ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

Hi all,

My 2014 zero S has died again. It was parked, unplugged. I wasn't riding it because I am recovering from a bicycle accident. I noticed that the dash is flashing (no backlight) even with the key not in and turned on!

Tried plugging/unplugging the cord to the power outlet, turning kill switch or key on and off, made no difference.
The contactor doesn't click at all, and I know that the contactor is not stuck on because my voltmeter shows no voltage across the DC power leads.

No LEDs on at all in the BMS window, and resetting BMS button makes no difference.

I tried replacing the BMS 4Amp fuse, and the flashing dash went away.
However, as soon as I *either* turn the key on, or if I plug in the power cord to the charger, the dash immediately starts flashing again and gets stuck that way until I pull the fuse again. Also still no contactor click.

I'm out of warranty on the bike and I'm broke now that I'm in school, so taking it to the dealer is the last resort.

Apparently other people with this symptom had it with a dead charger? Should I consider trying to disconnect the OEM charger? It was already replaced once under warranty...

Hello,
I am wondering if anyone has information regarding the different part numbers for the 2013-2014 rear shocks.

The unofficial zero manual indicates that the 2013-2014 model S uses the same shock (FastAce BDA58RC), however I have seen part numbers 22-04781 and 22-06861.

Similarly, the 2013-2014 model DS uses FastAce BFA57RC, however I've seen Zero part numbers 22-04782 and 22-06108.

Does anyone know if they 2013/2014 units were sent out with a different spring rate? Or possibly a newer hardware revision of the same FastAce shock model?

Hi all,
I had a saddlebag mounting bracket break loose and punch a hole in the reservoir chamber of my FastAce shock on my 2014 model S. No more gas pressure, and dampening obviously doesn't work much anymore.

As a temporary measure I tried out the Wotefusi shock listed in the aftermarket options in the Unofficial Manual, but it is completely unusable as is -- weak spring, almost no dampening, not really adjustable, and it bottoms out riding over the slightest bump in the road (and I'm a skinny guy).

So I need to rebuild my FastAce shock. I can't find any replacement parts for the FastAce shock, so I will try to repair the reservoir chamber and see if I can get it to hold pressure.

Does anyone have specifications for the weight/type/volume of oil  for the stock FastAce shock?
Or the Nitrogen pressure that it uses by default?

Google has failed me.

The needle-type gas fill port annoys me, so I will probably change that to Shrader as well while I'm at it.

Hi all,

I am considering adding a steering damper to my 2014 model S, due to very bad roads here and some bad wobbles that I have (thankfully very rarely) experienced. Has anyone added some sort of universal steering damper to a model S that they like? If so, what kinds of modifications were necessary to install?

Hi all, I was riding my Zero and then suddenly notice I have no working headlight, turn signals, horn, running lights, backlight for the dash, accessory power, etc.

I didn't have tools with me to check fuses or anything, but looking at Burton's 2013 schematic, since all of those things are on different fuses, for them to all fail simultaneously seems to imply that the Dc-dc converter died.

I'll post more when I can confirm the problem, but have others had similar problems? Kind of a scary thing to have happen at night.

Hello all,

As I (and others) have expressed frustration because of inaccuracy of range estimates, % battery remaining display, etc when driving on road trips, I decided to finally install a voltmeter. Three times now I had either 20-30 miles of range or 10-25% estimated battery remaining, only to have it very quickly die, and have the battery show 0% or 2% when I turned it back on, and have to push the bike a couple of miles until I could arrive where there is electricity. I wonder if heat makes these measurements less accurate?

Or I have seen 96 volts with my voltmeter and the console still thinks many miles remain. (And yes, I checked, cell balance is <5mV)

So, I purchased a DROK waterproof 150VDC voltmeter, project box, small fuse holder, crimp rings, etc, and added a voltmeter to my handlebars. It is very bright at night, and still visible daytime. When riding, voltage appears to lower only 1-2volts versus resting (no-throttle) voltage. I have used it now only a few days, but very pleased so far, as it has already once saved me from a mistake (and possibly pushing the bike again). Until there are charging stations absolutely everywhere, I feel that a voltmeter is absolute requirement if wanting to ever explore on the motorcycle.

Steps: Used dremel to drill drain holes in corners of project box case, cut rectangle in lid for voltmeter, snapped voltmeter in, secured with hot glue gun, cut slits in project case for pipe clamp steel band.
Crimped ring connectors onto spare 14AWG wire and small fuseholder, added heat shrink and dielectric grease and wire protector sleaves, pull wire under tank, bolt wire rings onto DC side of motor controller under seat (be extra sure that there is no voltage between B+ and B-), zip ties to secure all.
Wrapped handlebar in cut pieces of bicycle inner tube rubber, attached project box, connected wires to voltmeter, again used dielectric grease on connections.

Warning: voltmeter has no protection against reverse polarity. Be sure to double check +/- .

The project box has several holes where moisture can enter (and drip out), but both the wires and the voltmeter should be ok. We will see how long it lasts. It is not pretty, but it was inexpensive and quick.

Does anyone have available a chart to correlate % State of Charge with voltage? I have my own numbers, but I want to see if this is accurate.

Hello all,
Some time ago I added to my bike an additional charging cable and plug for quick charging:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=7111.0

And it worked for a while, but then the cheap fuse holder melted, as Terry predicted. So finally I replaced it with a proper fuse, and took a few photos as well.

I also did not like that in the cheap fuse holder there was only a set screw to hold the wire. I also crimped new ring terminals for this replacement fuse.

The fuse is 100Amp, Littelfuse JLLS-100, Mouser part # 576-JLLS100.V
Bolted it to new 4AWG 5/16" ring terminals (Mouser part# 538-19221-0231) with lock washer. Then, because it is uninsulated, I applied many layers from a hot glue gun to cover any sharp edges, and then wrapped several layers of electrical tape, and finally added heat shrink tubing and zip ties to be sure that electrical tape does not unravel when hot. She is ugly, but works.

If for some reason I must replace the fuse, a knife will cut through the glue easily.