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[MajorMajor]

Now if that rubber plug on the bike would somehow remind me to put it back over the charge port on the bike after charging, it would be ideal I keep forgetting it off and dangling after a charge, leaving the port exposed while I ride...

It took me a while to figure out that it was my fault. At first I thought someone was messing with my bike while it was parked. 

[Skidz]

Hey, I'm not alone on this! 

[MrDude_1]

...
At work I share a charge cord with 2 other Zeros and it gets used every work day.  It about a year old and I know its rated for our Zeros on-board.  It is run on a long extension cord that is also rated for our power, FYI.
...
My coworker has the FX and he said he is not experiencing the problem.

Even though the extension cord is "rated" for the power, it has resistance and makes the effective voltage the bike sees lower.
So the bike will pull additional current. That creates additional heat. it may be just enough to soften and wear the connector over time.
The FX wont see this problem as they use a charger half the size of the S models.

out of curiosity, how long is the cord? what gauge is the wire in it?
if you have a kill-a-watt or other meter, its probably worth the effort to see what the bike sees for voltage/current.

[Kocho]

The Zero app also reports the amperage pulled. On my '15 SR it fluctuates between 11-13A usually during peak charging power. I don't recall what the Killawatt measures for current, but for voltage I usually get  118V or so (down from the 120 or so without load).

...
At work I share a charge cord with 2 other Zeros and it gets used every work day.  It about a year old and I know its rated for our Zeros on-board.  It is run on a long extension cord that is also rated for our power, FYI.
...
My coworker has the FX and he said he is not experiencing the problem.

Even though the extension cord is "rated" for the power, it has resistance and makes the effective voltage the bike sees lower.
So the bike will pull additional current. That creates additional heat. it may be just enough to soften and wear the connector over time.
The FX wont see this problem as they use a charger half the size of the S models.

out of curiosity, how long is the cord? what gauge is the wire in it?
if you have a kill-a-watt or other meter, its probably worth the effort to see what the bike sees for voltage/current.

[Killroy]

...
At work I share a charge cord with 2 other Zeros and it gets used every work day.  It about a year old and I know its rated for our Zeros on-board.  It is run on a long extension cord that is also rated for our power, FYI.
...
My coworker has the FX and he said he is not experiencing the problem.

Even though the extension cord is "rated" for the power, it has resistance and makes the effective voltage the bike sees lower.
So the bike will pull additional current. That creates additional heat. it may be just enough to soften and wear the connector over time.
The FX wont see this problem as they use a charger half the size of the S models.

out of curiosity, how long is the cord? what gauge is the wire in it?
if you have a kill-a-watt or other meter, its probably worth the effort to see what the bike sees for voltage/current.

Its 25 ft and 12 AWG, which should be plenty thick after a glance online.

A online voltage drop calculator says that the voltage would be about 1 volt.  Does that sound right?

[Electric Terry]

25 ft and 12 awg should be ok.  If anyone else is thinking of getting an extension cord, Harbor freight has a 10 awg 25 foot cord for about $40 which can let you have an extra level of comfort

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-Ft-x-10-Gauge-Triple-Tap-Extension-Cord-61993.html

[MrDude_1]

The Zero app also reports the amperage pulled. On my '15 SR it fluctuates between 11-13A usually during peak charging power. I don't recall what the Killawatt measures for current, but for voltage I usually get  118V or so (down from the 120 or so without load).

Thats the power pulled at the bike.
What you want measured is the power draw from the outlet, so you include the charging cable and wire connections.

[Kocho]

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

[MrDude_1]

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

You say that, but you should see my collection of nicely browned beige electrical connections.. including one kill-a-watt.
15A for a hair dryer is no problem... (although it should really be 12A or so)
15A for a prolonged period of time will destroy cheaper connectors.

[Richard230]

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

I have never seen a draw of more than 1300 watts at the wall as shown on my KillAWatt meter from my 2014 S when it is charging from my 125 volt outlet. 

[Killroy]

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

If it was 15 amps, then anyone using a 25 foot extension cord should not be able to charge on the typical 15 amp NEMA 5-15 outlet. 

The breakers would trip every time. 

[MrDude_1]

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

If it was 15 amps, then anyone using a 25 foot extension cord should not be able to charge on the typical 15 amp NEMA 5-15 outlet. 

The breakers would trip every time.

that would be true if breakers were accurate..

[Kocho]

Zero SR '15 draws 12.5A at the wall at 119.2V charging (120.5V at the same outlet without the bike). Factory cord, no extension. Right now, my bike shows 100% charge, after having sat unplugged and unused for a week. So I will re-check again when I get a chance to ride it and bring the charge down. But as you probably have noticed, before it throttles down the charge power near full charge, it takes some time at full power, so I think the numbers here are max or near max.

Hair drier (1875w written in bold letters on its side): draws 13.09A at 118.9V)

 

Yup, the "current" at the bike as reported by the app. If I remember, the current at the wall (my KillAWatt) was close to 15A at close to 120V, something like 1600-1700W. As much as a hair drier these days, nothing spectacular and should not be "frying" cords...

If it was 15 amps, then anyone using a 25 foot extension cord should not be able to charge on the typical 15 amp NEMA 5-15 outlet. 

The breakers would trip every time.

that would be true if breakers were accurate..

[laramie LC4]

25 ft and 12 awg should be ok.  If anyone else is thinking of getting an extension cord, Harbor freight has a 10 awg 25 foot cord for about $40 which can let you have an extra level of comfort

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-Ft-x-10-Gauge-Triple-Tap-Extension-Cord-61993.html

i would immediatly be cautious of ANYTHING harbor freight and would personally never connect my bike with one of their cords.

i understand we all need to watch our wallet's but saving $20 on a cord which may kill your $16,000 bike doesn't make much sense to me.

just my $0.02,

laramie 

[Erasmo]

I've understood that Monoprice was good with fairly priced yet robust cables.