2022 Zero Motorcycles SR/S

2022 Zero SR/S Design

Yeah, the fuel tank hump is a lie, but it looks the part, and goes a long way toward the 'just a normal bike, nothing to see here' mien the SR/S brings to the table.

Form follows function, as well it should, but as with all high-quality street machines like the Zero SR/S, said form adopts an aesthetically pleasing shape. Perhaps more than ever before, this particular Zero looks like it would blend right in with a pack of smokerbikes.

It all starts with a fairly common front end body structure in the compact front fairing that rides hunched over the front wheel, with a full sportbike scoop that also forms the chin fairing at the bottom. Foil-shaped front-fender uprights split the wind and guides the slipstream into laminar flow along the cowling for low-drag penetration to give this mode a 13-percent boost in efficiency over its naked-sport siblings.

Perhaps the factory kept a little too close to the established sportbike look. The front turn signals are lick-’em stick-’em units that are in a very exposed position and prone to damage if you drop it. I don’t particularly care for the look of the mirror mounts either, but will concede that the skinny standoffs are probably an efficient shape, and there is probably something to be said for not having them sprout out of the front fairing. Unfortunately, the mirrors are in much the same exposed position as the blinkers, and will likely take damage in a slide.

Below the brow of the front fairing rides a shark’s-grin arrangement of headlight projectors to split the night and ensure good two-way visibility during daylight hours. The sportbike-style windscreen completes the rider’s pocket with lateral flanges that flow from the faux fuel tank to the front fairing to further control the airflow felt by the pilot. Yeah, the fuel tank hump is a lie, but it looks the part, and goes a long way toward the just a normal bike, nothing to see here mien the SR/S brings to the table.

Seat height is manageable for most riders at 31 inches off the deck in its swale between tank and pillion, the latter of which is lofted to give your passenger stadium seating and keep the pilot contained under heavy acceleration. If that doesn’t suit your build, you can go for the low accessory seat that rides at 30.3 inches, or the 31.9-inch tall seat that’ll accommodate riders who shop in the Big-n-Tall section. The importance of that butt containment will become apparent when we get to the power figures.

In keeping with the established sportbike look, the p-pad is braced by a beefy J.C. handle with high-mount lighting at the terminus of the tail. Down below, the forward swingarm-mount hugger and single-side rearward hugger provide the fling containment with a belly pan underneath the subframe section to complete the bike’s protection against rear-wheel spray.

2022 Zero SR/S Chassis

The SR/S sits firmly in the “maneuverable” end of the spectrum with the flickability and willing reversals that sport riders expect and demand.

The frame on the Zero SR/S appears to be a variation on the Trellis style with tubular main members and smaller-diameter webbing for strength and protection for the power pack and drivetrain components. Rake and trail measure in at 24.5 degrees and 3.7 inches to place the SR/S firmly in the “maneuverable” end of the spectrum, and give it the flickability and willing reversals that sport riders expect and demand.

Zero pulled from the top shelf for its suspension goodies. A set of 43 mm Showa forks deliver 4.72 inches of travel along with the full trinity of tweaks. Additionally, these are Big Piston-Separate Function forks that split the damping and spring-preload duties between the two to the benefit of both. Out back, a 40 mm Showa piggyback shock brings the same trifecta of adjustments to the table with 5.51 inches of travel to soak up the abuse from the road before it has a chance to tenderize your kidneys.

The anchors are of similar nobility with dual, J-Juan, four-bore calipers that bite 320 mm front discs. Out back, a 240 mm disc and single-cylinder binder takes care of business, all under the guidance of the Bosch Advanced MSC feature that comes stock to help you keep the thing dirty-side down. Symmetrical, 17-inch wheels mount Pirelli Diablo Rosso III hoops in a 120/70 profile ahead of a 180/55 that come rated for 168-plus mph to meet the demands bike and rider will put on them.

2022 Zero SR/S Drivetrain

Through the Cypher III+ app, increase range by about 20% and select Fast Charging to recharge the battery in less than an hour.

