ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Energica => Topic started by: flynnstig82r on December 03, 2021, 12:49:20 AM
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Yesterday I signed the title for my new (to me) SS9-. My 2017 Zero SR has been a great bike and fulfilled my years-long dream of riding electric, but after a little less than a year of owning it, I found myself frustrated with the combination of limited range and slow charging. There wasn’t much I could do about the range, but the charging could be remedied with external charging units. However, buying a second ElCon 3.3 kW charger and some side cases and racks to better carry them was going to be an expensive proposition, and I would never get that money back in the resale value. A well-priced Energica SS9- came onto the market with low-miles, and I realized that by just stretching the budget a little more, I could have DCFC without any of the extra chargers, cables, and hassle, along with even more power and torque and a much better build quality.
I had previously considered these bikes to be out of my price range, and I was also turned off by the need for oil changes and chain maintenance compared to the Zero, and the fact that they make more noise. As I read more about the Zero’s and talked to more owners, however, it became clear that Zero’s may have less regular maintenance than Energicas, but they’re also a lot less reliable and with much worse customer support. I haven’t experienced as many problems as some of the Zero owners on this forum have, but I’ve had issues with charging that cuts out, refuses to start, or is slower than it should be.
So far the Energica has been a dream. I laughed like a hyena the first time I cracked open the throttle in sport mode, and the handling is much more stable and confident (although it’s not as flickable and the tip-in takes some getting used to). I love that I can control the charging rate and limit the SOC, and the included J-1772 to 3-prong adapter is of high quality (although I did have a charging fault last night, which hopefully is a rare occurance). I’m very happy to have cruise control again, and sorely missed it on the Zero (my Atlas throttle lock helped but was no replacement for genuine CC). Traction control with adjustable levels makes me feel a lot more confident even though I never truly needed it on the Zero. I love the strong regen at the medium setting and the fact that it activates the brake light. I also love that it has dual-disc brakes up front, as inadequate stopping power from the single-disc on the Zero was my biggest concern about riding at highway speeds. The slow speed reverse and forward is a godsend, and makes the heavy weight of the bike almost irrelevant.
I’m planning to transfer some of the farkles over from the Zero and then sell it, so anyone who’s in the market for a high-mileage (48k) but well-maintained 2017 SR should consider it. I’m hoping to bring the CalSci windscreen over to the Energicas mounts, which would keep the good part of that product (the windscreen itself) while ditching the rest. Failing that, I’ve seen that a couple of people have had success with the Puig up-and-down adjustable screen. I’m planning to at least try bringing the bar-end mirrors over, although I don’t hate the stock mirrors on the SS9 nearly as much as the ones on the SR. I might also get some bar risers and try to lower the footpegs for a more comfortable ride. It’s already a lot more comfy than the SR, but I feel like it begs for just a little bit extra. I’m also planning to have some top and side case rails made for it.
Negatives compared to the Zero are that it’s significantly less efficient with the short stock windscreen at ~180-190 Wh / mi at 70 MPH compared to ~130 on the SR at that speed. We’ll see how much that comes down when I get a bigger windscreen and a top case installed. It’s also definitely a heavy beast, which matters the most in tip-in and slow-speed handling. It takes some effort to get it to start leaning and once it does it falls into the turn rather abruptly. With the Zero I never worried that I might drop it, but this one has me acting a lot more carefully. I also had a hard time finding a suitable charger last night. The first one was at an AM/PM gas station and only charged at 8 kW, so I abandoned the charge and went to the next closest, which was an Electrify America charger that I couldn’t get to start charging. It wanted me to plug in first but the bike had already rejected the handshake by the time I could initialize payment, no matter how fast I swiped the card. I had to give up and find an EVGo charger that worked like a charm with a credit card swipe, and topped me up to 80% in only 12 minutes. The attempts to figure out what was wrong and get charging took about an hour, though, so I’m hoping I can learn the quirks of DC fast charging and get through the teething period quickly. I also didn’t care for the limp mode that the bike automatically went into when I had 9 mi of estimated range and 17% SOC. It started limiting me to 59 MPH on the highway, which I did not appreciate and felt was dangerous. I hope there’s a way to override that, as I would prefer to make my own decisions about how far to push my luck with range and speed.
