This is an English overview of all owner information and documents I’ve found for servicing my Zero SR/F electric motorcycle. Also suitable for SR/S since these share the same platform. This page is now also referenced within the ZeroNG apps I have in the Android and Apple app stores. Feel free to inform me about things that should be included here.

Communities

Some groups and fora that I joined since I got this motorcycle. All of these have their own strong points. What they have in common is that they all helped me out at some point already and are proof of the strong community behind this electric movement.

Electric motorcycle forum

Zero Owners Facebook group

Reddit Zero motorcycles user group

Curated Resources

Wiki pages like the Unofficial zero manual. These contain mostly info on previous models. The sections about the SR/F and SR/S model are still limited.

Zero firmware release version info. This page is managed by zero themselves and I’ve noticed that the latest firmware version documented is typically 1 release behind.

Zero Platforms breakdown

X-platform is the original platform. These are dirtbikes with a lower weight and removable battery bricks. The idea here was that one could race it with as much battery modules as needed and then have another set of battery modules charging. So that once depleted the battery could be swapped out.

S-platform is the original street platform. These are street oriented bikes. It’s available with different battery arrangements but these are fixed to the bike. By default charging is done with a computer like cable. An optional type2 charger (EU bikes) can be added for faster charger or the tank can be replaced with an extra fixed 3.6kWh battery pack.

SR-platform is the latest street platform with a newly designed frame and higher power motor and controller. These come as standard with the 14.4kWh battery and either a 3kW or 6kW (premium) on board charger. The tank storage can be configured with either an extra 6kW charger or an extra 3.6kWh battery module (also fixed in place).

And then there are many variations based on these platforms.

The more offroad oriented DS model with higher suspension travel, a more upright sitting position, different foot pegs and dual sport oriented tyres. Motor and controller are identical.

The R variation is available for both the S and DS (called SR and DSR) and consist of a wider belt (to handle the extra power), the same motor but with a higher output motor controller for more power. For the DSR model there is a special Black Forest edition (BF) that comes with lots of upgrades like a screen, luggage solution and charge tank installed from the factory.

The FXS model is an FX with street wheels, a so called super motard.

The SR/F is the first version on the SR platform as a naked, streetfighter bike with a sporty position having the foot pegs rather high, short rear seat and forward handlebars.

The latest model added to the line-up is the SR/S also based on the SR platform but this time with a fairing added, more upright seating position thanks to higher up and closer handlebars and lowered footpegs. The rear section is also enlarged including a larger pillion seat and a luggage rack included by default (the SR/F requires a zero accessoiry for adding the luggage rack for top case mounting).

Owners Information

Belt Tension Check Tools & Values

Belt Tension can be checked with the Gates Carbon Drive App. Make sure to use it in a completely silent environment. Stringing the belt should then give you a reading between 62 Hz and 82 Hz.

Alternative option is to use the Gates 91107 tool giving a reading between 51 kg and 102 kg.

For more information visit https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Belt_Tension_Check

Changing Belt tension

Loosen rear wheel nut using a 27mm socket. Once loose adjust the wheel by turning the set screws with a Torx 45 socket turning clockwise (for higher tension) in quarter of a turn at once. Make sure to adjust both sides identical to keep wheel alignment.

Once done fasten wheel nut again making sure the locking block on the other side is in place and for no more than 102Nm or 75 lb-ft.

Tip: If you don’t have a torque wrench you can mark the original nut position by marking both bolt and nut. When refitting you then just have to make sure these marks align again.

Tyre Pressure & Size

Both front and rear tyres have a recommend inflation of 248 kPa or 36 PSI. Measured on cold tyres. Tyres are cold when they haven’t been used for at least 3 hours.

Front | Pirelli Diable Rosso ||| **120/70-17**
Rear  | Pirelli Diablo Rosso ||| **180/55-17**

Maintenance Parts, Specifications & Intervals

Some maintenance parts and their specifications. Below are the parts listed by Zero that need replacement because of wear over time.

| Part             | Spec.       |
|------------------|-------------|
| brake fluid      | DOT 4       |
| Indicator bulbs  | RY10W       |
| Brake pads front | 352101NTO   |
|                  | SBS-SI-80GG |
| Brake pads rear  | 352061NTO   |
|                  | SBS-SI-24HH |
| Drive Belt       | 30-08226    |

Minimal brake rotor sizes, this should be no different from any other motorcycle. In fact if it comes to tyres and brakes these electric motorcycles use as much as any other. Maybe with the exception of Energica where the regen can be configured to actually stop the bike without touching the brakes.

| Rotor   | Minimal Thickness    |
|---------|----------------------|
| Front   | 0,18 inch or 4,5 mm  |
| Rear    | 0,16 inch or 4,0 mm  |

These Zero electric motorcycles are heavily promoted as being nearly maintenance free. In reality I’ve since discovered that most of the work that is no longer needed, mostly oil changes, aren’t that expensive or hard to execute anyway. The only thing you could consider a higher expense is checking and setting valve timing and clearance. Zero however included an electric motorcycle synchronisation that seems to be very similar and is also needed ever 10.000 km (see manual).

