ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

Isolation faults. It'll probably dry out. Most likely worst case scenario you'll have to dig out the DC-DC, dry it out, and apply some dielectric grease.

The bad news is the DC-DC is the most irritating part of this bike to access and I hate it with a hot passion.

I do not recommend using a hose on any Zero to wash it, at least on the frame and tail. Just hand wash it and rinse with a separate sponge or towel or mitt or whatever.

If you have to wash the motor fins, spray across the bike and not from the rear, to ensure any water is directed out to open space and not to areas that can trap water. And let the accessory charging port plug dry out by taking its rubber boot off and letting it drain, then re-covering it.

Directing water at the frame is not guaranteed but possible to get water past greased connections and cause an isolation fault in a number of areas. The Accessory Charging Port enable pins are one area, and so is the DC-DC converter connector on the left side of the bike under the frame.

So far I've only used dry and wet rags, but mostly because it's such a pain to use hose and water.

-Crissa

A bike that isn't resistant to hose washing and rain riding is very poorly designed, totally unacceptable, not fit to own.

My 16FX has ventured up the hills a few times during heavy rainstorms, with a hose wash upon return. So far there's been no problem whatsoever. I'd like to think it's because of smart design and not just luck.

Connectors and seals should be very water resistant. In particular, manufacturers of dual-sport e-bikes should shoot for a couple of minutes of operation fully submersed.

A bike that isn't resistant to hose washing and rain riding is very poorly designed, totally unacceptable, not fit to own.

My 16FX has ventured up the hills a few times during heavy rainstorms, with a hose wash upon return. So far there's been no problem whatsoever. I'd like to think it's because of smart design and not just luck.

Connectors and seals should be very water resistant. In particular, manufacturers of dual-sport e-bikes should shoot for a couple of minutes of operation fully submersed.

The engineering around rain protection is what making a vehicle for the public demands, and Zero and other manufacturers clear that hurdle mostly well.

This idea that a vehicle not rated for hose washing is unfit to own is not the same at all, and Zero is not the only manufacturer whose bikes are vulnerable. Brammo was more vulnerable than Zero models were, easily.

I'll make this clearer: protection from rain and protection from a hose entering the chassis in arbitrary directions are totally different problems, and equating them is naive.

Zero could absolutely do better, and I'm doing my best to call out the specific issues (DC-DC connector for one, but also the Accessory Charging Port, and the BMS panel although they've been diligent about the battery case), but there is an inherent challenge in making an EV with enough features and performance resistant to ingress in all shapes and forms with only the weight and form factor of a motorcycle.

I think the truth is: these motorcycles require preventative maintenance to clean and regrease sensitive areas to prevent the development of ground loops (isolation faults), especially if kept outdoors. That's not a world-ending product flaw, that's just a problem with messaging and manufacturer-owner relationships.

Yeah, I've ridden through thunderstorms with no problem.

But a hose could hit the vulnerable spots, flood them, or abrade the protective coatings with force.

And even cars sprout leaks eventually.  My ten year old Sentra started filling up the sump in the back to the point I had to leave it open to drain and hook up a heater to keep the inside from growing mildew.

-Crissa

I doubt there's many motorcycles that won't have one or two conk out from a bad spritz from a hose.  They all depend upon keeping their electronics dry, the air intakes airy, and use the same things to do it.  Electric motorcycles just have more connectors and more places for water to go wrong.

Not like we didn't kill the CB in the rain before.  If it went in the intake, it would have died and stayed dead.

-Crissa