Zero SR/F Electric Naked Bike Unveiled With 140 FT-LB, Starts at $18,995

Categories: Motorcycles | Cruisers

Author: Eric Brandt

The market for electric motorcycles is growing with high-profile manufacturers entering the race like Harley-Davidson with the LiveWire. However, Silicon Valley startup Zero Motorcycles, which has been called the Tesla of motorcycles, has just come out with one of the most interesting electric bikes we've ever seen. It's the SR/F and its styling, performance and price all demand attention.

The SR/F is the new flagship of the brand's lineup. It's not the first naked electric bike we've seen from Zero, but it's certainly a cut above the existing S and SR. It has an all-new motor called the ZForce 75-10, which is now Zero's largest motor. It has an output of 110 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque, which is a huge torque rating for a motorcycle. For reference, the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 makes 115 lb-ft of torque and is one of the fastest production bikes ever made. The Zero SR/F has a claimed top speed of 124 mph.

The SR/F will be Zero's longest-range motorcycle. Its 14.4 kWh battery pack claims a range of 200 miles in the city when equipped with the optional Power Tank. Without the Power Tank, the city range is 161 miles, which is still quite good. As for charging, the optimal charge time for the SR/F with the optional 6 kW Rapid Charge upgrade is zero to 95% in just 80 minutes. The base model with a 3 kW charger can get there in eight hours from a 110-volt outlet or four hours when using a Level 2 220-volt power source.

The performance is impressive, the range is impressive and the charging time is impressive, but how much does this wonderful electric motorcycle cost? The Zero SR/F has a starting MSRP of $18,995 with the 6 kW charger upgrade costing an extra $2,000. If that price sounds a little steep to you, remember that this is a premium motorcycle and arguably the best electric bike you can buy right now, at least on paper.

The price of the SR/F also looks pretty good when you consider the fact that its closest competitor is the upcoming Harley-Davidson LiveWire which starts at $29,799 and has a maximum city range of 140 miles. As for performance, H-D says the LiveWire can go 0-to-60 mph in three seconds, but is keeping horsepower and torque ratings a secret as of writing.

Electric motorcycles are still very much a niche market, but we're wondering if the Zero SR/F is a good enough bike to help make them a little more mainstream.