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[2020_SRS_Commuter]

I commute in Florida where the temperature is often over 90F. My outbound commute is at the hottest part of the day.

The route I take is about 15 miles of 60mph light traffic roads, and 15 miles of a highway where my speed averages 90-110mph almost the whole way.

By the time I exit the highway, most of the time the thermal limiting is on. No regen, limited acceleration. (I have all the power settings at 100% so that is a BIG difference and a big disappointment )

I noticed there really isn't a path for airflow to the motor. What looks like a duct underneath leading to the motor is actually stuffed full with a module and a bunch of cables, and the front of that bay doesn't have much of an opening for airflow anyway. They are wholly relying on natural radiant convection and whatever air may buffet through over the motor while you are riding.

So... I bought an oil cooler fan off of Amazon for about 20 dollars, connected it to the "approved" 12v accessory plug right over the motor, mounted it over the motor, and made a little shroud around the fan to duct the air. When you turn the bike on, it runs. That's it.

Except for the zip ties, I think it looks OEM. The difference in airflow is tremendous. It does make some noise but I don't care. The ad said it uses 80W, but I didn't measure.

[Frank]

Do you know yet how well it works?

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

[NEW2elec]

Back in 2011 they used a hose and fan for cooling and then dropped it.

From the 2011 DS manual on page 2.5:

2-5AZ-Force Air Induction System
The  air  induction  system  is  a  compact  forced  air delivery  system.  It  consists  of  a  powerful  fan  motor(A)  located  under  the  rear  fender.The  fan  is  connected  to  the  motor  by  means  of  a flexible  duct.  The  system  allows  the  motor  to  run cooler  and  increase  power  by  efficiently  moving  air  through  the  motor  core.  The  fan  will  turn  on  briefly when  the  key  switch  is  first  turned  on.  The  fan  is automatically  controlled  by  the  motorcycle  control  unit and  will  turn  on  as  the  motor  temperature  increases.In  the  unlikely  event  that  you  exceed  the  motorcycle’s performance  capabilities,  the  motor  temperature warning  system  will  activate.  See  Motor  TemperatureIndicator  on  page  6-8

You can see setup by searching 2011 Zero DS manual.

Also I think the SRS front air scoop is for the controler that is now under the bike.

[2020_SRS_Commuter]

Do you know yet how well it works?

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

No. My next work day is tomorrow; that's the real test.  Riding around the neighborhood to test it the temp didn't rise at all.

[2020_SRS_Commuter]

Back in 2011 they used a hose and fan for cooling and then dropped it.

From the 2011 DS manual on page 2.5:

2-5AZ-Force Air Induction System
The  air  induction  system  is  a  compact  forced  air delivery  system.  It  consists  of  a  powerful  fan  motor(A)  located  under  the  rear  fender.The  fan  is  connected  to  the  motor  by  means  of  a flexible  duct.  The  system  allows  the  motor  to  run cooler  and  increase  power  by  efficiently  moving  air  through  the  motor  core.  The  fan  will  turn  on  briefly when  the  key  switch  is  first  turned  on.  The  fan  is automatically  controlled  by  the  motorcycle  control  unit and  will  turn  on  as  the  motor  temperature  increases.In  the  unlikely  event  that  you  exceed  the  motorcycle’s performance  capabilities,  the  motor  temperature warning  system  will  activate.  See  Motor  TemperatureIndicator  on  page  6-8

You can see setup by searching 2011 Zero DS manual.

Also I think the SRS front air scoop is for the controler that is now under the bike.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an option or standard of this in the future. When I'm riding I use full power quite often. Stoplight drags probably aren't a thermal aggravator. but sustained high speeds just kills it. Stock, its not built for that AT ALL. 10 minutes and it wants to pack it in and slow down. I use 60-70% of battery charge over a period of about 30 minutes. There are chargers in my work's parking lot, so its not a problem. Frankly I should have bought an EVA but cant afford it.

In their defense in 1300 miles I've not returned to the dealer yet for the "Commissioning" motor check and I guess its possible some adjustment there might lower temps.
 

[NEW2elec]

You are flogging that thing but I know it's fun.
Like you say long fast stretches just isn't what the bike was made for.  Matter of fact I'd say go Ego over an Eva for your style of FL riding but all three are nice bikes.

My understanding is the "Commissioning" only checks to make sure the motor encoder is still working as it should.  No thermal effect at all.

[Crissa]

If the coder was slightly off, it would create more heat than necessary.  (Tesla does this intentionally in software to create waste heat to condition the battery system when it needs it.)

-Crissa

[2020_SRS_Commuter]

To follow up, the results are:
1) It sounds like I'm riding a vacuum cleaner.
2) The "approved" accessory 12V turns on when the charging plug is put in, so I will have to add a switch to turn it off during charging.
3) It works well, but can be overcome. I rode to work deliberately harder than usual... 100-124mph on the highway today in 85F and used 60% battery over 18 miles. At the end, it was overheated again. But with just a minimum of restraint it WILL keep the motor from overheating. ( I was doing things like 20 second bursts of full power 124mph runs. ) I had to really really wail on it to get the temperature up to the limit.

[NEW2elec]

Glad to hear it's working for you.

I'm wondering if you'll be meeting new people in law enforcement soon but that's your business.

The 12V source your talking about is that the car type plug (cigarette lighter to us older folks) or a little connector under the seat?

[2020_SRS_Commuter]

The little connector under the seat. A blue and black wire to that sort of standard 12v 2 pin plug you see so often on motorcycles, lawn equipment and such.

Did not expect it to energize when connecting the bike to a charger but that's what it does. The manual says there is another "approved" connector near the handlebars, but I have not yet looked for that one.

Anything can happen, but I've been riding the same route 5 days a week for over 10 years now and never got a ticket.

[karlh]

The manual says there is another "approved" connector near the handlebars, but I have not yet looked for that one.

The front accessory connector uses a Sumitomo plug and is hidden under the bodywork near the headstock.  It's impossible to find without removing some of the bodywork.  My dealer showed it to me when he installed my Power Tank.

[2020_SRS_Commuter]

The manual says there is another "approved" connector near the handlebars, but I have not yet looked for that one.

The front accessory connector uses a Sumitomo plug and is hidden under the bodywork near the headstock.  It's impossible to find without removing some of the bodywork.  My dealer showed it to me when he installed my Power Tank.

That's good to know. Thanks!