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I Found Out Firsthand Why Zero’s Dirt Bikes Are the Ultimate Off-Road Gateway Drug

The iconic electric brand has hit a surprising sweet spot with small, affordable motos that let even newbies tackle tough trails.

Front wheel and suspension fork of a dirt bike in mid-air over rocky terrain.Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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The first time I rode a Zero motorcycle, the bike, my career and possibly my life nearly went belly-up in the blink of an eye.

That happened during my first few weeks at Gear Patrol in the summer of 2019, when a co-worker had a loaner SR/F he offered to let me try out. All I had to do was pick it up in a nearby parking garage.

I performed all the start-up steps, but the thing didn’t seem to be “on.” (Little did I know how quiet electric motos are.) I gave the throttle a light flick and, like a witch riding their first broomstick, shot across the garage like a rocket. 

Person wearing black and red motocross gear riding a white and black off-road electric dirt bike on rocky terrain.
Cresting Decision Point, a somewhat tricky ascent that culminates with a breathtaking view.
Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles

Thankfully, I managed to squeeze the brakes before smashing into a line of cars and blowing it all.

Since then, I have test-ridden a number of Zeros, including the SR/S and the FXE, and always found them impressively fast, fun and fantastic.

Still, I had my hangups. They can be rather pricey for a first bike (the latest SR/S starts at $20,995), the engine silence can feel dangerous on the highway, and in New York City, without access to a personal garage, charging them can be a bit of a challenge.

This particular style of bike is just about the perfect actualization of all the electric tech Zero has spent nearly 20 years researching and developing.

However, a few weeks back, the brand invited me to ride their innovative, affordable X Line bikes — the $4,395 XB and the $6,495 XE — at TouraTexas, a big off-road rally in Texas Hill Country. 

As something of an off-road novice — a couple of years removed from a big Himalayan adventure and nursing a pesky knee injury — I was both excited and apprehensive. What was I getting myself into?

But after three days of ripping around on gravel and rocks and mud, I have to say this particular style of bike is just about the perfect actualization of all the electric tech Zero has spent nearly 20 years researching and developing.

In other words, at the risk of being breathlessly hyperbolic, holy crap, these bikes are sick. Here’s a quick six-pack of reasons why.

1. Pick your poison

Thanks to my 29-inch inseam, one of my biggest apprehensions about off-road bikes is the rather lofty seat heights, which are necessary to provide the ground clearance needed to surmount rocky terrain.

So whereas Indian’s Scout cruisers, for example, come in under 26 inches, many dual sports and adventure bikes top 35 inches or more. Even shorter experienced riders can manage with proper balance on one foot, but it’s a bit scary at the start.

The good news for newer and smaller riders is that Zero offers a pretty approachable introductory option in the XB, which at 32.7 inches isn’t much taller than the Triumph Bonneville T-100 I ride regularly in and around NYC.

Two black and white electric dirt bikes with knobby tires parked on grass with mountains and cloudy sky in the background.
The Zero X Line bikes come in two flavors: the bigger, more powerful XE (left) and the lighter, more nimble XB (right).
Zero Motorcycles

Thanks to this bike’s generous adjustable suspension — 195mm fork travel and 76mm rear shock travel on 19-inch wheels wrapped in knobby CST tires — I could easily put both feet firmly on the ground.

The XE is bigger, stronger and more capable, evident in its much taller 35.4-inch seat, but it also offers even more suspension — 210mm fork travel and 85mm rear shock travel on CST knobby-tired 21-inch and 18-inch wheels, respectively — and with practice, I was able to one-foot it without embarrassing myself.

This supersized alternative also lets bigger and more experienced riders really push the limits without feeling like they’re at all undergunned.

2. Feet loose

That brings me to perhaps the biggest functional advantage of these battery-powered beasts.

Because as much as I bellyache over electric motorcycles — and an increasing number of traditional bikes — taking shifting out of the equation or at least de-emphasizing it, it’s a helluva lot easier to get the hang of riding dirt without sweating that multi-limb process.

That’s especially true with the X-Line, as Zero has even lifted the responsibility of rear braking off your feet. 

Person wearing black and white gear riding a white dirt bike on a sunlit forest trail.
Mountain biking fundamentals like standing up and sticking your butt back come in handy on technical descents.
Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles

You still have the throttle and front brake on the right handlebar, but rear braking is handled by a lever on the left handlebar — where the clutch lever would normally go — more akin to a mountain bike.

Your feet, meanwhile, are free to focus on all the standing, counter steering, weight shifting and generally balancing required to tackle technical trails. 

This set-up makes things immeasurably easier and safer for newer riders — not to mention semi-experienced rubes like yours truly.

3. Electric upsides

That’s not the only advantage these bikes offer on the trails, either. They are also incredibly lively thanks to the almost unreal available torque. 

The XE’s 15.5 kW motor produces 20.1 horsepower, a top speed of 53 mph and a mind-blowing 468 lb-ft of rear wheel torque. The XB’s 7.5 kW motor produces 10 horsepower, a top speed of 50 mph and 275 lb-ft of rear wheel torque.

For comparison, Yamaha’s excellent 243-pound YZ450F has a liquid-cooled single-cylinder 450cc engine making 55.3 horsepower but 33.0 lb.-ft. of rear wheel torque (for the 2025 edition).

Person wearing black and white motocross gear and helmet sitting on a muddy off-road electric dirt bike on a dirt track.
You can’t ride a dirt bike and stress over getting yourself and your steed a bit, you know, dirty. Note: The XB gets even more capable with upgraded front suspension in the form of the beefy 220mm Sirris F43 CMX fork shown here.
Jenny Brookes / Zero Motorcycles

In other words, even the smaller Zero bike has more than 8 times the pickup, while for the bigger bike it’s more like 14.