Zero established early on that it would offer its bikes with a choice in drivetrain equipment and specs, and the SR/S is no exception with its Standard and Premium packages up for grabs. The 124 mph top speed and max torque are constants across the board with a staggering 140 pound-feet of grunt that is available as soon as you roll on – no need to spool it up to get the goods – and a direct drive that delivers clutchless/shiftless action with twist-and-go operation. Horsepower is respectable at 110 ponies that fully develop by 5,600 rpm.

Charge times and max ranges vary depending on a number of variables, but in a nutshell, you can set up for as little as 77 miles at interstate speeds, or stretch that range out to a long-legged 227 city miles. The motor itself is an air-cooled Z-Force 75-10 AC unit that relies on permanent internal magnets for its strength. A 900 Amp, three-phase alternating-current controller meters the juice headed to the motor from the storage unit(s), and to improve range, it converts kinetic energy back into electrical energy from the drag-torque when slowing down.

Like the powerpacks, the chargers come with choices to be made. If range is paramount, you can opt for greater storage capacity, but if it’s quick turnarounds that you need, you can set up for full-charge times as short as one single hour. Gotta’ say, this is just the kind of performance that the EV bike sector needs, even though to be fair, Zero tends to err on the side of optimism, so these figures are more like guidelines than actual rules. A quiet, low-maintenance belt drive connects the rear wheel to the drive motor.

Zero SR/S Range & Recharge

Range

Range with Extended Range Cypher Upgrade (17.3kWh)

Range with Extended Range Cypher Upgrade + Power Tank (20.9kWh)

Zero SR/S Power System & Recharge

2022 Zero SR/S Price

MSRP starts at $20k for the Standard model and $22k for Premium.

No doubt about it, Zero offers a lot of options from which to choose, and naturally, this makes for a widely variable price list. In the interest of brevity, I will just state the starting MSRP for each of the two main brackets, Standard at $19,995 with the Premium fetching $21,995.

2022 Zero SR/S Competitor

Sure, there’s no shortage of EV bikes nowadays, but few can compete with Zero on its own turf. One notable exception is Italian marque Energica and its original EGO model family.

Energica EGO

Energica brings its “A” game with a monstrous, 171 horsepower and 149 horsepower sustained.

Energica takes its bodywork a step further to hide the ’lectric goodies under the hood as it were, to leave the EGO looking even more like a smokerbike. Same with the rest of the bodywork that adds more sporty Italian style to the mix. Let’s face it, the real rub here is how does the performance, range and charge times match up, so let’s get to it.

Credit where it’s due, Energica brings its “A” game with a monstrous, 171 horsepower (max/momentary) and 149 horsepower sustained against 110/140 from the Zero. Range comes in at 261 miles city, 123 miles on the interstate, and 153 miles combined.

Top speed on the Eye-Tie is governed at 150 mph to give it more top end as well, not to suggest that 124 mph ain’t plenty fast enough for public roads. A Park Assist feature helps the EGO find its way in and out of your parking slot, regardless of grade. You’ll pay for those extras though, to the tune of $23,870, which leaves quite a bit of cheddar on the table at the checkout.

Read our full review of the Energica EGO.

He Said

“Ya know, it looks like most of the rest of the pack, but I still look at it with different eyes. Maybe it’s the knowledge that it is, in fact, an all-electric machine, or maybe its the performance that I know is ready to go as soon as you twist the grip, but I find it more attractive than I think I would a stinkerbike with the same bodywork. That said, Zero keeps getting steadily bigger/better/faster/smaller, much to its credit, and it puts out some of the best displaced-footprint bikes in the world.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “I like the bike. Keep that in mind as I have a little dilemma here. Other manufacturers throw their apps in for no cost – after all, the customers paid a lot of money for the bike to begin with – and the apps include convenience items like Bluetooth connectivity and trip management features. How does including features that increase speed, range, and recharge time fit into this equation? You have to make app purchases to unlock features and get the most out of the bike that you already paid for. I dunno. Buying the bike was pay-to-play, but paying to unlock features that are already in the bike seems like pay-to-win to me. If you’re a gamer, you know what I’m talking about. Aside from that, range and recharge times are getting better with each iteration making this a much more practical option than it has ever been.”

2022 Zero SR/S Specifications

Further Reading

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Source: 2022 Zero Motorcycles SR