video I just noticed how much content you uploaded that TH-cam failed to notify me about!! Looking through it, I think the last one I remember watching was the student crashing on the U-turn. I just thought you'd gone on with real life and left YT!
And I didn't get notification of this comment either, sorry for the delay. I did lose interest but people kept asking for content so thought I'd take it up again. Welcome back. ☺
And I have the scala pack talk.
@@RoadcraftNottingham Cheers, mate, appreciated!
Great vid as always Russ, it seems it’s the way forward I’m sorry to say, oh well.
Yep but look on the bright side, we'll have ice bikes as long as we're alive 😉 😂
I agree that there is not much requirement for the stat overkill. Much better with a discussion about the bike. Good to see different perspectives too.
Thanks. ☺
Brilliant video 👍 neatly done .
Thanks
Fantastic to hear a female biker. Seriously FFS😱 2023. Also, had no idea of the joys of riding electric bikes. Thank you so much. Absolute joy to watch your videos.
Sounds like youre going to have to buy her one! Like the longer video.
Thanks, I get bored watching longer uploads so thought you would
Nice video and chat much better then stats....However it might be the future if range can increase and price tumbles downwards...I also assume none of these futuristic bikes will be around after 8 to 10 on the road without parting with five gran for batteries. And yes you save while you ride, yet how many bikes today cost £20000? Plus sorry to bang on but at times on the motorway when I pull in for coffee I to often see Electric stations out of order.....That could be a serious issue that she wanna live on the M6
Some very fair points. I think that someone's gotta step in there to get things moving. In 2002 I spent 4k on a basic plasma monitor before tech improved and others purchased and the price came down. Suppose I'd be paying for the novelty.
I am going to test ride a Zero Sr/s faired version of the Sr/f in the upcoming weeks. the only thing I had from the test riding the zero Sr three years ago that I miss a gear box and think that the kymco electric bike due next year might be a good ride, can't wait to see what triumph and mclarien come up with eventually.
I'm certainly interested in the S. If the price is right I'll have one.
Christchurch city council (NZ) have ordered 6 SuperSoco TC Max as a replacement for their current fleet of Honda PCX. I am looking forward to getting about on a electric motorcycle.
They're lovely
Excellent review.
Thanks. ☺
Fascinating. TBH I don't know what to think of it. I guess riding one would be the way to find out. The range would be a massive issue over here, though, which is probably why I haven't seen or heard of them here.
Well I've been in talks with the English electric motor co but they've gone quiet on me... Update... They were waiting for Zero to get back to them about when the get their 2021 demo model so they can sell me their current one. Maybe Sept/Oct. If it comes up I think I'll go for it.
Updated my reply... 😉
Wow Russ what a great video and what a bike it really makes you want one. Much better way of doing a video. Hope your both ok Russ
Thanks Darren and half the weight of the wing... Get one. ☺
A really fun video and a nice alternative to half of the video being about 'but how will you ever cope with the range'. Let's be honest, for most people most of the time the range would be fine. Yes there are always outliers who really do do big miles pretty much every journey, but the majority of us would cope. And like all things it's only going to improve.
Exactly my thoughts too. My Tuono only did 90-100 to the tank. Just means I'd be planning my coffee breaks, no biggie. I've put an offer in for a demo faired version. Fingers crossed
@@RoadcraftNottingham I don't drive anywhere near enough to consider forking out for an electric car, but it's always been my argument that 99% of what I do is well within range (and isn't the average car journey in the UK something like under five miles?), the odd time we travel a lot further, say to my wife's granddad's 200 miles away, well we're going to need to stop so you just plan ahead and choose the spot with the charging station. Seems like with a quick charger by the time you've had a wee and grabbed a coffee you'll be mostly done for the rest of the journey.
Must say I was impressed by that acceleration on the mod 1 course, that was an eye opener!
@@Chutzpah84 totally agree. Awesome acceleration wasn't it? 😍
Nice. A good review, totally agree with you about reviews that are 'spec heavy' as you say, easily found on Google if you are interested. Bike looks like a winner but too expensive and too new. I've been caught before with 'Early Adopter Syndrome' so I'll wait. Nice wristwatch BTW :-)
Thanks for noticing the watch 😂 another enthusiast eh? I paid 4.5k for a 480 plasma screen in 02 but I was ahead of the game. ☺
Hi rcn, another great vid . Do you think hiydreon would be better because you would just have the bike converted to run on hiydreon and you would not ha e to buy anew bike which I think would would save money . It seems we are being made to go electric or nothing else and the electric bikes are so much money , there needs to be some thing else like what I mentioned I can see the advantage to electric bikes but it's just the raing and the high priece paul
I'm sure range will get better. I really loved this bike
Isn’t there a separate option where you can choose the amount of engine braking/regeneration you want, similar to an electric car?
