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Messages - T.S. Zarathustra

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 13
1
General Discussion / Re: EV vs new ICE model ranges
« on: December 03, 2023, 03:20:51 AM »
This is partly caused by the desire to be able to advertise less weight. Partly to make packaging the fuel tank easier. Partly because latest bikes have amazing fuel economy, so range is less affected than many might think. Partly because in most places fuel stations are close to each other. Partly because people doing long daily distances are small part of motorcycle owners. Partly to make each refill cheaper.
Most Euro5 bikes (that I've been looking at) have 70-100+ mpg. 
One of my pet peeves. I hate to frequently be filling up the tank, constantly smelling of gasoline, always being on the lookout for gas stations, having to factor a refill into any ride over an hour.

2
Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / Re: Belt part number
« on: September 08, 2023, 11:37:26 PM »
The drive belt for your bike is a Gates GT Carbon, 14mm wide, 8mm pitch, 220 teeth.  I believe it's only available from Zero.

P/N's are 30-03673 ("Belt Drive, 220T, 8mm Pitch, 14mm Wide") and also 30-08084 (same belt w/new Zero logo).

Ray

Back in my RC days we would buy too wide belts and cut them lengthwise to get the right width. Or grind a mm or two of the side. Anything to continue playing.  :)
 Here is a belt that seems to have the same length and tooth profile. 20mm wide for 16 pounds, less than 3 pounds more for standard UK delivery. https://www.wychbearings.co.uk/1760-8m-20_timing_belt.html

Not that I'm planning on doing this for my Zero. Or wouch for the quality or suitability of this specific belt. Just pointing this out as a possible alternative for a daring and handy person.

3
Energica / Re: Tire TPMs (Tire Pressure Monitors)
« on: August 24, 2023, 01:47:49 AM »
I've used these screw on TPMS sensors in all my bikes since about 2015. They have never leaked. Pressure reading is accurate compared to my old gauge. Only issue I've ever had is the batteries in the senders running flat after about 30 thousand km. Now I replace the batteries in the senders when I replace the tires. Works perfect. I don't look at the display when riding, but it's reassuring to know I can confirm the pressure with just a glance. On one bike I got warning couple of times, display started flashing red with loud alarm, when temperature rose above set level.
On a scooter I felt a bit of unbalance after installing. Putting 5 gram glue-on weight on the opposite side fixed that.

4
Just sold my 27 hp Honda 250cc. Under 99% of circumstances I felt no need for more power. Sure, it was on the limit at 80 mph so freeways were not much fun. I prefer the backroads anyway. The wind at 80 mph is no fun either.  :)

5
Electric Motorcycle News / Re: Zero laying off 10% of work force
« on: August 20, 2023, 09:04:51 PM »
This was in the news recently.
"Electric motorcycle (e-bike) maker Zero Motorcycles has entered into a strategic manufacturing collaborating in the Philippines. Partnering with Integrated Micro-Electronics Incorporated (IMI), a division of the multi-faceted Ayala Corporation, assembly of Zero e-bikes is expected to begin in the second quarter 2023."
Also in the article. "The Laguna plant currently produces KTM motorcycles"

https://paultan.org/2023/03/30/2023-sees-zero-motorcycles-made-in-philippines/#

What surprises me is that apparently 10% of their workforce includes the whole production line. Makes me wonder how much they can really save by moving production elsewhere.

6
I'm pretty sure these are standard fans. You should be able to replace them cheaply with same dimension and cfm fans that have a thermal speed control built in.

7
Buy Sell Trade / Re: Nissan Leaf Cells
« on: February 17, 2023, 04:40:05 PM »
Why not try pitching it to any of the shops that replace batteries and want to keep a supply of these?
https://nissanleafbatteryreplacement.com/

I'm somewhat considering getting a leaf and it is important to have in my back pocket! Even that percentage would be pretty useful in my case. I just wish cars had a type of mode like EV bikes called LPR/Storage mode.
BTW, that's a lot of views.

Old cells like these are worthless for anything but recycling. They are not bad because they only have 60-70% of capacity left. They are bad because at that level they have high internal resistance, and high self discharge, and dendrites are close to short circuiting them. The expense of work required to put them into any sort of equipment far outweighs any gain.

That view count is "padded".

8
General Discussion / Re: Adaptive Cruise Control and 10" screens
« on: December 13, 2022, 07:01:43 PM »
I'd love to see Cruise Control (CC). On a ride-by-wire motorcycles it will add no noticeable weight. The only thing that has to be added is software and couple of buttons. Since lot of the software is written for many models, and most of the big bikes already have CC, it's only a question of enabling it. The code is dead simple anyway. If "speed = set speed" do nothing, if "speed < set speed" increase throttle, if "speed > set speed" decrease throttle. 
Distance sensing or radar will cost a bit extra, but they're not needed.
What annoys me is people who have never used CC on a motorcycle seem dead set against anyone else having it.

