Zero Motorycles, the company that’s been pioneering mainstream electric motorcycles for the last 13 years, has updated its entire lineup for 2019, with refreshed looks and more range and power across the board.
For Zero’s entry level street bikes, the S and SR, horsepower of the S ZF7.2 jumped 35 percent over the old model up to 46 HP, and the top speed also jumped to 98 mph. The Zero S ZF14.4, the one with 60 HP and the larger battery pack, gets a 10 percent boost in range to 179 miles, or up to 223 miles total in the city (112 on the highway), if configured with an additional power tank option.
These upgrades carry over to the more premium Zero motorcycles in the Dual Sport, or DS, range. The DS ZF7.2 now gets 82 miles in the city, 39 highway, with 46 HP and 78 lb-ft of torque, and the DS ZF14.4 gets 163 miles city, 78 highway with 60 hp and 81 lb-ft of torque, or 204 miles city, 97 highway with the optional power tank. All come with a top speed of 98 mph.
The highest-performance DSR model, which has 70 horsepower and a top speed of 102 mph, gets upgrades including a dual-sport windscreen, hand guards, tank grips and a 12V socket, which are available as accessories on the other bikes.
All of the bikes get an updated operating system that adds a long term battery storage mode, as well as new appearance packages. The Zero FX and FXS, which appeal more to the supermoto crowd, get Dune and Rhino Grey color options, the Zero Z and SR get Black Metallic and Jet Black, and the DS and DSR get Sandstone and Caldera Metallic.
The Zero FXS ZF3.6, which only got the appearance and software updates, starts at $8,495 before options and incentives, and the ZF7.2 starts at $10,495. The S and DS ZF7.2 start at $10,995, and the ZF14.4 start at $13,995. The SR and DSR start at $16,495. The Power Tank option is $2,895 and only boosts range, not performance. Zero’s website lists available state incentives of $750 for Massachusetts, $900 for California and $1,440 for Maryland.
Seeing the bikes in person, the new colors all look pretty cool, especially knowing Zero also has military contracts they can’t talk about. I’m still not quite sure any of these packages are a solid enough deal to be only bike in your garage, but they’re getting really, really close.