Zero Motorcycles’ new DSR/X

The American factory has just revealed a new adventure bike as part of its growing range of electric bikes.

While we might have seen our fair share of commuter scooters and plenty of crazy concepts, actually, there’s been very few practical, realistic, ‘proper’ electric motorbikes to get all that excited about of late. Harley-Davidson has had a good crack with its newly-formed Livewire brand; Energica is doing some cool things, too, including a new sharp touring bike; and, of course, there’s Zero. The American firm has made a name for itself for building proper bikes for bikers – but now it’s decided to take on one of the mostly hotly contested categories in biking. The adventure bike market.

Okay, so while the DSR/X may be brand-new and is Zero’s first proper foray into the adventure category, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t come close before, with dirt-oriented and touring-style models both available at some point in its short but illustrious history. That said, the DSR/X is a step up. It relies heavily on Zero’s naked SR/F and sporty SR/S models, but gets some ‘proper’ 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels.

Getting into specifics, it comes kitted out with a 17.3kWh battery, and the same Zephyr 3+ operating system as the SR models. That said, there’re plenty of key differences to help it stand out. For starters. the motor has a new casing and different winding configuration. It has effectively been retuned for 20% more torque, bringing the peak torque figure up to an eye-watering 225Nm. However, this has come at the cost of maximum power, which is down to 100hp (75kW).

The steel trellis frame may look familiar, too, but it’s been strengthened for adventure duties. The swingarm’s had a similar treatment, and although it’s actually the same design, features a different construction. The drive belt is also wider than before and the rear ‘sprocket’ for the belt is perforated to avoid stones getting stuck there.

There’re five main riding modes to choose from, which all have their own throttle map, power output, traction and ABS settings. And there’s also an off-road option for each one of them, which means there’s actually a massive (and probably a bit excessive) 10 modes to play with. There’s also plenty of technology working in the background to keep you safe, too, including the traction and braking performance being guided by the six-axis IMU from Bosch. Brakes are also linked, which is novel on a big bike but essentially means that when using the front lever you’ll apply a bit of rear, too. The bike has hill hold and cruise control, and heated grips are standard fitment.

It does sound like Zero’s right on the money with the kind of bike it’s building, and if past performance is anything to go by, it’ll likely do very well. At £24,150 it’s certainly not the most expensive adventure machine on the market, either. We’ve got a launch report coming in an issue very soon, so keep your eyes peeled if you want to find out even more about the latest machine from the growing California firm.

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