Yes, it's explained in the upload, you may need to watch it 😉 😂
Roadcraft Nottingham
I did 😉
I just got the impression that the amount of engine braking was linked with the different rider modes?
LOL I see the preview of the start of the video and am like oooh the cx turbo.
Lovely isn't it?
I had a lady instructor on my one-to-one mature back to biking day a few years ago and for some reason felt more at ease than with some of the instructors in days gone by. Electric bikes do seem interesting but wonder what the second hand market will be like?
I'd put Leanna against any instructor, she's amazing. I think there'll be a good market as the batteries have a good life to them.
@@RoadcraftNottingham - cheers- as i said i did feel at ease with a lady instructor as felt she was more communicative. Remember we parked up for a coffee and cake and felt she put things across slightly better. Roll on the end of lockdown.
Hey matey are you having trouble booking tests in Nottingham? Iam still waiting to take mine
Yep, it's a joke!
@@RoadcraftNottingham iam just lucky i had a 125cc back up bike
does this finally have some decent parts on there or is it still chinese tires and cheap parts?
The switchgear apparently is Aprilia but all looks pretty well made to me.
I thought the parking brake was required by law in the EU for bigger bikes without a manual gearbox. Either I have misunderstood or ev bikes have a loop hole for that.
Anyway, good review, seems like a fun bike, just not for me as my riding is usually minimum 120 miles on country roads.
I would have one for my daily commute (50 mile round trip) but the initial cost puts me off (top spec Zero SR/S with extra range etc near £27k!) and if you are with a group of riders (say my RoSPa group) then they are not going to wait around for you to charge for an hour at a time!, also if you are with other electric bike riders and need to charge and there is only one charger, you could be there for a while.
I'm anti social so don't do groups but the price is just more than I wanna pay atm
Update... Getting mine October. Life's too short. ☺
@@RoadcraftNottingham breaking strain of a soggy kit-kat 😂
@@vwtransportersandmotorcycl3729 collapsed like a cheap tent
More videos like this!
Thanks James
I would look forward to having myself an electric bike, but there will be a few caveats for me;
- Range-anxiety, as temperature will have a big influence so I expect you might plan for a trip you would be able to reach but due to some sudden weather-change you just did not make it.
- Pure weight, as I expect the batteries do add significant weight to the electric bike (why they do not use LiFePo's, instead of packs of 18650's, that weight next to nothing?)
- No fast-charging, so whenever charging is needed in-between trips, you have toi be really patient? (hours and hours of charging)
As for engine-braking, as a diesel-rider (on the 4-wheels) I personally really love that feature, as, once I know the bike's behaviour, I can really fine-control when, where and how I brake.
(without compromising safety of course!)
And for the suspension, I'm sure some after-market progressive springs can fix that, as I noticed on all my heavy(er) bikes, linear springs often do not cope good enough with the weight.
Thanks for sharing!
Sharing is caring :)
Great comment thanks. Maybe the lighter batteries are less reliable? Range anxiety wouldn't bother me as I'd plan my stops, I don't ride in groups anyway so it's all my time.
@@RoadcraftNottingham LiFePo's do indeed have more "quirks", mainly that they are more sensitive to lower temperatures. You sometimes have to turn on a significant load (e.g. headlight on without starting the bike for a few minutes) to allow the LiFePo to heat-up (literally) a wee bit, if temperatures are dropping towards freezing. But LiFePo's are used quite often, as I understand it, in racing- and drag-bikes, they truly have the weight of (empty) carton boxes, (grams instead of kilo's) I have one myself. And LiFePo definitely do need balance-charging (read: a BMC) as the capacity-density is also a wee bit lower. But the oomph for a LiFePo is quite significant, plus you can charge them with truly high amps. And really fast.
But I'm no expert of course.
I do expect that in the very near future (5 to 6 years?) solid state batteries will become the true saviour for electrification of all kinds of vehicles.
