Zero XE (2025 - ) Electric review

Built around a forged aluminium structure and swingarm, boasting fully-adjustable long-travel suspension and with the frame-mounted battery driving the rear wheel via a chain like a conventional dirt bike the Zero XE looks a serious piece of kit, and more off-road credible than the considerably more expensive supermoto style FXE we tried previously. True, the battery is smaller but the neat removable design means you can charge it away from the bike, or swap it for a spare out in the field if you want to keep riding. The 21-inch front/18-inch rear wheels, knobbly tyres and lofty seat mean it’s happier in the dirt than on city streets, but you can stick mirrors and a number plate on it to ride as a properly registered A1-licence bike if you want. Which will be especially handy if you fancy a bit of green laning and need to link tracks with sections on the public road.

Where the smaller XB felt like a bit of a toy the XE is much more the serious dirt bike, with stature to match. The flat saddle is designed for sliding your weight back and forth for the corners more than it is comfort, the 900mm height meaning it will be a leg stretch for shorter riders even if the bike itself is slim. The reach is also decent for taller folk for whom the XB is just a little too titchy while the ground clearance and peg position are all geared towards capability in the rough as the first priority.

If you like the idea of an A1 licence compliant electric Zero the FXE tested previously is probably more versatile for its extra range, road rubber and manners. The XE is, meanwhile, very much the stripped back dirt bike, with little in the way of creature comforts or weather protection. 65 miles of range (best case) doesn’t sound a lot, but it’s probably as far as you’d want to go on a bike this focused. It’s not completely impractical, either, the removable battery answering the charging issues we encountered on the FXE for the fact you’re not reliant on finding a three-pin socket where you park up, or using an adaptor to plug into expensive ‘Type 2’ car charging points. With the XE you simply unclip the bodywork, unplug the battery and take it with you to charge at home, in the office or wherever you can find a domestic socket. The added bonus being you’ve effectively immobilised the bike by taking its power source with you when you do. That won’t stop anyone wheeling it away. But without the battery it’s not going to be much use to them.

True, the XE is about 20kg heavier than a comparable 125cc petrol dirt bike. But it feels a lot faster thanks to the instant punch of the electric motor, and the regulatory quirk meaning its temporary peak power can exceed the mandated 15 horsepower continuous output limit for A1 licence compliance. Both figures pale against the whopping 58Nm of torque at the motor, which is multiples of what you’d get from a petrol 125 and contributes to the – apologies – electrifyingly instantaneous response to the throttle and a top speed of over 50mph. For all that instant firepower Zero’s experience tuning electric bikes means it feels very natural, the three rider modes adjusting the intensity according to taste. Braking is all on the bars, with a bicycle-style arrangement of right lever for front and left for rear for an easy transition for those coming from e-mountain bikes or similar. Power from the single 240mm front and 200mm rear discs feels well up to the job, with great modulation through the lever. Which is good because the XE takes advantage of an exemption for enduro bikes and doesn’t have ABS, so beware grabbing handfuls of front brake. You can, meanwhile, adjust the level of off-throttle regenerative force – effectively the ‘engine braking’ – to your tastes, the more you dial in the more juice you put back into the battery when slowing, improving range.

On the road you’re limited by the relatively sluggish turn-in from that big front wheel and limited grip of the knobbly tyres, or at least you are when running at off-road pressures as we were. Lumps, potholes and speedhumps are less of an issue, given the tuning of the (fully adjustable) suspension, the rear having nearly 250mm of travel to soak up heavy landings when going full send at the local MX track. We’ll have to defer to those with more off-road experience than us as to how it handles in the rough, but even in our hands the XE felt in its comfort zone carving rutted turns and leaving rooster tails of dirt flying in its wake, the 101kg overall weight light enough to throw around for those confident enough to stick a leg out and lay it flat into the turns.

Electric bikes cost more up front to buy than petrol ones, but should be cheaper to run for the fact charging the battery will cost little more than boiling a kettle on your domestic supply. The unfortunate image electric dirt bikes have in the UK may mean insurance will be expensive, though. Other than that running costs will be similar to an equivalent petrol bike, given things like tyres, brakes and the chain are all standard motorcycling kit.

Electric powertrains have a lot less in the way of moving parts than combustion ones, so no need to worry about valve clearances, oil changes or things like that. Zero’s electric tech is well proven as well, so we’d have little reason to worry, and both X-Line bikes look built to a very high standard with quality materials and parts.

The two-year manufacturer warranty is standard industry stuff, though probably better than you’d get from some direct sale equivalents and supported by a proper dealer network as well. As above, service requirements will be simpler than a regular petrol bike, though you’ll still need to stay on top of consumable items like tyres, chains, brakes and the rest.

This is a stripped-back off-road machine conspicuously lacking in bells and whistles. But that’s fine, and the tech is pretty generous in terms of multiple rider modes, adjustable regen, switchable traction control, cruise control and even a reverse ‘gear’ selectable from the bars. The small display on the bars carries the bare minimum of info but, again, for the intended usage that’s fine. Of more interest are things like fully adjustable suspension to set the XE up for the kind of riding and terrain you’ll be hitting on it.

While off-road focused, the fact you can run the XE in street legal trim opens the options for things like linking green lanes with road sections, where the lack of engine noise makes it less intrusive around other countryside users than typically noisy petrol dirt bikes. Likewise, if you have a motocross track or jumps to play on it can hold its own in that environment as well, while still being small and light enough to load into a van or pick-up for transporting to suitable venues to enjoy its talents. If you’re not intending to go off road the FXE is probably a more rounded and capable electric street bike, but it does cost a lot more and is less flexible in its charging options.