Everything you need to know about electric charging with Zero Motorcycles

[@mancavemoto]

Its interesting that the majority of comments are negative or derogatory. I understand peoples point of view of course, but this video isn't here to make a case for, or extol the virtues of electric motorcycles, it was made purely to try and offer some clarity around the issue of charging them. I was unclear, and I imagine a lot of others are too, that is all.

[@davea9946]

Thanks for making the video. I always have a laugh when I read all the negative comments generated whenever electric vehicles are discussed. Most of these types would have defended the horse and cart when the ICE industry was in its infancy. I love my ICE bike but it appears that electric bikes are already absolutely capable machines for an average commuter. As technology and infrastructure improve over the next decade, presumably the will also become capable touring machines.

[@benkelly2190]

Hi Tony, while, I have no problem with electric vehicles, bike or car. Weather I like them or not. What concerns me is, the big push by the deluded government, to replace I C E with electric. That is my big issue. There is room in our world for both. As far as commuting and city transport goes, they are hard to beat. Cheers.

[@mancavemoto]

Yep I agree with you Ben, electric motorcycles are AN alternative method of transport, not THE alternative. In some ways I blame the automotive industry, they have to keep selling new cars, and the reality is that there’s no need to change your car every couple of years, that’s what’s creating the problem. I drive a 9 year old diesel Land Rover, but I probably drive less than 5000 miles a year. By keeping that car I’m polluting less than if I bought a brand new more ‘efficient’ vehicle? If I did switch to an electric car, my Land Rover would still be used by someone else, so it just exasperates the problem. The only way that switch makes sense is if my old car is scrapped/recycled and taken off the road.

[@mancavemoto]

I remember people being up in arms about ABS on bikes, but that’s something pretty much everybody none wants when they buy a bike. Things are changing, and if it ends up at some ping on the future that it’s an electric bike or nothing, then guess what bikers will be riding? That’s still a very long way off yet, and personally I think synthetic fuels will emerge over the coming years to keep ICE vehicles in the road. But there will definitely be electric beside it.

[@Banditmanuk]

Electric motorcycles, horrible things, or so I thought. I've been following a channel called Mark Travels. He's riding his Zero around the world. If you're wondering what it's really like to live with one of these bikes. Finding chargers, charging from domestic locations. Mark even takes his bike off road.

[@mancavemoto]

Yep i've been following Marc since his Honda Dominator days!

[@adkomst]

Hmm. Still a bit confusing as to which input to choose. I wonder if it is better for the battery to charge slowly; does regular fast charging shorten the life of the battery - and is it better to charge to, say, 95% than 100% as far as battery life is concerned. This is definitely a subject we need more info about. Thanks for bringing it up!

[@andrewthompson1313]

Understanding the extent to which fast charging shortens the life of the battery would be critical for me.

[@marcusrichardson3472]

I have an electric car and absolutely love it. Range anxiety in the car is minimal so long as you plan ahead but you quickly get into a rhythm. I can see that bikes are slightly different and would require a little more forward planning. For commuting they make total sense though so the only problem is the purchase price vs a petrol engine. Fully commend Zero and others for innovating and giving us another option to consider. We’re definitely in a golden age of motorcycles. Thanks for the film

[@Neojhun]

The problem with bikes is you have much less mass to dedicate to battery and your body makes up a large part of the wind resistance. Add on top high performance electric bikes have never been mass produced before. This is a case of chicken and egg problem just to even get the industry starting. It's an interesting start since the performance is already overkill, but the usability needs alot of work.

[@andrewpitts6498]

Well worth the watch. I drive an electric car but some stuff, which may be specific to zero, is well worth learning about. Thanks.

[@mancavemoto]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@for-real-tho]

Charging can be very boring sometimes, but you can get used to it. I do 150-200 km rides on my electric scooter, but I always need to carefully plan the route and charging stops in advance. Back up options are also important. Last weekend I only had a few percent left in my battery, and when I finally reached the charging station, both slots were taken. So I had to go to the nearest station, but I couldn't make it so I had to push my scooter 😅 It took 1 hour to charge from 0 to 50% which was more than enough to get me home.

[@lpete531]

Charging ports, charging stations, and you are under 100 miles in your ride, waiting on your bike to charge in this Texas heat is a no thank you. This video did explain some questions i had, thanks for sharing 👍🏽

[@rlw85]

I’m not convinced. To me the only way electric bikes make sense is short range commuting and buy it on pcp

[@mikoskjv]

Motorized bicycle petrol is better than eletric bikes

[@pascaldesnoeck8671]

in belgium we have the ZERO DS adventure 11kw, i thinking off getting one

[@MexieMex]

Thanks for this, exactly that has been a concern for me, I know a couple of people with electric cars and have heard what a nightmare it can be for them and assumed it would only be worse for bikes.

