Zero was founded in California by Neal Saiki with the aim of applying lightweight electric propulsion to motorcycles. Early dirt and supermoto-style machines evolved into road, dual-sport and high-performance models. The SR/F and DSR/X show the electric motorcycle moving from novelty into established naked and adventure categories.
Motorcycles / Manufacturers / Zero Motorcycles
Motor Museum · Motorcycles · Since 2006
Zero Motorcycles
Zero brought battery-electric propulsion into series-production motorcycles years before most major manufacturers committed to the format.
2006motorcycle era begins
United Statesorigin
3featured bikes
6catalogue bikes
Origins
Neal Saiki
Read the manufacturer through the machines that changed its engineering, racing, design, market or cultural meaning.
Featured bikes
Three turning points.
The featured layer picks the motorcycles that most clearly changed this manufacturer’s technology, market or identity.
Zero X
2008 · electric
Zero X
An early demonstration that electric motorcycles could exploit low mass and instant torque rather than imitate heavy road bikes.
Zero S
2009 · electric
Zero S
A foundational series-production electric street bike.
Zero DS
2010 · electric
Zero DS
Early evidence that electric motorcycles could branch into recognised conventional categories.
Museum catalogue
Bikes through time.
Each bike is treated like a museum object: what it was, why it mattered and where it sits in the manufacturer’s wider story.
2000s
2008–2011 · electric · FEATURED
Zero X
The lightweight Zero X used electric propulsion in an off-road motorcycle, reflecting founder Neal Saiki’s background in bicycle and lightweight engineering.
Why it matters: An early demonstration that electric motorcycles could exploit low mass and instant torque rather than imitate heavy road bikes.
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Zero X
2009–present · electric · FEATURED
Zero S
The Zero S brought the company’s electric powertrain to a conventional road motorcycle and became one of its longest-running model names.
Why it matters: A foundational series-production electric street bike.
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Zero S
2010s
2010–present · electric · FEATURED
Zero DS
The DS adapted Zero’s road platform to dual-sport use with longer suspension and mixed-surface intent.
Why it matters: Early evidence that electric motorcycles could branch into recognised conventional categories.
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Zero DS
2014–present · electric
Zero SR
The SR increased performance substantially over Zero’s early street machines, making acceleration rather than mere zero-emission operation a central selling point.
Why it matters: A step toward electric motorcycles being judged as performance motorcycles rather than environmental experiments.
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Zero SR
2019–present · electric
SR/F
The SR/F introduced a more premium chassis, stronger performance and connected electronics in a conventional naked-bike form.
Why it matters: A maturity point for Zero: electric propulsion integrated into a fully developed premium road-bike package.
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SR/F