Globe Drive

For all the futuristic technology under the seat, this emission-free electric-powered motorcycle rides like an old-school, single-cylinder two-stroker, with an untamed throttle and more than enough torque to leave your butt on the pavement.

All that's missing is paint-shaker vibrations, and the rapid-fire brap-brap-brap from the exhaust. Instead, it has all the rumble of a moderately paced sewing machine.

This is the Zero S, the first full-size, highway-speed electric motorcycle to hit Canadian roads.

The Zero S is also the second model from California-based Zero Motorcycles, which has been selling an off-road electric model since 2007.

In the race to produce zero-emission electric vehicles, power-to-weight advantages have put motorcycles years ahead of cars. At least three small companies are already selling highway-speed electric two-wheelers and more are promised for next year. Major motorcycle manufacturer KTM of Austria is hyping a competition-ready off-roader in showrooms next year (no word yet on Canadian availability), and Honda, Yamaha and BMW have all been talking about going electric in the near future.

The future, however, is here with the Zero S.

Despite targeting the urban/suburban commuter, Zero has rejected the carry-all maxi-scooter design of its competitor, Vectrix, and instead made a supermoto-style motorcycle, fitting sport-bike rims and rubber to an off-road-style chassis.

"Our goal from the beginning was to engineer a high-performance electric urban street motorcycle," says Neal Saiki, Zero's founder and chief designer. Most articles highlight his distant past as a NASA engineer, but it's his more recent years designing high-end mountain bikes for companies such as Santa Cruz, Mountain Cycle, and Haro that are most evident in the Zero.

The off-road X looks like a mountain-bike on steroids, and even uses some mountain-bike braking and suspension components. The S, however, is not just an X model with wheels changed and turn signals added (as Swiss-made competitor Quantya did to bring their off-road model to the street). The Zero S is a completely redesigned bike, with a new aircraft-grade aluminum frame, twice the power, twice the range and 20 per cent more speed than the X.

It plugs into a regular 110V outlet and takes four hours and less than $1 to fully power up. With a 100-kilometre range on a single charge, those who live in all but the farthest suburbs can make it to work and back with juice to spare for a few errands. Commuters living farther away could plug in at work to top up for the ride home. Panniers and a top case are planned to make it easier carry a laptop and pick up groceries on the way home.

A dual-sport version is also coming, with bigger wheels, more aggressive rubber, and longer suspension to make it more dirt-friendly.

The fun factor in motorcycling comes from three things: acceleration, speed, and cornering. The S does two out of three well.

Motorcycle manufacturers are always boasting about top speed, and the Zero S is not going to win bragging rights here, getting no more than 100 km/h from the four-kilowatt electric engine, which produces 31 horsepower and a steady 62.5 lb-ft of torque.

But the biggest thrills in motorcycling are not from how fast you go, but how fast you get there, and the S reaches top speed in four seconds, which is good enough to match most 600-cc sport bikes — for a few seconds anyways.

Where you won't be able to match a 600-cc sportbike, or even a 50-cc scooter, is in red-light revving. At rest, the S is silent. Pinning the throttle will snap your neck back, but clatter from the drive chain and the buzz of the tires hitting the road make more sound than the engine.

Anyone who's heart quickens at the sound of a custom exhaust will have to resist wedging a baseball card in the spokes to get some kind of aural satisfaction.

The steering is super-quick for manoeuvrability around obstacles or slower vehicles, but maybe a little too quick for newer riders to feel fully in control. New riders will, however, like the clutch-less single speed. Just twist and go.

The rider sits high and forward, for a good view of traffic. With a 90-centimetre seat height, it's not for the vertically challenged, although at just 225 pounds (102 kg), shorter riders should be able to lean it to one side to get a foot down without the risk of dropping that would result with trying that on a more conventional bike in the 300-plus pound range.

Braking from the standard hand-operated front, pedal rear is adequate, but is one area where improvement could be made.

Another is in rider options. Toggle switches on the instrument display of the off-road X model allow riders to switch between two torque settings, and two speed settings, for four different setups. The S could benefit from something similar, with a performance setting for when you want to silence any nay-sayers among your gas-guzzling riding buddies, and an ultra-efficient setting to take it as far as possible on a single charge.

That charge is held by a lithium-ion battery custom-designed using Canadian-made cells from E-One Moli Energy out of Maple Ridge, B.C. Despite it's Canuck roots, our climate is a double-edged sword on its capabilities. Like all batteries, the Zero power pack runs down quicker in colder weather, but the chilly temperatures also increase the overall life of the unit.

In any weather, performance is unchanged as the battery drains, until it's down to 20 per cent, when it switches into a lower-speed power-saving mode to get you to an outlet.

The battery accounts for 36 kilograms and $2,950 (U.S.) of the S, and is expected to last four to five years before needing a replacement. But battery technology is moving so fast that the second battery should be cheaper, more powerful, and longer-lasting, according to John Lloyd, Zero's head of sales. The spent one is also fully recyclable, and environmentally friendly enough to be approved for landfill disposal.

With no oil to change, coolant to flush or valves to adjust, maintenance is minimal: oil the chain every few hundred kilometres, blow the dirt out of the motor once a year, and keep the battery charged.

Front and rear suspension are custom designs to save on weight, and finicky riders will like that they're both fully adjustable for compression. While there are no carbs to jet, ECUs to remap or cylinders to bore out, wrench heads can tweak the performance by changing the front and rear sprockets.

About 25 of the off-road X models have already been sold in Canada, and Zero expects to have completed Transport Canada approval to make the S road-legal here in about two months.

Unlike most motorcycle dealers, which carry an inventory of motorcycles but don't offer test rides, Zero is building a network of dealers that will each have at least one bike on hand for customers to test. Dealers are already signed up in Penticton and Pemberton, B.C., Calgary and London, Ont., and negotiations are under way with shops in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Montreal, Medicine Hat, Saskatoon and Edmonton.

Those impressed enough to buy one can then do so online through the dealer, or on their own, and have the bike delivered either to their dealer or to their home.

The S is $9,950 (U.S.), plus shipping, but Canadian pricing is coming soon, and expected to be a little less. It should also qualify for the Ontario alternative-fuel rebate on the 8 per cent PST.

Add that to the savings of never having to pay at the pumps, and you can make a financial case for buying a Zero S, if the environmental sensibilities and fun factor aren't enough.