Round-the-world
on a Zero
Roman Nedielka
e.round the world
June 13, 2024
Zero Owner Story:
Roman Nedielka shares about his journey after completing the first-ever solo round-the-world ride on an electric motorcycle
“This traffic is insane. I need to do something different…I need to get a motorcycle.”
In 2017 I moved to Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic congestion. These were the thoughts running through my head as I continually sat stuck for hours in taxis throughout the congested city.
I never owned a motorcycle before. Throughout my life, I have lived in places with good public transportation (London, Singapore) or excellent road infrastructure for a nice big car (Dubai). In Jakarta, a car would be useless as it gets you stuck for hours in traffic jams.
That's when I got my hands on a Zero FX.
What a life-changer it became! Frustration from being stuck in traffic changed to joy and excitement as I zipped between cars and lines in traffic, enjoying the agility of the electric powertrain and off-roading capabilities across the pothole-ridden roads of Indonesia.
Since this was my first motorcycle, I had to get a motorcycle license - using a standard gas bike for the rides and exam of course! Through that experience, I truly realized how superior electric motorcycles are compared to traditional gas bikes. All the noise, constant shifting, and vibrations are probably what old bikers are conditioned to enjoy, but to me, it was just a reminder of how evolution often faces the status quo, despite the superiority of the new.
As I continued to ride my Zero FX for 2 more years, I also realized that people have many outdated perceptions about how easy they are to use, maintain, and charge. I always believe in action over talking, so I started to think about how to practically bust those myths about charging complexity and the technology’s maturity.
It was around 2019 when I came up with the idea to ride an electric motorcycle round-the-world.
I had enough confidence from my own experience that it would be possible. It was exactly that type of practical example that would prove the point of maturity of electric motorcycles. In my benchmark, there was only one similar round-the-world project, but that was with a prototype motorcycle and a team traveling together providing ongoing support. It became clear that I would need to ride completely solo to show how easy to use and reliable electric motorcycles really are.
As a consultant in my professional life, I took a very structured approach to the purpose, strategy, and planning of the project. I built a framework of three key pillars: the rider, the bike, and the route. After bouncing the project material off some friends in other tech companies, I decided on three fundamental attributes:
1. No sponsorship or content monetization: I would need to be completely authentic. I felt projects that produced entertainment fell into a trap of scripted dramatization and failed to portray the reality of electric motorcycles’ maturity (e.g., The Long Way Up series).
2. Completely solo: To convey the trust and confidence in the maturity of electric motorcycles, I needed to show that I possess the trust myself and do not need any support, even in remote areas of our planet.
3. Round-the-world route: There needed to be a compelling achievement and circumnavigation of the world is the ultimate achievement for any traveler or vehicle.
As I was getting ready and organizing my personal and professional life, the year 2020 came, and with it, the COVID pandemic. The pandemic led to border closures, effectively shutting down potential routes to circumnavigate the world. While waiting for the borders to reopen, I used the time to run a Proof of Concept - I rode my Zero FX from Jakarta to Bali, 1,600 km on a motorbike with a 100km range.
After completing the ride, I knew that with a range of 300 km on the higher-spec DSR model, I could accomplish the round-the-world route.
Finally, in the spring of 2023, the last country (China) reopened its borders, and I could start setting up my ride. The only upside of the 2-year delay was that, in the interim, Zero launched a new model, the Zero DSR/X. This seemed like an even better option than the older-generation DSR. There was some risk to consider with choosing a brand-new product for such an extreme mission, but after getting the bike to Indonesia and seeing it, I was immediately happy to take on challenging this bike instead of the older model.
Being a Slovak national living in Indonesia, the process of preparation was not simple. Just to get a carnet was a journey itself. In Indonesia, a country of 280 million people, who got the first carnet for an electric motorcycle? Yes, some guy from Slovakia. You can imagine the expression on the face of the lady at the Chinese embassy in Indonesia while holding my Slovak passport when she asked for my flight ticket and my response was that I would not fly to China, I would ride there on an electric motorcycle!
