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Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2012 and older => Topic started by: ZeroSinMA on September 04, 2012, 12:21:23 AM

Title: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: ZeroSinMA on September 04, 2012, 12:21:23 AM
New poll to see how many more 2012 S and DS owners have experienced stalling or power loss problems.
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Richard230 on September 04, 2012, 03:11:51 AM
But for me it was only one time at 2000 miles and it has not returned during the past 300 miles.  I know, I know, I am just asking for trouble by feeling smug about not having the same continuing glitches that others are experiencing.  The fact that the problem doesn't seem to be following any pattern that I can see is really driving me nuts.  You would think that once something happens to cause the glitch, it would keep happening and not disappear for a while.   ???  No matter if it is a software issue or a component failure, you would think that it would reoccur under specific conditions, or would follow some sort of a pattern.  All I can say is that it is a good thing that Wes didn't suffer the glitch while riding on the freeway during his test ride of the Zero.   :'(
Title: Re: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: CliC on September 04, 2012, 08:58:53 AM
None here yet, but I'm not even at a thousand miles, and won't be anytime soon now that a job change moved my workplace beyond the bike's range. I'm waiting for a definitive fix so I can hopefully get every outstanding and known potential issue with the bike addressed in one trip to the dealer (200 miles away).
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Richard230 on September 04, 2012, 08:51:17 PM
Seven replies does not make much of a sample.   ???

I get the feeling that we need more Zero owners to be represented on this forum.  I hear they have sold at least a couple of hundred 2012 models, you would think that their owners would want to share their experiences with the bikes.  We need more members!   ;)
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: ZeroSinMA on September 04, 2012, 10:34:18 PM
Seven replies does not make much of a sample.   ???

I get the feeling that we need more Zero owners to be represented on this forum.  I hear they have sold at least a couple of hundred 2012 models, you would think that their owners would want to share their experiences with the bikes.  We need more members!   ;)

I agree. Before I bought my first Zero in 2011 I spent many hours here reading comments. Can't imagine buying any product without reading TripAdvisor type independent comments from owners.

As far as I know this is the most active Zero forum, so it's not like the other 200+ Zero owners are on some other forum.

That said, a typical lurker/poster ratio for any forum is something like 10:1. There are, what, a dozen active posters here and a few dozen lurkers? At the moment the forum indicates 110 views of this thread but I don't think that's unique views but initial plus repeat views.

We need more members total and more members to chime in.

Such as by voting in this poll  ::)

The other problem with a poll like this is that owners who are having problems are more likely to come here and vote than owners who are not having issues.

"Hi. I've come here to not complain about the problems I'm not having with my Zero."  ;D
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Richard230 on September 05, 2012, 02:44:05 AM
Well, I just had another stalling problem today. This was not the "normal" "glitch".  It was what happened to me a couple of weeks ago, when I first started my bike up in the morning and it only went a foot before shutting down.  This time I had been riding on an expressway in "sport" mode and came to a signalized intersection that I knew would take a while to turn green. So, since I was entering a area with a lot of intersections, I decided to turn my ignition off, switch to "eco" mode and turn it back on.  A minute later the light turned green and I took off - about 3 feet then the power cut off without any noise, vibration or warning, and left me stranded in the intersection.  Fortunately, the bike is easy to push, so I quickly pushed it across the intersection, re-booted and continued on my way for the rest of my 20-mile ride without any further incidents. 

This reminds me of the two stalling issues that I had when my bike was new, but then the power cut out when stopped, not after moving a few feet.  Now what is going on?   ???
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: ZeroSinMA on September 05, 2012, 03:26:22 AM
The Zero S/DS manual says, "The performance level is a two position switch that toggles between Eco and Sport. To select either of
the switch positions, the motorcycle must be stopped and the key switch in the OFF position."

Does anyone know why the bike is supposed to be turned off before the Eco/Sport switch position is changed?

I know I've inadvertently changed between modes without turning the bike off so it can be done.

Does this cause some kind of damage?
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Richard230 on September 05, 2012, 04:23:38 AM
The Zero S/DS manual says, "The performance level is a two position switch that toggles between Eco and Sport. To select either of
the switch positions, the motorcycle must be stopped and the key switch in the OFF position."

Does anyone know why the bike is supposed to be turned off before the Eco/Sport switch position is changed?

I know I've inadvertently changed between modes without turning the bike off so it can be done.

Does this cause some kind of damage?

