Zero Motorcycles SR/S Review | Electric Motorcycle Test

Zero SR/S Review

Test by Wayne Vickers

I’m pleased to say that despite my range anxiety being on overdrive following my Livewire experience a couple of years ago, this time, the manufacturer’s range claims seem pretty legit.

While the Zero SR/S won’t handle my unusually long, mostly highway 230 km return commute on one charge, this bike gets me the 115 km one-way journey without drama. With 30 per cent battery left actually. And then I can top it up at work during the day before returning home.

Bear in mind that most of that trip is at highway speeds which is where EVs are at their least economical. So that’s pretty impressive. Without wanting to twist the knife too much, the aforementioned Livewire fell three km short of the one-way trip home. Which had me pushing it. I was not, happy. Jan.

This time around though, things are different. The SR/S will pretty much do what it says on the label.

Speaking of the label, let’s run through what we have here:

• 235 kg kerb weight. No confusion about the fuel tank being full or wet weights here!
• Peak power of 113 hp but a generous 190 Nm of torque. 190! That’s 40 more than the Hayabusa…
• It has a top speed of 200 km/h and a sustained cruising speed of 170 km/h, though I’m not sure how you’d go for range at that pace…
• Seat height of 787 mm is super low and easy to manage.

There are a few things to talk about here. Let’s start with the motor. Super impressive numbers. But they only paint half the picture. The way they’re delivered is the real story here. Of course, there is no clutch or gearbox, the brushless motor just spins up and shoves you forward.

It’s not brutal, or untowardly in any way. Entirely controlled and repeatable. This thing is a traffic light hero. Old mate who rolled up at the light next to me on the S 1000 R didn’t know what gapped him. All I did was twist the mitt.

Lots of electronics here as you’d expect. On top of the expected ride modes, once you connect your phone via the app you get access to customise your own mode. We had a play around and while I’d been in Eco mode on the trip into town, I dialled up the power and regen to 100 per cent for the return trip and economy was pretty much the same. No need to tweak that further then. Very nice.

I should mention regeneration. Because around town this thing is a beast at holding battery level. With regen turned right up, which basically mimics a little engine braking, the SR/S is capturing back some energy under deceleration and braking.

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My commute is around 80 km highway before we start slowing for traffic. Most of the remaining 30 odd km is a mix of filtering between cagers and traffic lights with only the last few kilometres including traffic lights into the CBD.

That’s relevant to explain the battery usage. That first 80 km is normally despatched in around 50 minutes give or take and saw the SR/S use around 60 per cent of its battery. The remaining 30 km takes around 30-35 minutes and only used another 10 per cent.

So if you’re using this mostly in town, I’d fully expect that quoted city range of 275 km to be achievable. For most commuters, that’s a full week. Turns out that over 95 per cent of Zero customers charge exclusively at home, which in turn makes them damn economical. Especially when you can preset the times you want to recharge the bike.

Recharge is pretty quick too. On a fast charge, it’ll top up at around 2.5 per cent per minute and on a standard plug I saw just under 5 hours to top up from 20 per cent. I understand there are some smarts in the recharge system too in the way that it will feed in at a rate that’ll give you max battery life. If you want to, apparently you can opt to shove that charge in even from a standard outlet to recharge to 95 per cent in just over 2 hours.

My test SR/S was fitted with an additional fast charging unit which took up the storage space area that would normally be available to store the charge cables. That space is where you’d normally expect the fuel tank to be, so we had the cables in the tail bag on the back instead.

Handling wise, things are dealt with by Showa 43 mm Big Piston forks up front and a Showa 40 mm shock at the rear – both fully adjustable. I had no need to touch any clickers on this one, it was fine the way it was. It only takes a short ride to get into the groove of how this bike likes to be ridden.

At 235 kg the SR/S is not a lightweight, but it doesn’t really feel heavy. The weight is kept nice and low and feels not entirely dissimilar to something like a K 1300 R can, in the way it seems to rotate on a central longitudinal axis beneath you, rather than requiring effort to tip it from side to side. Not too shabby at all.

And that low seat height allows comfortably flat feet on the ground which definitely helps in the ease of riding stakes. It does feel totally user-friendly. Comfy riding position, twist and go driveline, intuitive dynamics. There’s a lot to like.

The only area I thought I’d fiddle with was the brakes. J Juan units with all the usual cornering ABS smarts we know and love from them, though in this spec the pads probably could have had some more bite and power for my liking.

Otherwise, I found it entirely pleasant. Yes, it’s a bit weird slipping along in relative silence. Especially for someone who is such a big fan of aural stimulation. I was definitely quite aware of not having an exhaust note to help alert cars to my presence while filtering, but out on the open road it wasn’t an issue.

Bearing in mind that this is the second most expensive model in the Zero line-up, at 42 grand on the road, it isn’t exactly cheap. But you will make a chunk of that back in fuel and servicing costs over the life of the bike. Depending on how much you ride, that might save you two or three grand or more a year by my quick math.

If you’re expecting to mostly be riding in and around town with only the occasional longer ride on your dance card, these could definitely be worth considering. And as charging infrastructure continues to ramp up, these will make more and more sense, to more and more people.

I like the Zero SR/S because…

• Super smooth engine. Fast! But entirely user-friendly.
• Remarkable efficiency around town with full regen – and decent range!
• Nice low seat height and comfortable riding position.
• Clever app and electronics allow lots of customisation.

The Zero SR/S would be better if…

• Brake pads could do with a little more bite and power.
• Quick recharge unit takes up the space for the cables which necessitates a tail bag or backpack on longer trips.

Head to the Zero Motorcycles Australia website for more information.

Zero SR/S Specifications

Zero SR/S Gallery