Living with a Zero FX (Week 1)

"RacersJunkyard" (RacersJunkyard) 11/25/2014 at 16:22 • Filed to: None

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So Last week I picked up my Zero FX, FINALLY!

Here it is!

I wanted to give you all some updates about how it rides and how it works. Eventually I'll get into some riding videos but for right now I wanted to give it a quick low down. For those of you that don't know. The Zero FX is 100% Electric. That means no gas to fill up, no oil to change and no loud pipes. The only fluid on the bike is the brake fluid and the only parts that ware down are the brakes and the tires. Everything else is maintenance free. The bike charges off of a standard 110 volt computer cable and can go from flat to full in about 8 hours.

What I like:

Torque...lots and lots of torque. The electric motor in the Zero produces about 70 ft. lbs. of torque which is a lot when you consider that the bike with me on it (all 6'4", 250 lbs of me) weighs about 500 lbs. There's probably some math involved but that's a pretty decent power to weight ratio. The suspension has enough compression dialed in from the factory to lift the front wheel at full throttle. Add to that a 4.4 second 0-60 time and you have a capable hoon machine. True it only has a published top speed of 80 mph, but it's a dirt bike. If you want speed try riding the Zero S or SR those will get you into triple digits plenty quick.

It's a comfortable ride too. I'm pretty tall and I can put both feet on the ground with my legs fully extended. so it's a bike designed for tall guys. I like that. I've ridden some Suzuki cruisers where my knees come up over the damn gas tank. It's embarrassing and uncomfortable. Not with the FX, if you're over 6'2" this is a comfy ride.

It's also no slouch in the looks department either. The Zero calls the FX the 'Stealth Fighter' for a reason. It comes from the factory with a flat black finish and some very sleek, aggressive lines. The stealth factor gets even better when you consider the engine. It's completely silent at a stand still and produces something that I describe as a 'grum'. It's not quite a grunt, it's not quite a hum, but once you twist the throttle, the engine 'grums' until you stop accelerating and then goes back to stealth mode.

What I don't like:

People like to say that loud pipes save lives, and this may be true. However since I've started riding this I only found this to be an issue in parking lots. People back out without looking because they can't hear you coming. This can be countered by some careful riding, but the 'grum' isn't loud enough to alert distracted drivers to your presence.

And now we talk about the elephant in the room...range.

Other stuff:

The Zero FX has an advertised range of 70 miles. and that's not a bad thing. I've found that everyone who looks at this bike will ask me one of two questions:

"How far can you go?"

"Do cars hear you coming?"

The range on the FX isn't such a big deal to me. The reason being, I only work about 5 miles away from my house. So it's no big deal to hop on and ride five days out of the week if the weather doesn't suck too bad. The range isn't that big of an issue, and unless you live more than 70 miles away from where you work you could conceivably ride the FX to work, charge it there, and ride it home. Once I describe it like that to most people the case for an electric bike makes more sense.

As far as the "loud pipes save lives" argument goes I could take it or leave it. I don't ride this bike on the highway, but that's because I don't need to. If you did ride it on the highway you would just need to be more alert than the cars around you (which you should be doing anyway).

A final word on hooning:

The FX is slick, black, wheelies at the drop of a hat and is completely silent. There is, within that, a recipe for stupid levels of fun. The FX is a torque beast that can smoke its rear tire and then disappear into the night, like a damn ghost. This is a blessing and a curse depending on how you see it. What the FX lets you do, is have fun on a dirt bike in places you never could before, because it's silent. Want to run laps around a parking garage at lunch? Nobody will hear you. Want to run 80 down a back road at 2am? Nobody will hear you. The potential for this bike to be abused is huge and that's a great recipe for fun.

Take from that what you will.

I'll be back next week to let you all know how it's going.

@racersjunkyard on the twitter

Party-vi > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 16:36

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To people who insist on loud pipes: Loud pipes lose rights. If you're relying on your pipes to keep yourself safe then you're fucked. Make yourself visible - hi-vis vest or jacket, bright lights or modulators, etc.

jkm7680 > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 16:38

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That thing is badass man!

MarquetteLa > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 16:43

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Do you listen to this while you ride?

Seriously though, this thing seems like an absolute hoot. Keep us updated!

cbell04 > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 17:03

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Looks awesome. How would you say the center of gravity compares to a standard bike?

RacersJunkyard > cbell04 11/25/2014 at 17:10

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It's a little higher than a normal dirt bike. Right around knee level with my feet on the pegs. But that doesn't stop it from being crazy maneuverable in traffic since it's so light to begin with. You really don't notice the difference.

nermal > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 17:17

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The bike looks sweet!

From my experience, your best defense against getting run over by stoopit motorists on the street is a brightly colored helmet and jacket.

Your bike doesn't make any noise, plus with the solid black color there isn't much to catch the eye. Add in a black jacket and helmet, and you'll be near invisible. Add a bright red helmet though, and you'll stand out a lot more.

E92M3 > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 18:35

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Awesome! I would love to have one of those.

RacersJunkyard > nermal 11/25/2014 at 18:40

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Good advice, my helmet and jacket are reflective white. So that helps.

RacersJunkyard > Party-vi 11/25/2014 at 18:59

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^So much this!

Conan > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 20:10

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One of the few bikes that could convert me when I get a garage again. Awesome.

bammerburn > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 21:02

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I've been the owner of a '14 FX 5.7 since May, and it is a freaking FUN machine. I'm also 6'4'' (190 lbs tho), and you're right about it being for tall riders. Looking forward to more updates from you.

CSN > RacersJunkyard 11/25/2014 at 22:33

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If you want to make this bike much, much better, get Hollywood Electric's Supermoto kit. Zero S wheels and front disc with an adaptor for the caliper. Diablo Rosso II rubber (or similar). Effortless stoppies and confident knee-down, though the smaller diameter tire takes ~5mph off the top end. Keep the original wheels for knobbies and you'll have my setup for commute and dirt!

I always tell people the range is "20-50 miles" which raises some eyebrows. It's ~20miles at 75mph and 50 is easily doable on surface streets without being bored. Riding hard on dirt I can do a half day. You can get enough chargers to charge over lunch (~$2k all in, I also bought two eu200i's), or you can get a second set of batteries ($5k but you're also basically doubling the lifetime of the bike by spreading the load) and swap in 30 seconds.

Not cheap, but if you can swing it you'll never regret swinging your leg over it.

SharonNeedles > Party-vi 11/26/2014 at 17:46

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It doesn't really matter how much hi-vis crap you have on if someone decides to merge over while you're passing through their blind spot.

Party-vi > SharonNeedles 11/26/2014 at 22:18

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That's called paying attention to your surroundings. On a bike you need to assume everyone around you is going to do something stupid.

SharonNeedles > Party-vi 11/26/2014 at 23:44

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You don't have to lecture me, I rode year round for three years in the Seattle area. You pretty much can't avoid rising through people's blind spots, and like I said, no amount of hi-via gear is going to get them to see you.