All in all, I’m in love with the bike and look forward to taking it on trips that never would have been feasible with the Zero. Maybe someday I’ll trade for a newer one with the bigger battery and new motor, but so far I don’t feel like I’m missing out.
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Congrats.
Sounds like you're a real deal rider putting 48k on a 17 SR. Enjoy your new ride.
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Haha I wish I could take credit for most of those miles. The previous owner put on the first 44k, and then I added just 4k since this past February. That guy was a savage! The tires had no chicken strips at all.
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Ok you lose a few badass points but you gain a gold star for honesty.
Still enjoy your new bike. ;)
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Your tip-in issue might be calmed a bit with different tires that have a more rounded profile. Some tire profiles do quicken up the steering more than others if their design is more triangular and less rounded. ???
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Your tip-in issue might be calmed a bit with different tires that have a more rounded profile. Some tire profiles do quicken up the steering more than others if their design is more triangular and less rounded. ???
Interesting, I'll experiment with that next time I'm due for tires!
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Until tires are due you can add 10% above the recommended pressure. You will notice the difference immediately!
Here in Germany, the SS9‘s come with stock Diabolo Rosso 3 tires. I also complained about that tip-in on lower speeds (below circa 60km/h or 38mph) which got noticeable worse after the first 1000km / 600miles. I changed to Metzeler Roadtech 01SE and that tendency reduced a lot but did not disappear completely.
I am aware that the tire market differs between the continents, however maybe the attached table might provide some guidance. The rating for each tire was set up by a well known online dealer. It might be questionable but at least it provides a good comparison of the tested tires between themselves as they have all been done by the same team.
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I’ll try that, thanks! Higher tire pressure should help with efficiency as well.
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I figured out that the limp mode that I experienced at 17% SOC was caused by the cells being way out of balance. I don’t think it’s been charged up to full in its 620 mi lifetime. It’s currently been plugged in and cell balancing at 98% for hours, and might take hours more. At Scoot, I’ve seen cell balancing that takes days in the most extreme cases of batteries that hadn’t been balanced for many thousands of miles.
I also did my first DC fast charge earlier this week, which turned out to be a bit of a learning experience. I first stopped at a 24 kW charger located at a gas station, but it only gave me 8 kW, so I moved on. Then I tried some Electrify America chargers, but I couldn’t get the charge to start since it wanted me to plug the bike in first before making the payment, and no matter how fast I swiped my CC, the bike rejected the charge by the time the station tried to start. Then I went to a 50 kW EVGo charger, which worked perfectly and gave me the full 24 kW, which took me from 40% to 85% in just 12 minutes. Total game-changer compared to the Zero! It was pretty expensive, however, at a little over $4. When I plan trips I’ll try to look for stations that charge by the kWh and not by the minute.
I talked to a friend who works for Energica, and he gave me a recommendation for the custom top and side case rails: Todd at Sonic Moto in Oakland. He has apparently done top case mounts for several Energicas, and said he could definitely do the job in January (he’s all booked up for Dec). He said it would likely take 4-5 hours to fab, or about $500-600 for the labor portion. Just passing it along for anyone in or near the Bay Area who wants to add luggage.
My friend also mentioned that they have front axle sliders and frame sliders at the Energica shop in South San Francisco, but most people don’t opt for the frame sliders. Personally, I’d only do it if it doesn’t mess with the SS9’s clean look so I might skip those as well. He said for rear sliders, any spool sliders with an M6 bolt should fit.
I’ll continue to update as I add farkles and rack up miles. I want this SS9 to be just as much of a car-replacement as the Zero, but I’m a lot more concerned about maintaining the aesthetics than I was with the Zero. It’s so clean and beautiful and I don’t want to ruin its looks with ugly add-ons.
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Doesn't cell-balancing (or BMS calibration if it's the same), require for the battery to be nearly drained and then charged up to maximum several times... Preferably with a resting periods of at least af few hours between stopping with drained battery, charging to max and then next run?