9
Buy Sell Trade / Re: Nissan Leaf Cells
« on: December 03, 2022, 05:06:07 PM »
Since you keep posting.
60-80% remaining capacity means the cells are beyond use. Cells with 80-90% remaining capacity are generally considered "due for replacement". They're only useful in very limited range of applications, since self discharge and internal resistance render them unreliable. 


10
Electric Motorcycle News / Re: KYMCO electric motorcycle concepts
« on: November 12, 2022, 10:40:21 PM »
They had the design ready four years ago. I say bring that to the market.

11
Here are some comments from Reddit owners:
2016 DSR. "I drive the bike daily for commute, about 100km/day and have it since sept 2016. Real range is about 110-130 km @ 100km/h and a lot more going slower. Didn't lose a mentionable amount of charge in all the years of ownership, maybe 2% or something. Odo is at 60.000km's now."

"I have a 2016 SR. Bought it 2 years ago with 27k miles and it’s at 32k now. The onboard charger died a few months ago. The previous owner didn’t mention getting a new charger so I presume it was the original.

Also, It will act up if left out when it’s really rainy for several days. Will refuse to start until it dries out which can take a couple of days. So based on my experience use a cover if it rains alot (unless you have covered parking) and budget for a possible charger replacement. Other than that it’s been a great bike. Battery is maybe 80% capacity compared to new? Hard to tell. I get about 60miles of range with mixed highway/city riding and I ride it hard."

"I had a 2015 S that had the controller fail the day after delivery and then the next year the charger died."

"I have a 2014 SR with 5,000+ miles and the bike is still going strong with the exception of a failing onboard 110v charger. It was purchased for $6K USD with an additional external charger and luggage included."

DSR BlackForest. "Motor: no moving parts other than the axis; good for a million km at least.
Battery: mine (DSR 14.4) is from 2018 with 26000 km and still no discernible drop in range.
Controllers: i can’t say, but from what I understand they are also relatively generic, so there’s a good chance of fixing or finding replacements.
DC/DC converter: this one is special. It will probably fail sooner or later, because Zero decided to use one that is not made for input voltages their battery supplies, but is replaceable with a better one for a few 100€ (cheaper than the OEM)
Charger(s): I cannot say. Mine are both fine and there is a relatively large after market offering."


12
General Discussion / Re: Newby seeking advice
« on: October 08, 2022, 07:05:25 PM »
48 volt motor is on the lower end for a motorcycle that needs to keep up with traffic. Great for a much lighter and slower bicycle though. Personally I prefer AC induction motor. Whichever motor you choose you need appropriate motor controller.

Almost all modern electric vehicles use on of the seven major chemistries of Lithium Ion cells. Some have great energy density, meaning you can put lot of energy into a small space. Some have long life and many charge/discharge cycles. Whichever battery you choose you need appropriate battery controller.

Building a electric vehicle is a balancing act. Speed, Distance, low Cost. Pick any two. This is something you cannot realistically ask strangers to do for you. Just read, read, read, read and read and then make your decision.

13
Don't forget that the entire the 2012 S and DS production was recalled by Zero in 2018 due to the possibility of catching fire when being recharged. That was why I gave my daughter my 2014 model when her 2012 S was recalled and bought back by Zero.

Lot of bikes of that age, that come for sale here, mention having an updated (bigger) battery as some sort of special upgrade offer from Zero.

14
There should now be enough Zero motorcycles that have passed (or are about to pass) the 10 year mark, that there should be lot of real life experience on how long the bikes and specially batteries really last in the real world. I'm mostly interested in status of 2010-2015 models.

If you have one and regularly use it:
What's your range?
What's the discharge curve like? (linear, goes from nearly full to empty in 10 miles, shows half a charge after 10 miles but can ride for a long time)
How long does it take to charge?
What have been your biggest issues?
What year is your bike?

Please share also if you've had zero issues.

Edit. I'm not writing a report or anything. I'm interested in actual real life feasibility (range, cost, reliability, maintenance, etc) of owning (or purchasing) battery equipped motorcycles long term for general users.

15
There should now be enough Zero motorcycles that have passed (or are about to pass) the 10 year mark, that there should be lot of real life experience on how long the bikes and specially batteries really last in the real world. I'm mostly interested in status of 2010-2015 models.

If you have one and regularly use it:
What's your range?
What's the discharge curve like? (linear, goes from nearly full to empty in 10 miles, shows half a charge after 10 miles but can ride for a long time)
How long does it take to charge?
What have been your biggest issues?
What year is your bike?

Please share also if you've had zero issues.

Edit. I thought I had deleted this post in General Discussions before I made identical one in the "Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2012 and older". My apologies, I didn't mean to post it twice.

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