I was watching telly (Good News Week) the other day and saw that Erin McNaught had been injured while filming a story about electric motorcycles. A bit of Googling came up with the story. She'd been wheeling an electric bike around and bliped the throttle. It had shot forward and she'd fallen, trapping her finger in the chain and sproket. Ouch!
However it sparked some interest. There's not many electrics here in Australia. The Vectrix came here for a while, but stopped when the troubles hit the factory. Bit of scratching around on the net revealed that Zero was the subject of the story. They're bringing their full range to Australia. The story was about 6 months old, so I think they've probably brought some in, then got bored and stopped. I've not seen anything about them in the last six months or so.
I've been a fan since the Drift and had been plotting a way of getting one here, but it seemed impossible. Bikes have to be homologated for road use and the process is long and very expensive for a manufacturer. For a single import it's a nightmare.
Still it looked like Zero has taken the plunge and jumped the hoops required for an Australian compliance plate. Was I too late?
Quick Batman, to the BatInterwebby thing. Yes, Zero has an Australian presence, complete with a Melbourne phone number. So the 20th century medium has given me a lead on a 21st century motorcycle that I'm finding with a 19th century communicator.
Phil answered and confirmed that Zero is indeed bringing them in, but soon rather than previously. So I wasn't too late. He was keen for me to say yes now and secure one on the first shipment.... No pressure you understand but you might miss out... I told him I'd think about it.
Back to the interwebby. The 2010 Zero S and Zero DS look significantly better than the previous bikes, apart from the dreadful headlight that looks like some government has demanded it. I think the DS would suit me best.
Next day I emailed Phil and put down a deposit. Still not sure I've done the right thing. Time will tell.
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