The big beef with battery bikes is their limited range, and Zero Motorcycles is claiming to have come a long way in addressing this issue with their 2012 lineup.
Zero is claiming a 116-mile (183 km) range for their new 9 kw battery pack available for the Zero S and DS models; their 6 kw pack is capable of 76 miles (121 km). Range for Zero’s dirt lineup, the X trailbike and MX motocrosser, and the urban-minded XU model, has been increased 75 per cent.
Top speed for the streetfighter S model is 88 mph, or 140 kph; top speed for the dual-sport DS model is 80 mph, or 128 kph.
Zero is claiming this technology makes them the first manufacturer to offer an electric motorcycle with 100-mile range as a standard machine.
The new cycles are supposed to be pretty maintenance-free; the battery packs are supposed to be good for more than 300,000 miles, and the motors are now brushless and cooled by forced air.
MSRP for the Zero S 6 kw model is $11,495 US, and $13,995 US for the 9 kw model. The 6 kw Zero DS has a $11,495 US MSRP, and the 9 kw model has a $13,995 US MSRP. The XU has a $7,695 US MSRP, the X has a $9,945USÂ MSRP, and the MX has a $9,495 US MSRP.
We don’t have the Canadian numbers yet, or know availability, but the bikes are supposed to be available at dealers in less than three months. We don’t know if the bikes are going to change much cosmetically, but judging from the company’s video seen below, it doesn’t appear that they’ll look much different.
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