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[peter]

So - I'd reconnected the discharge side of the battery on Saturday and the light didn't come on at all, so Sunday I decided to take it for a short ride. Rolled it out of the garage, key in, wait for the self-check, then -nothing. Roll the throttle & the bike does nothing.

The system warning indicator was flashing 2 then 3, rather faint. Manual says that's a "controller area network" failure. On the bright side, the light is staying off when the key's off.

This is just ridiculous - this time the bike worked for 6.5 weeks.
Peter

[protomech]

I wonder if a connector or board has become corroded. The Zeros are generally reasonably well-protected - I ride mine daily as a commuter, leaving it out in the rain. I've seen one problem caused by corrosion on a board that was inadequately weather-proofed.

Unfortunately, I think chasing down this problem is going to require some serious diagnostic work and tracing out the cable harness, and I don't know if the dealer will be capable of handling it. You sound like you're technically inclined enough to disassemble the bike down to the cable harness; I'd recommend spot-checking all boards and connectors to see if there is any corrosion or debris that may be causing issues.

Shipping the bike to Zero may also be an option. If the bike is still under a warranty period, they may do this free of charge or at a reduced rate. Give them a call and see what they say. 1-888-RUN-ZERO (unfortunate name, given the amount of time your bike has spent running)

[peter]

Thanks protomech

That's an interesting thread that you linked to - appreciate it. And yes I guess I could do the tracing, but I'd rather spend time working on another bike that is likely to function for some reasonably extended period of time and that my wife will enjoy riding. I've got a second Morini 500 that's almost finished being refurbished and a 3 1/2 in bits that would do. 

I've been in email contact with folks at Zero about it and will no doubt get some feedback very soon on where to go next. If I ship the bike to Zero it'll be to get rid of it.

on that happy note
Peter

[peter]

So - I had a chat with folks at Zero today. Their advice is that the main bike board isn't communicating properly with the battery management system. Suggestion was made to clean the connectors to the MBB, which I did, to no avail. Zero need to check the logs to work out where the problem is.

Peter

[protomech]

How are they going to get access to the logs?

[peter]

They're have to send me out a cable - none available for at least 2 weeks apparently - or the bike would have to go back to the dealers.

[peter]

Latest update -

I contacted my dealer yesterday, giving them an update on the bike. I've been emailing their service dept with updates on the bike, but decided to call. The dealer acted quickly and I had a Zero rep on the phone with remarkable speed. Many thanks to the dealer for that. Some things from the  conversation with the Zero guy -

1. I'm going to have to get the bike to the dealer for them to try to fix it;

2. The Zero rep also mentioned possible corrosion issues (more below);

3. Zero will pay for the bike's transport to the dealers, getting it back once fixed is my problem. This is probably something for other owners to be aware of.

I'm currently trying to organize the bike's transport as I have neither a truck / trailer nor the time for a 240 mile round trip, twice (assuming the bike can be fixed).

Later yesterday, the guy who owns the dealership rang me to apologize for what's happened with the bike, and to assure me that they'll do what they can to sort this out. Given that the bike's problems are clearly not the dealership's fault, I was impressed.

Back to the corrosion – one thing mentioned was to check the connectors leading from the battery output. So this morning, before heading out on the Morini, I hit them with some contact cleaner. The Zero then ran when I rolled on the throttle (in the garage, so for about a foot). The system warning indicator was still flashing 2 then 3. When I got home this evening, I took the Zero out – and it was dead again, didn't go. System warning still flashing of course.

So – I have no choice other than to get the bike back to the dealers. I'll sort that out and see what happens next.

wearily
Peter

[peter]

Short update.

Bike still dead, am having trouble finding someone who can do the transport for something resembling a reasonable cost.

I contacted Aaron from Zero who posts here, giving a potted version this XU's saga, and suggested - as we'd go the bike through the Cash for Carbon scheme and it doesn't owe us very much money - that we'd really like to just get the bike back to Zero and call it quits. Aaron passed my email back to Customer Service (being different from Customer Experience). I emailed them and am now waiting for their response.

Peter

[peter]

Update -

So it took ages to find someone to transport the bike. Finally did, got the bike to the dealers early October. Got it back today.

It needed a new BMS board, after which it still had connectivity issues. So the controller got reprogrammed, which cleared that error code. A short test ride led to another error code, determined to be a wiring problem. On fixing that, further test riding suggested no problem so the dealer - Great Bay - delivered the bike back to me today.

For those who came in late, this bike's had replaced:

the BMS;
the main bike board;
the DC-DC converter;
the battery.

My wife's comment - well that's about everything - led to my response - well, except the motor.

Which might seem like a joke, but when I tried the bike, the motor is making a new sound, growling would be the best description I guess. Sounds like you'd imagine a bearing going in the motor would sound. The growling continues for a second or two after I roll off the throttle. I pointed it out to the young bloke who dropped the bike off. Thanks to Great Bay for their attention and help.

I guess we'll see what happens next.
Peter

[peter]

Well I rode it to work today, and the growling sound has magically disappeared. It ran just fine.

fingers crossed
Peter

[Justin Andrews]

Could have been the belt, they tend to make a variety of strange noises.

[mikeisted]

Hi Peter. Glad to hear it's running well at last.  May I ask if the replacements were covered under warranty?

BTW, love Morinis... Had a 500 and a 3 1/2 in my university days...

[peter]

Thanks Mike

Yes the replacement work was all covered by warranty. It's still working okay, so fingers crossed.

Yep, Morinis are sweet. Just finishing bringing a second 500 back to life, then I have a 3 1/2 (wire wheeled Strada) to rebuild. Fun little bikes.

And thanks Justin - as the sound sometime happened for a second or so when the bike was still, I doubt it was the belt, but hey, it's gone now.

cheers
Peter

[KrazyEd]

I have a little over 5k miles on my 2012 XU. Only problems have been fork seals, which took several attempts to correct, and, a flasher when I first picked up the bike, and, a broken rear fender
from no support. Removed it, rather than having it replaced. I think that it looks much sleeker this way. Other than that, the bike has been flawless.
After a firmware update, mine started with a ( possibly similar ) growl. If I give it just a little throttle, not enough to really get it to move, it seems to growl a little, but, once moving, no abnormal sounds.
It has been like this most of it's life. Hopefully, your problems are over. It really is a fun bike.

[ashnazg]

Very informative thread, though I hate to hear about all the trouble.  Have you had any issues specifically with the throttle intermittently failing on you, either at startup or while cruising?  (http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3203.0)  This has been the absolute only problem I've had at all with my 2011 XU.