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I don’t consider myself a gearhead, really – while I grew up holding the flashlight for my Dad as we tried to tackle impossible repairs on an old CJ-7 Jeep, or a 200,000 mile Chevy Suburban, I never really was into it as a kid. Eventually though, that changed, when my cousin took me for a ride in his loud, scary, and modified Trans Am. Not long after, in college, I bought my first car: a used $3,000 stick-shift Mustang, with no clue how to even drive it. But, it wasn’t long before that rust bucket had a new exhaust and a tune, and my enthusiasm for vehicles was really born.
Since then, I’ve owned lots of vehicles, including six motorcycles. I’ve always loved the freedom and agility found in motorcycle riding, and the sensory connection to the road and the world around me while on two wheels is like nothing else. But I’ve found that it’s where the confluence of motorcycling and my love for engineering meet that I really get excited, and that’s what eventually led me to discovering a little-known company based out of California called Zero.
Lately, I’ve been on a naked bike kick. My last bike was a Ducati Monster 1200 (a torque monster), and when I saw the Zero SR/F online somewhere, I just thought it looked plain cool. Zero had mostly been known for making somewhat nerdy, tinker-friendly, experimental EV motorcycles that appealed to a niche crowd within a niche – that is, motorcyclists, who also loved to modify and work on their machines, and who also happened to be EV enthusiasts. But a lot of that changed for the company with the 2019+ lineup. Zero’s bikes finally looked like something you could see mixed in at a bike meet, on a pedestal at a dealership, or being polished in a suburban driveway. They looked like they had a personality, finally, and that’s something critical to motorcyclists – we all know these purchases are primarily emotional decisions.
I was in love with the idea of it, and I searched for months to find a used one that was within my budget. Although the market was small, they tended to depreciate from new quite rapidly at the time, and that worked in my favor. I set my sights on a Seabright Blue 2020 model from a dealership in California, and had it shipped over to the east coast.
Impressions and Design
To me, the SR/F looks like something that would be at home in the Cyberpunk universe. It’s got an urban, futuristic, yet curiously steam-punk appearance to it, that commands a double-take from onlookers. The naked styling is harmoniously paired to a prominent set of middleweight sportbike tires, and the centrally located motor stands out from within its muscular, exposed trellis frame. It’s not initially apparent from a distance that this bike is actually an electric vehicle, though, and that’s something else I love about it. The overall design is uniquely beautiful.
I’m not new to EVs, but this was my first EV motorcycle, and I wanted one that both looked and rode like a real motorcycle – not an ebike, or an experimental low-torque toy. Fortunately, this machine accomplishes that with absolute ease.
That being said, like anything else, this motorcycle isn’t perfect. Perhaps the biggest tell that it’s not from a big, veteran motorcycle manufacturer lies in the little cosmetic details. For instance, the kickstand, in an environment like the northeast U.S., is prone to rusting, far more than I’ve seen on any other motorcycle I’ve owned here. The tank and fairings are plastic to save weight and cost, which isn’t unusual, but the fit can leave small gaps here and there that don’t look quite finished up close. The overall impression from these design choices leads me to believe that while this bike is an engineering masterpiece in its driveline, battery, and software control, corners were cut on the less-critical components like the plastics, that can leave an owner mildly annoyed, especially if they paid the eye-watering $20,000 MSRP for this bike.
Ergonomics and Road Presence
As a true street motorcycle, this machine fits the bill here completely. It looks the part, and it rides the part. It’s a naked bike, so riding it on the highway will definitely be tiring without some aftermarket wind protection, but the bike itself is as composed at 100mph as it is at 25mph. I’ve found it to be perfectly comfortable overall, with what I’d call an “aggressive upright posture” that’s halfway between a sportbike’s clip-ons and a cruiser’s reclined positioning. The riding position is very similar, in fact, to my Ducati Monster. A set of standard aftermarket handlebars are easily DIY-installed, though, as they are on mine (Rizoma), which can change the riding posture significantly in either direction.
