Catch-Up Post: July 10th, 2010
To summarize everything I'm about to say into one sentence: The first 25-30 miles of every charge on this moto bike is my favorite ride on two wheels and by far the funnest riding I have ever done under 70 mph, but if I want to ride for 50 miles, I have to treat it more like the best scooter ever made.
First thing I did was ride it all out. less than a mile down the street from where I'm living right now is an 11.5 mile (there and back) road, it's Irish Hill Road which I will probably refer to a lot as a test grounds. On this first ride I tried to ride it as hard as possible continuously accelerating or braking. The bike was comfortable enough I was able to keep it near top speed, so most of the energy used consisted of 55 mph-67 mph roll-ons going in and out of the corners. The hp did not seem to flinch as it confidently kept the top speed 67 mph going up the steepest hill that took me down to 6 mph when I was on my bicycle. Going down the longest hill the motorcycle actually hit 70 mph which I did not predict.
Throttle Roll on Fixed: My biggest complaint test ridding the 2009 model was the throttle roll on when accelerating out of a corner. This 2010 model perfectly fixed the issue and allows perfect acceleration out of the corners. It is so smooth now it even makes my V-twin RC51 feel like an out dated poorly refined drive system. I think due to the V-twin, when fully off the throttle and then applying the throttle coming out of the turn apex the RC51 has kind of a kick when the drive system gets back in the power, feels more like hitting my tire with a small hammer. At slow speed on the RC51 I very often slip the clutch to give more of a smooth acceleration out of the corners on that V-twin gasoline bike. The Zero 2010 model shares none of those traits and I hope to get to some amazing corner speeds like I have never done before.
Brake-in parts: It took the full 100 miles before the brand new brakes started to feel as amazing as the 2009 model did on the test ride and even with brand new tires (which usually require a slow 100 mph brake in period) I could not get the slightest feeling of any traction loss going as fast as I could go on this new bike.
Power Delivery: Another of the most amazing aspects of this vehicle is the perfectly smooth power delivery. From what I can tell there is no power "curve" or peak horsepower output. The entire acceleration feels like a perfectly smooth continuous delivery of the maximum power. Unlike my 4 cylinder vehicles I have owned I do not have to wait for that 7,000-11,000 rpm range where the power output about doubles. The smooth delivery eliminates the need for using major clutch wear every time you want a good acceleration.
Lightness: Going on with the unique aspects that make this the greatest thing I have ever ridden is how agile, light and still perfectly smooth and stable the vehicle feels. The feeling of going in and out of corners on this bike at 65 mph must be similar to what it feels like racing one of those 125cc 2-stroke motor bikes, but without the 2 stroke sounds (which most people I know not used to them find painful to listen to) and 2 strokes have not been legal on U.S. roadways for many years. With the lightness and smooth acceleration I'm predicting ridiculous tire range and maybe the ability to use some of the softest possible tires with still excellent range.
The bike performed better than I ever expected in every way for these first 25 miles. I thought as the battery reserve lowered the top speed would also slow, like a flashlight slowly going fainter as its batteries drain. However I was totally wrong as I've only noticed power loss until almost completely out of power hitting the warning stages where the power is electrically reduced to extend those last few miles of riding. This first 25 miles of excellent riding does not include any of that last stage restricted power loss, it was able to keep a full 67 mph for those full 25 miles.
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