He has been selling electric motorcycles for 20 years and now releases a special edition of his powerful naked bike, limited to 40 units
06/10/2026 11:30
Updated to
06/10/2026 11:30
Zero Motorcycles has been manufacturing electric motorcycles since 2006, long before electrification became a priority for the industry. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the American company has created a limited edition of the Zero SR/F with 111 horsepower and 190 Nm of torque. Only 40 units will exist worldwide, with half allocated to the European market.
In an industry where numerous electric motorcycle startups have emerged and disappeared, reaching 20 years of production holds special significance. Zero Motorcycles has achieved this milestone and decided to celebrate it with a limited edition of one of its most iconic models: the Zero SR/F 20th Anniversary Limited Edition.
The production will be extremely limited. Only 40 units will be made worldwide, with 20 being sold in North America and the other 20 destined for Europe.
A Zero SR/F different from all others
Zero didn’t use the anniversary to develop a new platform. Instead, it built upon the well-known naked SR/F model and created a special version distinguished by a combination of black and gold colors.
The motorcycle features carbon fiber front and rear fenders, smoked turn signals, black-finished headlight elements, and a small black aluminum screen.
This is complemented by mechanical mirrors, handlebar counterweights, a throttle guard, specific tank covers, black grips, and various graphics that identify this commemorative version.
The result is a Zero SR/F that is much more exclusive, although it retains the well-known performance characteristics of the model mechanically.
Its electric motor delivers 111 HP of power and 190 Nm of peak torque, figures that also illustrate how far Zero has evolved since those early electric motorcycles developed two decades ago.
From a California garage to manufacturing electric motorcycles for 20 years
The story began in 2006 when Neal Saiki, an engineer and former NASA employee, developed electric motorcycles in a garage near Santa Cruz, California.
Those early machines had little in common with today’s Zero SR/F. The initial philosophy combined concepts from mountain bikes and motocross with then-early electric propulsion technology.
The catalog grew to include the current Zero SR/F and SR/S models, as well as adventure-oriented options like the Zero DSR/X and smaller, more affordable models.
In a way, the evolution of Zero reflects much of the recent history of electric motorcycles.
Surviving has been almost as important as manufacturing motorcycles
And that is precisely what makes this anniversary so interesting.
Over these 20 years, numerous companies have emerged promising to revolutionize the two-wheeler world with extraordinary batteries, stunning performance, and massive factories. Some managed to bring out decent motorcycles; others disappeared before even producing them on a large scale.
The market has not evolved as quickly as many had anticipated either. Electric motorcycles continue to face specific challenges related to price, range, weight, and available space for the battery, especially when compared to combustion engines that can be refueled in just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Zero has continued to develop motorcycles.
That’s why the 40 units of the Zero SR/F 20th Anniversary represent more than just a black and gold design. They commemorate how a small project born in a California garage in 2006 has managed to survive for two decades in one of the most challenging segments of electrification.
