PERFORMANCE:
The Zero is not perfect but it is dang close for a 1st generation machine. It is well engineered and well thought out.

The bike excels in its performance and handling. It is well balanced and has pretty impressive braking and suspension.

And… it is an acceleration junkies dream! Since, electric motors have near instantaneous access to their full powerband, the Zero is the quickest 0 to 40 mph bike I’ve ever ridden. I nearly looped the bike twice trying to hit wide open throttle from a stand still. Eventually I got the knack.

Several performance characteristics such as throttle responsiveness and top speed are user programmable via a PC. You can really customize the bike to suit your riding preferences. One thing I realized right away was that you could alter the bike to suit a whole family’s riding needs without needing multiple bikes.

There’s a lot more I could write, but I was blown away by the performance. I just started racing mini gp bikes here in Texas and they are “turtles” off the line compared to the Zero. I’d love to race it against the gas bikes. Even if I had to dial the motor down to a slower top speed I’d still be able to come out of the corners so much faster than anyone else and I’d lose no time to shifting. My concern would be how much the actual range when you’re riding it hard.

I’m convinced that electric is the future and if you appreciate performance you should give it a look.

PRICING
Most new 250 cc dirt bikes have an MSRP (about $6500) a little less than the Zero but there really is a lot less maintenance involved. No carb to worry about getting gummed up. No oil changes. I’m willing to pay a little more just for that. Less wrenching. More riding.

The battery packs are expensive but I believe these are designed so you can replace the individual cells when they go bad rather than chuck the entire battery. And like all things, technology and usage will drive the price of batteries down. And as battery technology improves you’ll probably be able to upgrade.

And yes. I am saving up my money for a Zero.

Current code is based on engine capacity except in the case of mopeds (motorized bicycles) which also considers HP (no more than 2) or Watts (no more than 1kW but 2HP = 1.5kW so electrics get the short end of the stick). If this thing is 20HP, that’s 15kW, 10X times that allowed a motorized bicycle. I’d say it was a motorcycle.

-todd

I think the street legal version is only street legal because in California it’s technically considered an electric bicycle (restricting you to 25mph). So for commuting purposes it only makes sense on surface streets.

I live and work in San Francisco, so it’s been tempting me as something I can use for my daily commute, and also take out for some dirt riding or supermoto action on the weekends.