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[evdjerome]

Rode 46 miles into work this morning on my 2015 DS. Temp at start was 14 F. Temp at destination was 16 F. Motorcycle was kept outside all night on stock charger. Low last night was around 10 F.

I couldn't take my normal highway route.  I tried to but the bike didn't want to go much past 60 mph in this cold. So I took secondary roads with speed limits no higher than 60 mph.

This is definitely the coldest ride of this distance I've ever taken on two wheels. My only heated clothing are gloves (battery heated). I was most concerned with how cold my head would get but it did OK, mainly I think because of the Slipstreamer Turbo windshield. The windshield keeps the wind off my neck. It does direct it at my forehead but I found that if I crack my visor then I don't feel the wind on the forehead. I discovered this in the first minute of riding since the inside of the visor was freezing up quickly and I couldn't see out so I had to crack it to see.

Stay warm.

[domingo3]

There's some nice information on keeping the bike and you warm just posted on the Zero Motorcycle Owner's group on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/?multi_permalinks=1184504321618774&notif_t=group_highlights&notif_id=1481851626213869

[Delnari]

I rode yesterday in 24 degree weather for about 34 miles round-trip.  That was cold enough for me on my '17 SR.  Have done below 0 F degrees on other bikes, but the lack of wind protection and heated grips/seat keeps me from doing this on the Zero.  No need at this point in my life to do this anymore; just took the EV car to work instead.  A lot more enjoyable 

[JaimeC]

Anything below 40 and I'm taking the ICE bike and leaving the Zero plugged in in the garage.  Both of my ICE bikes not only have better wind protection, they also have heated seats, heated hand grips, and enough reserve electricity to power my heated jacket.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I think we definitely can work out a way to wrap the battery while riding in a standard way (OEM support would be helpful, though).

I'm less sure about how to keep a motorcycle charged overnight in sub-freezing temperatures in a safe/standard way. Obviously a little heater with insulation is a good idea, but you'll have to work out the power draw and a custom fit for your bike. There are motorcycle tents but that's another investment with its own risk.

I don't personally have the overnight problem but will be trying a riding wrap shortly.

[Haag13]

My Zero FXS has been giving me a lot of trouble the last couple of days riding in temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees.  Sometimes it'll perform like there is nothing different and other times the acceleration and top speed are dramatically reduced.  Last night I had trouble pulling 40 mph up a hill with 55% battery. 

Not necessarily related to cold, but does anyone know when the performance gets reduced by the computer because of low battery?  Maybe it's just the cold or coincidence but the past couple of days when I noticed a sudden decrease in power and I looked down  I had just hit 60% on the battery. 

What's been odd though is that I'll be riding and have full acceleration and top speed, and then I'll go a little further and it will be reduced again to where there is no pull beyond about 50 mph, then it will come back to full power again later down the road.

Anyone else experience any of this?

[acacia1731]

does anyone know when the performance gets reduced by the computer because of low battery?

Here's some data I pulled from my 2015 FX 5.7.  This was taken during warm weather.
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=6305.msg50758#msg50758

[Haag13]

That's really disappointing if power begins to be limited when at 60% SOC, but those readouts certainly match what I've been experiencing.  Like others have said, on my 2015 Zero SR, I never noticed any power loss until below 20% for sure.  So now I have a bike where I only get the advertised power for the first ~15 miles?  I guess I have to go back to the SR with ridiculous insurance rates again.

[JaimeC]

That's really disappointing if power begins to be limited when at 60% SOC, but those readouts certainly match what I've been experiencing.  Like others have said, on my 2015 Zero SR, I never noticed any power loss until below 20% for sure.  So now I have a bike where I only get the advertised power for the first ~15 miles?  I guess I have to go back to the SR with ridiculous insurance rates again.

You don't HAVE to go to that extreme.  I have the regular S model and it does just fine.  It still accelerates off the line at a red light faster than any of the cars around me, and if I catch an ICE bike by surprise, I'm usually a block ahead before they catch up.  I have the 13 kWh model, so I have the same range as the SR, but for $3,000 less AND a third the cost of the annual insurance.

[Quiet rider]

Weather proof moto cover over moving blanket, over electric blanket maybe for full sized mattress? Just an idea

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Power is reduced when any cell's voltage descends below a certain level.

This is why the S platform interconnects are so important - they keep 2-4 cells at the same level in the stacks at the same voltage, so they "resist" getting a low voltage until the overall charge state is quite a bit lower.

I really swear we need some battery cozies when we ride in the cold. Someone today cited the tradeoff that these Lithium NMC batteries make for power density is that they have worse impedance changes with temperature.