ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Eljoka on June 08, 2020, 12:36:24 AM
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Hi everyone,
So I've been thinking about buying a new (to me) motorcycle for a while now and really like the idea of an electric one. The only brands available to me are Zero and Harley. The latter is way over what I'm looking to spend on what is essentially a toy for me. There are some used FX(s) and DS locally, but one in particular is intriguing.
The guy has been trying to sell it for a couple months (I remember seeing it for sale back in september), but has lately been reposted with a bit change... he dropped the bike (Zero FXS). I haven't seen the bike myself, but from the description, the bike hit the ground and slid a bit since it needs new handlebars and a new brake lever. There's also some good scratches on the fairings.
I'm guessing that, since he's been trying to sell it for a couple months and has recently dropped it, he would be willing to accept a very low offer. I don't mind wrenching (replacing handlebars and the lever, nor do I mind ordering some new fairings), but I'm unsure if it's ok to buy a dropped electric bike. I wouldn't buy a dropped ICE motorcycle, but since electric ones have less internal moving parts, I don't know.
What are your opinion on this matter?
[EDIT : Grammar and spelling]
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Well no one can say for sure with THAT bike because none of us know how bad a drop it was.
That being said "generally" they handle small crashes well. If the frame is bent at all he should scrap it.
IF the brake handle is broken then the throttle is likely gone too. Remember it's not a simple cable on a spring like a gas bike.
The best thing would be take it to a dealer and let them go over it and say all that's wrong with it but if your a DIY kind of guy then here are a "few" things to look out for.
What year is it?
Will it still turn on?
Newer bikes should show error codes on the dash if any pop up.
Will it run? IOW will the motor still turn the rear wheel when lifted up off the ground with a smooth wheel spin. The belt makes a normal wookie whine sound when running. Clicking or grinding sounds are bad of course.
Do the lights and signals work? A loss of all 12volt functions would likely be a bad DC-DC converter.
Will the bike take a charge? A full charge to 100% would be needed to show the charger seems to be working as it should.
You should know what to look for with the forks and rear spring, brakes, wheels as they are same as any gas bike.
On the plus side there have been quite a few people on here that have fixed minor drop issues and no future problems. Also for what it's worth the YouTube channel Rich Rebuilds did some videos of a bad wrecked SR's drive train being used in a Rat Rod project.
Good luck and feel free to post pics and /or more info.
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The battery in Zero’s and the Livewire are built like brick sh..houses. It takes more than a drop to hurt them.
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Yeah, check the brake lines for leaks, like, dry them off and the wait a few hours and then try a clean cloth. I don't know about the FX, I assume it has better brake routing, but Zeros generally have weak brake routing.
You know how they say, it's not if you're going to drop your bike, it's when...
The bike doesn't otherwise care if it's upside down!
-Crissa