Zero has always had consistent issues with recalls. So continued issues are of no surprise, but a dissapointment. You would think at some point if they aren't innovating they would have the time to get the bugs worked out. But Zero, after they kicked out the guy who started the company originally, it went full corporate. And their actions match those of a company run by a board whose mission is to make investors money. Although I'm not even sure they are a publicly traded company. Brammo was started and stayed under the control of an entrepreneur with passion. Zero won, Brammo lost. Zero hasn't innovated in years, yet I keep hearing the word associated with them. They have however evolved their bikes. But that reminds me of the days you would buy a Zero and the next year it was obsolete. They are going to milk this cow for as long as they can. They have no competition. $40k Lightnings that are just NOW getting made, maybe. $25k Energicas that could be as unreliable as a Ducati. Please. Cheap junk bikes from China. They are going to sit where they are and save their money and wait for the tech to come to them until somebody forces them to innovate. Which really, I feel is the smart play anyway. Motorcyclists, in the few years I actively blogged, proved how conservative they are, especially in relation to automotive enthusiasts. There was some inial excitement, but look at how well formula E is doing. Now that the FIA has pulled their heads out, have a spec race series and MotoGP stars on the bikes, maybe excitement will pick back up. But I feel that is not going to be the case. Electric motorcycles are going to be 10 years behind electric cars in adaption. And I have a feeling that the used market is what is going to really drive adaption rates in both markets. I miss Brammo as much as anyone but looking at things as they are now, and reflecting on how things were 7 years ago, letting Zero coast, as much as it grates on my last nerve, really seems like the reasonable thing to do for now.
