Zero X

ZERO X

ARE YOU A BACKYARD mini-moto racer getting heat for making too much noise in the 'burbs? Or maybe you'd just like to take a trail ride without burning $4-per-gallon premium? Check out the American-made Zero X (www.zeromotorcycles. com) electric dirtbike.

First off, while the company pitches this as a replacement for a gas-powered dirt machine, it is really more of an electric mountain-bike. On my test ride, it felt like a bicycle, with a narrow, low handlebar and slim chassis. The adjustable seat (36 or 37 inches) is dirtbike high, though, which made the Zero X feel a little awkward. Also odd was the fact that there is no foot-brakethe left hand lever where the clutch would normally go actuates the rear binder.

While there is a $7450 standard version, I was riding the $8350 High Powered model, and it lived up to its name. The electronic throttle is, however, tuned to give a soft response right off the line, making it easier to get going. At speed, power is

much stronger, but the motor is very sensitive to throttle movement, and little jerks of your hand change output a lot, making the bike hard to control off of jumps. But once I started to use the rear brake in the air to control the attitude of the bike, I immediately felt more comfortable on the bike.

The Zero X’s downfall is the flimsy mountain-bike type fork-it just doesn’t hold up to the bike’s weight and power. And while an upgraded unit is available, it is still a mountainbike type. For now the Zero is a novel but expensive alternative to a

playbike, and even then, the wheels and chassis components don’t feel like they will take the abuse of dayto-day motoing. That left me with the impression that the Zero is more of a toy than a motorcycle. Still, I would have loved to take one home to go sneak around on some mountainbike trails. Ryan Dudek