I received and invite last week from Zero MX to come out and demo one of their new 2009 Zero MX ( for MX) electric motocross bikes at Lake Elsinore MX park today.
I grabbed my gear bag and headed out today and found that Zero had a full line of their bikes sitting there ready to ride:
They also had some of their street versions to view as well:
Several varieties were available and the the key for me was finding the one that was best suited for me... I'm 6 ft 244. They selected an MX bike that had beefed up suspension ( not enough) but the best on hand. Some were set up DS. Some were set up street. Some had trials tires on them. All in all they gave me a good general overview , had me sign waivers and then I suited up to head out onto Lake Elsinore MX 85-125 cc track.
First things first. No rear brake pedal. Rear brake is with your left hand using a MT bike style lever. Front brake is on the right side.. again just like a Mt Bike. Turn on the key. Turn on the power. Select torque load setting switch, select 25MPH or 50 MPH switch.... absolutely no sound. Throttle pulls well immediately... at first I thought the bike was way to small for me.... I was wrong.... this is more of a MT bike type ride but a hell of a lot funner. Bike corners very quickly. Only weighs 160 lbs. Rear end actually likes to break free if you hit the throttle. Throttle pulls hard and long:
It is very well balanced but very light. easy to pull the front end up but mainly because it felt like riding a full suspension Mt Bike . With the smallest bump you can lift the whole bike up. Easy to steer with your knees, very very flickable. Very easy to maneuver around traffic on the track. Found that I was standing almost the entire time... very rarely sat on this bike. Easy to air out and very stable in the air.
Alll in All I ran almost 24 laps on this track with the majority of them at hard pace
To sum it all up:
Pros:
Lightweight
Green
Very easy for newbs or bicyclists to ride
Flickable
Balanced
Smooth power delivery
Great for Camping and trail riding around a campsite or paved beach walkway
No Noise... none.. zilch.. nada.. can only hear the chain slap from time to time
Cons:
No rear brake pedal
Mt bike brake shorty levers to small for my hands
Brakes fade ... do not feel 100% useable
Small cockpit.. ergos could be bigger for me but at 6 ft 244lbs I don't think i'm the target market
$9000 price tag
30 minutes /24 laps at hard pace and the power was starting to diminish... did not have the same hit
Suspension to soft
Spokes wheels hardware are light.. not enough to support my frame size for the long run
Battery life = 5 years at two to three rides per month ( less if you ride a lot) . replacement $3000.As quoted to me by Zero guy.
Overall Summary: Fun to ride. Generates looks. Different. Worth $9000.. no
Spent the day with my son Logan;
Watching tow planes and gliders:
And about 3 million crazy ..ss skydivers... even some of these tandem guys:
Logan wants to skydive now.........told mommy when we got home... mommy not impressed****************************************
Many thanks to the Zero MX crew. They put on a great demo with a lot of bikes, plenty of techs, ice cold Gatorade on hand etc..
T
I grabbed my gear bag and headed out today and found that Zero had a full line of their bikes sitting there ready to ride:
They also had some of their street versions to view as well:
Several varieties were available and the the key for me was finding the one that was best suited for me... I'm 6 ft 244. They selected an MX bike that had beefed up suspension ( not enough) but the best on hand. Some were set up DS. Some were set up street. Some had trials tires on them. All in all they gave me a good general overview , had me sign waivers and then I suited up to head out onto Lake Elsinore MX 85-125 cc track.
First things first. No rear brake pedal. Rear brake is with your left hand using a MT bike style lever. Front brake is on the right side.. again just like a Mt Bike. Turn on the key. Turn on the power. Select torque load setting switch, select 25MPH or 50 MPH switch.... absolutely no sound. Throttle pulls well immediately... at first I thought the bike was way to small for me.... I was wrong.... this is more of a MT bike type ride but a hell of a lot funner. Bike corners very quickly. Only weighs 160 lbs. Rear end actually likes to break free if you hit the throttle. Throttle pulls hard and long:
It is very well balanced but very light. easy to pull the front end up but mainly because it felt like riding a full suspension Mt Bike . With the smallest bump you can lift the whole bike up. Easy to steer with your knees, very very flickable. Very easy to maneuver around traffic on the track. Found that I was standing almost the entire time... very rarely sat on this bike. Easy to air out and very stable in the air.
Alll in All I ran almost 24 laps on this track with the majority of them at hard pace
To sum it all up:
Pros:
Lightweight
Green
Very easy for newbs or bicyclists to ride
Flickable
Balanced
Smooth power delivery
Great for Camping and trail riding around a campsite or paved beach walkway
No Noise... none.. zilch.. nada.. can only hear the chain slap from time to time
Cons:
No rear brake pedal
Mt bike brake shorty levers to small for my hands
Brakes fade ... do not feel 100% useable
Small cockpit.. ergos could be bigger for me but at 6 ft 244lbs I don't think i'm the target market
$9000 price tag
30 minutes /24 laps at hard pace and the power was starting to diminish... did not have the same hit
Suspension to soft
Spokes wheels hardware are light.. not enough to support my frame size for the long run
Battery life = 5 years at two to three rides per month ( less if you ride a lot) . replacement $3000.As quoted to me by Zero guy.
Overall Summary: Fun to ride. Generates looks. Different. Worth $9000.. no
Spent the day with my son Logan;
Watching tow planes and gliders:
And about 3 million crazy ..ss skydivers... even some of these tandem guys:
Logan wants to skydive now.........told mommy when we got home... mommy not impressed****************************************
Many thanks to the Zero MX crew. They put on a great demo with a lot of bikes, plenty of techs, ice cold Gatorade on hand etc..
T
:ride:
