Bicycles can produces surprisingly good off-road ability, mainly due to the light weight and easy adjustability of most offroad powertrains. But an electric bike? That’s something you don’t often see.
‘Blackbird’ comes from Italian builder Christian Moretti, who runs Plan B Motorcycles from his base in Laveno-Mombello, just outside Milan. Covered by a black bodywork, its inspiration comes from an unusual source.
Christian said: “The SR-71 Blackbird is one of the most iconic aircraft ever built and it used leading technology of the time. “Its incredible speed allows it to simply leave the missile behind. Today, e-bikes are supposed to be the leading technology, but are they really effective? Sure they can be pretty fast. “
The Zero FX is actually pretty fast for an enduro bike. When it left the factory, it had a classic dirt bike look – but Christian turned it into a sleek road machine.
“It started life as an FX 2019,” he reports. “The client asked for a small, light and ‘modern’ cafe racer. And because I love switching purposes on a bike, the entry-level Zero all-terrain bike was the perfect choice. The factory 7.2 kWh FX version weighs in at just 289 lb (131 kg), so the weighing box is immediately marked.
“When it comes to electricity customs,” says Christian, “there are two main directions today: the ‘classic’ way or the hyper-futuristic way,” says Christian.
“One of the main goals of this build was to set aside the green debate for a bit to see if a ‘contemporary’ electric style could be applied – and if it would ‘fit in’ without the to the internal combustion engine or not.”
Christian has hand-crafted the bodywork in aluminum, with curving lines that are native to the modern sportbike but with the simplicity of retro riders. The metal is then ‘inked’ by Paint Republic Vignale.
“A crazy job for a few crazy alchemists,” says Christian. “It had a very deep black, like chromium, until the sun hit it. Then you can see the aluminum layer of the body underneath”. The magic potion is placed directly on the aluminum plates for a see-through effect, and not a single blob of color is used to smooth things out.
Flipping the igniter initiates a ‘pre-flight check’: the two air ducts on the side of the new windshield open and close, and they open each time the brake is activated — acting as a combination air brake / active brake. At the same time, the two fans inside the lower windscreen rotate up to maximize cooling airflow.
“The fan speed is controlled by the throttle valve,” says Christian. “The more ‘air’ you give the bike, the more air is directed through the windshield, which cools the battery pack, engine, and regulator.” It also makes an airplane-like sound. jet, possibly alerting other passersby to the presence of this unusual machine.
To match the new bodywork, Christian remodeled the back of the frame and tweaked the geometry to better suit the road.
The top and bottom clamps are new, CNC from Christian-designed monolithic aluminum blocks and with the right amount of offset. “We ended up with a fairly neutral 98mm trail, with some room for adjustment.”
The 41mm Showa forks have been replaced with beefy 50mm Marzocchi forks, with the lower set customized to accommodate two large Beringer six-pot calipers and a pair of ceramic 340mm rotors from BriLo Tech. (“Yes, it is definitely overkill!”)
At the rear there’s a fully adjustable monoshock from Gears Racing and the OEM enduro wheel has been removed for 17-inch Grimecas with supermoto tyres.
Due to the same dimensions as the Moto3, Christian has also moved the grip bars so that the top of the rider triangle is 50mm forward — allowing for a more comfortable sitting position and a bit heavier front of the bike.
There’s some pretty serious and deliberate thinking going on throughout this Zero, but Christian has allowed himself to touch the cockpit area lightly. “It’s been extremely busy, as a proper plane should be!” he says.
On top of the original digital gauge, there’s now an infrared rear view camera and a top-mounted radial shock absorber built into the top clamp. Plus some airplane switches and an altitude indicator. “This has absolutely no purpose, but it’s fun when you look at the corner!”
With its low weight and instant starting torque, we believe this Zero will be enjoyable wherever it is driven. And will certainly attract a lot of attention when parking up.
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