[@BrianDias007]

So true, for example at Easter my neighbour and I drove down to Newquay from West London, I went down in my VW beetle, he hired a electric Porsche, he was advised to stay on the motorway route as direct route A30/A303 there wasn't reliable charging stations, coming back it took him 16hrs to get back to London because of charging issues, it took me the usual 5/6 hours in my 52 year old bug.

[@Neojhun]

@@BrianDias007 WTF That is some INSANE LIES!!! "16hrs to get back to London" for 280 miles is not possible. Porsche 4S your typical Rental Spec can easily do 250 miles. Add an extra 3 hours if you have charging total clusterfrack sure. But 16 hours is a blatant lie.

[@BrianDias007]

@@Neojhun I swear on my dads grave and he passed away during lockdown, it isn't a lie - the infrastructure for charging once you get out of London is poor at best, he was advised by the hiring company to go M4 to Bristol then South on the M5, he showed me pictures of dozens of queues with people waiting up to 4/5 hrs just to ENTER a charging station, not even to put their own car on charge, my neighbour will never do that route again in an pure electric vehicle. btw Parsons Green SW6 to Newquay for me was 254 miles

[@alainmichaud6747]

interesting video , I guess need to get a bit more informed when you get a electric bike , we are so use to the normal gaz station.

[@mancavemoto]

Yep, that’s something to overcome. Lots of people say they don’t know where the chargers are, but that’s because if you’re riding an ICE bike you’re not looking for them. It’s not perfect obviously, but it’s getting better and at the moment no one is pretending that electric bikes are a replacement, they are just a new option, and one that works for quite a few people

[@andrewwhitehead2353]

I had a ride on a zero a couple of weeks ago.I thought it was great. A 100 miles in one hit would get me to and from work charge over night.The price was a bit salty and there is no recycling of the battery at the end of life but I'd have one

[@mancavemoto]

Good to see a comment where someone is open to new ideas! they are great fun to ride and if it works for someone then they are an interesting option, but yes prices are high, but then again ongoing service costs are tiny.

[@CoasterRob]

Im planning getting a different ev motorcycle called live wire del mar but not sure which type 2 cable would be suitable

[@sambam007]

Would be good to have a chart with tank sizes and equivalent kwhr battery. Some rough comparison. Infrastructure should be there so you don’t need to carry your own cable. You don’t carry a hose for your petrol id expect not to carry a cable .

[@merseamoto]

I can see the benefits, and this was a great video, but the range just isn’t far enough on them, and the charging takes too long. 5 minutes to fill up a petrol tank, 1 hour at best to charge the bike. Same feeling with cars. Until the range is longer and the charging is quicker, I won’t be switching over.

[@mancavemoto]

Nope its not there yet to make them a potential replacement, but they do offer an alternative for some people. DC bikes offer quicker charging and in some cases thats getting down to 20 minutes. Its the charging time that is more of a hindrance than the range. If you could charge in 10 or 15 minutes that would take them closer to ICE bikes

[@marcinsmaga3441]

Just few words... range of about 90 miles at 70 mph and weight of 250 kg... lol... How can you call this an adventure touring.... haha On top of it price of £24k.... you have to be really crazy or have no idea what to do with money. Normal charging times of about 2 hours to 95% + another 30 minutes if you want to make it 100%. This is a prefect example of a product that completely missed the market.

[@mrflores7708]

As one commenter has already remarked, group riding is impossible. Can you imagine trying to ride in the alps or pyrenees in summer, with all the other nationalities doing the same! It would be a bun fight. Add to that all the cagers, and it's a non starter.

[@mancavemoto]

This is true, it can be dobe but it requires planning. But the time it gets to that many people reliant on it, then the infrastructure will be in a much better place too. Nobody is suggesting that they are a direct replacement at the moment, but that can be an interesting alternative. I personally think synthetic fuels and Hydrogen are going to be the way forward, but I wouldnt dismiss electric

[@AshleyWatts-h9u]

Do you have any solutions of how to charge the Zero FXE while traveling longer distances. I heard that you can buy a type 2 adapter to charge it at EV stations. Do you know if using the fast charger and the adapter would work to charge it quicker at EV stations?

[@IvoCiuffa]

I’ve just bought the 2024 DSR and I was looking for a short cable to carry around, and I found a 2m long three-phase type 2 cable. is it compatible?