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Doesn't cell-balancing (or BMS calibration if it's the same), require for the battery to be nearly drained and then charged up to maximum several times... Preferably with a resting periods of at least af few hours between stopping with drained battery, charging to max and then next run?
No. Cell balancing is something BMS does at the very top end of the pack. The highest cell reaches the voltage limit, and then slowly discharges until it's the same level as the next highest cell. The entire pack resumes charging until the highest cell hits the top end again, burns itself down, pack resumes charging, peak cell hits limit, discharges, pack resumes charging, blah blah blah. This can take hours but the end goal is to try and get all the cells to the top end cutoff and are therefore 'balanced'.
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Doesn't cell-balancing (or BMS calibration if it's the same), require for the battery to be nearly drained and then charged up to maximum several times... Preferably with a resting periods of at least af few hours between stopping with drained battery, charging to max and then next run?
No. Cell balancing is something BMS does at the very top end of the pack. The highest cell reaches the voltage limit, and then slowly discharges until it's the same level as the next highest cell. The entire pack resumes charging until the highest cell hits the top end again, burns itself down, pack resumes charging, peak cell hits limit, discharges, pack resumes charging, blah blah blah. This can take hours but the end goal is to try and get all the cells to the top end cutoff and are therefore 'balanced'.
So in other words charge to 100% and let the bike/car sit there as long as possible with cable in?
Lot's of the Tesla people seem to use the method I described when BMS is out of sync (when battery max % is showing way less than it should). Is this two seperate issues? :o
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So in other words charge to 100% and let the bike/car sit there as long as possible with cable in?
As long as it says "balancing". If it turns off it's done.
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If it says balancing?
Sorry if I am dumb about this...
Isn't this just using a regular charger? Will it be reading "balancing" in the display of the Energica?
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Yeah, the display will show the word "balancing".
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If it says balancing?
The Energica charging screen will show an additional message once balancing starts "In order to Optimize battery performance It's suggested to not disconnect the cable until charge is completed". This normally happens around 98% indicated SOC once the bike reaches 100% the balance process is finished and the pack is fully charged.
All battery packs will have a differential between the individual cell voltages. During charging once one cell in a pack reaches its max voltage the battery can no longer be charged. Before charging can resume the fully charged cell/s need to be discharged a little bit. Then the charge process starts back up. This cycle continues till the delta between the lowest and highest voltage cells is within a specific tolerance.
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Thanks. Should I charge to 100 every day or set a lower max SOC to increase longevity of the battery pack? Is there a big buffer on top of the range?
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"In order to Optimize battery performance It's suggested to not disconnect the cable until charge is completed".
It's actually a little bit more delightfully Google Translate Italian than that. What the screen reads is, "...it's suggested to do not disconnect the cable..."
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Thanks for the explanations.
I just thought this was about looking at the range at a certain SOC (for example 100) and determining that the pack could need a calibration. My Model 3 just slowly looses max range over a long period of SOC always between 40-80%. If I then drain the battery nearly empty and charge it to max several times the max range increases (BMS calibration). I thought it was the same with any EV but obviously some (Energica) is more clear or clever about it.
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I also had a hard time finding a suitable charger last night. The first one was at an AM/PM gas station and only charged at 8 kW, so I abandoned the charge and went to the next closest, which was an Electrify America charger that I couldn’t get to start charging. It wanted me to plug in first but the bike had already rejected the handshake by the time I could initialize payment, no matter how fast I swiped the card. I had to give up and find an EVGo charger that worked like a charm with a credit card swipe, and topped me up to 80% in only 12 minutes. The attempts to figure out what was wrong and get charging took about an hour, though, so I’m hoping I can learn the quirks of DC fast charging and get through the teething period quickly. I also didn’t care for the limp mode that the bike automatically went into when I had 9 mi of estimated range and 17% SOC. It started limiting me to 59 MPH on the highway, which I did not appreciate and felt was dangerous. I hope there’s a way to override that, as I would prefer to make my own decisions about how far to push my luck with range and speed.