Translation: Use the TFT dash on the left handlebar to put the bike in Sport mode, give that throttle a firm twist and you are instantly in wheelie territory. (I know this from watching other people do it, for the record.)

The bikes also offer a Standard ride mode as well as Eco, which not only saves battery life but also comes in handy on loose rocks, where you want a much milder torque level to keep from spinning out. 

Motorcycle handlebar with digital display showing speed, mode, battery level, and control buttons.
Both bikes feature a 2.4-inch full-color TFT dash with three ride modes plus Hill Hold, regen rate adjustments, a tip-over sensor that cuts throttle if you go down, traction control, cruise control and more.
Zero Motorcycles

Another key electric edge is not unique to Zero (Stark and other brands also offer it), but nonetheless quite handy. Press and hold a small button on the backside of the left handlebar and you can reverse to back out of a tough spot — or simply park the bike.

One other notable electric element feels a bit unnatural on city streets and highways, but is right at home on the trails. That’s the fact that compared to a gas bike, the X line bikes are quiet. 

You can hear the wind and rustling leaves as you ride, spot deer before they scatter and chat with friends as you’re tackling the trails. It all feels a bit more in sync with the surroundings and sometimes even, dare I say, peaceful.

4. Weight is over

Play word association with “electric vehicle,” and it won’t be long before you land on “heavy.” While that descriptor often accurately describes cars and trucks, it hardly applies to the X Line.

The bigger XE tips the scales at just 223 pounds, while the XB weighs in at a mere 139. 

Beyond those already feathery numbers, it’s worth noting that the bikes are designed such that the heaviest single component, the battery, sits smack dab in the middle.

Person wearing a black and red outfit riding a dirt bike uphill on a rocky trail with dry grass and trees.
This little rocky climb looks so much easier than it felt at the time, but thankfully the bike beyond up to the challenge.
Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles

That helps the bikes stay balanced and nimble during tough technical climbs and, on hard landings when the suspension fully engages, keeps the center of gravity relatively low, boosting your odds of keeping the shiny side up.

More importantly for smaller and less experienced riders, these weights are relatively unintimidating both mentally and physically and — together with the bikes’ narrow waists — make the aforementioned one-footing immeasurably easier.

It’s certainly easier than it was on the first off-roader I ever saddled up, the admittedly awesome but also 559-pound Harley-Davidson Pan-America 1250 Special.

Probably goes without saying, but these bikes are also much easier to pick up if/when they go down.

5. Range anxiety-free

Arguably, the biggest knock on electric motorcycles — and electric vehicles in general — is the range anxiety produced by limited battery life.

While rapid advancements in battery tech may make this point moot well before the end of the decade, it’s real right now — and something I’ve acutely felt with every Zero loaner I’ve ridden around the city.

With the X Line bikes, however, that concern pretty much goes out the window for multiple reasons, headlined by the use case.

Person wearing black and white gear riding a black and white off-road electric dirt bike on rocky terrain.
The XB and XE have plenty of battery life for a day of backcountry fun. Newer riders will likely run out of juice long before the bikes themselves do.
Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles

Because the bikes are designed to be trucked out for a day of ripping around backwoods hotspots, you’re not even thinking about getting stranded on a commute or road trip. (Street-legal versions of the bikes are available in Europe, but not currently in the US.)

For the record, the XE offers 65 miles of range at an average speed of 31 mph, while the XB claims 40 miles at the same pace. 

In Texas, I quickly found that even 20 miles of off-road riding is a lot, so only more hardcore riders would likely risk burning out the batteries. 

Person in black gear and white helmet holding a large battery above the frame of a black and white electric dirt bike.
The batteries of the X Line bikes can be easily removed and swapped in less than 60 seconds.
Zero Motorcycles

For those folks, the X line bikes offer something no other Zeros do: the batteries are actually removable and swappable, so if you throw a spare in the back of the truck, you can ride from sun-up to sundown with ease.

One big caveat: extra batteries don’t come cheap. The XE’s 4.3kWh lithium-ion power pack charges from 0-95% in five hours with the 800W charger and a standard 110V outlet — and costs $2,199.20.

The XB’s smaller 2.4kWh lithium-ion power pack charges in half that time and costs a bit over half as much: $1,279.20.

6. 100% fun

Amidst all this technical talk, I would be remiss not to shout out the fact that when you actually saddle up these bikes and twist the throttle, you can throw all the specs out the window and let the smile spreading over your face tell you all you need to know.

That was my experience anyway. I was overly stressed heading into TouraTexas — and I did have my ups and downs with the bikes — but it really did not take long before I felt super comfortable and stoked to be shredding trails with the reckless abandon of someone who actually knows what they are doing.

Dirt bike rear wheel kicking up dust with rider wearing black and red gear in dry grass.
Finishing off the last day with my very first dirt burnout. Using the right technique, it’s much easier than I imagined!
Kyle Stojke / Zero Motorcycles

Even in dodgy situations, such as steep descents, loose gravel climbs, light water crossings and treacherous sand, I found that if I put faith in the bike — and let the front end dance without trying to control it — I came flying out the other end with more glee and confidence than I could have imagined. 

I wasn’t alone either. I was surrounded by other, much more experienced trail riders who kicked ass on these bikes and seemed just as stoked as I was, if not more so. 

These cagey vets with many gas-powered miles under their belts saw their skepticism melt into pleasant surprise and even elation at the possibilities presented by these alternatives to traditional trail bikes.

The overall takeaway, then, is that the XB and XE are not only off-road gateway drugs, but perhaps electric ones too.

Availability and pricing

The Zero XB is available now at a starting price of $4,395. The Zero XE starts at $6,495.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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