Is This Affordable, Adorable New Electric Motorcycle the Urban Bike of the Future?

A longtime leader in the electric moto space, Zero Motorcycles has announced some pretty monumental plans for the future, revealing a new All Access strategy to reach more riders. At its core are six brand-new motorcycles covering multiple segments, all priced (wait for it) below $10,000.

Impressive talk for a brand known for premium electric bikes priced well above that figure. But Zero is already putting its proverbial money where its mouth is. With research indicating a significant uptick in off-road interest, the brand just lifted the curtain on the first two motos, light and nimble trail bikes, the XE ($6,495) and XB ($4,195). 

Arriving next summer, these affordable offerings represent a significant shift for the brand (see more details below). However, they won’t be street-legal in the US — and the bike we are most excited about is the potential third of the six. Dubbed the Neutrino (concept), it might just be the key to a whole new crop of Zero super-fans. Here’s why.

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

Zero to hero?

While there is no official press release for this bike, Zero CEO Sam Paschel and SVP of product development Brian Wismann graciously set aside some time to speak with GP about it. 

Early in the conversation, Paschel casually dropped a line that neatly sums things up: “You know, if we launched this bike today, it would be the lightest, the longest range and the best-performing product on the street in the urban/commute category.”

Of course I had to ask for some facts and figures to back that up. Toward that end, Paschel and Wismann noted that the key is a brand-new powertrain they’ve been developing, the N1, with a smaller form factor that matches and boosts the Neutrino above similar-sized bikes in both the gas and electric realms.

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

With a weight under 300 pounds, the bike boasts roughly 19 horsepower, 75 miles of range and a top speed of 65 miles per hour. Wismann takes care to point out that all those specs are estimated, as the bike is still technically in the testing and development stage.

The Neutrino would also be the only vehicle in its category from a major OEM that features onboard charging, as it has level 2 charging connected to it.

Add those elements to a relative narrow standover height and a seat height of 29 inches, and the Neutrino sounds both incredibly approachable for newer and shorter riders and well suited to city riding, where the priorities aren’t so much velocity and range as they are compact-itude and convenience.

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

“It’s a focus on being fun, fast, nimble, easy to ride,” says Paschel. “An easy-to-access vehicle that gets the benefit of our technology — and a slightly smaller powertrain. It [also] has the benefit of Zero’s 180 million miles of experience and the nearly two decades of development.” 

At this point in the conversation, I was pretty stoked, but one inevitable, critical question lingered: How much is this charming little rig going to cost? “If we moved forward with it,” says Paschel. “I think the whole team would be disappointed if we couldn’t bring it in under $8,000 as an MSRP.” 

Hot damn, sign me up. 

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

Combined with the two off-road bikes, the Neutrino makes Zero’s All Access initiative look like the real deal. But why now? After 18 years breaking ground in the electric motorcycle space, Zero has reached a crossroads where, as Wismann says, “the only way to innovate is on price.” With two-and-half bikes well under $10,000, they’d be well on their way.

“The mission for us at this point is to take the best electric motorcycle technology and experience in the world and spread it as quickly as we can to as many consumers as we can,” Paschel concludes. “Because the goal is to transform the industry. It’s not just to build premium bikes.”

Ultimately, it seems, they just want more butts on electrics. If they happen to be Zeros, all the better.

Off-road warriors

We’d be remiss not to say a bit more about the X Line bikes that most definitely are launching next summer. The brand’s first true trail bike, the quick and nimble Zero XE ($6,495) weighs 223 pounds and hits a top speed of 53 mph.

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

It also boasts a category-leading 468 ft-lbs of rear-wheel torque, factory-tuned suspension, switchable traction control, a full-color 2.5-inch TFT dash and, perhaps most notably for those of us without garages, a swappable 4.3kWh battery.

Meanwhile, the Zero XB ($4,195) is the most affordable, accessible, lightest weight model Zero has ever released. Coming in at 139 pounds, it delivers 275 ft-lbs of torque and a top speed of 47 mph.

Zero Motorcycles Inc.

It also features the brand’s trademark zippy throttle response, factory-tuned suspension and a 2.4kWh battery that, like the XE’s, is swappable. 

Oh and if you really do want to hit the road, both bikes will be street-legal in Europe.

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