2026 · Electric Motorcycle · Buyer's Guide
City Quiet, City Quick
The LS1 is Zero's step-through electric scooter, built for one job: getting you across a city quietly, cheaply and without fuss. The motor makes 11 hp and 38 lb-ft through a single-speed drive. There's nothing to shift and nothing to think about. The smart part is the energy storage. Two removable batteries give you up to 70 mi (113 km), and an optional third pack stretches that to 108 mi (174 km). ABS, traction control, ride modes, a TFT dash, a USB charging port and keyless start all come standard. For a small urban machine, that's a complete and grown-up package.
At 295 lb (134 kg) wet, it's light and rides that way. It takes little effort, it's easy to place in traffic, and it's forgiving enough for someone who has never owned anything with two wheels. There's no clutch and no gears to shift, so very little on it can wear out. It's for commuters whose daily loop fits inside that battery range and rarely touches the freeway. Here's the honest caveat: with a 62 mph (100 km/h) top speed, the LS1 is a tool for the city and the suburbs, not the interstate. The rear shock also has no adjustment, so what you get is what you ride.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 11 hp (8 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 38 lb-ft (51 Nm) |
| Engine | Electric |
| Gearbox | 1-speed |
| Wet weight | 295 lb (134 kg) |
| Top speed | 62 mph (100 km/h) |
Equipment check
Connectivity
Safety
Where this Zero LS1 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Wet weight
Top speed
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the LS1 is actually built for.
If your weekday runs across town on surface streets, this fits: removable batteries, keyless start, almost nothing to maintain. Weekend runs past 70 mi (113 km) or onto the freeway aren't its job.
Made for Austin · Bay Area Ridge Roads · Denver / Front Range
It's a quiet, light way to cross town to the meet-up. On the ridge roads themselves, though, 11 hp and a 62 mph ceiling make it the wrong tool. Buy it for the city half of your riding.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
