In the blistering heat of June (yes, sometimes in England, we do have sunshine), I took the chance to mount another Zero motorcycle. This time the DSR/X Adventure, which I took on the trails near Guildford in Surrey. The owner of MotoEbikes of Guildford, Lee Robinson, joined me on another DSR/X to talk me through the bike's features.
American company Zero Motorcycles has joined other manufacturers by adding an Adventure bike to its expanding portfolio. The DSR/X desert machine has stunning looks and comes with surprisingly good range figures, and the key to successful electric motorcycles is range, range and range. Zero states 357km/222m with a Power Tank that is an additional £2899, If you ride off-road. Take the bike on the road, and as the speed increases, Zero claims 290km/180 miles without Power Tank.
The DSR/X maintains the 17.3kw battery pack that the premium Zero models use, but the Z-Force 75-10x motor is all new. The bike produces a claimed 225 Nm/166 ft-lb of torque, making it the most potent Zero model.
After Range, the next issue with electric motorcycles is the charging time. Bikers want a machine they can use and not wait around while friends on petrol bikes enjoy blasting around the country. The DSR/X has impressive times with an hour's charging, giving you 95% capacity. However, this is achieved with the optional Rapid Charge Module, for which you must pay £2459 extra. If wanting to own an electric motorcycle, you will want the Rapid Charge Module.
After about thirty minutes of road riding, Lee took us to some suitable bridleways where we could engage the off-road Mode. The DSR/X was a peach, and the instant power is hugely beneficial in tackling narrow, rutted trails. Despite the weight, the bike is agile, and you can stand up on the pegs and position it easily. The DSR/X has a fully adjustable Showa suspension, with long travel aiding your off-road experience, as do the five riding modes, each having a specific off-road setting.
Zero gives you Hill Start Control and Lean-sensitive ABS and traction, which you can deactivate, which Lee and I did when off-road. Lee's machine was fitted with spoked wheels and more knobbly tyres suitable for muddier and wetter conditions; it also had the optional crash protection fitted. On our ventures on the bridleways, we came across walkers, mountain bike riders and horse riders; the lack of noise and smell from the DSR/X won us brownie points with these users, who can show disdain to petrol bikes.
The Zero DSR/X doesn't have the highest top speeds at 180kph/111mph, but as I mentioned, the faster you ride, the quicker the battery drains and the shorter the range you have available. So you do have to balance out your journey. Expect to charge the bike to 95% at home on a standard power supply, which will take ten hours. If you use a level two power supply, it takes two hours to reach 95%, and the best option to allow you to use the bike on longer trips is the additional rapid charger taking sixty minutes to get to 95%. This should be supplied with the bike as the cost is high already.
The DSR/X has several ride modes changing how the bike feels and rides. You get Canyon, Standard, Sport, Rain and ECo. Using Canyon and Sport, you get full power to the rear wheel; the other modes restrict the power to match your type of riding requirements. The Mode is displayed in the bike's display and changes the rider aid intervention and regenerative braking.
Where the DSR/X is terrific is the acceleration, where it is capable of matching or beating most superbikes on the road. Twist that throttle, and the world whizzes like the vehicles around you have not bothered to move. It is addictive. You don't sit on the DSR/X; more sit in it as your bum drops low on the saddle. You sit upright with arms wide apart and at a tremendous stress-free height. Ideal for long riding, it is comfortable, and you get a manually adjustable screen to keep the wind off you.
Bosch-created Rider Aids are on the Zero DSR/X and are lean-sensitive. The modes have off-road settings, and the ABS and Traction Control can be switched off. When TC intervenes, it reduces the power/torque to the rear wheel. In Eco and Rain, you can detect the intervention even more when riding off-road. In many ways, TC on an electric machine is more beneficial to the rider because there is instant torque. It would be easy to spin the rear tyre on a cold day. Keep the TC on in the wet, or you may power slide.
The Zero DSR/X is thrilling, with light-speed acceleration, exemplary handling, fun, and off-road capability, so it meets the Adventure criteria. But it lacks real-world range. Ride it how you would like to, twisting that throttle fully open, and then you will need to recharge after around ninety miles of road use. It means you will require the rapid charger to get the machine up to 95% in sixty minutes while you grab refreshments and then continue, which doesn't allow you to progress on long adventures.