Zero is taking its electric off-roader further than before with the addition of the Zero DSR Black Forest to its North American range, the latest newcomer to a growing line-up that could also spawn a sportsbike in the near future.
Though more established in the US, where Zero has grown from an ambitious start-up 13 years ago into a well-established motorcycle brand, the marque has begun making waves in Europe with the launch of the SR/F naked, which has gone a long way to cornering a burgeoning marketplace for zero emissions motorcycles.
The Zero DSR Black Forest brings an element of adventure to the standard DSR, adding a Power Pack, which swells the battery capacity from 14.4kW to 18kW – though you’ll have to part with around £2,500 for the privilege – more luggage space and more practical accessories including LED auxiliary lights, windscreen and headlight protectors.
It's not quite an adventure tourer, but it's on the way. Perhaps this is the model Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman should have opted for when filming the latest series of Long Way Up…
Zero SR/F range set to grow with electric sportsbike?
Readers of Visordown will know we are on the cusp of an electric revolution in the motorcycle industry, partly because new regulations on the horizon will make it mandatory and partly because the appetite is growing amongst customers judging by recent sales figures.
For now, however, volume manufacturers are keeping cards close to their chest as to what direction to take be it entirely new ranges dedicated to zero emissions – the long-term but investment heavy option – or adapting their current ranges.
For firms like Zero and Energica though – arguably the forerunners of the electric movement – whilst they are well placed to offer developed, well-received electric motorcycles for those that want one now, there is little doubt they face big competition in future when the likes of Honda, KTM and BMW enter the fray.
As such, we can expect the Zero range to grow over the next few years with more ambitious projects, one of which is set to be a fully-faired electric sportsbike based on the SR/F platform, which American publication Asphalt & Rubber believes it has seen out on test in Zero’s California base.
This is the first spy photo of Zero Motorcycles’ upcoming full-fairing version of the Zero SR/F electric sport bike. https://t.co/3HaBVuH7lQ pic.twitter.com/MGGfvOEWQE
— Asphalt & Rubber (@Asphalt_Rubber) September 21, 2019
Zero has dabbled in ‘dual-sports’ models before but at a lower displacement equivalent, but with the SR/F naked sporting a sophisticated (expensive to develop) battery – 190Nm peak torque and a range of between 200 and 160 miles approximately – it is reasonable to assume it’s going to find its way into a different classification of model.
Adding farings onto a naked seems logical and whilst any changes might be limited to aesthetic, a Zero SR/F sportsbike would still make an attractive addition to the line-up.
Now we just need to lobby Zero to bring it over to the Europe…
