$850 Electric Motorcycle Repair | Zero FXS

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

If you liked this video, pass me a Super Thanks, to buy me a coffee or help me upgrade my video equipment. ☕📹

[@jayski9410]

Thanks for this reality check. I've been watching the Zero bikes for years but never made the purchase due to their high relative cost and range anxiety. Now that I see repairs are expensive too, I think I'll stick with internal combustion bikes for now. If Zero only knew that potential customers are watching this stuff and the way to convert us to buyers would be if they had said to you, "chargers shouldn't go bad, we'll replace it at no charge". But they didn't. So they got $850 from you but they'll never get a $12,000 sale from me.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! The charger would have been covered under the bikes full warranty if it had gone faulty in the first two years of ownership. Mine went bad at 3.5 years of ownership so like other wear and tear parts like tires and brake pads, it was up to me to replace. That is the only repair or maintenance that was needed though. No oil changes or gas station stops or other services. Take one for a test ride, electric is fantastic, I'm never going back to a gas bike.

[@just_one_opinion]

My first 600 mile service on my 21 Ducati SFV4s was 900 with pickup and delivery HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. And that was for just checking valves and installing heated grips (purchased prior). My 22 Zero FX has cost me nothing from the dealer yet.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Congrats on the new Zero!

[@williamammon4899]

Just bought the FXE. A week ago. Put 65 miles on it. What an awesome motorcycle . Soooo much fun. Took to work 2 days (17 miles round trip). I'm going to save so much on my truck miles.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Congrats on your new bike. I did a test ride of FXE last year and really enjoyed it too!

[@johnfisher9398]

I have a 2016 Zero FX and it is super fun to ride...when it works. A couple years ago the motor just locked up completely on my way home. I managed to get it fixed at Calfee engineering. It was just the bearings had gone out. They were a little further than the closest dealer but significantly cheaper since it was out of warantee by that time. Still it sucked to have to drive to Santa Cruz twice in a couple days. Then about 6 months later it stopped charging. This time I brought it to the closest dealer, still an hour and a half away (each way). They are pretty ridiculously expensive. I paid over $500 to have a fuse changed...and now 6 months later, I seem to be having the same issue again or at least a very similar one. I hope it is not the onboard charger since this particular dealer will charge well over $1000 for the same repair I reckon. I originally got this bike because I thought it would be extremely cheap fun transportation...well it is fun but sadly with the repairs, it has been more expensive by far than my ICE vehicles. One of the supposed perks of an electric vehicle is supposed to be low or no maintenance. If shit keeps breaking what is the point? This was my second Zero motorcycle. There will not be a third.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I have similar feelings, I loved my FXS when it was working, but I had to replace an onboard charger and it was nearly $1000. Ended up selling just short of 5 years of ownership. I found myself driving my Tesla Model 3 more often and the Zero was just sitting.

[@mikejohnson9118]

Did you keep the original part? As an opportunity to see/diagnose a failed component(s) Cheers

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Yes, made another video with the faulty charger. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJyvhXt-jrtmZ8U

[@bike-o-rama]

The charger on my 2016 Zero FX suddenly failed last month. GWP and Zero won't sell the charger direct so I had to take it to a dealer and pay for diagnostics. Eight days later they let me know the charger was faulty, obviously, and quoted me $1100 to replace it. They said Zero is slow to ship parts and it will be 2-3 weeks before I can get it back. Ugh, electric bikes are great when they work but now I'll have parts anxiety to replace the range anxiety that I had gotten over.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! So sorry to hear about your charger issue. Yes it sucks. Why was your charger replacement $1100? How much was the charger and how much was the labor? Thats $250 more than I paid for the same charger.

[@bike-o-rama]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel They told me $875 for the replacement charger plus ~$200 for labor.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

@@bike-o-rama wow, from what I heard it takes 30 mins of labor to swap the charger. Your shop has a high labor rate and must be the charger prices went up. Enjoy the new charger and hope it gets you through many years without issue!

[@craigdge]

I proudly own two Zeros - a 2019 DSR and a 2021 SR/S. They are truly fantastic bikes but I have not been overwhelmed with Zero as a company. If electric power is to be a forced march, I truly pity the average consumer. Unless right to repair also becomes a forced march we will be positively at the mercy of these manufacturers. But it's such a fun and unique ride I still believe the pros outweigh the cons, if you can stomach the poor value proposition it objectively presents on paper. One thing I've always wondered about is whether the onboard chargers on the FX and gen 2 bikes self destruct from being under cooled. I know I live in a relatively cool part of the country and I've always tried to let my 2019 DSR rest and cool off after a long ride before charging it up. So far in 7,000 miles of riding I've had no problems with it. It's about to head to the dealer next week for the charge tank installation giving me 6kw charge capability in place of my glovebox. The SR/S has cooling fans for the 6kw (partially locked behind paywall) onboard chargers that will absolutely howl away on a warm summer day at a public charging station. I sometimes charging station hop with that bike to do longer distance (160 mile) rides. Sadly with only 2,000 miles on the clock it is heading to the dealer as well for almost leaving me stranded with a motor controller fault. I sure wish Zero would publish a repair manual and make their scan tool available for purchase. I'd much rather track down my own problems than haul my bike 150+ miles, no disrespect to my dealership.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching and sharing your Zero story! Yea, this charger replacement of mine was a bummer and ultimately I sold the bike a year ago. Zero really needs to add level 3 charging and make sure there are no heat issues with that then I would love to buy another for touring. The DSR/X is awesome but its needs a little more range (150+ highway) and Level 3 charging for me to be onboard.

