Long-Term Review: Energica Eva Ribelle vs. Zero SR/S 

I love my Eva RS, i'll never get bored of twisting the throttle and feeling that front wheel lift

What no LiveWire? :P This was a really nice comparison. I hope to get to Deal's Gap someday. Although I'm mostly happy with my HD LiveWire I am considering a move to a Zero or possibly an Energica. Here in Atlantic Canada the closest Energica Dealer is in Maine and it could be tricky getting it insured as they aren't sold in Canada yet AFAIK. There was recently a big price drop in the Zero's though so that might be the route to go. My ONLY issue with the LiveWire is the lack of L2 charging and in my area it would be more useful to have the L2 then to have DC Charging.

Very wise and unbiased video, loved it! Keep up with the good work!

The review mentioned the poor handling of the Energica, including a reluctance to turn and a top-heavy feel. I can categorically state that this trait is due to the OEM Rosso III tyres - they are not suitable for the bike. The weight of the bike distorts their sidewalls, thereby flattening the tyre profiles and giving the vague handling feeling like they are running too low a tyre pressure. Looking back, I just assumed it was a characteristic of the bike but I couldn't have been more wrong.. I recently changed to the sports touring tyre in Pirelli's range, the Angel GT2 and the handling is transformed. The bike feels like a 600 sports bike with completely neutral handling and remarkable, almost telepathic, handling - I don't feel the weight now and can ride the bike way more aggressively yet feel completely in control. When leant over the bike is happy to change line and brake with the front without running wide - it's awesome.. If you want to experience what the bike should handle like I'd insist that you swap over the tyres ASAP and re-test the bike - you will be amazed of the difference. I expect the top-heavy feeling you mentioned is the weight felt needing to counter steer to initiate steering which is COMPLETELY gone now. Incidentally, the rear wheel oscillation/pumping that was mentioned in the review completely disappears with the tyre change - the behaviour stems from the rear tyre sidewalls flexing (they are the weakest part of the tyre and distort here when static and especially under braking and under power) and the shock trying the keep the rear under control - with the Angel Gets it now tracks perfectly and hooks up the rear tyre instantly and with complete control. I've notified the factory through my aussie dealer and they are looking into it - it appears to be an almost unbelievable blunder by the original factory designers or Pirelli management in specifying a sports tyre when the bike clearly needs the stiffer sidewall of the sports touring rubber. My local dealer tried my bike and commented it was 'chalk and cheese' compared to the demo... the transformation is epic.. ;)

Great video man! Thanks for sharing - I didn't realise the Zero has less maintenance worries and it's certainly a bike that is available here in Scotland. There are lots of new electric big Chinese motorcycles coming out which are half or quarter of the price, but the Zero is a quality product so you get what you pay for :)

Ive put a bit under 50k miles on my SRS bought new in 2020. Holding up well so far. The only decay in the battery Ive seen isnt capacity, but a lower tolerance for high speed. If I travel 90mph continually, sometimes after about 10 miles its in the red and slows me down to 80. Sometimes not. When it was new I could go as fast as I chose until the battery was depleted , nonstop,without hitting the battery thermal limit. Its a minor point but I do like fast on the highway so its a little disappointing. If I keep to 85 it never warms. To be fair im 200lb in full gear, not tucking behind the screen, and Im carrying 30+ of stuff in side and top cases, so pretty much worst case scenario for wind drag.

Thanks for the video and comparison, and for making me miss Deals Gap and the Tail. Having also owned both a Zero SR and an Energica Eva Ribelle RS, I'm surprised you and Austin didn't discuss the owner experience with both companies. I find this to be one of the bigger differences between the two. Zero offers many more local dealers than Energica, but the quality and customer support of those plentiful dealerships is very hit and miss. Dealing with Zero and Energica HQs is night and day as well. Zero doesn't return calls, and I'm on first name basis with Energica VPs. Then there is the OTA updates. Zero has them, Energica doesn't. And the quality of those updates could be a video of its own. The mobile app reveals another stark difference. You touched on charging at the end, but as an owner, that could have been expanded upon quite a bit as there are numerous nuances to explore. Perhaps a follow-up video? Thanks again!!

Amazing video :) North Carolina looks so beautiful! I have to visit

I come from an Energica. Gone to an ELW now. That would best be described as an cross between both.

