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[nigezero]

For anyone who owns 2010, possibly a little earlier & later and has struggled with the 4 small fuses at the rear of the battery pack read on.

After having trouble with mine twice I have now replaced them. The charger one in particular does NOT seem capable of taking the current and in my case started to melt. Pic attached, hard to see but at the base near the connecting spades, you can see it has started.

This was undoubtedly caused by the radically flimsy locking tabs on the screw on cap, which in my case had lost their shape. This prevents the fuse from bedding down properly under tension, probably causing arcing.

This could lead to problems in charging, 12v circuits, 12v DC DC circuit and intriguingly the oh so troublesome contactor circuit. These all use this same fuse type.

I've replaced them all with externally mounted DC rated high current rated circuit breakers. I mounted them externally so I could replace them without removing the entire battery pack if I have problems again. Note, I'm not happy with my cable run which is a bit tight between the frame and the pack, next time I'll drill a hole and exit the rear higher up.

[nigezero]

Forgot to add, here's a pick of my fix. Note only 3 mounted here, the 4th (12v acc) has less current draw so I replaced in situ.

[nigezero]

Forgot to add, here's a pick of my fix. Note only 3 mounted here, the 4th (12v acc) has less current draw so I replaced in situ.

[nigezero]

Ah crap, rushing I also forgot to say I HAD TO MOVE THE NEW FUSE PACK, 50mm to the right to avoid fouling the frame

[ihartc4]

I would. be very interested in how you did this.  I have a companion thread in <2012 Zeros on my DS and it's fuse meltdown.  Help would be greatly appreciated.

[nigezero]

I hart 4 ; go to a marine parts store and buy the best resetable CBs you are willing to buy. Min rating 48v DC, Amps to suit the various circuits. I then made a loom that plugs into the original with spade connectors that reaches the new location, used a piece of aluminium angle and hey presto.

[ihartc4]

Thanks for the info.  Do you know if there's a tutorial or thread on taking the battery out and cracking it open?    I've never done it and always like to see how it's done first, so I don't screw it up too bad.

Thanks
Cody

[nigezero]

Cody: see this post http://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3441

[ihartc4]

So I managed to get the battery out today.  If you can see the fuse holder melted and snapped at the base.  I'm considering just putting another one in because I'm not technologically savvy.

How har is it to do the circuit breaker?  It seems like a better fix.

Thanks Cody.

Also, rather than lift the bike, I used a couple of ratchets to gradually lower it to the ground.  It was pretty fast an I think I can so the same thing to lift it.  The benefit is I just used the bike frame to lower it without any pulleys or anything. 

[nigezero]

Good strategy I just don't have a strong enough roof.

The fuse solution isn't too hard; just need wire good crimpers and connectors. Depending on space you may be able to fit a CB into the original hole and just replace the one fuse - the charger fuse seems most prone to failure. BE CAREFUL though; when you reassemble to make sure it doesn't touch anything or short inside

[nigezero]

The previous link describes how to remove the pack. At the rear there is a cover that obvious take off the top cover them just remove the screws and it will open up revealing all sorts of bits and you can see the pack too. Take it slow and it's pretty straight forward.

[nigezero]

There are SE good pics here of what it looks like and how someone else fitted new fuses http://www.electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3441

[ihartc4]

Thought I would update this, real quick.   

Being electrically illiterate, I found a local electric repair shop and convinced them to do a quick fix.  Instead of circuit breakers, I opted for top of the line fuse holders and new connections.

It's been over a month and it's holding together well.  On the plus side, even though the battery was unplugged for close to two weeks, i haven't noticed any drop in power or range.

I also took a bunch of notes on taking out and reinstalling the battery (a bitch to do) and will post some tips later on.