It’s not without gripes from me, though. The seat is a little bit firm, and it can be mildly uncomfortable after an hour or so. It’s a lot like a sportbike’s seat, so it’s not unusual. Additionally, taller riders may find the footpegs to be too high up, but fortunately Zero sells a set of pegs that are mounted lower as an option. I’ve also found that gripping the tank with my legs in turns puts them in an awkward position that’s halfway on the tank and halfway on slippery side plastics below it. This can be somewhat annoying for spirited riding, but grippy aftermarket tank pads I’ve installed have partially alleviated this.
Controls
There were certainly some awkward design choices made when it comes to the bike’s handlebar controls. The throttle, grips, and brake lever are all fine, and are in natural positions. But there are two standouts that have confounded me. The first is the menu navigation buttons on the left handlebar – they’re very plastic, and extra cheap-feeling. Upon pressing the menu button, you’ll notice that there’s a fair amount of squeaky freeplay in the buttons that does not return a premium feel. It’s also annoying to navigate the menus using it, because sliding the button left or right tends to register either infrequently or twice, but it’s still usable. On the right side, Zero has included a true software cruise control that maintains a set speed digitally. But the button to activate it is in an awkward spot that requires the rider to stretch their right hand off of the throttle to set a speed while he holds the throttle – which is supremely difficult to do without changing that same throttle input.
Performance, Ride, and Handling
With 140 ft-lbs of torque available from zero RPM, this bike really needs help only to tame that power so it doesn’t wheelie-arc itself onto its back at every stoplight. Thankfully, the Bosch stability control and traction control systems make that power usable on a curve; releasing full power only once you’re moving and traction conditions are good. And even after hundreds of launches, the punch of that electric torque on such a tiny footprint absolutely floors me every single time. It’s nothing but grins at every opportunity. Yet as much of a monster as it is, the SR/F is perfectly well-behaved and composed when you want it to be. I find myself switching to Eco mode or rain mode for boring commutes, which I do regularly on this motorcycle. It handles potholes and traffic with no complaints at all, though I have found the short suspension travel to be a tad stiff at times. I could benefit from having a professional tune it to my weight and riding style, which is possible given that the front and rear suspensions are fully adjustable.
In the twisties, this motorcycle is a complete smile machine. It’s steady and composed, and no shifting is a whole new world of steadiness and fine-control that one might never have thought possible on a gas bike. I do find myself still reaching for an invisible clutch, but this bike and its Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires have inspired confidence in me on the curves that I didn’t know was possible. The reduction in complexity to drive leaves me much more focused on my posture and throttle input, which is also fully customizable in Zero’s partner app.
The J Juan dual front brakes and rear single-disc are more than powerful enough to break traction in a stop, but I’ve found that the transition between the regen zone, which initiates when first pulling either brake lever, to the friction braking, can be jarring. I’ve gotten used to it, but this is definitely an area for improvement. Thankfully at least, regen, too, is customizable in the app, so you can dial in however much natural “engine braking” you want and even switch modes mid-ride.
Noise, Vibration, and Heat
Given that it’s electric, the lack of an engine and exhaust make every squeak and rattle that much more noticeable. The belt drive, however, is much quieter than a chain and sprocket setup, but it’s still got a noise all its own. I almost wouldn’t mind if the motor, gear, and belt noise (which sounds like a sci-fi spaceship when pulling on the throttle) were a little louder, if not to mask the other natural sounds the bike makes. I’ve come to enjoy the motor sound and the relative silence.
Long highway exhaust droning from a regular gas motorcycle can cause mental fatigue like nothing else. My Ducati Monster 1200 with a full Termignioni exhaust sounded incredible when revving, but the highway commutes were hours of nonstop droning that even my earplugs couldn’t mask. I don’t miss that aspect.
At slow speeds on the SR/F, squeaks, brake pads rubbing, and even a wet belt can contribute to making noticeable sounds sometimes that can be a minor annoyance.
On the highway at 70mph, the motorcycle has very little vibration, and compared to my 2-cyl monster, it’s essentially rock steady. It doesn’t get much smoother than this. I’ve found my hands and arms not experiencing that same numbness that I can get after a long ride on my previous gas bikes.
