I get excited about all new additions to our Long Term fleet, however, the arrival of the Zero SR had that feeling of Christmas about it. We first rode the Zero SR in 2014 when I found it interesting, but devoid of any feel due to the choice of tyres and suspension. When I discovered the 2015 model had been updated with Showa fully adjustable suspension and fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres, I was keen to get my hands on it. Sam MacLachlan tested the bike for AMCN back in May (AMCN Vol 65 No 23) and when he returned raving about it as a short-term test ride, I was keen to discover what it would be like to live day-in day-out with a bike that doesn’t need a service station, but does require a power point.

Vince Tesoriero from Procycles in St Peters, Sydney kindly offered me an extended loan, so over the next few months I will be reporting on life as a member of the zero emissions set. I’ve only had the bike a few days, but I’ve already learnt plenty about riding a bike without a petrol cap. Blasting down a freeway at 110km/h in Sport mode really sucks the life out of the battery, yet around town it’s brilliant. In Eco mode, rolling to a stop from further back rather than braking at the last minute makes good use of the bike’s regeneration system, which puts power back into the battery. Problem is, the arm-pulling acceleration of Sport mode is so addictive I’m happy to arrive at my destination with a huge grin on my face and just a few percent in reserve.

There’s still plenty to learn about the bike, including how to program it with my iPhone and how not to scare the bejesus out of people when you suddenly appear next to them at the lights. I’ll have more details in my next long-term update, but one thing I can report now is that the Pirelli hoops and Showa boingers have made a massive difference.

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Photography Josh Evans & AMCN