I have no idea, but I have always switched off the ignition before switching modes - just to be safe.  I also had been using the kill switch every time I shut down the motor, just because the owner's manual said that is what I should do.  Plus, that is what I had to do with my GPR-S bikes in order for them to start up after turning on the ignition switch.  After forgetting to use my Zero's kill switch a few times, I now believe that it is a recommended "safety feature" just to make sure that you go through an extra step to make sure that you know the ignition is "hot" and you are ready to ride off.  I don't think it is necessary.  So maybe turning off the ignition before switching between modes is the same sort of precautionary advice.   ???
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: protomech on September 05, 2012, 04:47:20 AM
A minute later the light turned green and I took off - about 3 feet then the power cut off without any noise, vibration or warning, and left me stranded in the intersection.

Sounds just like one of the manifestations of the glitch the rest of us have been seeing.

You shouldn't have posted on the forums that you weren't affected. Bad juju : |
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: ZeroSinMA on September 09, 2012, 11:35:35 PM
Bumping.

Really? Only 11 votes out of 200 views? C'mon, folks. Won't jinx ya ;D
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Richard230 on September 10, 2012, 02:42:37 AM
Bumping.

Really? Only 11 votes out of 200 views? C'mon, folks. Won't jinx ya ;D

It does make you wonder?   ???
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: flexydude on September 12, 2012, 12:12:44 AM
I just found this forum and i'm interested that others have had the same stalling problem. Mine started at around 3000 miles. I work at the airport so my first thought was em interference because it would lose power in the same spot every night for 2 weeks, then friday it shut off completely and wouldn't go again. I had to push it a half mile to find a pay phone on the south side of tucson. since the nearest dealer is an 8 hour drive away zero is sending a crate and truck to ship the bike back to the plant for repair, so I'm without my 15000$ bike for at least 2 weeks. Is anyone else also having problems with the crappy plastic breaking? and the little pushpin fastners are garbage, I've been replacing then with screws and nuts as they break.
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: Electric Terry on September 12, 2012, 12:34:24 AM
I just found this forum and i'm interested that others have had the same stalling problem. Mine started at around 3000 miles. I work at the airport so my first thought was em interference because it would lose power in the same spot every night for 2 weeks, then friday it shut off completely and wouldn't go again. I had to push it a half mile to find a pay phone on the south side of tucson. since the nearest dealer is an 8 hour drive away zero is sending a crate and truck to ship the bike back to the plant for repair, so I'm without my 15000$ bike for at least 2 weeks. Is anyone else also having problems with the crappy plastic breaking? and the little pushpin fastners are garbage, I've been replacing then with screws and nuts as they break.

I took all my plastic off to make room for more chargers so I haven't noticed the plastic breaking.  It's ashame they have to ship the bike back in a crate, the issue as the bikes seem to get after 2-3k miles can be fixed with a simple recalibration.  It can hold for another 2-3k miles perhaps, but sometimes as little as 100-150 as I have noticed.  Actually this go round I have almost 300 miles since my last recal and it has run great every mile (minus one recent battery fuel gauge glitch that i haven't figured out yet).

I don't know if the fault lies in the motor encoder, or in the eeprom in the controller.  I know a known good motor was put in one of the forum member bikes that had the issue at zero and it ended up not fixing it for long, so unless the very unlikely chance that a good motor just went bad that quickly, im thinking the controller is the source after numerous thermal cycles as it gets confused on what position the motor is in.  I'm hoping to test that theory with a 50% larger thermal mass controller very soon, although I'm going to wait until the glitch returns on my bike at least one more time.  Because it has had a long stretch of running good, and now that I carry my cable and laptop with me to recalibrate anywhere, of course it runs fine.   
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: wainair on September 14, 2012, 09:01:44 PM
I don't own a Zero yet so I was responsible for a view without a vote. You should have included a tab so we could vote to see the results without effecting the results for we curious not Zero owning readers. A "just looking" button!
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: dahlheim on September 15, 2012, 06:54:45 AM
also lurking here.  very interested potential buyer in western colorado.
Title: Re: Poll re 2012 Zero S and DS owners stalling and/or power loss
Post by: ZeroSinMA on September 15, 2012, 07:33:09 AM
also lurking here.  very interested potential buyer in western colorado.

As an owner of 2 zeros with no glitches in 1000s  of miles I still worry because of the 'glitch' posts here. Not rational if you take into account the total number of zero customers based on serial numbers.. we're talking about 1 in 10 or less. But if a product is gonna screw up.... trust me... It'll screw up on me!

Very encouraging news today http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=1964.270 (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=1964.270)