2022 Zero FXE first ride review

The e-mailed invitation carried a highlighted notice specifying that information about the new model would be embargoed for a few weeks. That’s a common practice, but the way it was phrased was new to me: The model name and even the existence of the launch itself were also to be kept secret. It was like one of those intelligence reports so highly classified that its security classification is, itself, classified.

Once I’d agreed to attend, I got a schedule that showed a presentation in a Santa Cruz hotel at 3 p.m., followed by a half-hour transit to a separate location at 4 p.m., from which we’d ride the FXE for one hour. The plan was to be back for dinner at the hotel by 6 p.m. Forget “first ride.” This was to be a first glance.

I shared a car from the San Jose airport down to Santa Cruz with MO’s Ryan Adams, who told me he’d been chosen because MO guessed that the "E" in FXE stood for enduro. I’d had that thought (fear?) earlier, and asked for clarification so I could bring appropriate gear. Zero assured me that I was in for a street ride only.

Zero VP of Product Development Brian Wismann is one of the OGs of moto EVs. He designed the first Brammos and managed that company’s (later Victory’s) Isle of Man racing efforts. With the new bike literally under wraps — another dramatic touch — he did a deeper-than-usual dive into the company’s design philosophy before he and CEO Sam Paschel finally pulled the cover off.

Unveiling a Huge Design

I guess they wanted that “ta-da!” moment because what’s new about the FXE is visual, not mechanical or technical. The FXE is built on the old FXS platform, but it’s got all-new bodywork, a new dash, and new lighting designed in collaboration with Bill Webb of Huge Design.

Huge Design is a San Francisco industrial design shop that usually works for Silicon Valley tech companies. But if the name rings a bell, it might be because Huge Moto is another one of Webb’s ventures. (On LinkedIn, Webb describes Huge Moto as “exceptionally un-profitable side business that specializes in burning large quantities of both time and money in pursuit of modest amounts of public respect within the custom motorcycle community.”)

One of those side projects was a custom Zero FXS that Webb built for the 2019 One Moto Show in Portland.

“We got a great response on social media,” Wismann said, “but what surprised us more was the response we got from our dealers and prospective customers.”

So, Zero set out to put it into production, sticking as close to the concept as possible, which is often harder than it sounds. The show bike’s fuselage was carved from a solid billet of material; Wismann and Zero’s 80-member engineering team had to figure out a way to get a nearly identical shape from a mold. And, there are always frustrating issues around lighting, homologation, and general manufacturability. Add to that the fact that almost all the work had to be done remotely, in a year wracked by both COVID-19 and wildfires that forced many employees to evacuate. Brian managed the project from an RV parked up in Oregon.

The exercise of creating the FXE changed the way Zero thinks about design, and it seems that it will establish the company’s style going forward. Wismann describes the fuselage and rider interface as “the essential surface” visually floating above the drivetrain and cycle parts, now referred to as “the machine core.” Zero’s team has come to realize that, for a century or more, motorcycle design has celebrated the internal combustion engine at the core of most designs. The ICE imposes its own plumbing, wiring, and piping — visual clutter that’s missing from an EV machine core, resulting in a cleaner and inherently modern aesthetic.

Zero FXE on the road

Another unique aspect of this launch was that the phalanx of new Zeros parked outside the hotel were not FXE models; those were hidden behind a cargo truck in an empty parking lot on the far side of the U.C. Santa Cruz campus, about 20 minutes away. The rationale for doing that was, I presume, a combination of wanting to keep the new bike out of the public eye until it could be properly launched, and an acknowledgment of that the FXE’s 7.2 kWh battery is good for less than an hour of aggressive riding.

So, I began my ride on a Zero SR/S. Getting off a 500-pound sport bike made the sub-300-pound FXE feel even lighter. My first impression was of a tall seat but the machine’s so narrow that it was easy to reach the ground. The dash is small but bright; minimalist in terms of the information displayed. I did a double take when I saw my estimated range was 44 miles. For a moment I thought mine hadn’t been fully charged, but my mood brightened as my range increased on a long descent out of the campus.

The entertaining part of our ride took place on an increasingly technical run up Empire Grade, a two-lane road that climbs into the hills north of the campus. The FXE, like its predecessor, produces about 45 horsepower and 78 foot-pounds of torque. Top speed is 85 mph. I’m not sure if that’s an artificial limit for battery preservation or whether that’s all there is; regardless, it was more than enough for the road we were on. In repeated, albeit short, bursts of full power I never felt Zero’s proprietary Z-Force 75-5 air-cooled motor lose power, as was reported with earlier versions several years ago.

What’s more important is the way the FXE builds speed up to about 75 mph, where the linear power of the Cypher II system’s motor controller, lack of shifting, and ratio of torque to weight results in an impressive fun factor. That was in Sport mode, of course. There’s also a pre-programmed Eco mode and Custom mode that was not available to me because it cannot be programmed off the dashboard; you need to download an app and pair the bike with your phone.

Given more time (and, probably, a new phone) I would have liked to create a Custom mode with the throttle response of the existing Sport mode but more regeneration on braking. As it was, I felt as if I was almost freewheeling into downhill corners. A little engine braking would have helped me set up for the turns and with only 7.2 kWh of juice on tap, using the motor as a generator makes sense, even if its only for a few seconds at a time.

The FXE is flickable, especially compared to the planted SR/S I’d just jumped off. The key chassis differences are not rake (24.4 degrees) or wheelbase (56 inches); neither of those figures differ much. But the FXE has far less trail (71 mm compared to the SR/S’ 94 mm) and of course it weighs 200 pounds less. As a result, there were a few moments, like getting on the gas amps out of slow corners, when the handlebar gave a little waggle. It wasn’t threatening, but it made me wonder what I would call a tank slapper if I experienced one on a motorcycle with no tank. I guess it would be a battery slapper.

