This upgraded Zero ran in the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb where — piloted by Jeff Clark #777 — it took first place in the production electric class (with a time of 12:06:346), granted there were only two other entries in the class that year. Either way you can actually watch Jeff tear up the mountain in the below video, though you can also see him prepping for the 2014 PPIHC by ripping through southern California’s Glendora Mountain road on his modified 2013 Zero FX. You can also watch him doing burnouts after the 2015 race.
This machine started out as a 2014 Zero SR but has since received a number of upgrades in anticipation of the Race to the Clouds. A set of fully adjustable 43mm Marzocchi forks (supposedly worth around $1,400) were tacked on, along with a front Marchesini rim — which, like the rear wheel has been wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso II rubber — plus dual 310mm Brembo floating discs bit by Brembo radial calipers linked to a Brembo master. Other mods included custom rear-set brackets to support the bike’s pair of Vortex rear-sets and aftermarket clip-ons.
Though this example appears to have raced Pikes Peak sans bodywork, the seller did go through the trouble of aquiring a set of late-model CBR1KRR bodywork and the necessary bespoke brackets to mount the Honda fairings to the Zero — all of which is also included in the sale. While Zero makes a great product, the outfit has never been known for its looks, so I like the idea of cutting a hole in the CBR bodywork, adding a headlight (and taillight and signals), and having a full-faired, fully-electric, fully-street-legal Zero. But then again; I’m a sucker for sportbikes.
After Pikes Peak 2015 this Zero example kept racing for another year until 2016 when it was reportedly retired from competition. More recently this Zero received a new 14.4Kwh battery pack from a 2018 model and a 2016 SR IPM motor — the with the two components supposedly costing over $7K. According to the seller this means a city range of 179-miles, a highway range of 90-miles (at 70mph), and a combined 120.
After being retired from racing, this Zero was reconditioned for road use. This means on top of the new electric powertrain, this specimen also received a fairing kit from LA’s Hollywood Electrics and a full bespoke metallic silver paint job, CRG Arrow bar-end mirrors, LED bar-ends and rear- indicators, 12V accessory port, Derlin axle sliders fore and aft, stomp grips, and while there’s no mention of it in the ad, a large rear-mounted piece of luggage (and bracket) can be seen in several photos, and I assume the rear shock was upgraded.
According to the seller, around $15,000 worth of extras have gone into this SR — a figure that sounds about right considering the mods listed. There’s just under 25K miles on the odo, though the seller says only 1K of them are on the new powertrain — which is still under warranty until August 2020. If you’re looking for a commuter that can be tracked on the weekends, it doesn’t get much better than this.
You can find this modified, Pikes Peak-winning, ex-Jeff Clark Zero SR (VIN: 538SM5Z30ECG04381) for sale here on Craigslist in Santa Monica, California with a price of $14,950.