For Electrify America, that is not the way to charge an Energica. I had the same issue with my bike. It's very counterintuitive. You have to ignore what the screen tells you and this is the procedure:
- Download, install, register on the EA app
- Get to charger and find in the app
- Swipe right to start charger
- When the app says "initializing" and you see stuff changing on the screen of the actual charger, take the cable and hook it up to your Energica
- The charge will now work
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For Electrify America, that is not the way to charge an Energica. I had the same issue with my bike. It's very counterintuitive. You have to ignore what the screen tells you and this is the procedure:
- Download, install, register on the EA app
- Get to charger and find in the app
- Swipe right to start charger
- When the app says "initializing" and you see stuff changing on the screen of the actual charger, take the cable and hook it up to your Energica
- The charge will now work
I finally figured that out and got the same charger to work a few days ago. I now actually prefer EA because they seem to be the least wonky once you get past the "plug in first" part and they always have multiple chargers at each location, so if one goes out you're not stuck. I'm considering paying the $4 / month to get a $0.12 / kWh discount since I have been fast charging a lot.
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A few weeks in and I adore the bike just as much as when it was new. I've doubled the odometer from 600 to 1,200 with a few trips around the Bay Area and Sacramento region. I've moved over a couple of accessories from the Zero like the CRG bar-end mirrors and RAM Mounts wireless Qi charger. I bought and installed the heated grips and soft luggage side rails to modify at Sonic Moto next month. Right now they're already useful for preventing things that I strap to the pillion seat from touching the wheel and wearing away the straps when I'm a dummy who doesn't strap things properly.
I moved a couple of dials on the suspension, but it's still way too harsh for the bumpy Sacramento-area highways, so I need to spend some time with it today. I also intend to tape off the cooling vents to the battery during the winter, which I suspect is contributing to my insanely-low efficiency of 200+ kWh / mi. I'll also get in the habit of charging to 100% before I start the ride to warm up the battery in the mid-40's weather we've been having lately. I was expecting 55-60 mi highway range between charges, but I've been getting about 35 in this weather, so that will definitely need to be sorted out.
Speaking of cold weather, I'm seriously considering a heated jacket and pants liners, maybe even glove liners. I'll tap the headlight wires to get the ~12 amps @ 12 vdc that I'll need for those. I didn't budget for these, but it's such a quality-of-life issue right now that I might be willing to put them on a credit card and pay it off when the Zero sells.
I'm also going to install the Stomppad tank protector so I can strap the Velomacchi backpack to the tank instead of the pillion seat and then I won't have to take off the straps every time I need to charge. Without the protector, the metal clasps on the backpack would scratch the tank plastic. Then later I'll consider moving the auxilliary lights over from the Zero, as well as the smaller turn signal bulbs and then I'll re-install the stock mirrors and put that bike up for sale.
Next week I'll receive the Puig up-and-down windscreen that supposedly bolts right on and will hopefully help with riding efficiency at speed, and also some 2" Rox risers and Woodcraft spool sliders.
Future projects I'm considering are the Gilles frame sliders that Electricmotorcycles.nl sells, Sato Racing front axle sliders (but I haven't found out which model to buy yet), going up a tooth on the rear sprocket to correct the optimistic speedometer, and then installing either an auto-drip chain lube or biting the bullet and getting one of those fancy low-maintenance Regina HPE chains.
Now that I've gotten used to the handling of the SS9, I'm a much more confident rider than I ever was on the Zero. The handling is so much more stable and confident that I know it's going to go right where I want it to, and I'm not afraid to lean it farther than the Zero. With traction control, I don't worry about having to apply throttle at lean, and if I need to stop quickly the dual-discs and strong regen makes me feel like I can stop on a dime. Much improved over the Zero SR's single-disc front that felt like a suggestion box submission to please slow down at some point. I was already a much more confident rider on the Zero than any of the gas bikes I had ridden in the past, and now the SS9 takes it to the next level, to the point where I have to reign myself in so I don't ride overly aggressively. That's not an instinct I've ever had before, and it feels really good. ;D
I've felt a slight envy for the new bikes with the EMCE motor and 120 mi highway range, as well as the increased power and torque on the Eva Ribelle compared to the SS9 range. I still get a thrill from cracking open the SS9's throttle, and of course no one actually needs that much power, but now that I've gotten used to it, it's left me wanting even more. I'd really like to see a proper upright sports-tourer like the Multistrada with wind protection, luggage, crash protection, semi-active suspension, adaptive cruise control, 120+ mi range at 70 MPH, and 3-4C recharge rates. I think it will be feasible in 2-3 years, and I would pay a premium for it since I don't like cars and it would be my only vehicle.
