Zoomi Life

Jay Leno had a look at the Zero S electric motorcycle and had Zero’s founder, Neal Saiki by to explain the bike.  Saiki gives some good commentary on the new motorcycle and some great information on several factors that are misunderstood regarding EVs versus regular machines.

For instance, the 32hp motorcycle is equivalent to a 50hp gasoline bike and weighs about 1/3 less than a comparable bike.  He also explains why the Zero S has a top speed of only 60mph and why they didn’t ad gearing to make it go faster.

This explanation is important, so pay attention. That reason is why Zero will be able to (and has announced plans for) put out a new street-only bike in the very near future–they’re calling it the MX.  They can use the same drive train and design they’ve been using and make changes only to the peripherals.  Good news for street riders!

The interview is pretty good, but the fun starts when Leno actually mounts the machine and starts to ride. Some questions arise from Leno about the bike’s horn and other stuff, but since the S is an enduro bike and not a street-only ride, they can be dismissed.  Overall, Leno seems to really like the Zero.

For more on the Zero bikes, watch this great Google Tech Talk.  It’s an hour long, but well worth the time: