Electric Motorcycle & Scooter News/Updates

I agree that $14k is steep, then again it's not from an Asian country so production cost is higher.
Now, deduct the price of 10 years of oil changes. Next deduct cost (and time lost) for valve clearance/adjustment, spark plugs, air filters. Things begin to level out.

Not $7K worth (over the CB300R). I think other factors with the Cake are that it has Ohlin suspension at both ends and EVERYTHING is a new design. Would like to see what the price would be with reasonably good (but maybe not Ohlin) suspension and an up to date, low cost per unit manufacturing setup in India, Thailand, Taiwan or somewhere else already proven.

Commuter around town.. maybe. I wouldn't trust 2.5" wide tires and 150 lbs bike to stop me very well in an 'abrupt' stop from those speeds. And at that price.. I'd want more than a "around town commuter".

Kind of like this one: https://thebikeshed.cc/mokkas-electric-cycle/ But even here they needed to go with a beefier CL250 front end and the 25 mile battery duration (probably limited by the esthetics of re-using the gas tank) needs boosted. 80-tooth rear sprocket!

Zero unveils 2020 electric motorcycle lineup: New model, tech and lower prices
Micah Toll

- Sep. 18th 2019 12:45 pm ET



Zero Motorcycles has just announced its model year 2020 updates. This year we’re seeing a new model for the global market and updated lower pricing for some models.

Until today, Zero’s biggest news out of Santa Cruz, California, this year came in the form of the Zero SR/F electric streetfighter motorcycle. We covered the unveiling of that bike in February, and plan to get on one soon for a full review.

Until then, we’ve got the latest news from Zero, including the 2020 model year updates.

Zero Motorcycles 2020 Black Forest DSR
The big news this year is the introduction of the 2020 Black Forest DSR model. The Black Forest DSR was previously available only in the EU, but is now being launched in the global market.

The Black Forest DSR is a special version of the DSR outfitted as an adventure bike.







According to Zero:

Deriving from the undisputed champion of this category, the DSR 14.4 kWh, the DSR Black Forest Edition enters the US market as the pinnacle dual sport motorcycle in the Zero 2020 lineup. Arriving with a history of riding success overseas, Zero now brings this EU favorite to the U.S. equipped with three lockable cases for ample storage, accessory bars, hand guards, and a protective headlamp cover for added protection for the rider and bike. The DSR Black Forest Edition retails for $18,995 and is available with various Zero Motorcycles accessories and upgrades for riders to continue to push the boundaries of the dual sport category.

All Zero Motorcycle models to get latest app
Zero showed off its latest Cyper operating system for the SR/F electric motorcycle during the bike’s unveiling earlier this year. It included an updated phone app to provide better customization and connectivity options for the bike.

Now Zero is announcing that all of its 2020 models will feature the updated app, bringing an upgraded level of connectivity to all bikes in Zero’s lineup.

According to Zero:

Complementing the powerful Cypher operating systems, every 2020 Zero Motorcycle will possess an updated Next Gen App that provides effortless connection to a motorcycle’s custom ride modes, charging status, updates, and diagnostics.


Updated pricing on SR and DSR models
For those that don’t need quite as much “adventure” as the Black Forest DSR adventure bike offers, the standard DSR for 2020 is getting a price drop. Previously costing $16,495, the 2020 DSR is $1,000 lighter at $15,495.

The Zero SR 14.4, which is the street version of the DSR, also gets the same price drop, down to $15,495.

The lower power versions of each, the DS and the S, are priced at $10,995 for the 7.2 kWh version and $13,995 for the 14.4 kWh version.



New colors
Zero is also updating the color options and graphics on nearly every model in the lineup.

The street bikes including the Zero S and SR received updated blue- and red-accented black paint jobs, respectively.



The DS is being gifted the new Mojave color, while the DSR gets an updated gold and black treatment.

The FX will now be available with a Slate color option.



https://electrek.co/2019/09/18/zero-unveils-2020-electric-motorcycle-lineup/


New colors, more customization, lower prices, and the Black Forest Edition in the US! Love it!!

Thought zero went under

Electric advise bikes are one of the dumbest ideas. Any weight eats range. You ride 100 miles then wait for 3 hrs while the battery ‘quick charges’ to only 80% type thing

If urban is adv go for it. Some of us want real adv

No, there going to fill all that luggage with battery's....... it's all cool

Zero is alive, kicking and growing, thankyouverymuch.

No manufacturer lasts if they don't sell what's popular, and apparently the Black Forest is popular in Europe. Why not give it a try here? I agree that a DSR's range is kind of a slap in the face of the whole ADV concept, but to me, so is anything over 400 or so pounds. ADV today doesn't mean for most people what the purists think it means. For most people, an ADV today is just a two-wheel version of an SUV - overweight, over-tall costume bikes for people who never see any dirt beyond an occasional gravel road.