The other part they are calling maintenance free is the belt drive. The only benefit of that belt drive is the near silence operation. If it comes to maintenance the expected lifespan turns out to be very limited. I covered only 13.000 km when my first belt broke and had to pay over 200 EUR to get a replacement. That is without the sprockets. And I paid that amount twice the first time since I now carry a spare.

See Zero’s online documentation for this https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/

Firmware Upgrades

From the bike

When a firmware update is available your bike will show a warning on it’s display when you turn it on without a charger connected. The warning doesn’t show when a charger is connected. The pop-up is similar to the pop-up you see asking for override of menu when you toggle the ignition switch with a charger plugged in.

From that firmware version update pop-up you can choose to install it right now or to postpone the update. If you choose to install it you have to leave the bike on as long as the update takes. The SOC indication on the bike (circle) is used to show the progress. Updates typically take around 20 to 30 minutes. After the update the bike just reboots and stays on with the ignition on and lights on like it would otherwise do.

If you choose to postpone it will only ask again the next day. These updates directly from the bike have turned out the most reliable in my own experience. Once done the bike will turn down while the key is still in the ON position, so you’ll have to toggle it OFF and ON again to get the bike powered ON afterwards.

From your Phone

If you need to trigger the update yourself you can now use the app to check and update from there. This is only available since firmware version 14. So the first updates have to be done over the air. Also you can always only update to the latest available firmware. There is no option to choose a specific version when you’re multiple versions behind.

To update from the app you need your phone connected with Bluetooth to the bike and have it ON and connected during the update. To get this connection set up initially you can put the bike in a discoverable mode from the dash the first time you pair these two devices.

Once connected, indicated with a blue icon in the top right corner of the app, navigate away from the first view towards the 3rd tab “Performance” and there you’ll find a new header “firmware updates”. Select that to get an overview of the current firmware, available updates and if any is available you also get indications of the requirements to meet in order to perform the update. Think of minimal phone charge, bike plugged in or not etc.

An overview of firmware versions that have been released by Zero can be found online. Note that this reference is typically at least one version behind.

https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/owner-resources/firmware/

User Registration

Initial Registration

When you get the bike from the dealer you need to register it with your own user details before you can connect to it using Bluetooth. To do so download the official Zero Nextgen App on your device. It will guide you on how to register and after that also how to connect the device to your bike.

During registration you’ll be asked for an e-mail address and a password. These details are what is linked to your bike and will be used as login for both the Zero app and the Remote connection that this app uses.

Changing Registration Details

Once registered your bike is fixed to that account and that can only be changed by your Zero dealer or by contacting Zero customer support yourself.

That could be needed if you get a Zero second hand or, like some users already reported, when you get a demo bike from a dealer.

Password Reset

Within the official Zero App there is no way to reset your password. You can only register and deregister which only refers to the credentials stored in the app. This has no effect on the user account linked to a specific bike.

If you forgot your password there is a way to change that within the app though. These are the steps to follow, https://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=10072.msg90912#msg90912

While being connected to the bike via bluetooth, I hit the Deregister button in the account menu. I got a message that I am not deregistered and then I registered again. This worked with the same E-Mail address I used before and I was able to set a new password. Now I can connect again, also with the zeroNG app!
It seems that deregister and register again is the way to change a password.

If you have this app installed there is also a somewhat “hidden” trick to show your current password. For that just double tap the save button next to the password field and it will change from hidden input to clear text revealing current input. Obviously this only works if you saved the (right) password before.

VIN Breakdown

Zero’s motorcycle VIN numbers consists of the following information.

538 = Zero Motorcycles Inc.
Z = Z4 - FST Platform
FA = 20 MY SR/F (FB for SR/S)
Z7 = 40 kW (54 HP)
0 = Check Digit (calculated)
L = 2020
C = Scotts Valley, CA, USA
K = SR/F
12345 = Production Serial Number

Thanks to https://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=9520.msg93182#msg93182 we figured out that the FA digits found within the SR/F VIN is replaced by FB on SR/S motorcycles.

12V System Reset

If needed you can reset the system by disconnecting the 12V battery found underneath the main seat.

To remove the main seat you first need to remove the passenger seat using the ignition key on the lock and the left side of the main seat.

This reveals a Torx 30 bolt that retains the main seat. Remove that and put the main seat aside.

Now there are 2 Torx 25 bolts left on the plastic part covering the lock underneath the main seat at the left side. Remove these and slide the plastic cover away to reveal the 12V battery.

