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.
