There’s no denying that the Zero DSR is a top-spec bike with top-shelf components, but will electric power switch people off? We ride over to a sleepy village near Bury St Edmunds for a day out on the Zero DSR and Zero SR, two A2-licence-friendly motorcycles looking to lead the charge for riders with a penchant for the deluxe.

Initial dilemmas with electric transport will persist, range anxiety and charge times are as good as they can be right now (particularly if you opt-in for the accessory quick-charger), but for a bike designed for comfort in long tours – can anyone adjust their riding style and expectations to make the Zero DSR worth the £17,000 price-tag?

The ride on the day was split between both bikes, with a good chunk of time in the Suffolk countryside (and beyond) to see just how accessible electric motorcycles are, and whether the current state of electric motorcycles has the potential to truly be the way forward. Will they easily replace combustion engines, and what are the positives and negatives of an electric life on two wheels?

The starting price for the A2-friendly Zero DSR is set at £17,000, and most will argue that it’s not quite friendly on the wallet as an outright purchase. But is this money well spent, knowing that recharging could work out cheaper over the lifetime of the bike? Here are a few other electric alternatives.

For those of you who are after more power, Zero is currently running an upgrade deal for £350 (worth a quoted £4,000) to unlock the capabilities of the motor and battery to the full DSR/X spec levels via a software unlock, with a 6 kW fast charger thrown in. You’ll need a full Category A licence for this, though – and it’s worth noting the range-topping DSR/X is priced starting at £20,950.

All electric motorcycles and scooters do come with a slightly inflated price tag as a result of the battery technology, though it’s worth remembering that for a typical rider using an electric vehicle for commuting your running costs will be minimal – though you’d have to really sink some miles to break even on fuel costs.

Worth noting that new Zero motorcycles also come with a 5-year standard warranty, with 5 years on the power pack. Also worth noting you need to buy the £455 cable as an accessory if you plan on charging at home.

Naturally, as you’ll know, electric torque is instant and direct, with 170 Nm peak torque on hand to the belt-driven rear wheel, and working with 70 bhp at its peak. The Z-Force 75-10X direct drive motor accelerates smoothly yet eagerly, and as there are no gears you can really focus on your body position and ride style with no worries about getting the correct gear – at any speed in a corner you can twist the throttle and get instant torque to continue on. It really is fun.

Twisting on the throttle when coming out of a corner is always an addictive feeling on two wheels, but the way the power is put down here is sensational, though crucially not overbearing or ‘too much’ for a newer rider.

Top speed is noted online to be capped at 90 mph, and I couldn’t possibly comment on whether or not I reached that speed (or exceeded it) on public roads. But just remember, more speed means a huge drain on the battery percentage, not ideal for a long tour.

Depending on your selected rider mode the bike will have a noticeably different character, with sports mode effectively having no engine braking at all – this can be a tad disconcerting at first, though flick into eco (or set a custom mode with full engine braking) and it’ll be like applying the brakes when you roll off and gather back a bit more in the battery through regenerative braking.

You may wonder how a motorcycle with 70 bhp is A2 legal, and that’s down to the way electric motorcycles rate the peak power and ‘continuous power’, which in this case is 44 bhp and well within the 47 bhp A2 limit without restriction.

Should you desire more power, the currently running £350 offer will unlock the software limitations and grant you the full power of the DSR/X, which Zero says is part of a package worth £4,000 (the difference to a DSR/X).

Moving to what you no doubt want to know more about, the charging and range. On board you have the Z-Force 15.6 lithium-ion battery, max capacity of 15.6 kw, with a charge time of 4.4 hours to 100% or 3.9 hours to 95%, and good for around 100 miles (high speed riding) to 155 miles (city). It is worth opting for the 6 kw rapid charger to unlock the potential for 1.9 hours to 100%, or 1.4 hours to 95% - or around 6 hours from the plug at home.

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The baseline charge system is a 3.3 kW charger, with the option for the rapid charging Cypher accessory – as well as the EVSE cord to plug in to a standard wall outlet to charge up overnight. As for the overall life of the battery, it’s quoted to be good for beyond 100,000 miles, with 80% capacity after around 1350 charges.

Far more thought is required when planning your route and ride -  and that adjustment of expectations is the difficulty for electric bikes. Our stop at Gridserve was around 30-45 minutes, and gave us enough in the tank/battery to get to our destination with around 10% battery remaining – getting any lower would risk the battery forcing a ‘super eco’ mode that’ll be slower, prolonging what battery life remains but at the cost of your time (and an overnight charge/few hours at the fast charger).

The test on the day was shared between both models across the group, so I can’t comment directly on the range achieved over the day (around 100 miles or so). Though I can comment on how the battery reacts to your riding – if you accelerate hard and spend a lot of time pushing the bike with a heavy load on, naturally you will deplete the battery far quicker than riding steady and pushing when the road gets good.