A series of U-turns for photo passes had to stand in for a test of slow-speed handling. First impression: definitely very good, with ample steering lock that would come in handy in urban settings.

The 41 mm Showa fork and piggyback shock are both fully adjustable. The brakes are J Juan items that are manufactured in Spain. The front brake is a two-piston floating caliper unit that acts on a slender rotor mounted directly to an elegant forged wheel, sans carrier. On a spec sheet, this seems rather dated and low-tech but the brakes worked well and obviously integrate with a Bosch ABS system. I didn’t have occasion to test fade resistance, but the system is carried over from the proven and popular FXS. The consensus amongst people who’ve tested that model seems to be that the brakes are certainly good enough for a 300-pound motorcycle that tops out at 85 mph.

All in, I doubt that we rode more than about 30 miles in an hour and half that was mostly devoted to hurry-up-and-wait photo passes. That would barely justify a report, although since the FXE is really a restyled FXS, there are plenty of ride reviews out there. Based on that appetizer, I’ll commit to this much: It’s a really fun little bike that left me and everyone else in my test wave smiling.

In conclusion Inconclusive?

After leaving the FXEs up in the semi-secret parking lot behind the campus, I rode back to the hotel on the SR/S, which was equally impressive in its own right but again served to emphasize that, for me, a motorcycle’s fun factor almost always has an inverse relationship to weight. Once off the bike, I called my girlfriend to check in. I mentioned that it had necessarily been a quick ride because the FXE’s range is so short when ridden hard.

“What’s it for, then?” she asked.

Without overthinking it, I replied, “I guess you’d use it the way you’d use a scooter in town, except it would be faster and more fun.” (Zero didn’t show us any accessories, but there will be a top box.)

Strangely, one way to eliminate range anxiety is to eliminate range. Let me explain my thinking here: You’re never going to take a trip on the FXE, so you can forget about planning a route from fast charger to fast charger. (Although it has J1772 charge port, the onboard charger only imports 110 volts even when plugged into a fast charger, anyway.)

If you have a short urban commute requiring little or no freeway use — say less than 25 miles each way — the FXE will get you there and back, and a regular 110-volt outlet will easily top up the 7.2 kWh battery overnight. An accessory outboard Quick Charger will cut roughly in half the charge time from a standard outlet. If you’re lucky enough to live within a few miles of an entertaining road, you could ride to that spot in Eco mode, spend half an hour shredding in Sport mode, and then Eco home again.

But let’s be real: While the FXE has practical applications, it will usually serve as a UAV — an urban assault vehicle — without engine noise, so it seems like less of an assault, and will almost certainly attract less unwelcome attention.

For my money, the obvious comparison is with something like Kawasaki’s KLX300SM. The weight, wheelbase, steering geometry, and use case are similar. But everything else is different: The ICE alternative sells for thousands less; the price difference would likely cover fuel and maintenance for the life of the machine. And, the ICE would give me the option of riding up to Road America’s kart track, working out, and riding home. Against that, the EV has 3.5 times the torque at any motor speed and it doesn’t even need chain adjustments, so it’s nearly maintenance-free. It’d be a fun comparo to do, but I am already certain I’d be faster on the Zero.

• “The motorcycle of tomorrow, available today.” — Sam Paschel, CEO, Zero Motorcycles
• “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
  creeps in this petty pace from day to day...” — Wm. Shakespeare

I wrote my first full review of a Zero motorcycle in 2008. I’ve been telling people how fun they are to ride ever since. And at some point in almost every one of those conversations, I’ve heard, “I’m just going to wait a couple of years, until the batteries are twice as good...”

But Moore’s Law doesn’t apply to batteries. Since 2008, the energy density of Li-ion batteries has increased only incrementally. When Paschel said the bike under that cover was the motorcycle of tomorrow, I had a momentary flash of hope that it would represent a quantum leap. But only for a moment, before realizing that whatever the next battery tech breakthrough might be, it won’t be discovered by a small motorcycle company.

Instead it’s the styling that’s futuristic. The number of riders who’ll be sufficiently smitten to part with $11,795 (MSRP) is to be determined. Zero reps pointed out that the price earns you a 10 percent federal tax credit, and that California residents get an extra $900 state tax credit, so it’s effectively a sub-$10,000 machine for many taxpayers in Zero’s home state.

Zero has about 100 U.S. dealers. They are expected to get their first FXE deliveries later this month, so you’ll be able to see it for yourself soon.

2022 Zero FXE
Price (MSRP)	$11,795
Motor	Z-Force 75-5 air-cooled, interior permanent magnet, brushless motor
Transmission, final drive	Single-speed, belt
Claimed horsepower	46 @ 4,300 rpm
Claimed torque	78 foot-pounds
Frame	Aluminum
Front suspension	Showa 41 mm inverted fork, adjustable for preload, compression and damping; 7.0 inches of travel
Rear suspension	Showa shock, adjustable for preload, compression and damping; 8.94 inches of travel
Front brake	Single J Juan two-piston caliper, 320 mm disc with Bosch ABS
Rear brake	J Juan single-piston caliper, 240 mm disc with Bosch ABS
Rake, trail	24.4 degrees, 2.8 inches
Wheelbase	56 inches
Seat height	32.9 inches
Claimed range	100 miles city, 40 miles at 70 mph
Claimed battery capacity	6.3 kWh nominal/ 7.2 kWh maximum
Claimed charge time	9.7 hours to 100% Level 1, 4.1 hours to 100% with accessory charger
Tires	Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, 110/70R17 front, 140/70R17 rear
Claimed weight	293 pounds
Available	August 2021
Warranty	Two years for motorcycle, five years unlimited miles for power pack
More info	zeromotorcycles.com