I own a 2011 zero mx and I drove quite happily for the last 1500 km but I'm noticing that the capacity is a bit lacking....
sure the weather is cold +5 degrees Celsius but today had had to push the last meters with one bar showing on the "fuel"
gauge.... so my question is, is it possible to check the capacity of the battery and if needed to buy en replace the cells?
Yes it is possible. You have 14 bank of cells and if one is lower than others, then you have the same battery capacity as that low bank.
I replaced some bank on my DS 2011. not an easy job and require some precaution.. a short circuit in that battery might affraid you a little bit
but it is fesable if you have patience.
Also never charge your battery when it is cold.. it is better to wait until it is above let say 10-15 celsius.
The LiMn cells inside perform better at ambiant temp of 20-25. Too hot and it reduce their life, ( 50 celsius is the max that LiMn cells can take) and too cold and you get low performances.
It is possible to measure the papacity of your battery as well but you will need some Ah meter. i know that some are availlable on ebay that have the DC clamp for about 200$
they are called Capacity tester or battery resistance tester.
Personally i hhave installed a Cycle analyst wich is the best device you can get for about 175$ including the shunt to measure the current.
I can count the Ah, Wh, km, max current, wh per km etc with that device. this is a really fantastic device!
Thsi device will let you know exactly how much energy you have at 0.1% accuracy !
in my zero i know i have 60Ah in the best condition so i just have to count the Ah i'm using!
here is some thread about it:
This is exactly what explain that great project:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=40849&p=620686&hilit=cycle+analyst+zero#p620686some experience with
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=42718&p=624309&hilit=cycle+analyst+zero+motorcycle#p624309Doc