We have to give credit where credit is due.
The Zero SR/S ends a chapter, or perhaps more accurately, begins a new one.
With the newly revealed faired version of the SR, Zero Motorcycles has closed the book on our chagrin through the years regarding the design of electric bikes. And in that we mean not so pretty. There are, of course, many electric bike manufacturers hoping to crack the formula for success and move the electric motorcycle firmly into the mainstream and in doing so have taken the “Cybertruck” approach of knocking the viewer visually senseless in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. It is an approach worth mentioning because if nothing else it get you noticed.
But we held Zero Motorcycles to a higher standard simply because the company has a longer and more consistent history than most of the independent electric motorcycle manufacturers and are, without question, one of the leaders in the electric market. It was the tenacity of Zero, exemplified by the company’s ability to survive for 15 years, that likely brought other larger, traditional manufacturers to, or near, the table.
The original SR/F released last year we commended for its aggressive, fresh styling and stated that it was no longer label an “electric” motorcycle (electric often being a synonym of “it ain’t pretty but it is good for the environment) but now simply a motorcycle.
Where many new manufacturers of electric motorcycle design their bikes to be visually disruptive, Zero has made a continuous progression toward making their bikes look just like any other motorcycle. The faired SR/S completes the journey to normal as the fairing, while a touch conservative, looks just like other faired bikes. Whether for the good or the bad, the fairing conceals much of the internals and without acknowledging the lack of an exhaust, the Zero has, at least visually, joined the universal fold.
The challenge now becomes the price of the bikes – because they are far from pretty. Whether the high cost can be reduced, overcome, or embraced by consumers, is what will determine the trend going forward.