[@KaceyGreen]

I like that these details are standard without a CAN sniffer like our cars

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching, Kacey! Yes, the battery and charging details are great in the Zero app.

[@paulcowell7588]

These things look fantastic...all the best from England..

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Cheers!

[@jjpac2011]

Really appreciate this video. Been wanting an FX but I live on one island here in hawaii and the only dealership is located on another. I've learned that maintenance is very minimal. After this video, however, I'm concerned that a major repair, or even an onboard charger replacement will require me to ship the bike back to the dealer, thereby increasing the cost and lost time. I can change my own belt drive if/when needed. I may need to resort to my second choice - 2022 Kawi KLX 300 Dual Sport at several thousand dollars less. I know I would love the FX though. Just don't feel I can live with "repair anxiety".

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Yes, warranty repairs would need to be completed by a Zero dealer but if out of warranty, like mine was, I could have replaced the charger myself saving the labor costs once I had a new charger in hand. The diagnosis was the hard part though but Zero engineers likely could do that remote with you. Outside of this single repair, ownership of this FXS.has been awesome!

[@jjpac2011]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel thanks and best wishes.

[@munkd]

My 2016 just developed the same issue. Thanks for the vid.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching. Sorry to hear the faulty charger issue hit your bike too.

[@hollowedentity7097]

Hey for both of you. After the problem was resolved. Are you happy with your purchase again? The fxs is the only one I could afford right now and I’m thinking about it.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

@@hollowedentity7097 Yes, I LOVE the FXS. So fun to ride. The faulty charger was unfortunate but it's the only money I've needed to put into the bike. No regular service needed like a gas bike.

[@munkd]

@@hollowedentity7097 I love mine as well, though I may be selling once I get it back from the dealer (still waiting for that charger). I used it for commuting, but not commuting much any more.

[@bobbarron6969]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've been studying these bikes as they age and wondering if a used Zero could be a good buy. Did you consider having an electrical repair tech take a look at your non-functioning charger? From early December to about mid-January, getting anything of a business nature done is a real headache. People are just too distracted.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! I took the charger apart but take a look at what it was full of:kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJyvhXt-jrtmZ8U

[@bobbarron6969]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel Yikes!

[@mmmasterscross7915]

How long have you had the bike? Sad to see Zero does not stand behind their $10k motorcycles.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! I've had my Zero for almost five years. The charger was warrantied for two years so Zero does stand behind their bikes but just like other vehicles, not every part is covered forever. I had the charger issue develop 3.5 years in.

[@MrSokkermasta]

Living with a zero is almost Maintenance free, cheap charging. But all that comes back to hunt you when something goes down

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! I certainly was not expecting my charger to become faulty in less than 4 years. Glad it's fixed

[@MrSokkermasta]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel yeah that’s a bummer! I just bought a used zero and I’m learning about all the things that can go wrong. So far so good I got 15k on it. Knock on wood it lasts me a while since it’s out of warranty. Btw where did you get your mirrors? I watched your video and I look on Amazon and didn’t have luck.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

@@MrSokkermasta Hope you enjoy many problem-free years on your Zero! I have an Amazon link to my aftermarket mirrors in this video's description section.

[@energetek661]

Common problem sadly. Onboard chargers pre 2017 prone to failure.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching!

[@ribalderr6052]

the batterys need 3k replacement after 5 years. if yur lucky an every year they have less an less power. got any rechargables aound yur house in anything?. like that. which is sh*t.

[@impulsivez4825]

Would a Zero S use the same charger? And was that replacement charger a OE replacement or a newer version of the one that broke?

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! No, the FX/FXS onboard charger is different than the larger S/SR/DS/DSR onboard chargers. This replacement was a newer upgraded version of the OE onboard charger.

[@impulsivez4825]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel Thanks for quick reply! Was looking at buying a 2013 Zero S but person stated charging problems as well hoping it is a easy fix.