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The hard luggage rail install went well, and the added convenience of a big top case and side cases is amazing! The side cases do impose an aerodynamic penalty, but they’re just too useful to consider leaving them off. Riding efficiency seems to be about 150-160 Wh / mi at 70 MPH without the side cases and 170-180 with them, and got up to 200-220 when I had a strong headwind in the Central Valley north of Bakersfield. That’s a lot better than when I first got the bike but I’m still eager to improve the aero by another 15-20%. Right now I would happily take a trip up to 200 mi, but last Sunday’s ~400 mi ride from Long Beach to Davis (Sacramento area) was pretty miserable and took 13 hours. Once efficiency gets to ~200 Wh / mi or worse in a headwind, it’s a double-whammy. Not only did I need to stop and charge every 35 mi, but charging took twice as long because the battery stayed hot during the ride when working so hard. I didn’t budget for that to happen, either time-wise or mentally, and I got back to Davis at 2:30 in the morning when I expected to get home by midnight. Right now, if I had to do another Long Beach trip, I would either swap for a gas bike or get a moto tent and camp for the night. I don’t know how some of you guys do 600+ mile days, but I’m definitely not cut out for long days in the saddle with the current state of e-motorcycles.
I am taking a workshop on 3D printing and designing in a couple of weeks, and I am hoping to be able to print a NACA teardrop shape that I can bolt onto the side cases and make them more slippery. I’ll be happy if I can consistently get 150 Wh / mi or better and 180 with a headwind. That would give me 40-50 mi between stops and keep my charge rate at or near the full 75A / 22-24 kW, which is important for my sanity on long trips. Right now I have to charge to 95 or 100% if there’s a 50 mile gap between stations, which takes a lot longer and is not good for the battery. A 21.5 kWh pack would help, of course, but these have greater thermal issues due to the lack of cooling channels so it seems like I would just be trading one set of problems for another. I’m sure the EMCE motor’s improved efficiency helps to keep the new packs from overheating as much, but I’d still like to see a liquid cooling solution for the battery in future bikes.
With the 13.4 model, I appreciate that I can charge 20 or 30-80% in ~15 mins, which is fast enough that I don’t feel the need to leave the bike, so the charging stop doesn’t feel like a big deal even if I have to stop more often. A 35-45 min stop would feel a lot more arduous, even if I could go a lot farther between stops. Don’t get me wrong, I’d take the increased capacity of the 21.5 kWh pack if it were in my budget, but there’s a silver lining to being forced to stop more often with shorter charge times.
Overall, I’m still loving the bike and wouldn’t want to own anything else (other than a newer SS9).
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If you manage to find a decent aftermarket windshield for the essesse, let me know hre in the thread - I have ordered one (a bike), but the stock screen is a joke..... so I plan to get an aftermarket screen instead.
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The pictures, is that with the "Puig up-and-down windscreen" ? If so, do you have a link to it somewhere ?
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The pictures, is that with the "Puig up-and-down windscreen" ? If so, do you have a link to it somewhere ?
Yes that’s the one. It made a huge difference at highway speeds, both to efficiency and comfort. Here’s the link (hopefully the link still works): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711Q7PX8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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> ... 220 when I had a strong headwind in the Central Valley north of Bakersfield...
Hey, California boy, you doing the SF-SD ride this Saturday?
> I am taking a workshop on 3D printing and designing in a couple of weeks, and I am hoping to be able to print a NACA teardrop shape that I can bolt onto the side cases and make them more slippery. I’ll be happy if I can consistently get 150 Wh / mi or better and 180 with a headwind. That would give me 40-50 mi between stops and keep my charge rate at or near the full 75A / 22-24 kW, which is important for my sanity on long trips....
