Yahoo Autos 2023 Zero DSR/X: The Bike Of The Future, But Not Our Future
The world, in 2023, is cyberpunk. We’ve got the advertisements in the sky, the retro-inspired asymmetrical vehicles, and the rampant wealth stratification that keeps the rich folks rich and the poor folks desperate. But in cyberpunk media, people are always riding sweet futuristic motorcycles. Why are we stuck with the same bikes we’ve always had?
Zero, it seems, wants to address this grievous wrong. The company makes bikes for the future, from the modern styling to the all-electric drivetrains, and the adventurous DSR/X should be perfect for making our ADV-loving cyberpunk present feel a bit more futuristic. It’s a bike from the future all right, but there’s a problem: It’s not our future.
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The DSR/X is Zero’s entry into the oh-so-hot adventure market. After all, other manufacturers are raking in cash hand over fist with ADVs. Why shouldn’t the electric bikemaker throw its hat in the ring?
Spec for spec, the DSR/X seems like a direct competitor for larger, more road-oriented class of ADVs — your BMW R1300GSes, Ducati Multistradas, Yamaha Super Teneres and their ilk. The bike weighs in at 544 pounds, makes 100 horsepower and has a 19-inch wheel up front and a 17-inch wheel in the rear, all specs that compare directly against Bavaria’s finest.
What’s different about the DSR/X, however, is that electric driveline. The bike carries its weight low in the chassis, making it feel nimbler than 544 pounds has any right to, and the DSR/X makes a Trax-beating 166 pound-feet of torque. I thought my F800GS was all the power I’d ever want in a bike until I rode the Zero, and now I’m hooked on torque.
That electric drivetrain, though, complicates all the “ADV” marketing. There are plenty of electric offroad bikes, from trials to motocross, but the DSR/X isn’t targeting those smaller segments — it’s going after Adventure, a segment that has two main subcategories.
On one hand, there are the middleweights. Generally sub-500 pounds with 21-inch front wheels, these bikes trade cruising comfort for capability in the dirt, without ever getting quite as uncomfortable as an enduro. The DSR/X is clearly not that. It aims to sit on the more touring side of adventure touring, but its 180-mile range — which drops to a mere 85 miles on the highway — can’t cash those checks.
If the DSR/X has the comfort, speed, and capability of a full-size ADV, but lacks the range that buyers in the segment want, is it really an adventure bike? Or is it, with its heated grips, locking storage, and low running costs, simply the world’s best commuter?
How Does It Ride?
In a word, quickly. The 100 horsepower of the DSR/X isn’t too far off my bike’s 80, but the old adage proves true here — horsepower is what you brag about, torque is what you feel. The Zero’s 166 lb-ft have reset my benchmarks for speed and power, and now I’m hooked on the absolute warp speed feeling this bike can elicit. One second you’re pacing the cars next to you on the highway, and the next they look stopped in your mirror as you blow by.
While the power is fun, the Zero’s handling is far, far better than you’d expect from a 544-pound adventure tourer. I didn’t quite have enough time with the bike to fully dial in all of its suspension settings for my lanky frame, but I’m confident that a setup perfect for me exists somewhere within those rebound, compression, and preload adjustments. Even imperfect, the ride was still comfortable yet planted, confidence inspiring yet forgiving — fantastic for the daily ride.
