Colt Wrangler Customs Zero XU Tracker - Electric with a Punch of Style
The Colt Wrangler Customs Zero XU Tracker is a hand-built custom electric street tracker built by Colt Lyons of Colt Wrangler Customs in Mason, Texas, using a Zero XU as its foundation. It stands as one of the most convincing arguments that electric motorcycles can serve as compelling custom build bases, offering clean lines and a silent powertrain that challenges builders to think differently about form and detail.
Why Custom Electric Motorcycles Are a Different Kind of Challenge
Most custom motorcycle builds start with a combustion engine as the visual and mechanical centrepiece. Carburettors, exhaust headers, valve covers and oil lines create a natural richness of detail that builders use to define a bike's character. The Zero XU offers none of that: the powertrain is a compact, weatherproof box housing the battery and motor, leaving the builder with a blank canvas where an engine used to be. Colt Lyons saw this not as a limitation but as an invitation to let bodywork and proportion carry the design without distraction.
The Build: Hand-Formed Aluminium and Tracker Geometry
The XU Tracker's bodywork was hand-formed by Colt Lyons from flat aluminium sheet using traditional shaping tools and welding. The result is a tail section that draws on both flat-tracker racing and superbike design, flowing into a shorter, slimmer seat than the stock Zero XU unit. The original 16-inch wheels were replaced by 19-inch spoked units that give the bike a taller, more aggressive stance consistent with the tracker aesthetic. Both the rear hugger and front guard were removed to open up the silhouette, and the dashboard was embedded directly into the tank cover to keep the front end uncluttered.
The headlight is mounted inside a tracker-style number plate bracket, and the LED stop light integrates into the rear seat section rather than sitting on a separate bracket. Every detail decision pushed the same direction: simplify, clean up, let the proportions speak.
Electric Drivetrain: Zero XU Platform Advantages
The Zero XU delivers its power silently and without vibration, making the riding experience notably different from a custom based on a combustion motorcycle. Colt Lyons noted the bike handles like a machine that weighs significantly less than it does, with instant torque delivery from zero RPM giving the tracker a lively character on the move. The absence of mechanical noise also sharpens the rider's perception of the road surface and surroundings, a quality that experienced riders describe as both disorienting and addictive.
Electric Custom Motorcycles: A Growing Field
The XU Tracker proves that custom electric motorcycles can carry the same visual weight and emotional appeal as their combustion counterparts when the builder treats the blank canvas as an opportunity rather than a constraint. As more builders take on electric bases, the category is expanding rapidly. Explore the full range of electric motorcycles at the Motorcycles collection at TheArsenale. For purpose-built electric machines that bring the same performance focus to a production context, the Tarform Luna electric motorcycle and the Essence E-Raw Signature electric motorcycle are worth examining closely. The Dab 1 TheArsenale Edition electric motorcycle represents a further evolution of what a design-led electric build can look like.
Photo credits: Bike EXIF. External references: Colt Wrangler Zero XU Tracker build story (Bike EXIF) and Colt Wrangler Customs builder profile (Return of the Cafe Racers).
