Mud in Your Eye

There are big things going on at Zero Motorcycles headquarters in Santa Cruz, California. The company has brought on new management from the motorcycle industry to bring two-wheeled experience to a business that already has a strong technological background. Major financing in the form of a cool $26 million just rolled in and the 2011 model line of electric motorcycles has expanded to five with the new Zero Motorcycles XU urban cross bike. We headed south to the alternative transportation HQ to sample the XU, Zero MX, Zero X, Zero DS and Zero S.

A local property featured a small motocross track and enduro loop that allowed for some silent fun in the dirt and a launching point for street rides through the Central California region. We dodged a nasty batch of weather which cut our day short and I didn’t get to ride all the street bikes. But, the new lineup has some promising features like standardized wheels, brakes, switchgear and controls across the various models. Watch for a full electric motorcycle review coming soon with more photos and video.