Zero SR/F Review – The Best Electric Motorbike?

Sitting at the top of the Zero tree is the SR series of bikes. This is the naked inception, the SR/F and spoiler alert, it’s rather good.

• Overview
• Performance
• Economy
• Comfort
• Technology
• Reliability
• Verdict?
• Specifications

Overview

We recently reviewed the middleweight offering from the Californian-based brand, the S model, which you can see by clicking this. Granted, it had some flaws but it also showed a little glimmer of how an electric drivetrain is not something to be sniffed at.

However, here we have the bigger brother, the SR/F. It may be proof that electric bikes aren’t ugly. The Zero looks just like a normal naked bike, which is a good thing when car manufacturers seem to be hellbent on designing vehicles that look like a futuristic shoe.

It looks good, the exposed elements complement the bike perfectly. The on-display trellis frame is a massive step up from the smaller S and the larger rubber on those bronze wheels really finish it off.

Performance

Where the S was alright, this is a huge increase in performance and it is much more usable on the road. I found myself thoroughly enjoying this thing and overtaking was an absolute doddle. Where the S was lacking in the initial acceleration, there is everything all at once, and it continues to use this surge of power all the way up to its top speed of 124 mph.

In Eco mode, you can still use the power rather effectively, you’re just dealt with a lot more regenerative braking when you let off the throttle, very similar to that of a conventional V-Twin. Regarding that power, you have a very healthy 110bhp with 190Nm of torque, which absolutely rockets the SR/F at most legal speeds.

The increased top speed of 124 miles per hour means you can fully use this on a quick little track, even around a fairly fast track like Castle Combe it would have no problem at all. I never found myself wishing it had more top end like I did on the S.

In the suspension department, there is a Showa set up which unfortunately like the S, is just a little too firm. On a perfectly smooth piece of the black stuff, it would be brilliant. But we live in the UK where some pot holes could be classed as natural lakes. It isn’t uninspiring but it is perhaps just a little too unrefined for a bike of this price. I would fully expect to see the Öhlins logo gracing the bike. The Showa units do feature fully adjustable preload, rebound and compression for both the front and the rear, which is some silver lining.

Regarding the brakes, dual J-Juan radial 4-pot calipers grip drilled 320mm discs at the front. The rears have a single piston floating caliper grabbing on to a 240mm disc. Both sets feature Bosch Advanced MSC which handles the selectable traction control and ABS. Swapping between the different traction control modes is easy, as you simple use the mode button on the left handle bar to cycle through them by holding it left for a couple of seconds. Whilst the braking was brilliant and sharp, again, I would expect to see Brembo calipers and discs here. It is all about perceived quality when asking £23,000 for a motorbike.

The instant torque and power on the Zero SR/F is incredibly apparent when wanting to pull out to overtake on a single carriageway or even a dual carriageway. It allows you to get out of trouble with relative ease and in a calm and collected way, thanks to the traction control on this which features several different modes. Even when it is off, the bike doesn’t want to try and kill you and the front end very rarely lifts up – thanks in part to the heavy battery located towards the front of the frame.

But the staggering realisation is the handling characteristics, at the front is a 120-section tyre with a 180-section on the rear. Decent sized rubber that really lets you lean the bike over in the corners and use that torque to propel you out of the bend and into the next one. Even though this bike weighs 227kg, it really doesn’t feel like it. The F is so light and nimble thanks to the fact that the weight is incredibly low down. I would argue this handles on par with a GSX-S1000, if not a little bit better.

Economy

Zero state you can get around 187 miles in the city and 93 miles on the motorway. If you ride on normal A and B roads, you can expect to get around 120 miles or so with a couple of dubious amounts of throttle on occasion. Putting the bike in eco really helps and it you’ll see the range start to creep up, I was especially fond of how rideable the bike is in eco – something that was not the case on the S.

Put it in sport and be a bit exuberant with the throttle every once in a while and it will start to drop, but that is the same for any motorbike. The range is again very similar to my personal Ducati Monster 1200 R, which sits just above this in the mystical motorbike hierarchy. It does cost me £20 odd with premium Jurassic juice to fill up my Duc – but this costs a mere £5 to fill up (if charged overnight on the cheaper tariff). Charging will take around 4 hours if just plugged into a normal 3 pin mains socket using the 3 kW charger.

And the absolute best part about this is that it has an actual charging port, not a silly little IEC socket. This means you can easily take proper road trips out and about and not have to worry too much about range anxiety, just download Zap Maps and away you go.

However it is not all rainbows. This being a bike, you are likely to travel faster than you would in a car and take advantage of the effortless power on hand. As this bike had been used sporadically throughout the day, 45% was showing just a mere 35 miles, but they had likely been abused throughout the day by those wanting to have a crack on them. Although the counter argument is that I could quite easily replicate that figure on a petrol bike, but I could refill it in a matter of minutes

The other issue is not directly related to the bike, but the state of the public charging network, which can be capricious at best. Zap Maps does tell you ones that are in use and also working. The slight niggle is that you could come across some charging stations which are full, which is particularly apparent on the motorway.

