r/Electricmotorcycles

On 10/14/25 I purchased a set of SW-Motech Ion boxes and hardware--the ones shown on the Zero website that is custom made for the Zero DSR. I’ve put over 6500 miles on these boxes and all has been fine until 5/12/26 when the top box snapped off of its mounts while I was on a bumpy dirt road.

I was under the impression that this gear was suitable for adventure bike use. I don't take my bike "off-road" but I have ridden on dirt roads, sometimes very bumpy ones. There's a forest service road right by my cabin that is like a washboard. I don't ride it hard, but it jostles as you go over it. Anyway, that's where the box fell off. And for the record, the box wasn’t heavily loaded—all I had in it was a lunch and a jacket.

I figured with a company like SW-Motech it'd be a cinch to get warranty support. I was wrong. They told me that "Unfortunately, this luggage rack is an OEM Zero product. While we did manufacture this part, we are not able to offer customers warranty coverage for it. You will need to go directly through Zero for this."

So no help from them, even though their name is all over the gear.

And Zero? They haven't even responded to my emails to ownersupport@zeromotorcycles.com. Their phone service no longer welcomes owner support requests, so I can't even get anyone to talk to me.

Honestly, at this point, I'd be perfectly happy just buying the broken brackets if I could find someone who'd sell them to me for a reasonable price. But I won't pay $510 for a whole new rack assembly. I just need two brackets.

https://preview.redd.it/kagjbofe952h1.jpg?width=3662&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e825cf6cc8424817ee1027037f2d18ddc7099c60

It looks like I may have to weld them myself for a repair. In the meantime, my top box is sitting uselessly on my bench in my garage.

I could not recommend anyone to buy SW-Motech gear and I'm afraid to say that my enthusiasm for Zero has just dropped by a bunch.

Still, I love the bike. It's a great motorcycle, even if the company has blown me off.

https://preview.redd.it/pn71inv6952h1.jpg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38e2a78543ad4a6f3c792c9ad9e7e0c144976302

https://reddit.com/link/1thp3gh/video/7x1f1cuaw32h1/player

i was going off a curb and it just stopped working

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I'm an India IT employee, based out of Hyderabad. My daily commute on an average round trip 40KM including weekends.

I'm staying in rented apartment with family, don't have plugs to keep charging at parking and would be buying my first vehicle.

I cannot bare with breakdowns etc for minimum years and don't need much features, just key on and go mindset with Budget family man Can afford nearly ₹1.2L.

Please advice.

I posted here previously when I was considering a Kawasaki Ninja e-1 as a first electric motorcycle. The feedback was helpful and mostly confirmed my concern that the Ninja e-1 looks great, but the range is probably too limited for my use.

Since then, I’ve narrowed things down to a few more realistic options:

• Can-Am Pulse / Pulse ’73
• Zero road models, likely S / SR / SR/F / SR/S depending on price
• LiveWire S2 models, likely Del Mar / Mulholland / Alpinista if pricing makes sense

I’m in Toronto, Canada. I’m 43, have a family and career, and this would be my first motorcycle. I’m planning to take a proper safety course and go through the full Ontario M licensing path. The bike would mainly be for short city rides, errands, and recreational use, not commuting or touring. That said, it still needs to be highway-capable enough for licensing and occasional practical use.

Current local pricing makes the Can-Am Pulse especially interesting. Leftover 2025 models in Ontario are being advertised around CAD $10k to $12k before tax/licensing/accessories, depending on whether it’s the regular Pulse or Pulse ’73. The Pulse seems like the most sensible first-bike choice so far: new, warranty-backed, moderate power, decent range, and local dealer support.

Used Zero bikes are tempting because some listings are surprisingly close to Pulse pricing, but I’m concerned that some of them may simply be too much bike for a first-time rider, especially the SR/F or SR/S. LiveWire S2 models also look interesting, but they seem more expensive unless a used/demo deal appears, and I’m not sure whether they are too quick for a beginner.

For people who know these bikes, what would you recommend?

1. Is the Can-Am Pulse the best choice for a responsible first-time rider in this situation?
2. Would a used Zero road model be worth considering, or is that too much motorcycle to start with?
3. Are the LiveWire S2 models beginner-manageable, or are they more of a second-bike choice?
4. If you had to choose between Pulse, Zero, and LiveWire S2 for my situation, which would you pick and why?
5. Is there another street-legal electric motorcycle I should be considering instead?

I’m not looking to be talked into a gas bike unless the honest answer is that electric really does not make sense for this use case. I’m mainly trying to figure out whether the Pulse is the right answer, or whether Zero / LiveWire / something else should still be in the conversation.

Thanks in advance.

So as vague laws are now being passed by municipalities against e-bikes, has anyone been harassed by cops? I got a nice shock the about five weeks ago when I got pulled over on my back road commute.

No I was not speeding either or acting like a jackass.

Got a nice ticket and dressing down by a Walter Brimley for riding what he considered a now illegal vehicle in his jurisdiction. Showed him my registration, insurance, and he did not care and still said “all e-bikes are banned on public roads. I’m just enforcing the law.” When I went to court the judge immediately threw it out. Which I knew would be the result. That said, I haven’t taken the back roads since because the last thing I want is a cop impounding my very street legal, registered motorcycle because he has a stick up his rear against EV bikes.

So… has anyone else experienced this yet in the USA? And if so is there ways to fight back, did those ways work to make permanent change and update the policies?