Woah… Some more cheap motorcycles for the masses… This time an EV motorcycle just to change it up.
Was reading around in a Zero Motorcycle Fartbook group and saw that one of the (very few) Aussies in there has just bought a brand new (old stock) 2023 Zero S 7.2 for under $10k ride away. Thought it was worth a post, as I bought mine last year for $13,200 (ooof) and thought that was a steal (having been marked down from their RRP price and it was more inline with what I would pay for a similar spec ICE bike.)
The "+" or "14.4kWh" versions are also on sale. These were up over $20k+ but have now been dropped to $17k ride away. A good discount, but still I feel a bit too pricey
For the newer range of bikes, the 2024 updated S (what used to be the SR/F) has also had a price cut from mid/upper $35~k bracket down to $28k ride away as well as the 2024 DS, down from about $40k to $30k Ride Away.
NOTE: At this point in time, for the S and DS 7.2, they WERE LAMS approved, but that may have changed. You would need to check your state's LAMS register on whether these bikes are still suitable for learner riders…
Few "real world" specs on the bike from my experience (I have the '23 Zero S 7.2);
Will easily do over 100km around town and in urban riding.
Will do about 60km if you ride it at open road speeds (80~100km/h)
Will top out at around 140km/h.
Gets from 0~60 VERY quickly (A LOT of torque down low). From 0 to 100 is also very quick
Has 2 storage boxes that hold a 2 litre bottle of milk and 2 loaves of bread and some some other stuff.
No noise, doesn't wake the neighbours at 5am on your way to work.
Charges from a regular 10a 240v outlet. (Can make/buy an adaptor to charge from public AC chargers)
Takes about 4 hours to charge from empty (Can charge it while you sleep/work)
What this bike isnt;
A wheelie machine. (That's what a Yamaha/Suzuki is for)
A long distance touring motorcycle. (That's what a Honda is for)
A noise maker. (That's what a Ducati is for)
A replacement for Rogaine or Viagra. (That's what a Harley is for)
A piece of poser jewlery (That's what BMW is for)
What this bike is good at, is "commuting". It is about the same price as most other commuter bikes in this bracket and providing you dont live more than 30km on a highway road tip to work, this could be a great alternative to a petrol bike of the same price because it cost about $1 to fill on off peak and there are no oil changes, coolant changes, spark plugs, valve adjustments, dont need to buy a loud muffler, you just throw a leg over it and ride.
You can find your local Zero dealer via this link (mostly Peter Stevens outlets, so often sold alongside Harley and Triumph)
InB4: Complaints about range and charging times and how you wouldn't buy one because it doesn't make enough noise and that "LoUd PiPeZ SaVe LiVeZ!11" or something about the price needing to be $3,500.
No, the easiest & safest way is to avoid getting in a situation where your only option is to ride in an unsafe manner. Relying on speed to "squeeze through a tight gap" because you haven't positioned yourself in the correct lane to make a turn is downright braindead. As above, that's a great way to end up badly hurt or unalived.