For blasting (silently) around town or on short sport rides, the Zero SR is a great choice, with capable suspension and a comfortably upright riding positon.
MSRP: $18,690 (as tested)

Mileage: 2,190
Living with an electric bike at this relatively early stage in their development requires a willingness to accept certain limitations. Range and charging time are the most obvious, but also there?s the high initial cost (offset somewhat by state and federal tax credits?although the latter are set to be killed off in the tax bill that Congress passed earlier this year) and limited dealer network.
The LCD dash includes battery level (left) and real-time battery usage and regen levels (right).
The first question a Zero buyer needs to ask him-/herself is: longer range or faster charging" As we pointed out in our first installment (which includes a riding impression and specs), you can?t have both. Although we live and work in an area of California replete with Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations, which the Zero Charge Tank option requires, we opted for the Power Tank instead, which expands the battery capacity for extended range. There are still a lot of areas in the country that don?t have many Level 2 stations yet, so we figured we?d go all-in with maximum range, charging the bike off a standard 110v wall outlet. Every Zero comes with a power cord that folds up and tucks away into a compartment in the swingarm, so all you need is an outlet close enough to your parkin...