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[2014ZeroSR]

It’s Dangerous out There

Here’s some info on how well a Zero, my SR, survived.

My bike was hit from behind a few weeks back somewhat north of San Francisco.
Big question is - How well did the bike survive?
The bike ended up on it’s right side.

After surveying the aftermath, my initial belief is - The bike survived quite well with mostly minor, easy-to-fix issues.
The bike is currently at an approved dealer for a crash assessment.
When advised of what the real damage is, I’ll post it.
+++++
14 SR configuration:
[1] Power tank.
[2] Givi top box and side cases from Zer.o
[3] Tires, front/rear, about 5k miles on both - Michelin Pilot Street Radial Rear Tire.
[4] Total weight including rider/equipment - 700 lbs approx (320 kg).
+++++
Circumstances leading up to impact:
[1] Time of day - high noon.
[2] Nice warm sunny day.
[3] City streets, dry, perfect, speed limit = 35 mph (56 kph).
[4] Full faced helmet worn: time to replace it. Damage - face shield badly scratched.
[5] Riding Jacket: high Vis Yellow
[6] Gloves - no damage.
[7] Fully stopped for pedestrians.
[8] Hammered from behind, likely a straight on hit to the rear.
[9] Other vehicle - Big SUV, approx 4900 lbs (2222 kgs).
[10] Their speed, approx 25 miles/hr (40 kph), so I was told.
+++++
My Initial look-see damage:
[1] Rear - fender snapped, both turn signals broken, license plate still attached to the snapped part
[2] Tail light survived, no visible damage.
[3] Top box latch broke off, no scratches on the box.
[4] Right side bag moderately scratched. It held up well, likely prevented any real bike damage.
[5] Right rider foot peg broken off.
[6] Rear foot brake lever, might be bent inward a bit.
[7] Right battery cosmetic cover (held on by 3 screws?), about a 2 inch crack towards the bottom.
[8] Right mirror - cracked badly.
[9] Right mirror holder, badly scuffed.
[10] Front brake fluid reservoir - scuffed badly, probably somewhat bent.
[11] Front right turn signal - assembly broken.
[12] Rear tire - tread, extreme cuts several places. Tire still holding 32psi.
[13] Throttle grip - damaged. Throttle response feels fine.
[14] Forks - might be tweaked a bit.
[15] Note: Rear wheel assembly - quick look see showed the wheel axle was still aligned. I think the both adjusters probably prevent it from misalignment.
+++++
Thought - If the bike is still live (key on), and someone picks it up,
it could spell disaster. Just imagine, as it’s picked up, the
throttle goes full max. Can’t you just see it launch with the
bike being further damaged. Worse yet, maybe others would be
needlessly injured. I was awake just as someone started to pick
the bike up and yelled out to turn the key off. Here’s an
A123 Killacycle clip that highlights what could happen:
Titled ‘Electric Motorcycle Crash, URL 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o15EALghp0.

Question - Was the accident preventable? No. I reviewed the
helmet cam footage numerous times. I was doing everything right.
Just as I stopped, I checked the rear mirrors. Nothing unusual
noticed. Positioned correctly, etc.

Currently waiting on the accident report to see what the other
driver said as to the why(s).

[PhreaK]

Good to hear you're ok. If if there is a little more damage to the bike than the initial inspection revealed, remember, bikes are replaceable, people aren't.

Good points on the potential danger of picking up an active Zero. IIRC there was someone here who burnt a hole in their leg with the rear tire when they picked up a downed DS. Could be a nice feature to see future models fitted with a mems sensor to help identify a situation where the bike was downed and cut power. Super cheap components and would be relatively straight forward to implement. The same componentry could also be used for an alarm similar to whats in the Motogadget M-Unit's.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

That's terrible! I'm glad you're okay. Good luck with the insurance arrangements and healing. Thankfully, getting rear-ended while stopped legally for pedestrians leaves you blameless.