With a 10mm socket you can now loosen the nut on the negative pole of the battery. Always remove/add the negative pool first/last when connection/disconnecting the 12V battery. The positive pole is covered with a red plastic.

12V Fuses

Fuses are located in the fuse box besides the 12V battery below the main seat. Numbers counting from top to bottom.

| Fuse N° | Value | circuit      |
|----------|-------|--------------|
| 1        | 5A    | Celmodule    |
| 2        | 10A   | ABS-9 valve  |
| 3        | 10A   | PDU          |
| 4        | 10A   | PDU          |
| 5        | 10A   | PDU          |
| 6        | 5A    | Dashboard    |
| 7        | 25A   | ABS-18 motor |

There are also 2 high voltage fuses on the bike to be found underneath the tank at the left side of the motorcycle visible between the trellis frame covered with a black piece of plastic. These are SPT3, 15A fuses for the DC/DC converter and BMS.

Long Term Storage

It’s recommended to keep the battery at 60% SoC for long term storage without keeping it plugged in.

After 30 days without switching the bike on it will automatically go into long storage mode. This will drain the battery to 60% if it was left at a higher SoC and also prevent charging for more than 60%.

Avoid having the battery below 30% for longer periods of time. Plug the bike back in when it goes below 30% and charge back up to 60%.

Recommended storage room temperature ranges from -4° F or -20° C to 95° F or 35° C.

Disable long term storage mode by briefly switching the bike ON and OFF again. Then charge for 24u to get the battery back in full charge state.

Maximum charge rates

The following is a graph I created from the charge rates I get with my Zero SRF premium plus charge tank.

In ideal situations I plug it into a 22kW 3 phase charger that will max out my charge rate at around 11.7kW. And the great thing is that it can do so from 0 to 90% SOC before it will drop. At 90% it will gradually drop to 10.7 kW to reach 7.4 kW at 95%.

On 11kW 3 phase chargers the zero system goes up to 9.7kW. So between 90 and 95% it will also start dropping in charge speed.

A single phase charger in Belgium is limited to 7.4kW. But the bike will only use the two 3kW chargers so it is limit to around 5.8kW. The good news here is that it will hold that speed up to 95% and even beyond.

Balancing seems to start at 100% SOC so after reaching full 100% it can take a while before it shuts down completely.

Official Recall Information

This section has grown that much over the lifespan of this motorcycle being in production (since 2019 that is) that it is now covered in a separate blog post. There you can find an overview of the known issues and recalls that were both reported by Zero and Users.

Link to article about recalls

Zero Manual and Installation Instructions

Official part numbers can be found in these exploded views. These are for the SRF and SRS premium configuration. Optional items like charge or power tanks are not included in these views.

Manuals of the bikes are also available for download from the zero website in several languages. I’ll link the English versions here just for reference. I haven’t seen any updates on these manuals myself despite some changes being introduced by firmware updates. It’s a great resource for very specific things like recommended tires and their pressure, torque values and more. It includes both general info on how to set up your suspension for example as very EV specific info on how to handle your battery.

And then these are the installation manuals I could find online. For optional accessoires like the charge tank or case racks or even blinkers and center stand. I’ve added the original document names for easy reference. This is the overview of official zero accessoires available by zero.

Apps & remote features

ZeroNG App

See project website of ZeroNG app for more information. Including links to apps in app stores and remote API reference documentation. Feel free to contribute in any way.

Direct link to iOS App in Apple App store.

Direct link to Android App in Google Play store.

Other Apps & Code

Zero has their own Next Gen motorcycles app to be used with the bike using a Bluetooth connection. It’s also that app that you’ll use to register your bike to your name. If you have a non SRF or SRS model there is the Official Zero app for pre next gen motorcycles.

For the nextgen bikes (SRF and SRS) they use connected services implemented by Starcom. It seems like they have different hosting or logins cause I couldn’t log in with my zero account on the Starcom apps. Starcom has this app and this app available for free in the app stores.

ZeroSpy is an Android app that supports the original zero system, so every bike except for the SRF and SRS. Those latest models use a new communication protocol so the ZeroSpy app isn’t compatible (just yet).

And finally there is this github collection of other open source projects from Zero Enthousiasts.

Tips & recommendations

If you’re looking for replacement bolts for the ones that can be tightened and undone with both a torx as a general hexagon socket/wrench the magic keyword to search for is “Euro Style Flange BOLT”. Believe me it took me some time to figure that out. I found mine at a motocross shop.

For service products (like brake pads) this EU webshop has some information specific to the Zero SRF and SRS. This is far from complete but might help finding the right parts. I’ve since then also found this (BE) webshop where parts and accessories can be ordered from. Note that some require installation from a dealer (they can do that for you). So far I’ve ordered a new belt and lowered foot pegs from them and was very happy with the service.