Haven't gone electric yet

[Dana]

  I rode the Zero S the other day and was thoroughly impressed. I've been looking @ Brammo on the computer for about 1.5 years , but haven't seen one yet. I'm going to Tampa Fl. next week to the dealer. My plan is to keep my BMW Xmoto for longer rides. My commute has about 8 miles of Interstate 75. Will the Enertia Plus be able to handle that? Thanks in advance for any info or tips.

[FreepZ]

I would like to visit the dealer in Tampa too, but I live on the other side of the state, so I'm going to hold off from doing that until they at least have a Empulse available for a test ride. Please tell us about your experience when you have gone.

I've only seen an Enertia once, when they had one on display at a Harley Davidson dealer in Orlando, but they didn't let me ride it.

I think that you could certainly ride 8 miles (or even 16 miles for the round trip) at highway speeds on the Enertia Plus. It might be a little scary though, since in my experience, many commuters on Florida highways travel at 80 mph or more, and most go at least 75 mph.

[Brammofan]

I think that you could certainly ride 8 miles (or even 16 miles for the round trip) at highway speeds on the Enertia Plus. It might be a little scary though, since in my experience, many commuters on Florida highways travel at 80 mph or more, and most go at least 75 mph.

Yes, top speed, not range, would be my only concern.

[protomech]

Enertia Plus has a max billed top speed of "60+" .. in practice it's around 65 I think. Not sure when the Enertia Pluses are actually making it to market - Brammo claimed June at one point, but that's long past.

16 miles on the Enertia Plus at 65 mph will probably use 40% of the pack - maybe 30-35 miles remaining at 40-50 mph, more at lower speeds.

[Dana]

I think that you could certainly ride 8 miles (or even 16 miles for the round trip) at highway speeds on the Enertia Plus. It might be a little scary though, since in my experience, many commuters on Florida highways travel at 80 mph or more, and most go at least 75 mph.

Yes, top speed, not range, would be my only concern.

   I was off today and gave them a call. They presently have NO Brammos in stock. We'll see what happens. Haps in Sarasota has all three models of the Zero.

[FreepZ]

Not sure when the Enertia Pluses are actually making it to market - Brammo claimed June at one point, but that's long past.

Today I received the message my plus would be delivered last week of August....

So it could be as early as 9 days from today. On the other hand, the first batch of bikes may all be accounted for with pre-orders, and it's anybody's guess as to when they will be available to the general public.

[protomech]

IMO as a Zero owner: the S ZF6 has a top speed and acceleration advantage and can carry a passenger with the $300 foot pegs option and charge more quickly with the fast charger; E+ likely has more real-world range, better brakes, better displays and logging capabilities. At this point in the Zero S lifecycle you could probably talk the dealer down $500 in price, so prices are the same.

The Zero S has two outstanding issues: an improperly sealed BMS board which can lead to a failure when riding in rain; motor cutouts which usually show up around 2000 to 4000 miles.

Zero has a fix for the BMS board issue and is developing one for the motor cutout issue. If you buy the Zero S verify with the dealer that the BMS board has been corrected and be aware that you will likely need to make a trip back to the dealer to correct the motor cutout issue in a month or two.

Probably there is at least a 2-3 month waiting list for the Enertia Plus, if they start delivery in a week.

Also in 3 months (Nov 15-18) the EICMA motorcycle trade show will begin. Zero revealed their 2012 lineup there last year; it's possible they may reveal the 2013 bikes there this year. The competitive landscape will no doubt change when they do so; the 2012 bikes will become discounted and you may find a discounted 2012 or the 2013 bikes to be a better deal than the E+ at that point. Note that this may mean a 6 month wait.

In any case, I would advise waiting for a short time if you don't need to buy today.