I took unpaid leave from work and departed from Jakarta on July 10, 2023. I was ready technically, mentally, and physically and the months of planning started to pay off quickly. I was covering 300-350 km daily on the congested roads of Java and Sumatra islands, sitting on my bike for 10-12 hours daily in mostly heavy traffic with omnipresent slow trucks. After the first five days, I knew that I could do this. I was able to meet my daily quotas because the bike had good range. I didn't have time to properly test it because the import and registration to Indonesia took ages, and I only got about 500 km on it before the departure. I had my overall estimated timeline and with such a strong start, I became more confident in making it happen.
Roman and his Zero DSR/X in Indonesia
After I had crossed Malaysia and continued to Thailand, the rainy season started to hit its peak. For the next four weeks, I rode daily in rain across Thailand, Laos, and south/central China. My initial anxiety over the water risk was quickly replaced by confidence after finding that daily rain exposure and muddy roads were no problem for the bike. In China, I saw my vision materialized. Combustion engine motorcycles have been banned in cities and all motorcycles are electric. What a great impact it had on the livability of cities; the traffic was quiet, and people enjoyed walking outside. I hope for such a future in Indonesia, where I live.
The Great Wall of China + the Silk Road in Doushazhen
After China, I entered Kazakhstan, famous for long distances across deserts and steppes without any civilization.
But again, with proper planning, I was able to hop 200 km+ stretches without a phone signal, civilization, and naturally no power sources. After Kazakhstan, I scheduled a marine transfer over the Caspian Sea and surged toward Europe.
Finding solace and camels in Kazakhstan
Crossing Europe was super easy as there is an excellent charging infrastructure. I could charge faster from charging stations and cover upwards of 500km per day. I took a few days off in my home country Slovakia; it felt surreal. I always visited from Indonesia by plane, but this time I rode the distance on an electric motorbike!
Cruising past Big Ben at the UK Parliament and stopping to charge in Lorraine, France
After some media exposure, I left London and flew myself and my bike to New York.
This process took three weeks instead of five days as planned. The administration included emissions compliance exceptions for the US, even though my bike is electric and has no emissions at all.
Having just arrived from Europe, the charging infrastructure in the US appeared somewhat sparse by comparison.
Delayed by customs and administrations, I started to hit winter in the US, and I eventually ended up riding in snow and freezing weather. It was another testimony of the bike's capabilities and frankly also mine. After riding in tropical climates, I was not ready for winter riding and ended up with hands covered in deep skin cracks. I also learned that once my body stiffens up from the cold, it’s better to continue for as long as possible and not stop because once stopped, the blood started circulating again and the pain of freezing up starts over when getting back on my bike. To cover my daily quota for the US, I had to ride at least 6-7 hours each day no matter the weather conditions.
After I made my way across the US to Los Angeles, by happenstance, I met two women who just crossed the US on electric motorcycles and arrived in LA at the same time! We met at their arrival celebration and had an instant connection as we just went through the same experience of crossing the US on an electric motorcycle.
While waiting for the customs clearing in Los Angeles to get my bike over to Sydney, Australia, I had a few free days and visited Zero’s office in California. We did not have any formal or informal arrangements - I just liked their products and was offered the privilege to tour their headquarters in Scotts Valley and meet the team that designs and builds them. They were an awesome bunch of people, and the environment still had the energy of a start-up.
Australia was a welcome change from the cold weather in the US. As temperature affects range, I was happy to gain back about 5% of range during each stretch of riding through the warm Australian summer. The EV community in Australia was amazing and my project garnered some great national TV news coverage.
I designed my route to challenge the bike, and challenging it was. I crossed the Australian outback with stretches of 250 km+ of pure emptiness. My time in Kazakhstan helped prepare me for these desolate rides and I even made it to Uluru Red Rock in the center of the Australian Outback, where no other electric motorcycle had managed to navigate through before.