Comfort

A massive improvement over the S model, the low seat height of just 787mm means the vast majority of riders can get on one of these. I could flat foot this very easily and I’m more akin to Frodo Baggins (just without the massive hairy feet). With the battery being relatively slim, you’re not straddling something that is exceptionally broad, meaning even smaller riders than me (if they exist) could feel comfortable on this.

My biggest issue above everything on the S was the rock-hard seat, it was so massively unpleasant that I had to stop frequently to ensure I could still reproduce. I’m pleased to say that the seat on this is more forgiving, even if it is still a little too hard. I would like to see an even softer seat put on to one of these as standard, perhaps out of leather.

The riding position is naturally very good as well, the nice wide handlebars and well placed footpegs are quick to get used to and offer little in the way of complaints. I did find the same issue that affects all of Zero’s bikes, and that is the rear brake lever is so far inset that you never feel you have an adequately comfortable grip on it. It just needs to be extended by an inch or two and it would make the world of difference. Again, it would be nice to see a higher quality lever for both brakes on this bike.

It is certainly comfortable for sprint commuting, but longer rides may start to take their toll with the seat.

Technology

The tech isn’t too bad for the category it sits in, but it is for the price of the bike. There is no fancy electrically adaptive suspension, heated grips, radar cruise control or massively sophisticated traction control and ABS.

You do have conventional cruise control, selectable riders modes and adjustable traction control which is housed on a very clear TFT screen. In terms of riding modes you have Eco, Standard, Canyon, Rain and Sport which each do an equally good job of moderating the bikes performance. I didn’t find much difference between Sport and Canyon but then we don’t have Canyons in the UK, perhaps it should be renamed ‘B-Road’?

You don’t have to change your perception about what the bike is though, you’re paying for the electric technology, not branded hardware that other bikes have. It is a hard pill to swallow but the price should eventually come down as Zero refine it further. The peripheral technology that is on it is by no means bad and perfectly fine for most. Those who came from premium manufacturers may be a little disappointed, though.

The other strange thing is that there is no standard fit alarm or immobiliser, this is once again, an option. It does seem a bit strange that most things on this are not standard fit, especially because of the massively competitive sector of the market it sits in.

Reliability

Less moving parts and a generous 5 year battery warranty means there is little to worry about. There aren’t many recorded cases of these bikes going wrong, perhaps due to them being very reliable but likely that they are a fairly new brand dating back to 2006.

However, this technology is the latest inception from the model which came out a couple of years ago so it is somewhat proven. Really, it would be 5 stars for reliability but the company isn’t really that old so the track record would need to increase.

The bike is very well built for a somewhat emerging company and being relatively new, you would expect Zero to be on-hand to fix any issues that may arise. Battery degradation is unfortunately a factor with an electric vehicle, but you can easily expect 10 years before you would notice any real effects. But still, you shouldn’t have to worry.

Verdict?

I found myself thoroughly enjoying this bike the more time I spent with it. The power levels are certainly adequate for the vast majority of riders and the electric drivetrain is much more refined than the brands other models. This being the top of the line for Zero I would expect it to be, and they have delivered.

Whether this is an additional bike for you or your only, I wouldn’t have any real regrets buying it. But then that is the problem. The SR/F is hellishly expensive. £23,000 puts it in Ducati Streetfighter V4S money, and that is an exceptional machine with near double the power.

But, it is all horses for courses, the Zero was made to make commuting more affordable (in the long run) and easier. If you can charge this at night, you always have a full tank when starting your journey, something which can’t be said for petrol powered bikes. There is no real servicing costs to contend with, the tax is free and the ‘fuel’ is still much cheaper – if you keep this bike for a long time, you will start to see the economic benefits it has to offer.

Personally, I would want to increase my budget if purchasing one to account for a comfort seat, windscreen and aftermarket accessories to make it feel a bit more polished. Accessories such as high quality brake levers and footpegs.

Whilst the S model I wasn’t too fond of, this SR/F is much better and seems a real contender to conventionally powered motorbikes. Everyone who I spoke to who had ridden one of these praised the ergonomics and performance. The vast majority rode the lesser powered SXE and S model and seemed to be hugely impressed, with many asking about any upcoming offers on the bikes (perhaps hinting at the larger initial purchasing price).

What did surprise me was that I was chatting to a lovely chap who happened to own an earlier Zero S, which was his first bike and he adores it. He was a true believer in the brand and had extremely positive things to say about his 2-year experience with the bike.

In short, if you haven’t had a go on one of these I urge you to, have a look at the top flight SR/F and SR/S (fully faired version) models and take one for a spin, it might change your perception about electric bikes.

Specifications

Price [tested]	From £23,350 [£23,350]
Power	110bhp
Torque	190Nm
Seat height	787mm
Top speed	124mph
Weight	227kg
Fuel capacity	N/A
Road tax	£0