We ride the new electric street bike

The Zero S supermoto electric motorcycle is now available in Australia for the sum of $12,995 plus on-road costs, and we've managed to snaffle one for a test ride.

There's quite a lot of excitement about this bike, especially when it gets wheeled into the office for a recharge...

Some markets, such as America, already have several different electric motorcycle brands and many models to choose from, but the industry is still in its infancy in Australia with Zero the only mainstream player in the market.

Having had a short ride on the new urban electric motorcycle, it's clear that the Zero S is not short of grunt. We rode it on the freeway and the bike is more than happy at triple digit speeds, and even overtaking. Top speed is quoted at 110km/h but this appears to be a conservative figure.

It's not a particularly heavy thing, tipping the scales at 122kg and can be pushed around with ease - it's about as intimidating as a new born tabby. The seat height of 864mm may be a little tall for some, but the bars are flat and the riding position seems comfortable thus far and it's a remarkably approachable machine.

We're currently charging the bike (it takes about four hours for a full recharge) and we'll see just how far the Zero S supermoto can travel on a full tank of, um, electricity, and whether it manages to travel the claimed 80km.

We'll have a more ride impressions of the new electric bike later in the week after spending more time on the supermoto, so stay tuned.

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