I do agree with your stance about planned stops, I do not ride in groups either. But as I understand it, the range can vary significantly due to changing weather. On a 4-wheel vehicle, the batteries are fairly well shielded against the elements, but how about 2-wheels, as there is less fairing etc, so more direct influence of temperatures.
But even then, these are just relatively minor "issues", I have not seen or read about significant negative reviews about electric motorcycles.
I do hope with the electrification of 4-wheel vehicles, such technology will also progress on electric motorcycles. Next to prices, but than I'm Dutch ;-)
Yes, I will miss the exhaust- and (to some degree) engine-sounds on an electric motorcycle, but the sheer handeling, almost near perfect balance (at least, that is what I expect) due to more linear torque of the electric engine (and no more imbalances/vibrations due to a crankshaft of a combustion engine) all make w=me think I would like riding motorcycle even more.
Thank you, looking forward to the next one!
@@InspectorGadget2014 My Tuono had an ultra light battery, so powerful too. if you miss the exhaust, keep your noisy bike... Win win.
@@RoadcraftNottingham I'm not in favour of noise and definitely not for nosier, but I do listen to my engine, also trying to feel the intricate movements (I'm odd, I know) on how the bike behaves, I rarely look at the rev counter. I feel & listen to the motorcycle. Again, I'm odd.
I wonder if I can still use that practice (of listening to the motorcycle) on an electric motorcycle?
Your Tuono was, I think, about 6 ~7 years ago? Then those LiFePo's were even more ridiculous expensive.
(LiFePo's still are, for a good wide-temperature version, not looking @ebai nor Amazon)
But still, I would not mind a Zero (or equivalent) when the time comes that they are more affordable & mainstream.
And in the Netherlands, charging-points are becoming available plentiful, even in small villages.
Electric?
I would say, bring it on!
(btw, State Forrest Management Enforcers in the Netherlands already use a few electric motorcycles in nature reserves not to upset the birds & wildlife)
Thanks Russ for showing us, I would not have mind a longer version of the upload though ;-)
@@InspectorGadget2014 a longer version? Really? I don't want to bore people lol. I do have some cute/funny musings from Leanna on that day to upload sometime.
My only concern is electric bikes are quiet, how many more smidsy's are we going to see happening, they are going to need a forward projecting white noise generator for safety.
My concern is that people should take responsibility for their own safety and anticipate things more. For example, bicycles are quiet too but it'll be riders like us suffering with stupid white noise laws because of the "ride it like you stole it" brigade.
I don't have stats but with modern cars and their soundproofing/music playing, I'd imagine there wouldn't be much difference in the amount of smidsys that'll happen.... but only time will tell.
I was looking at buying one earlier this year. When looking on autotrader there where alot of them less than 2 years old which already had a failed battery swap. When i looked up the price of the battries they are about 3k. That every 2 years aint worth it
Really? The warranty is 5 years on the zero battery. If you have any links pointing to the battery problems, please post here as I'm looking at buying one.. And I heard closer to 6k
@@RoadcraftNottingham the comments were under the autotrader descriptions of the bike. I asked one of the sellers how much the replacements where, and he said they didnt list the prices (he had it under warrenty), and couldnt confirm if the battery warrenty was passed on the next buyer. I just left it at that after a few google searches (US sites saying how much they paid).
Nice bike. Probably very economical, but I'll choose the VFR any time. :-)
I choose both! 😂
Remember Highlander. There can be only one...
@@jeannoelsandrazie1874 NEVER! 😂
13:55 Empty car park "lets get as close as we can"
😂 I thought that too! Lol
Great video...I'm not convinced electric cars/bikes are the way forward....with the waitin times for chargin... and battery life..my guess is the government will make us have them by stoppin production of petrol and diesel vehicles that will be a sad day..
I'm actually quite excited after riding one. Probably it's that I'm getting old that I'm past having to hear the roar from a combustion engine although I'll still keep my classics. ☺
I've heard that handbrake comment from lots, but I've never left a bike in gear in 40 years of having a motorcycle as my primary transport. Even as a courier, I never once left a bike in gear and never needed it. In the hills of the Himalayan ranges, in the dirt, in the city. Never once. My first bike was a GT750 Suzuki and you could easily roll it around in gear as long as you did it slowly. So leaving it in gear did nothing. After that bike was a Ducati Pantah. Same thing. All leaving it in gear would have done is make it hard to put on the centre stand.
It's the most mysterious objection. If you're going to say it's missing something, cup holders. It's missing cup holders. That's something that would be far more use than a handbrake! I'd use that.