It’s, for this reason, you’re well advised to switch on eco mode where you can add a few percent back in through regenerative braking, and mindfully ride where possible in hopes of reaching as close as possible to the quoted city range of 155 miles. Otherwise, you’ll be destined to spend a lot of time standing next to the bike waiting for a charge after 75 miles of full-throttle action (or less depending on your definition of ‘having it’). In reality, under 100 miles per charge is about realistic.

Is this battery tech ready for a long-distance tour? Sure, if you’re happy to accommodate the recharging requirements with lengthy stops, and keep a keen eye on the battery percentage and range remaining – you don’t want to be caught in ‘limp mode’ creeping your way to the nearest plug.

With large dimensions and a true ‘battleship on the road’ feeling, the DSR is a real consideration for someone who wants an electric dual sport bike with top spec components, and an equally top price – it starts at £17,000. But what do you get for your money?

It’s a weighty boy, 242 kg at the kerb, but the 47mm Showa forks (adjustable preload, compression rebound damping) with 46mm rear shock (also fully adjustable) with piggy-back reservoir does a top job of keeping the bike compliant – particularly in the corners, where it feels like it’s on rails (and the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels are trod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2). Every input is met with confidence, and once you're on the move it's very confidence-inspiring.

The Showa suspension does a stellar job on the road to handle the weight, and it’s a smooth and enjoyable riding position – having no gears to worry about with a constantly poised motor means you can really focus on the road and your riding position, with great feedback during all phases of cornering. Though not electronically adjustable, in my eyes that’s unnecessary and would balloon the price even further.

Braking is provided by J Juan, with a dual front disc and single rear disc. No complaints with the braking whatsoever, really responsive and a good level of feel when pushing on in the countryside.

In terms of the chassis, the same steel-trellis frame is used that you may recognise from the rest of the street-based Zero Motorcycles range, with the battery and motor housed low in the frame to keep the centre of gravity nice and low – perfect for manoeuvrability

Overall the DSR is comfortable to ride, and despite the size it has an accommodating seat height of 828mm which most riders will be able to jump on. The seating position is comfortable yet a touch sporty in the legs, I had to get up on the pegs to stretch my legs out after a good few hours of riding.

Technology is assured with an electric motorcycle, with low-speed parking mode (forwards and reverse), rider modes, and a Zero App that pairs with the bike to allow you to fiddle about with custom settings.

Further to the ride modes you’ll find traction control, Bosch Offroad MSC (stability control), self-cancelling indicators, cruise control, and a 5 inch TFT display to navigate it all. The switchgear is nice and simple, with the mode button (with left and right). Lean sensitive traction control and ABS is reserved for the DSR/X.

As there is no engine noise (per say, it does make a vague Tie-Fighter accelerating noise) your ears are fair more tuned in to other noises from the bike – brakes, squeaks, and a big dollop of wind noise. The manually adjustable screen can be moved up or down with one hand – though it seemed like the wind did push it down over time on the day, and it does a good job when it stays up.

If you decide not to opt for the quick charger, you can also make use of a fairly cavernous storage space where the faux fuel tank is – with USB charging within. A helmet won’t fit in there, but most of your essential items will and/or a charging cable. Just note that opening the box requires the key, so you can only get in there by switching the bike off.

At least you know you'll forever be ULEZ compliant!

Pros

• Top spec all around
• Great riding character
• Smooth and usable engine power

Cons

• Initial price outlay – could just buy a top spec combustion tourer.
• Is battery tech ready for longer (stress free) tours?
• Will it hold resale value?

This is a very tricky question to answer without bias. The Zero DSR is a superb bike, though you have to part ways with a few expectations from the combustion life if you are to jump aboard this battleship. Charging, range anxiety, and even simply missing the character from a combustion engine – in my mind, electric motorcycles won’t replace combustion engines, rather serve as an alternative that in its current state is much more suited for short-distance hops. Until you can fully recharge in 2 minutes, petrol-powered bikes will always be the go-to for touring.

That being said, as an electric bike in isolation, it’s superb at what the Zero DSR does at the A2-licence level. It’s outrageously fun (and easy) to ride, and the caveat to the negatives of electric power is the subsequent affordability of riding once you have one in your possession – it’ll feel like free rides as it’ll be pocket change to charge up.

Zero isn’t claiming the DSR will be the next best touring motorcycle, but rather an alternative to those who may want some of those electric benefits in a bike that will happily do the commuting miles (if your commute is under 100 miles a day with no charging needed) with the option for a local spin at weekends.

If you have the money to buy one, and you’re happy to constantly explain to electric car owners telling you to get out of the charging bay as there is no such thing as an electric motorcycle – give it a go. Or, at least a test ride to see what the (potential) two-wheeled electric future will look like.

Big thanks to Zero Motorcycles for having us along for the launch! Head to the UK website for more info and specs.