The bike sounds like it's pretty sturdy, although the main question will resolve around the forks and the frame. I wonder: if the bike is totaled, maybe the battery might not be.

[Richard230]

I have a similar tale that occurred at 11 am today.  Fortunately, I managed (due to sheer luck) to avoid 2014ZeroSR's nasty accident.  Here is my tale:

On the way home from Alice's Restaurant today I rode down Highway 84 heading westbound toward the coast and just about 1/2 mile east of La Honda I came around a sharp corner to find myself halted by a few cars, a couple of motorcycles and lots of CHP. In front of us, blocking the way, was a very large, fat, all-white cow lying across the entire westbound lane. It is a real mystery to me how that cow could have gotten there as there are no ranches within miles of that location. Plus there is a steep hillside to the right and a wooded creek at the left. The cow was facing the hillside so I guess it must have come out of the creek. Fortunately, the cops were letting us by in the opposite lane, but while we were waiting for the opposite traffic to clear, I and a couple of other riders almost got taken out by a fast-moving bright-red old Ford Bronco that came around the corner and saw us just in time to slam on its brakes, lock up its wheels in a big cloud of smoke, spin completely around, ending up facing the wrong way about 10 feet behind me. The driver then turn around in a circle, back-up in the opposite lane before getting straightened out, finally getting back into the correct lane and stopped behind us, this time with the front of the Bronco facing in the correct direction. Needless to say all of that drama caught the attention of the CHP and just as they let us pass the cow (and avoid possibly getting rear-ended again) a CHP SUV turned on its lights and headed for the red Bronco, no doubt thinking about several vehicle code violations that he could write up to make his quota today. Unfortunately, I was not at the scene of the cow collapse long enough to get out my camera and take a photograph of the road cow. Interestingly, I saw no blood nor did I see any smashed-up vehicle that might have hit the cow. Probably the cow was a victim of a hit-and-run driver, or it just fell asleep on the road from boredom. You just never know what will happen next on a Sunday morning ride in the Santa Cruz Mountains and you really have to watch those hairpin, blind, highway mountain curves. 

[2014ZeroSR]

Thanks to all for the kind words and thoughts.

Phreak - '... an active Zero.", that's an excellent description.

BrainTRice - '... if the bike is totaled, ..." - unlikely.
If totaled, Can you say 2016 SR? The SR is addicting. I now miss the high jet engine type whine.
You asked about the battery. Battery - 11k on the bike, total capacity has remained constant at 13.1 kw (approx).

Richard - Maybe this type of event is strictly a California thing.
ER visits are not fun. Good to hear, your day ended on a high note.

Request - Anyone good with numbers/formulas? Maybe the impact force could be posted.
Numbers to use - 700 lbs stationary with front brake fully activated, 4900 lbs in motion at 25 mph??

After reviewing my original post, I wonder if the complete rear wheel assembly might be replaced as it took a heavy shot.
I remember hearing an extremely loud explosion. Review of the footage confirmed how violent the impact was.

Ride to Live, Live to Ride
I wonder what the origin is?  Harley advertising?

[PhreaK]

If you convert those units over to a functional unit system that you can actually do math with, given E_k = 0.5·m·v², that SUV would have been carrying around ~139kJ of kinetic energy. Without knowing all the other factors (how much of that it could dissipate through it's breaking system, how far you moved, impact to the cars crumple zone, if it was acceleration or decelerating etc) you don't quite have enough data to calculate force applied to the bike. If you were to take a ridiculously simplified approach to the scenario though and say it came to a complete stop over 10 meters, that's ~13.89kN of force that would have been shared between the car (mostly) and your bike / you. Regardless, you're familiar with the outcomes.

* Disclaimer: all math above could be completely wrong. Never trust what you read from random people on the internet.

[evdjerome]

Hey 2014ZeroSR:
Man that sounds scary. Good to hear you survived. And thanks for sharing the information concerning your bike.

