Zero Is Putting Plates on Its XE Dirt Bike and Teasing a Sub-$8K Electric

Electric dirt bikes keep creeping closer to the price and usefulness of the gas bikes in your garage. Zero Motorcycles just nudged that along at EICMA 2026 in Milan, with a street-legal version of its XE and a new lightweight electric it is calling Project Ventura.

The street-legal XE

According to Electrek's coverage of the unveil, the street-legal XE starts at US $6,295 and is expected to launch in spring 2027. Zero claims a top speed of 60 mph, with revised gearing and a slight torque sacrifice compared with the off-road version.

The street kit is what you would expect: a headlight, a taillight, a centrally mounted dash, and a small integrated flyscreen. It rides on wide dual-sport tires and wears black bodywork. Electrek's report does not list range, power output, or weight for this version, so we are not going to guess at them.

Why that matters: a bike you can ride to the trailhead instead of trailering to it changes how you use it. For a lot of riders, the hassle of loading the truck is the real reason a bike sits. A quiet, light, plated electric that can link a back road to a trail is a different pitch than a dedicated play bike. Whether it pans out depends on the final specs and how it handles real terrain, and we have not ridden it.

Project Ventura

The bigger swing is Project Ventura, a new lightweight electric motorcycle. Per Electrek, Zero is targeting a price under US $8,000, with more than 20 kW (about 27 hp) of peak power, a 65 mph sustained top speed (81 mph momentary maximum), and an estimated real-world range of 93 miles. Battery capacity was not disclosed, and the bike is expected in summer 2027. Those are targets for a bike that is not on sale yet, so treat them as a promise, not a spec sheet.

The rest of the announcement

Zero also showed the LS3 electric scooter for Europe, a redesigned smartphone app, and a DC fast-charging system aimed at 20 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes, planned for 2027. None of that is dirt-specific, but fast charging is the piece that decides whether an electric works for a full day away from an outlet.

What riders should take from it

Electric off-road is still a niche, and noise, range, and charging infrastructure are the usual sticking points on remote rides. But the price is moving into the range of a decent used four-stroke, and street-legal versions open up the kind of mixed-surface riding where a loud exhaust is not welcome. If you ride near homes, in sound-restricted areas, or on tight local networks, it is worth keeping an eye on how these first deliveries go in 2027.

Where BraapTrax fits

Whatever you ride, gas or electric, the habits are the same. Log your rides so you know how far you really go, which matters even more when range is the limit. Drop a hazard report when you find a washed-out crossing or a downed tree, so the next rider is not surprised. And keep your season stats so you can see how your riding changes when the bike does.

We will keep an eye on the final specs and pricing as Zero gets closer to launch.

Source: Electrek.