The huge red rock of Uluru, one of Australia's most iconic attractions, rising dramatically from the Central Australian desert
The reliability of electric motorcycles in transport is not often talked about. My experience is that the Zero DSR/X holds up great in various forms of transport.
After Australia, I put the bike on a container ship to Timor Leste, located on the same island as Indonesia, and I could cross the land border there. The bike spent three weeks in a shipping container and was completely fine and ready to ride after shipping.
To go round-the-world my Zero DSR/X has been on a 66,000km journey. Not all 66,000 km were ridden as I had to cross oceans and seas — approximately 24,000 km of the route were in transport where the bike spent weeks in crates, closed in hot and humid containers for weeks at sea, or simply strapped on a boat or ferry. Considering all the varied, complicated conditions, my DSR/X was completely fine. The bike handled all the transport beautifully and without any issues.
What my bike went through in transport:
• Crated and flew for two weeks from San Francisco to Jakarta (I essentially bought it and got it imported to Indonesia so I could start from there).
• Rope-tied on a wooden boat with bananas crossing from Sumatra to Malaysia.
• Strapped on a ferry on the outer deck for two days across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
• Crated for two weeks flying from London to New York (and had to get the SoC to only 10% by airline requirement, which is far from optimal for a longer storage).
• Crated for three weeks waiting and flying from Los Angeles to Sydney.
• Closed in a container for three weeks on a ship crossing from Darwin to Timor Leste (I had to go via Singapore).
Sharing space on a boat transporting bananas to Malaysia
The joy of crossing from Timor Leste to Indonesia was overwhelming.
Months ago, I left my home in Indonesia from the West and went round-the-world, returning from the East. I still have a few hops across Indonesian islands to get back to Jakarta to technically close the circle, but simply arriving in Indonesia marks a great achievement — the first ever round-the-world solo ride of an electric motorcycle.
Many people along the way told me that I’m a lucky guy. I do feel lucky, but the clarity of purpose and strategy combined with discipline and integrity enabled the project to be a success. All without any sponsors or support.
Massive views at the rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the wide open desert of Kazakhstan
I framed the entire project as work and had a clear routine of morning preparation and final day plan including points for midday boost charges and target destination. As expected, finding a charging spot was easy. Each hotel ultimately had some power socket somewhere and 95% of the time, there were no issues. I never booked the hotel in advance so I could easily go somewhere else if there was an issue, but that only happened 5-10 times throughout the entire journey. The midday charges were easy too. I could always find a kind household, shop, restaurant, or even a remote train service station in Kazakhstan where I could charge.
Throughout the entire journey, I made sure that I kept myself in shape, jumped to gym wherever it was possible, and took supplements. Over the seven months of the journey, I never got sick but in Timor Leste, I was finally knocked down for a week with a fever. Luckily, I was no longer in a rush and negotiated a delayed return to work, getting some time to let the gravity of my journey sink in. I rode from Indonesia back to Jakarta!
The good and easy:
• Charging was never a problem, and I never ran out of battery thanks to proper planning.
• I did not have any problem with the bike throughout the entire journey. I only had to change tires, belt, and brake pads after 25,000km.
• My body did not let me down and I did not have any medical or health problems through the journey. All of this despite my gluten intolerance and the limitations it posed on what I was eating, sometimes for weeks only potato chips and chocolate.
The main challenges:
• Customs procedures have always been complex and country-specific. I spent a lot of time and money to get through China and the US.
• The weather was a real challenge. Ever-prevalent rain, strong winds, and even snow. I’d estimate that only 10% of the days had nice weather. This was also because of my delayed departure, pushing me into rainy seasons, winter, and peak heat in various locations.
Completing the world's first solo electric motorcycle ride has opened the door for further endeavors. My plans include establishing an e-mobility incubator in Southeast Asia, which will build upon the insights and successes of this project. Additionally, I will be writing a book that documents my experiences and reflections from this journey. Last but not least, I look forward to continuing my adventures on cutting-edge electric motorcycles!
For contact or more details about the project:
Roman writing this story aboard a ferry in Indonesia
© Roman Nedielka, June 2024
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