The only reasons I ride EV: instant power at any speed and (almost) no maintenance. An Energica is like an ICE, so Zero still the bike for me.

You should’ve ridden the Esse Esse 9 to compare with the SRS ..

Even with the minimal fluid changes on the Eva Ribelle, it's only like once a year and you can really do it in about an hour. It's very simple really. The belt .vs. the chain, there have been some issues with the belt drives, mainly noise complaints is what I have been seeing. Some sort of vibration. The chain maintenance is not that bad, if you use one of the dry lubes, it dries once you spray it on it's a bit less messier. Even with maintenance intervals not withstanding, you really SHOULD check your bike over fairly often anyways. What if something leaks, what if something frays, what if something is coming loose. You are down there in the thing anyways, is it that bad to have to spend an extra 10 minutes replacing half a cup of fluid? With a belt drive, don't you still have to lubricate the belt and check it's tension anyways, like you do with a chain? I'll say what he does not want to say aloud. The Energica is your dads bike, the zero is your moms bike. Your guess on the interstate is pretty accurate. 65 to 80 MPH I am seeing 100 ish miles per charge, im 5'7 and about 175. I don't do the crouch very much either so am also adding a bit of wind resistance as well when riding. Your riding position can add about 10 KW of power burn to the motor load at higher speeds! (this would be with pretty much any bike with similar wind shielding) So yes, crouching can be a HUGE difference if you are really really worried about range. The whole range thing is so subjective and there are so many variables, that the only advice I can give to anyone is, don't get too hung up on it. Same goes for 'Remaining miles / km ' estimates. Also FWIW, the Energica can go pretty much WOT for several miles in the hot Florida sun and overheating is absolutely NOT an issue. No power reduction because things are getting too hot, it just keeps hauling on. YES, that liquid cooling does make a world of difference. The Energica you can also adjust the front shocks too, the preload and the rebound I believe. YES I would highly recommend, even if you are not a 'sporty' rider, tweak your shocks, get them tuned in the way YOU like them. It doesn't have to be professionally or micrometer accuaracy but just play a bit, it DOES make a big difference in ride quality. This goes for any bike really. Tune in your shocks for a much better ride! As far as touring, if one wants to do such, Energica has a new bike out the Experia which covers that market now as well, however the Ribelle DOES have an option where you can put side bags on it, and you can store quite a bit of stuff in them. You can also strap additional bags like the Kriega on it as well, on the sides and across the rear seat pad if you need as well. I use my bike to make deliveries sometimes and am putting 50 to 60 lbs of cargo on it! It handles very well even with that weight on it. Although I do not have one, the Ribelle also comes with an option to strap a tank bag on it too. Id say it does very with luggage space as well. Since we are on touring, the bike also has a cruise control which can come in handy as well, lets you relax your grip a bit on the throttle to stretch the hand a bit if you need to do so. It is a bit top heavy but has a parking assist feature so you can literally walk and reverse your bike around in the parking lot under power! It'll help get you up over ramps and stuff too if you are loading it onto a trailer. Once you get up to about 5 or 6 mph, tbh the top heaviness of the Ribelle becomes much less noticeable and Id say about 8 or 9 mph, it's pretty much all but gone away I take a hard 110 degree turn out of my driveway at about 7 yo 9 mph with no issues when I leave the house. One final note on charging. I have a DC fast charger at home and the bike tends to have no issues hooking up and starting with the charge. The Ribelle lets you adjust your charge rate in 5 amp increments, down to like 10 amps then it will let you take it all the way down in 1 amp increments. This comes in very helpful if you find yourself on the track or somewhere where there is only say a 30 amp breaker, so you can fine tune your amp draw to get the max charge available w/o popping breakers. Disclaimer: I own the 2023 Eva Ribelle, so am writing this off my own personal experiences. Yours may differ however I am betting that no matter which bike you own, you are having a TON of fun with it :D Aaron

So says the American , as for the speed and road ease you have a right hand

I own a Zero SR which I love. The reason I'll never buy another Zero is Cypher.

12:33 LOL, no... that's the exact opposite. This is why it's top heavy.

Dont forget the livewire indeed or even the energica experia .. and dont forget all the customer service stories from zero ..i really hope they are on their game now .. but i ll never ever will buy a zero .