ZERO XP by Untitled Motorcycles
By Ross Sharp - 26 Jul 19
The silent revolution is in full swing and like them or loathe them electric motorcycles are here to stay. Progress and innovation would be more rampant if the main manufacturers jumped in with both feet. The problem for them is how to bring vehicles to market that need little or no servicing, therefore turning off one of their already constricted revenue taps. There must be a huge number of people under NDA in Japan as there must be a massive EV testing program going on, but so far leaks have been fairly well contained.
It's taken companies like Zero to make the first bold moves and so far it seems to be working. But Zero aren't some overnight startup, they've been chipping away for a decade now. In fact I rode one of the early bikes back in 2011 and I was amazed. I thought it'd be utter crap but the experience remains relatively fresh in my mind.
The 2020 Zero SR/F has just been launched in the UK and I hear from pals who've ridden them that it's a proper thing. A weapon in fact. Not a toy to poke fun at. With 110HP and 140 ft-lbs of torque available instantaneously if you behave like a twat the SR/F will spit you off the back, apparently. I'm due to try one soon and will report back.
One person who knows more about the SR/F than most is Hugo Eccles. The US half of Untitled Motorcycles and a founding member of the Bike Shed Hugo is a designer by trade but motorcycles are his true passion. He helped with the first two BSMC events in Shoreditch and went on to build some of the most striking custom motorcycles of the last 5 years. See here. He was given access to the SR/F during its final development with the aim of creating a one-off show stopper to raise awareness of the road going version's launch. Well that's that box ticked then!!