2012 Zero DS Electric Motorcycle: Catching Criminals Silently?

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Contributing Writer BIO

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on... More

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2012 Zero DS Police Motorcycle

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All over the U.S., police forces rely on hundreds of highly-trained motorcycle riders enforcing law and order on specially-built motorcycles like the 2012 Harley Davidson 2012 Electra Guide or 2012 BMW Boxer.

Now Californian electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero motorcycles is offering police forces worldwide the chance to trade in their heavy patrol motorcycles for its lightweight electric ride. 

Enter the 2012 Zero DS Police Motorcycle. Based on the 2012 Zero DS dual sport motorcycle, the police version features the same 6 or 9 kilowatt-hour battery pack, and “up-to” 112 miles of range of the civilian model, but adds all the extras any discerning police rider wants. 

That includes the obligatory siren, emergency lights, shotgun mount and liveried hard panniers. 

“Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve, so our goal was to give them all the tools the need to allow them to be successful,” said Mark Cummings, Zero’s manager of fleet sales. “The resulting Zero DS Police Motorcycle opens up new patrolling possibilities.”

Although Zero has only just officially launched its Zero DS Police Motorcycle, the firm has been field-testing its DS models in active service for some time.

In fact, both the Metropolitan Police in London, England, and the local police department in Santa Cruz where Zero is based, have helped the firm design and build this build-to-order motorcycle. 

For now however, the mighty police cruisers that you see patrolling freeways and highways of the U.S. won’t have to worry about being replaced: with a top speed of 80 mph and the ability to go off-road, Zero’s police motorcycles are better suited to city center and off-road patrolling.

There's one thing for sure: with an almost-silent belt-drive, no-one will hear the police coming. 

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