As an added bonus, sitting at stoplights is far more pleasant, given that the engine isn’t idling and roasting you like a turkey with waste heat. The flip side of this is that cold weather can be a little more cold when stopped, but the built-in heated grips help with that somewhat. At any rate, I stop riding when it dips into the 40s °F, so I’m enjoying its summer coolness.
The motor can get hot, especially if you’re tracking this motorcycle, and it’s air-cooled, so repeated drag pulls or track laps probably won’t be well tolerated, but it cools down quickly when cruising at speed. In normal street riding, I’ve never had it even come close to overheating on the hottest of summer days. A temperature gauge on the dash keeps it in check, and it has a reduced power / heat management mode to protect itself if necessary.
Technology, Display, and Software Features
Much as you’d expect from an electric motorcycle “startup” based out of the greater Silicon Valley area, Zero put plenty of effort into the technology that goes with its products. I’m pleased with the informative, responsive, and customizable full color dashboard, along with the smartphone app that lets me connect to my bike remotely, change settings and drive modes, install over-the-air updates, and even purchase upgrades. That last one — purchasing software-locked upgrades – has been a point of contention recently, but thankfully the more recent years of the SR/F and SR/S come with all of the upgrades already installed.
The bike comes with a lifetime cellular service connection that lets owners remotely connect to it and allows the bike to self-install software updates automatically, which I’ve found to very convenient. The remote location monitoring alone is a valuable service for checking out where your bike is and what its status is; especially useful if it’s ever been moved or stolen. And this service transfers to subsequent owners indefinitely, which I discovered to be a seamless transition after a call and verification check with Zero after I purchased this motorcycle second-hand.
While there isn’t much to display in terms of engine parameters on the motorcycle’s dash display, there is plenty of customizable information that can be shown here – from range estimations to motor and battery temperature. I think there’s room for a little more customization in terms of display styles, colors, and so on, but it’s a great start for now, and over-the-air updates come somewhat regularly. That’s not to say it’s perfect here either: Zero has been known to “take away” features that weren’t quite ready or too expensive to support. A famous example of this is the dash-run GPS navigation software, which was present on these motorcycles for a time, but was later removed in an OTA update.
Charging and Range
If we’re being frank, this probably isn’t the most ideal motorcycle for long road trips. With a maximum range of 160 miles (100 if it’s all highway), and support only for level 2 charging at 6 kW, road trips will be dotted with frequent stops. Zero does offer a few enhancements for increasing the charging speed, including a cipher store upgrade to increase charging speed, as well as a “charge tank” installation that replaces your tank storage with a device to unlock additional charging speed (up to 12.6 kW). Unfortunately, finding level 2 chargers that provide 12 kW is also a challenge, but the extensive Zero hobbyist and owner community has thankfully come up with a number of modifications and solutions for this, one of which allows the bike to charge from two separate 6kW chargers simultaneously.
Still, at 12.6 kW, a full charge will take around 2 hours, making this bike more suited to casual commutes and local rides. For me, the bike is perfect. I ride it locally – to work, to the gym, to errands, or small fun and group rides within a 100 mile radius. And the best part is – I never visit a gas station. I charge it overnight at level 1 (a 110v outlet) during off-peak hours for pennies. A full charge from 0-100% in this time period costs me around a dollar. And at 10 miles/kWh efficiency, this thing really racks up fuel savings.
Storage and Maintenance
What a blessing in disguise it’s been to be able to stop worrying about oil changes, chain lubrication, coolant, air filters, valve clearances, throttle bodies, clutches, shifters, and everything else that goes along with owning a gas motorcycle. I’d have to say I don’t miss it at all. That being said, those of you hooked on “Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance” will still find plenty to do to satisfy the itch to keep the stable in top condition. I still take care of brakes, tires, suspension, and the occasional drive belt tightening. And the bike has plenty of room for modifications and responds well to the usual add-ons, like a tidy tail kit, bar-end mirrors, smoked accessories, flyscreens, windshields, storage racks, crash bars, and so on.