[@motoalchemy]

I have a 2021 SR/F. my other bikes have all got dead batteries as I have lost interest in riding them. I am probably going to get another EV motorcycle next year

[@teneretraveller8980]

Interesting. But. It still comes down to cost and convenience. Personally, I don't mind if the motor is electric. I was impressed when I rode one. And no doubt some clever bugger will be able to make it feel and sound like any oetrol engine configuration, when you switch 'modes'. The initial financial layout is still way above my pay grade, and the charging stations are not as frequent as petrol. If they are not busy, ir indeed operational. For a long distance motorcyclist, especially once you leave the UK, it doesn't add up. For the moment. It's no coincidence electric cars are falling in popularity. (VW) It's definitely part of the future, but not for me yet. Ride safe.

[@lemonjellies4985]

Not for me thanks. I know "someone" out there wants us all on electric but I won't budge until I absolutely need to/forced to.

[@Xuepreme69]

so what we cause more greenhouse gas using fast charging than slow charging?

[@robonaut-nyne2331]

A good video, I enjoyed and understood the point of it, unlike many on here. I picked up a BMW CE 04 in April for my commute. It took a lot to decide to get it over a Honda Forza or a Yamaha X-Max, but it is well worth it over the many electric offerings from Chinese companies. Charging for me is a non-issue as, being in London there are a lot of chargers, many that are free at supermarkets, and there is one 7kW AC charger in the car park of the flats I live next to. The onboard charger in my CE 04 is 2.3kW, and takes about 2 hours from 20% to 100%. An electric bike I really covet is one from a company called Tarfom. I still love the sound of Ducatis and Triumphs though. I get it for people living in areas where charging an EV of any sort is not easy due to availability and reliability of chargers, as well as on a bigger electric bikes like the Zeros for touring, but it is not as bad as people make it out to be. There is a long way to go for electric motorcycles, but they work well with small capacity bikes and scooters. Solid-state batteries being delevoped will make for bikes with longer ranges and faster charges, but is some years away. I think as said, e-fuels might be the way to keep ICE bikes going alongside electric bikes.

[@chipgroff9664]

My #1 concern is thermal runaway.

[@Neojhun]

LOL Not something you will ever experience in your life. By the time electric sport bikes have decent range, the battery safety tech will be soo advance. Probability of thermal runaway is practically implausible. You have been just been brainwashed with recent propaganda. FYI Luton Airport fire was caused by a Non Hybrid 2014 Range Rover Sport Diesel. The EV Charging Stations are in Terminal Car Park 1 ONE, while the building that collapsed was Terminal Car Park 2 TWO. The propagandist jumped the gun and instantly blamed EVs.

[@Y2Kvids]

Bikes are Absolutely getting there

[@tonywilliamson4512]

Really !!!!!! Not convinced it's easy to charge the quicker a battery chargers the less efficient it becomes in time.could you imagine a group of say six have a ride out will there me enough charging station's to accommodate the ride I truly think not,nay you can keep yer electric bikes 😮

[@bikebudha01]

ZERO JUST ANNOUNCED IT'S SELLING A TESLA ADAPTER, so now you can charge at all tesla stations...

[@mancavemoto]

Interesting, thanks for the info

[@duncancleverley6366]

Even with extra all the extra fast charging fripperies and whatnots it STILL takes an hour to charge.. that’s a LOT of time twiddling your thumbs at a petrol station watching petrol bikes fill up and go…

[@stevesanelli90]

Don’t you get rid of the Royal Enfield Tony😉

[@mancavemoto]

It's staying, i'm not ready to move to electric. I would ride one as I can see the cases where it works and i enjoy the riding experience. However I don't have the money to buy a second bike, which is what it would need to be.

[@stevesanelli90]

@@mancavemoto now we’re talking Tony🤙

[@nigel439]

I was totally baffled after 5 mins of the video. No thanks!

[@Hemlck]

Sorry but for the vast majority of us electric vehicles are a load of nonsense. No standard charging, confusing, limited charging points, laughable range, massive cost, inefficient and ineffective. Hopeless.

[@Neojhun]

"No standard charging" Stop with the misinformation. Every continent now just has one single charging standard.

[@sportbikejesus]

@@Neojhun lol talk about misinformation.

[@Moto.roller.]

You could say that about petrol bikes 😂

[@BarnettSpeedSuzukiThou]

Is just don't, lol.