I happen to agree with the insightful chap who said a DR650 (or XR650 if you prefer, judging from your screen name) is a better ADV bike than anything that's called an ADV bike. But 'ADV' is nothing but a marketing term, so it can be anything you like - which makes it pretty useless to get wound up about it.

Sometimes it’s clearer what something isn’t.

E bikes are not adv bikes. Period. They close down what adv is.

Zero pulled out of Australia hence the comment about them going under

It's like what happened to SUVs -- 95% are never driven on anything more than a gravel road.

M

Careful there. There was a time not so long ago when a desktop computer could be persuasively argued to be nothing but a useless, expensive toy. Now that phone in your pocket has more computing power than the entire apparatus that put men on the moon.

Motors are pretty mature technology, so how are they going to advance much? By putting them in vehicles, making the demand high enough and the potential profits high enough to drive advances. Switched reluctance motors have been the holy grail for industrial motor manufacturers for decades - and it took Tesla to make them workable. There are few vehicle enthusiasts who understand how unbelievably huge that advance is, and how much it will change the industrial sector in coming years. For us, it makes better performance cheaper.

And that's just the technology we thought was already mature.

There are so many advances ahead of us in the world of batteries! We're due to see a major step up in capability with the coming solid state batteries. This is not the usual 'the next big battery innovation is just around the corner' kind of wishful thinking - it's something that is being worked on by most major and minor players in the industry, driven by more financial, academic, commercial and government horsepower than battery technology has ever seen before. There are already prototypes built with production-friendly processes that handily outperform today's batteries. This is happening. Solid state will dramatically improve power density and energy density, and allow fast charging at rates we can only dream about today. Which means you don't need a lot of them for urban use. Or if you want to ride extended distances in the boonies, they won't be so heavy you can't carry they along - and they'll charge fast when you need them to. Hello e-ADV riding!

And that's just solid state based on lithium. Proton batteries come next, which use nothing more exotic than carbon.

"E bikes are not adv bikes. Period." Really? I'll give you that it's true today, but not for long. I'm betting that unless you're substantially older than me (officially a crotchety graybeard), you will live to see everything I've predicted here and more - in convincing enough fashion that you will need to eat your words. I've been in this for over 20 years, and the speed at which things are changing today surprises even me.

Good explanation but batteries will never have the energy density of fossil fuels.

I agree things are changing but it’s mostly govt subsidies that are funding the silly race to get people to buy inferior products.

ICE have come along way in the past 30 years. The energy you get from fossil fuels absolutely annihilates batteries. This is even after all the promise of better batteries is factored in.

The other issue is do you want to drive a washing machine ? Bmw for example are pulling their hair out trying to figure out how to sell an inferior product (e bikes) because they know in their heart a engine product especially a motorcycle is emotionally driven. Washing machines don’t raise emotions but ICE do. You cannot replace that. Your semi silent e bike will never raise the emotions that a ICE does. They are just inferior when you add up all the factors. View attachment 1898130

So the issue I have is the waste of time and money chasing rabbits down dead end holes.

I hear people say that ‘in 10 years half the vehicles will be electric’ and then ask where that electricity’s going to come from - no one knows and no one is prepared for the million % increase in energy costs.

The whole electric vehicle scam is exactly that, a way to sell new shit to gullible consumers without focusing on the end result.

^ All true, but the initial torque from electric is VERY enticing! Got to ride a Tesla 3 this summer and the 0-50 was more Gs than an airliner! All the test vids I've seen of e-bikes are extremely favorable as far as the ride.
But in the timeframes we're talking about it might all be moot as cycles will never play well with autonomous vehicles and so will be relegated to private property/fields/tracks - kind of like horses today. Just another super expensive hobby only available to people "with means".

But still no emotion. E vehicles are just boring washing machines with wheels.

I could not think of a more idiotic way to be transported by something that is for pleasure

Trolling or lack of vision?

Some motorcycles are just plain boring. The NC700 DCT had no character whatsoever. It never got above 2000 rpm and it was boring. If you put it in Sport 2 mode it was almost acceptable.

SUV's were never built to do anything more than gravel roads.

Care to back your claims up with some numbers? Like for like?
The only drawback for a EM is the charge rate and charging infrastructure, and the infrastructure is increasing daily.

That’s what I love about E people

Facts about fossil fuel energy ?

You’re disputing the energy density of fossil fuel and specifically gasoline?

Google energy density yourself - it’s that’s basic.

Seriously challenge me with some decent questions not your closeted views.