There’s also plenty to be said for the tank storage. For quick trips and errands, or even a run to the gym, nothing beats leaving your backpack and/or tailbag at home, and throwing a water bottle and pair of shoes in the (lockable!) tank storage compartment, leaving you free of clutter and literal baggage to enjoy your ride or commute.
In the winter, I’ll put the bike up in the garage on wheel stands, and leave it plugged in to the charger and in “long term storage mode”, which is handled automatically once set in the app. The SR/F’s battery management system will let the battery discharge to about half, and maintain it there for a long cold winter storage period. There’s not much else to think about – no fuel stabilizers or battery tenders.
Living with the SR/F
In all, I’ve come to absolutely love this bike. I love its simplicity, its raw power, and its unique motor whine. I love its distinct appearance. It’s different from a gas bike, sure, and range anxiety can be a thing if you don’t plan for it. But for my use case, it’s perfect. I don’t use it for long trips, although if I did, I’d probably trailer it somewhere (maybe even plug it in to an F-150’s on-board power supply for mobile charging!). The absence of a clutch and gear shifter takes a moment to adjust to, but once you do, it quickly becomes all about the ride and your surroundings with one less distraction to care about. And my favorite part is that this machine has its own list of quirks and idiosyncrasies that you’ll find on any motorcycle, just not in the usual fashion. In other words, it’s got a personality and a voice all its own.
If you come to own an EV motorcycle like this, you’ll find there’s a vibrant community of electric vehicle and electric motorcycle enthusiasts ready and eager to connect and support you, and that’s been an unexpectedly pleasant bonus.
Who is this bike for?
With its low seat height and incredible variance in user-tuneable power, this bike is surprisingly suited for beginners and experts alike. The low seat height is confidence inspiring for new riders who can easily flat-foot this bike at stops. And the 140 ft-lbs of maximum torque and sport tuned suspension make this bike equally enjoyable for advanced riders who love to push things to the limit. It’s for commuters, it’s for weekend warriors, and for beginners alike, and that’s another one of its many benefits.
Gripes
A couple of complaints:
- The headlamp on this motorcycle is really not well designed. For some reason, there’s a gap between the high and low beam spreads, such that when the high beam is on, there’s a dark band (a lack of light) between the upper and lower beam patterns, that can really be an annoyance, or perhaps a danger, on night rides. I’d recommend an aftermarket headlight at some point, or minimizing night rides until Zero corrects this.
- Belt tension – an unwritten “rule” on these belt-driven motorcycles seems to be that you should always keep the belt near the lower end of its tension range. There’s a risk of the belt snapping under tension otherwise, exacerbated by a situation where the motorcycle is under full throttle and a bump or pothole is encountered. The sudden shock as the suspension travels abruptly, jerking a tight belt up, can and will break it. That being said, the belt on my SR/F is an original at around 13,000 miles and shows no signs of stress. I still keep a backup belt just in case. They’re also roadside-swappable with only a few hand tools.
Future of Electric Motorcycles and the SR/F’s Place
The SR/F and the other street bikes in Zero’s lineup are quite frankly some of the best mainstream electric motorcycles you can buy right now. As battery technology matures, I expect prices to drop, and range to improve, year over year. These bikes are a brave bar-setting endeavour for what a street motorcycle can be. I’d love to see improvements in the future, such as support for DC fast charging (with probably the support of liquid cooling), which may be the key to making this motorcycle truly road-trip capable. But for now, the beauty and simplicity of this machine make it beyond capable as a true street motorcycle, and I’m enjoying every silent mile.
Owner’s Picks · Affiliate Links
Gear for the Silent Ride
One upside of an electric motorcycle: you can actually hear your music and your riding buddies. The Cardo Packtalk Edge (4.5 stars from 3,300 riders) takes full advantage of the SR/F’s silence. And because the SR/F still carries a small 12V battery for its electronics, a NOCO GENIUS10 maintainer with its dedicated lithium mode is cheap insurance through the off-season.
