Zero's electric motorcycle made such a stir when it debuted last year that production can now barely keep up with demand, and it's easy to see why. Their 140 pound dirtbike (named "X") produces over 20 horsepower, virtually no sound, and its suspension is beefy enough to sustain 65 foot jumps; you don't have to be a tree hugger to appreciate stats that put this lithium ion battery-powered machine on par with 250cc bikes.
Since it went on sale last year, the X's price has leapt to $7,450, and for $8,350 you can get a souped up model that puts out 10% more power. It costs less than a penny a mile to run (based on its 40 mile range and 2 hour recharge time), an even more intriguing is news that a fully street-legal, electric Zero S model is expected to hit the market this summer.
Considering the NYPD's flirtation with electric scooters and electric cars like the Tesla Roadster creeping into the national consciousness, it's only a matter of time before major manufacturers jump onboard... or is it? Last year we asked if you would ride green, and this time we'll get more specific: would you ride electric?
Photo © Zero MotorcyclesClick to enlarge
I’m in but it has to do at least 100 miles befor a recharge. And 8k there is now way it can cost that much to build.
I don’t think I can string an electrical cord from my apatment to the street, but there is a townhouse with a garage for sale in my neighborhood and with the savings on this bike I could make up for the $10 million price tag.
Neat idea, but I bet the warm fuzzy feeling you’d get for being so wonderfully environmentally responsible would wear thin, real fast, after you had to charge it for 2 hours every 40 miles.
Thanks…I’ll keep burning dinosaurs…
I do have a Solar powered flashlight though!!
Well…there are millions of Americans who have a commute of less than 40 miles one way who could really benefit from this.
$8K?!? Try getting a good car for that. And when gas prices are $5/gallon this summer, and as our roads continue to deteriorate over the next couple of years, people will be clamoring for something as efficient, affordable and durable as the Zero S.
Throw in a non-toxic biodegradable battery and a truly 100% American made product, to me, this is a dream come true.
While the previous posters complaints were persuasive and educated, I think I’ll find one of the 99.999999% worse products/companies out there to disparage.
Keep it up Zero!
+1 with T the D
It’s definitely there to serve a niche market, but for those that are in that niche, this is great.
For those knocking the $8k pricetag, remember:
The Vectrix doesn’t have much more range, is slower, and costs $12k (!!!!).
This is one of the least expensive vehicles in its class.
And, unlike the other vehicles in its class (similar electric motorcycles/scooters), this one is well over 100lbs LIGHTER. That’s awesome
i would love to ride the mountain bike trails by my house on this baby, but that price is a bit steep for a technology that is advancing so fast. at 5k they would have me thinking about it, 4,500 bones and i would buy it for sure. But i paid 8500 for my 2008 KTM 450XCF, and it is way more bang for my bucks.
soon enough it will be cheaper, then i’ll cop one…
I paid 4k for my Santa Cruz Nomad mountain bike so 7.5k would not be so bad. My Honda ST1300ABS costs 15K but it does get 50 MPG and hits more than 2 times the legal speed limit… I’d buy a street legal one to park next to my Bionx electric bicycle that tops out at 18mph with a 50 mile range and does not require registration, which cost 1.3K