[@paulsmyth497]

Tone - well done. You kept a straight face throughout the entire nonsense 🙄. Imagine 6 mates going for a group ride for a day - 200 - 300 miles. It would take a week. Personally - I am waiting for the statistics of additional pedestrian deaths - especially for small children like my 3 year old Grandson. The cars are bad enough, but these bikes make no tyre noise at all. You could be stood with your back to the road in your small (silent) village, listening to the blackbirds (Not the Honda ones by the way), and EASILY step out in front of a 200kg machine travelling at 30 MPH. Yes - Guilty as charged. I am a proper petrolhead biker from the 70's - but come on. This is nonsense. Milk floats. They're the future for electric vehicles......... 🙄😁🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Have a look at "Open all hours" 😜

[@mancavemoto]

Hi Paul, I'm not making a case for Electric bikes in the video, just purely trying to answer some questions about charging. Yep there are scenarios where electric bikes don't make sense, but I don't think anyone is suggesting that they are currently a direct replacement, they are a different machine with different criteria and uses. But they make a lot of sense for quite a few riders, after all, we don't always ride hundreds of miles in big groups. As for the 'noise' it's something people will become accustomed to, in the same way people listened first after cars replaced horse-drawn carriages. Stepping out in the road without looking is not a great idea, I suspect you're of the age to remember the Green Cross Code Man?😉 Bicycles make virtually no noise, often whizz along at 20mph and I can speak from experience that they hurt when they hit you! and as far as milk floats are concerned, I bore my kids to death when I tell them we had emission-free electric vehicles that delivered our milk in recycled glass bottles back in the 70's 😂 I'm not trying to sell them at all, but take one out for a test ride Paul and see what you think.

[@paulsmyth497]

@@mancavemoto I know mate. I’m a massive fan of your channel Tony, as I am Richy Vida’s, and I reacted similarly when he did an honest review - just as you did. Very professional, but In my soul, I am genuinely waiting for the electric vehicle “Issues” to unwind though. Back in our day, you would keep an old car running successfully and cheaply for many a year from trips to the local scrappy, but when the battery and automation issues start to arise with this technology, I am convinced that spare parts will be impossible to find, or evaluate for value / cost, which will devalue second hand markets. We’re probably still 5 to 10 years away from the conclusion on this debate, and it’s great to have it, but ultimately mate, you and I will still wax lyrical more so about our two wheeled petrol head days, than we will our plug and play ones. Of that I know we BOTH are fully agreed. Ride safe Brother, and thank you as always for your candid reply……… and yes to the Green Cross code……… but can you remember Tufty / the Tufty club ? 🤓

[@mancavemoto]

That ones flbefore my time Paul!

[@Steeps1969]

Well, range and charging are bad enough on a car! At least you can sit in the car and eat your dinky donuts and drink your starbucks while the milkfloat charges. 🤣 Wait till you try planning a journey on an electric bicycle. Enjoy, you are after all saving the planet.🤣

[@mancavemoto]

The video isn’t making a case for electric bikes, it’s trying to add some clarity in charging for those who are interested in them. Nobody is suggesting they are a direct replacement for ice bikes, but they work for a lot of people in certain situations. It’s a interesting new technology,and if you’ve ever ridden one you’ll know how good they are to ride.

[@UltimateDazzle]

Crazy complexity at present and frankly unworkable for distance work , they would work for commuting but then the cost of a 500cc commuter means these things are not really a serious threat as things dtand

[@mancavemoto]

True, but then nobody (well nobody sane) is ugeesting they are a replacement for ice bikes at the moment. The video isn’t making a case for electric bikes, it’s merely trying to offer some advice on charging.

[@a13bkd62]

Good video but sorry, not for me. Battery production, which is not limited to bikes obviously and then the disposal/re-use of them is appalling and a show-stopper for me. The guy talks about staking charger units etc but that's all plenty of cash on top of the cost of the bike. Parking the smoke and mirrors over the environmental issues, for me it's nowhere near a practical alternative unless you live in a city and that's the only place you go. In which case go Maeving!

[@mikoskjv]

Eletric is not good

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks for the incisive and well thought out commentary. Much appreciated

[@scootjockey]

I have an e bike and that is crap battery kaputt after 6 months the generation after the baby boomers do not want and cannot afford electric motorcycles ,for myself i would never buy one let alone ride one.

[@mancavemoto]

Go on, give one a try, it might not be practical for your needs, but you may well like the riding experience!

[@Neojhun]

A cheap e-Bicyle with a sketchy battery is nothing like powerful electric motorcycle. That's like comparing an eBay 2 Stroke motor to a Yamaha bike. You are making up fake assumptions.