Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[stevenh]

Interesting.  When did you get the letter?  I never saw one.

Steve

[Tater McTatums]

I also never received any letter from Zero.

[Fred]

I got it a couple of weeks ago. I can scan and post it, but it just says the same as has been stated here. (My bike is a 2016 FXS that I only bought​ recently.)

[Tater McTatums]

More than likely, it's a consequence of keeping your bike in storage. It could be as simple as some electrical contracts becoming tarnished or slightly corroded from lack of use. I'd try twisting the throttle with the power off lots of times to give it some use. Put the kickstand up and down, use the brakes. Anything with a switch or contact might just need easing up a bit to get it working properly.  Try spraying a bit of WD40 where it might help too.

I agree that being in storage is most likely the cause of my issue but I don't believe it was a hardware malfunction.  Best I could tell, everything was working like it was supposed to. For example, the "ready to go" light would turn on and off based on the position of the kickstand.  The throttle worked fine on the way there and, once I got the bike to respond to my commands, worked fine the whole way home.  I believe my issue was software related but I couldn't tell you exactly how.  The way I got it to move again was a mixture of plugging and unplugging the bike in combination with turning the bike on and off.  Essentially, I tricked the bike into working like it should.

[protomech]

Charger turning off and on near full charge is normal. Regen "pulsing" hot off a charge is also normal.

Let it balance (leave it plugged in for a couple hours after a full charge), then go ride, rinse and repeat.

[MostlyBonkers]

Charger turning off and on near full charge is normal. Regen "pulsing" hot off a charge is also normal.

Let it balance (leave it plugged in for a couple hours after a full charge), then go ride, rinse and repeat.

Always listen to promotech.

Just another thought, I wonder if you managed to reset the BMS correctly? I've never done it, but your last comments around it being a software issue makes me think a reboot or the equivalent has to be worth a try. Resetting the BMS is the nearest I'm aware of.  Your bike has been fine for years with the same software on it, after all.

One really long shot is that somehow the firmware has got corrupted. Again, a reset could help, but the act of getting the firmware update might just fix an issue that could have cropped up with the way the original firmware was stored. Memory of all types can fail. That really is pushing it a bit and is only a suggestion to run by a qualified person. 

Another reason for suggesting a firmware upgrade is that it might cope better with certain parameters. You mentioned cell balance and your current firmware might be struggling with that a bit. New firmware might have some refinement that helps.

Do what promotech suggests first.  Everything he says makes a lot of sense. He's one of the rockstars on this forum.

[Kocho]

Just don't rinse

Do what promotech suggests first.  Everything he says makes a lot of sense.

[grmarks]

I am inclined to agree with MostlyBonkers that its from lack of use. But it may not be fixable by moving everything that moves, but its worth a try. Corrosion may have gotten into a wire joint some where and may need replacing.
The new storage instructions will result in more sell imbalance, but longer battery life. You just need to charge it as per the new instructions before the first ride of the summer. You also need to monitor battery SOC if its left for a long time.

[MostlyBonkers]

Just don't rinse

Do what promotech suggests first.  Everything he says makes a lot of sense.

Sorry Kocho, I didn't get that one. I pride myself on having a dirty mind too! To save further embarrassment, I'll ask a friend at work to explain.

Did you mean to say: don't forget to rinse? That would make more sense to me at least.  You don't know where those rockstars have been... ;-)

[MostlyBonkers]

I am inclined to agree with MostlyBonkers that its from lack of use. But it may not be fixable by moving everything that moves, but its worth a try. Corrosion may have gotten into a wire joint some where and may need replacing.
The new storage instructions will result in more sell imbalance, but longer battery life. You just need to charge it as per the new instructions before the first ride of the summer. You also need to monitor battery SOC if its left for a long time.

Yes, good point about wires and contacts. Moisture could be an issue too. Try leaving the bike outside on a dry day. Try and avoid direct sunlight hitting the battery compartment, but putting it out to dry could help. 

Also, don't forget that the cells are top balanced. It's strange that cell balance goes out after storage. One of the reasons why the advice was to leave the bike plugged in is that the BMS wakes up every 72 hours and should do any balancing that's required.  It might mean there's a glitch in the firmware, which could be resolved by an update.

I hope one of these suggestions works.  Next winter, I would leave the bike unplugged as per the new advice. Also make sure it's kept in a dry place that is well ventilated to avoid any condensation. High humidity doesn't help.

Have you thought about getting snow tyres and an Aerostitch so you can ride all year round? I'd hate to not be able to ride for months each year.

[hubert]

Always listen to promotech.

 
promotech is probably a guy promoting technology

protomech is probably a guy building mechanical prototypes....
 

[grmarks]

Just don't rinse

Do what promotech suggests first.  Everything he says makes a lot of sense.

Sorry Kocho, I didn't get that one. I pride myself on having a dirty mind too! To save further embarrassment, I'll ask a friend at work to explain.

Did you mean to say: don't forget to rinse? That would make more sense to me at least.  You don't know where those rockstars have been... ;-)

As I take it "rinse and repeate" is a reference to washing your hair - some thing ever one does right? Its a fun/slang way to say "repeate the process"

[Kocho]

Yup. But no hidden meaning - just getting a bike wet unnecessarily only increases the chance of problems. So I was aying "don't follow that part of the advice"...

[Shadow]

Yup. But no hidden meaning - just getting a bike wet unnecessarily only increases the chance of problems. So I was aying "don't follow that part of the advice"...

I found a new problem with a wet bike. The J1772 inlet filled with water and overnight in cold temperatures the water became a solid. This ice prevents a J1772 plug from inserting into the inlet. Five hours time in the sunshine was needed to melt the ice and allow a charging connection.

[NEW2elec]

Yeah other than doing an imitation of a gas pump and tank I see no reason to have that plug on top of the tank instead of the side of the bike some where.