[@jessmacrae171]

@@impulsivez4825 haha the yellow and black one in Brooklyn? Was looking at that too

[@impulsivez4825]

@@jessmacrae171 Lol! Yeah! He told me he doesnt have title so Im a little skeptical hahaha. Might pass

[@adrenalinejunki3128]

That's just fkin awesome to hear because I have a 2016 zero fx and I lost my charging cable while riding and out of nowhere when I plugged the bike in the green light would only blink like 6 times and then stop blinking and it just says 0:00 on the timer till full charge on the dash does this sound like the onboard charger

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Hmm Tough to say. Do you have error codes showing up when you key on the bike? The best course of action is to take it to a dealer for diagnosis or to send the bike logs to Zero.

[@mgtowsmurf6094]

$813 in repairs for a faulty charger replacement for a bike with less than 3000 miles on it seems like a rip-off to me. I wish I'd seen this video before purchasing my zero.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching. Yes, this was unfortunate but don't believe the faulty chargers are a widespread issue. The bike was 3.5 years old so out of the basic warranty.

[@mgtowsmurf6094]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel Thanks for the reply. But a major issue under 3,000 miles is of great concern to me. Thanks for posting this problem.

[@just_one_opinion]

@@mgtowsmurf6094 quickly, sell it!!!!

[@markallan4849]

This technology is still new, give it another 5 years and you'll save more money than you ever thought.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Can't wait for Zero to hopefully bring an electric touring bike with DCFC to market.

[@conantdog]

I have heard I don't know if it's true that zero sells most of it s small motorcycles to government agencies and police agencies. This may reflect why there customer service is so bad with the public and they may be sending all their parts to their largest purchasers the government and border patrol. Great product it has a ways to go though for range.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Didn't know this, Thanks.

[@eduarthgarcia4095]

Una pregunta amigo está moto eléctrica necesita placa i seguro

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Zero Motorcycles

[@mervintelford3677]

Was seriously thinking about FXS but not now.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Absolutely LOVE my FXS. This issue with the faulty charger was unfortunate but its they only service the bike has required in the 4 year that I have owned it. No gas, no oil changes, no chain lube, nothing but the charger. Take one for a test ride, you will have smiles for miles!

[@mervintelford3677]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel many thanks for the reply. I will certainly consider it.

[@markellis3648]

@@TeslaFamilyChannelbut what if the battery or motor failed

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Those are covered by 5 year warranty thankfully.

[@davidcameron1792]

I would never purchse a zero now

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Still love my Zero despite this faulty charger but I am really hoping Zero develops a bike with fast charging soon.

[@SlimGym007]

Where’d you get your side mirrors?

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching, Eric. I'm adding a link into the video description now. I love these little mirrors way better than the huge OEM ones.

[@SlimGym007]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel I agree they look a lot better.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

@@SlimGym007 easy to install as well.

[@starrvalley12]

That shouldn't have cost you one penny. When I get mine the dealership will never see that bike again, anything goes wrong I'll fix it my self, even it the battery goes I'll rebuild it, easy peasy

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Congrats on your new Zero!

[@j_k9643]

Did you notice the charging cable or plug getting hot prior to the charger failing like it did? I recently purchased a 2017 FXS with 12,000 miles and I noticed the charge cable gets pretty hot. The plug itself was about 150 deg F. I have a new, 14 AWG cable on the way. The old cable is only 16 AWG. So it is possible it could be the issue rather than the onbaord charger.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Yes, the 14AWG Zero supplied charging cable would get warm as I expected with 650W flowing through it. The Zero dealer worked with Zero Engineers and determined the charger was faulty. Unfortunately these onboard chargers are known to have faults (several owners on the Zero FB Group agreed) and due to the potting of the electrics (new video coming soon) they are not serviceable.

[@j_k9643]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel The charging cable I got with my bike was a 9 foot long 16 AWG cable. Today I got a 6 foot 14 AWG cable. I charged from 65% to 100% and the cable stayed cool. My cable was clearly fried. I also pulled the charging socket out so I could check the temperature of the wires from the socket to the charger itself. Those were about 10 deg F above ambient. Nowhere near the 70 deg F above ambient that the plug/socket was with the original charging cable.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for sharing! Glad you found the right cord.

[@j_k9643]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel When you encountered this issue with the bike not displaying the green charging light and time to full charge on the display, did you happen to notice whether the actual SOC % was increasing or not? Today my bike decided to not show the green charging light nor the time to full charge, and no info on the app. But the SOC % is still increasing. Although it seems slower than I might have expected. Thinking about ordering a new onboard charger and replacing the old one. Doesn't seem like a tough job since it is right behind the plastic in front of the downtube. Zero should be warrantying these or at least offering them at a significant discount.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

@@j_k9643 When plugged in with the faulty charger, it would cycle charging about every 3-5 minutes. So yes, the SOC went up but very slowly. I wish these onboard chargers were covered under the longer 5 year battery warranty but they unfortunately fall under the 2 year limited warranty. My bike was 3.5 years old with less than 3k miles and the charger went bad. Wasn't excited about shelling out $850 for a new one.

