David Choi/Business Insider
There's a variety of reasons why someone would prefer to ride a motorcycle — even with its inherent risks and inconveniences — over a traditional car.
However, much like the transportation industry, the term "traditional" has been redefined to include modes of transportation that don't completely rely on an internal combustion engine — you don't need to look long to spot a hybrid or electric car on the road today.
Now Zero Motorcycles, an American manufacturer that produces electric motorcycles, is putting a new battery powered ride on the road with its 2017 Zero SR.
Nestled in the mountaintops of Scotts Valley, California, is a company that's trying to revolutionize the motorcycling industry by building sport bikes that run on lithium-ion batteries. The company says the Zero SR can deliver TK miles of range, while producing 70 horsepower and 116 foot-pounds of torque at the drop of a hat.
No, that's not an exaggeration or a ringing endorsement of the SR. It's a fact. Unlike traditional motorcycle engines that require time and a suitable transmission to ride the revs in order to achieve peak torque, there's no powerband on an electric motor, so you'll have access to 100% of its power with a simple twist of the throttle.
Now, I wouldn't blame purists who stopped reading after seeing "battery-powered" and "motorcycle" in the same sentence — I had my doubts, too. Taking the SR out for a spin myself helped answer some of my questions, while also raising some new ones.
Here's our impression of the 2017 Zero SR:
At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything special about the SR — it more or less looks like your standard bike ...David Choi/Business Insider... That is until you realize the clutch lever is missing. With no clutch and no gearbox, there's no shifting involved.David Choi/Business Insider
Hazard lights for safety and etched logos on the grips are also a nice touch.
Here's the belt drive system. Relatively quiet compared to its metallic predecessor, Zero claims that the SR has 116 foot-pounds of torque, more than any 1,000cc sport bike on the market.David Choi/Business Insider
You’ll be plugging your charging cable — which fits inside a standard household outlet — right above the left footrest.David Choi/Business Insider
Zero Motorcycles claims it'll take a little over 8 hours for the battery to reach 95% charge, which would give you about 161 miles of range in the city and 81 miles on the highway — about 53 miles for each hour spent on charging.
The battery is covered by a five-year, unlimited-mile warranty.David Choi/Business Insider
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