Looking for an adventure and want to make it electric? We look at Zeros offering in the dual-sport, adventure bike market. How does the Zero DRS Black Forest Edition compare to its combustion cousins.
The DSR Black Forest Edition is Zeros most off-road worthy adventure bike in their lineup. It’s basically a dressed up version of their Zero DSR and includes three GIVI lockable and removable hard cases, an adjustable touring windscreen, a pair of accessory bars, a touring saddle, hand guards, off-road LED auxiliary lights, and a headlight protector.
The main limitation holding back adventure riders from moving to electric is range. A BMW F 750 GS with a 15 litre fuel tank will take you 226 miles (364 kms) while the DSR Zero Black Forest Edition will get you 112 miles (180 km) in a mixture of street and highway riding. Combine that with a charge time of either 2.5 hrs with the Charge Tank or 9.5 hrs with the standard charger it really does limit your ability to get out to the back of beyond.
But if your adventures can live within those restrictions there are some real advantages to going electric. Once you’re riding away from people and back to nature the silence of an EV motor can make your experience much more relaxing and enjoyable. Also electric motorcycles by their makeup are much less complex than a combustion engine so you have the peace of mind knowing there’s less chance of being left stranded in the middle of nowhere by a component fail. Just keep an eye on your batter level.
If you want to see a how and electric motorcycle stacks up against its combustion counterpart the guys at TFLbike did a video showing the Zero DSR Black Forest Edition taking on a Triumph Scrambler (not really an adventure bike but close enough).
The Zero DSR upgraded 14.4 kW battery comes standard on the Black Forest Edition. If you want to include the Charge Tank this is an additional $2495 US (€2134 Euros). The base version of the Black Forest Edition will set you back $18,995 US (€16,252 Euros). If you’re finding that a little difficult to swallow you can look at the standard Zero DSR which retails from $15,695 US (€13,388 Euros).
Zero DSR Black Forest Edition Specifications
Range:
City: 262 km (163 miles)
Highway – Speed 90km/h (55 mph): 158 km (98 miles)
Combined: 196 km (122 miles)
Peak Power: 52kW (70 Hp)
Peak Torque: 157 Nm (116 ft-lb)
Maximum speed: 163 km/h (102 mph)
Battery: Max 14.4 kWh / Nominal 12.6 kWh
Charging Type:
Charge time (standard outlet):
9.3 hours – 95% charged
9.8 hours – 100% charged
Charge time (Charge Tank option):
2.0 hours – 95% charged
2.5 hours – 100% charged
Suspension Front: Showa 41 mm inverted cartridge forks, with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping
Suspension Rear: Showa 40 mm piston, piggy-back reservoir shock with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping
Brakes Front: Bosch Gen 9 ABS, J-Juan asymmetric dual piston floating caliper, 320 x 5 mm disc
Brakes Rear: Bosch Gen 9 ABS, J-Juan single piston floating caliper, 240 x 4.5 mm disc
Tires Front: Pirelli MT-60 100/90-19
Tires Rear: Pirelli MT-60 130/80-17
Weight: 222kg (489 lbs)
Wheelbase: 1427 mm (56,2”)
Seat Height: 843mm (33.2 in)
For more information on the Zero DSR Black Forest Edition visit the Zero Website