[@johnsaxton503]

My 2018 FXS has stopped charging to 100%. Charges to 114V instead of 116V and stops (SoC usually reads 96-99% when charge stops). Dealer checked bike and stated that the battery pack was ok. They contacted Zero for guidance and Zero technician suggested replacing the charge cable before replacing charger to see if that corrects the issue. My gut tells me it is probably the charger that is faulty not the cable :(

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with the service, a charge cable would be much cheaper than a new charger.

[@SantaridesaKTM]

I like the theory of owning one of these bikes but it's supposed to be cheap motoring isn't it?. Great vid.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Very cheap to operate this bike outside of the charger replacement. Just pennies to charge.

[@Ddoo614]

Perhaps zero should consider leasing their E cycles? Owners can't repair what they buy..

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! I'm not a fan of leasing but also not a fan or huge repair bills.

[@danny_the_K]

I wonder why they don’t supply a 1200w charger? Way overpriced... you should get the old one fixed and sell it on eBay to re-coup some of your costs.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! My guess on why a bigger charger is not spec'd on the FX/S bikes is limited space. The S and DS models have a 1300w onboard charger(Those bikes are wider than my FXS) and the SRF/S bikes have 3000w base chargers. I looked into repairing my faulty charger but it's not possible because the electronics are epoxy potted. Should have a video to share on that topic soon.

[@nimrodquimbus912]

30% efficiency loss when charging batteries

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

What makes you say this? Are you monitoring input verses onboard energy?

[@nimrodquimbus912]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel It is a fact. changing energy forms always comes at a cost. Battery charging is a conversion from electrical energy to chemical. You will need ~ 130 Watts to store 100 watts in a battery. It is even worse when you get to understand the Maximum Power Theorem and are converting that chemical energy into mechanical.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Either way it costs less than $1 to fully charge the Zero FXS

[@nimrodquimbus912]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel Look, that charger is using 720W on the utility side, but only storing ~600Watts to the batteries. 600/720 = .83 or about 83% efficiency, which is pretty good.........You were wondering why you were charging at ~600W and not 720W. So yeh, Electricity is about $0.12 / KW. but also, less than half of the energy stored in the battery is actually used to make the motor work, all the rest of the energy is lost.

[@nimrodquimbus912]

@@TeslaFamilyChannel The bike is cool

[@heathercampbell420]

I have an issue with my onboard charger for my 2017 Zero DS. There is only one repair shop near me (Triumph of Seattle). I have NEVER encountered worse customer service in my life. They don't answer their phone, & you can't leave a message (mailbox is full). After 3 weeks of trying to reach them, I finally drove there in person to schedule repairs. I had to wait another 3 weeks to get an appointment. On drop-off day, I had Covid and tried to arrange for a safe contact-free drop off. They told me to wait until I was Covid free & they would be able to get me right in without waiting. This was a lie. I called them a week later (I learned to dial repeatedly until they picked up), they told me I would have to wait another week to drop it off. If you're counting the weeks, this is now 8 weeks between initially trying to reach them and finally getting the bike into their shop. The next day they left a message on my phone to let me know the results of their diagnosis. I spent two more weeks trying to get in touch with them to OK the repairs. They quoted me $817.50 parts + ~$500 for the diagnosis plus 2-hour installation. I have no other option to get my bike repaired. They're telling me that even though they "probably" have the part available, it will still take another week for the repair to be ready. I have loved riding my Zero up until this point, but this experience has been so reprehensible I will NEVER purchase another Zero. (They only allow licensed dealers to perform repairs.) I will also dissuade anyone from going to Triumph of Seattle, there is no way that a reputable business would conduct themselves in this manner.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Sorry to hear about your troubles. Hopefully it's all repaired now.

[@thisname1is1sukzable]

why buy a motorcycle when you have it repaired. you'd be better of leasing it?

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching!

[@ribalderr6052]

when I have to 'firmware update' my bike like an ipad or it wont go, Im a pass. stop using so much electricity when were all EV those prices will skyrocket an theyll build a nuke power plant in the lot behind u an ull we all pay for it. thx.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

Thanks for watching! Firmware update is not required to ride but it does provide enhancements to efficiency and performance. Have you tried riding an electric bike? Trust me, it'll put a smile on your face and you won't enjoy your gas bike the same way again. Nuclear power not needed when the sun can provide all the energy the entire world could ever use.

[@TeslaFamilyChannel]

As of November 2022, Place an order for Tesla products through Shawn's referral link: www.tesla.com/referral/shawn68886 and earn credits upon delivery of your car or activation of your solar system. Redeem your credits for awards in the Tesla Referral Shop!