Do you mind sharing what kind of helmet cam you have? After being nearly hit enough times I feel it would be wise to invest in one.

-Jerome

[2014ZeroSR]

PhreaK - Thanks for working the numbers.
I had no idea so many variables were required.
+++++

evdjerome - Helmet cam, I use a Contour Roam.
The Roam is a bit old, thus no longer offered.
I prefer the form factor of Coutour vs GoPro.

Contour Roam cons -
[1] No date/time stamp. I always say the date/time just as I begin.
[2] It doesn't loop. When the card is full, no more recording.
[3] Remaining battery level - none.
[4] SD card free space indicator - none.
[3] Darkness - horrible footage.

On Youtube, TechMoan did an excellent review of the newer Contour models.
I just searched for 'Techmoan Contour', it popped right up.
He has reviewed many different cameras to include GoPro.
+++++

Offer - For those that wish to view the event,
I'll e-mail a copy to them (Size = 6.774 kb, 9 second clip).
Posting it, no idea how to do it.

Some humor for a title - Crunch Time, The Big Hit, Impact City, (others?)
+++++

evdjerome - I almost forgot: Cam footage - get home, copy to your computer.
Maybe use Windows Movie Maker (freeware) to keep what you want vice the whole clip.
A player that seems to work well is VLC (freeware). It seems to play everything.
+++++

[Erasmo]

I can upload it for you if you want me to.

I'm also a big fan of the Contour Roam. It has a big old record button you can easily use with even the biggest gloves on and it beeps when you hit record so you know that i's working. Also the frontal surface is quite low so you don't have the massive drag of a GoPro.

Loopback and such are nice but with the current memory prices you don't really need that. After your ride, plug it in the computer, hit delete if nothing happened or extract the video of your liking if somethind

[hein]

Oh darn. Hope it all ends well.

>> Question - Was the accident preventable?

Probably not.
You can't fix stupid (person behind you)

Do you think the EV angle played possibly a role, allowing rapid deceleration with Regeneration?
May we assume the brake-light was on?

Ever looked at Vololights?

Hein.

 

[2014ZeroSR]

Update


Thanks to Erasmo for uploading the 9 second clip.
~~~~~
Bike shop report - no answer yet.
Accident report - still waiting on it.
~~~~~
Hein: You're right - You can't fix their stupidity.
Protecting the bike, it's only preventable if the driver isn't sightseeing as happened this time.
EV's and silence - I've always wondered about that.

Vololights - good idea/choice.
When the bike is returned: Givi Side bag improvement - I've decided to add a large 6 inch LED taillight/stoplight to each.
~~~~~
Regeneration: I normally ride with 'Custom' as I did on the 'event' day.
Custom setting - Regen = 0%, Torque = 30%, Top Speed = 60 mph.
Regen = 0%  --  Didn't Richard provide suggest this for conservation over ECO?
Why 60mph - I'd rather not provide my autograph to CHP.
~~~~~

[pluto]

Rear foot brake lever, might be bent inward a bit.

Check that it didn't put a dent in the frame if it did bend. I see this as a design flaw.

[grmarks]

Rear foot brake lever, might be bent inward a bit.

Check that it didn't put a dent in the frame if it did bend. I see this as a design flaw.

seriously? It's a bike not a tank.

[grmarks]

Check that it didn't put a dent in the frame if it did bend. I see this as a design flaw.

Looking at my SR I am wondering, the alternative is to have the brake lever bend, missing the frame, and puncturing the battery instead causing an explosion?
Or are you suggesting that the brake lever should be un-bendable, no matter what?

 

[steven_first]

Rear foot brake lever, might be bent inward a bit.

Check that it didn't put a dent in the frame if it did bend. I see this as a design flaw.

If a dent in a frame happens from being impacted by an SUV at 25 miles per hour is considered a design flaw in your book then you either know a lot about building crazy strong aluminum motorcycle frames or you are delusional.  I am going to assume number 2 on that one.  Feel free to correct me on that.