Why The Zero SR/F Is 2019's Best Electric Motorcycle

Last week I was fortunate enough to ride the new Zero SRF at English Electric Motor Co. in Suffolk and I have to say of all the Zeros I've ridden this is the one that's impressed me the most. So much so that I'd argue that it's the best electric motorcycle that you can currently buy so here's why. The SRF is the most powerful Zero motorcycle to date delivering 110 horsepower and 190 newton meters of torque. To put that into context there are very few motorcycles that make that much torque. A beast of a bike like Ducati's Diavel 1260 makes 129 newton meters and Triumph's upcoming two and a half litre Rocket 3 will be the most torque of any production motorcycle and it'll make 225 newton meters so the Zero isn't far off and you have to also consider that the like other electrics will make that 190 newton meters across the entire rev range so combined with a reasonable curb weight of around 220 kilos the SRF is quick out of the blocks but as with many electric motorcycles it's the way that it's delivered. Acceleration is smooth and relentless taking you quickly up to the speed limit until your nerve is the only thing that slows you down. Power is 110 horses but the way it delivers it is just like instant no need to make sure you're in the right gear or anything just twist it and you go. Yeah for all that it lacks that nuance of a petrol bike there's something super addictive and fun about it. The SRF is well equipped too. The brakes are from J1 who've been making brakes for other companies for some time. Only recently they've started supplying parts with their own branding and you'll see them all over the Zero range. The SRF has twin 320mm discs at the front with radially mounted four pot monoblock calipers and a radial master cylinder. There's also a single pot 240mm disc at the rear. Just testing the brakes a bit the FXS which is the Zero Supermoto bike which is like 130 kilos it feels very sharp on the brakes this is more of a feel of the initial bite is actually quite tame which in a good way it's very manageable at low speeds but when you give them a good squeeze they definitely haul you up quick enough. The brakes utilise Bosch MSC or motorcycle stability control which gives you pitch and lean sensitive ABS and traction control as well as anti-wheelie control and rear wheel lift up control. Suspension is supplied by Showa with fully adjustable 43mm big piston upside down forks and a 40mm piggyback mono shock at the rear. I tested the bike over some fairly rough and undulating surfaces and some sweeping bends. The handling felt good but the ride sometimes a little harsh so perhaps some dialing in would help. The bike also rolls on Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 tyres so there'll be no need to change those until they're fully worn. Despite the 220 kilo weight of this bike it handles particularly well at low speed which is extremely helpful for those of us commuting in built-up areas. You might assume that such a powerful motor without the nuance of a clutch would make it a handful at manoeuvring speed but the smoothness of the throttles programming and a low down centre of gravity owing to the battery and motor being slung largely beneath the trellis frame makes for a very easy ride. So I feel like you know when I brake hard and get down to like what five four three two miles an hour two or three miles an hour it's so easy to balance this bike despite it being much heavier than the other models. I feel like this is doable around town. I think if you you know majority riding in traffic and filtering it wouldn't be a problem. It's not a difficult bike to ride at all. As well as the Bosch MSC which we've already covered the bike features a full TFT dash with phone connectivity. The bike's Cypher 3 operating system combined with the Xero app allow the rider to get notifications when the bike is being tampered with, see the bike's state of charge and time to full charge, view and share ride data including location, speed, lean angle, power and torque, personalise riding modes, personalise the dash and find charging points. The SRF also includes cruise control as you'd expect from any bike with this much tech. The Xero is capable of 160 miles of city or town riding when it can make use of its regenerative braking or it'll do between 80 and 100 miles on the motorway. Obviously the harder you ride it the less range you'll get and charging speeds vary based on the type of charging point you'll use but the slowest worst case scenario is from mains at home where it'll take four and a half hours for a full charge. This might not be an important factor to everyone but to me this is one of the best looking electric motorcycles available at the moment. Previous Xeros look a little bit tail heavy for me and lacking in the tank department. Yes it's a bit fake to have something that looks like a petrol tank on an electric motorcycle but not only does it give your knees something to grip onto it also gives the bike that stocky hunched over profile. Proportionally it all looks great to me and the steel trellis frame makes a nice feature of the battery and motor. It's part Ducati part spaceship. I must admit though the Harley Livewire is a good looking bike too. It's also got that front heavy look that I like and in terms of attractiveness there's not much between them for me. But where there is a lot between them is price. Given all we've said about the specs here the main competitors for this bike are the Livewire and the Energica Evo SASE9. The Livewire has pretty similar specs and capabilities to the SRF albeit much lower torque at 116 Newton meters as opposed to the Xeros 190. But the Livewire will cost just shy of 29,000 British pounds which is about 12 and a half grand more expensive than the base model Xero at 16 and a half thousand. Then there's the Energica Evo. Yes it can do a full charge in 30 minutes if you can find what's known as a mode 4 charger but there are only three of those in all of London so it'll probably be the regular four hour charge. It has roughly the same power as the Xero but weighs almost 40 kilograms more and the base model starts at 3,000 pounds more than the equivalent Xero. Even at 16 and a half grand the SRF is way more expensive than a similarly specced petrol bike but if you take the electric market on its own I think it's the best one out there at the moment. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments if you think I've missed something and if you're new here and you want to see more videos like this hit subscribe and I'll see you next time.