Cup holders 😂 nice one. ☺ My driveway is steep and with the wind we sometimes get it can take the weight off the stand but I do take your point. Thanks for making me smile today. ☺
@@RoadcraftNottingham no worries.
But I'm semi serious. My wife drinks two cups of coffee every day and they have to come from the local coffee shop. I usually get them on my Zero DS. They go in the fake tank with a towel to hold them still. So if it had cup holders, I'd use them twice a day!
What kind of gear you have, jacket and trousers?
All triumph stuff. Mesh jacket and kevlar jeans. Old stock
@@RoadcraftNottingham ok, so the one you wearing during test site, is Triumph as well? Good waterproofing?
@@Dimaniaxx it has a waterproof liner but I only use it without the liner in summer
I presume that servicing one of these puppies costs peanuts in comparison with a normal bike?
Yeah, just brakes, tyres and drive belt.
When you buy an American bike, is it compulsory to buy a gun?😱🤗
😂
If you get a chance try the energica eva ribelle. Just don't look at the price tag lol. Range this year on the Eva MUCH better than the zero and it has much faster charger (about 40 mins on a fast charge) and it has even more torque, which now I'm on the railways means I can just about justify the increase in price tag lol
Not my riding style unfortunately. I like uprights.
@@RoadcraftNottingham The ribelle is a naked. The ego is the sports bike version
@@markgr1nyer...... With a fairing.
@@RoadcraftNottingham the ribelle is a naked but can come with a decent sized screen. Its worth a google because its a stunning looking bike
@@markgr1nyer it is beautiful but the street fighter style isn't for this old geezer any more
Cool ❤️👊👍
thx
Nice Daytona
Well spotted. ☺
I think the technology is just not fully there yet, but not far off, but it will be the future and not for me right now.
I hear that a lot. If the right deal came along I'd now have one. My Tuono only did 90 miles to the tank but there were more petrol stations around.
I disagree. After riding a zero for a few years now, I believe the technology is already here. It’s the supporting infrastructure (public chargers) which is lagging.
@@GapWim that's good to hear from an owner. I've made the company another offer for a bike.
If motorcycles didnt make sound I probably wouldn't ride them anymore. I hope we never get forced to go electric 🥱🥱
It's surprisingly calming but old motorcycles will always be around for you noisy people 😉
@@RoadcraftNottingham haha. I read a article that scared me the other day they said uk is thinking of banning all petrol/diesel vehicles by 2040
@@everythinggaming7938 that won't happen. Maybe stop selling new ones, yes
What does it mean ´... is my young lady?´ Is that a daughter?
Aaah yes, sorry... My girlfriend. ☺
Zero just need to add DC charging to their bikes and I'd buy one and never look back. DC fast chargers are practically everywhere and it takes 10 minutes to charge. I drive an EV as my daily 4 wheeler and range anxiety isn't a thing, so as soon as the big Japanese makers get involved and embrace DC charging, I'll never own a gas engine again.
Come on Yamaha, I want my MT-E
That'd be great. The one we borrowed had the fast charger fitted so we went from 50 to 95 ish in 25 mins.full charge would be under an hour and we were on for 120 miles how we were legally (as instructors have to) riding. That's perfectly acceptable to me.
Yes, CX Turbo vs Zero electric. Two different worlds. I'd rather one of them didn't exist, tbh.
The turbo was only the bike I was riding at the beginning. The review was on the vfr750
@@RoadcraftNottingham Oh OK, well I would have watched more than 5 seconds, but then I saw the words "Zero" and "electric" in your title.
@@GTMarmot 😂 purist! 😂
I stopped the video at "You shouldn't need to on a bike that costs £20,000 grand." Get fucked Zero. LOL. That price is ridonkulous.
Deffo REDIK! Actually 23k for the faired model! Cough!
@@RoadcraftNottingham I noticed the FX is "affordable" and has a modular battery optional extra...for £3000+
...FML. The future is expensive.
BTW: Good to see you back making videos again. Keep it up sir!
The colour is like an 80s throwback. Hideous.
It's decals they fitted themselves so it's recognisable as theirs, not standard zero.
@@RoadcraftNottinghamThey should leave the graphics to professionals.
Deffo looks like it's been applied with a cat 😂
Hi.
My comments 🤔🤔🤔
I like Her 🤭🤭🤭
I'm not interested in electric bikes or cars 😎😎😎
😂