Very interested in this project, I'd love to see what you got and maybe do some tests. I have an EsseEsse9+ in San Francisco.
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> ... 220 when I had a strong headwind in the Central Valley north of Bakersfield...
Hey, California boy, you doing the SF-SD ride this Saturday?
I'll be too busy, unfortunately, but I look forward to hearing the tales!
> I am taking a workshop on 3D printing and designing in a couple of weeks, and I am hoping to be able to print a NACA teardrop shape that I can bolt onto the side cases and make them more slippery. I’ll be happy if I can consistently get 150 Wh / mi or better and 180 with a headwind. That would give me 40-50 mi between stops and keep my charge rate at or near the full 75A / 22-24 kW, which is important for my sanity on long trips....
Very interested in this project, I'd love to see what you got and maybe do some tests. I have an EsseEsse9+ in San Francisco.
I'll let you know when I've got something useable. I learned how to stretch a sphere into a teardrop shape in Blender, although it doesn't have the same dimensions as the NACA shape, it should at least be slipperier than the brick-shaped sidecases. Right now I'm thinking the best solution would be to separate the shape into halves for each side and put a tab on them to bolt onto the cases, hopefully in a way that it could be removed and attached quickly. Once I'm farther along, I'll reach out to some people in the EM community who know a lot more about aero and prototyping than me and get some pointers before I have it printed.
I think that anything that prevents the wind from hitting the rectangular sides of the current cases will make a big difference. A couple of weeks ago I had a passenger and noticed significantly better efficiency on our brief highway portion of the ride despite the added weight. I think it was just that her legs were causing the wind to curve around the cases instead of hitting them square. Unscientific, but it was a big difference in efficiency from what I usually get with side cases mounted on that stretch of highway (160-170 Wh/mi vs 200 normally).
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So it turns out that getting large 3D-printed pieces made and shipped is not as cost-effective as I had assumed, especially if I have to do it multiple times and make adjustments. Since I don't have prototyping and fabbing skills, I think I need to look at trading the Givi Trekker 33's for cases that are more aerodynamic from the factory. I've heard the WL900 semi-rigid 25L cases are close to aerodynamically neutral, so I'm considering those. I'll miss the extra 8L capacity, especially with my bulky airbag jacket that might not fit in 25L, but I can't tolerate the piss-poor efficiencies I've experienced with the Trekkers mounted. Earlier this week I rode from the Sacramento area to San Jose and back without the side bags and my efficiency was fantastic, around 130-150 Wh/mi at 65-70 MPH on the slab, but I sorely missed the extra storage.
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If it says balancing?
Sorry if I am dumb about this...
Isn't this just using a regular charger? Will it be reading "balancing" in the display of the Energica?
It says at around 85% SOC (regardless of what you're charging with) something like "cell balancing, do not disconnect until completed".
But in reality, it isn't that important in most cases, so disconnect any time you want. But once in a while, charge to 100% for the cell balancing. I normally try to save my 100% charging for home charging unless I need the extra ~15 SOC range while on the road to make it to the next charge station.
On a fast CCS charge, the charge rate slows down a lot near the end. In many cases, you're being charged by the minute instead of only the charge rate (I think CA made that illegal recently). So it's not wise to wait to a full 100% SOC charge on a fast DC charger when it is well below a 10 KW rate of charging. I normally disconnect around there at 10KW, regardless what the screen tells me to do, unless it is home charging or if I need all the range I can get. I have the SS9"-" purchased just a short while before the "+" models were announced.
-Don- Reno, NV
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I received the WL900 semi-rigid side cases and some sliders from Energica of New England.
The WL900 is quite a bit smaller than the Trekker 33's, and feels a lot smaller than the 8L decrease would suggest, but they can still carry a useful amount of stuff and they seem to have a lot less drag. My first ride showed efficiency similar to what I would expect without the side cases, which is what I was hoping for. So far I'm glad I made the switch!
Anyone in the market for some Trekker 33L's should PM me for a good price.
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Looks good! How do the WL900s compare to the OEM side cases? Are they bigger or about the same size? If they’re about the same size but more aerodynamic I may have to consider getting Todd to modify my OEM side case rack for monokey cases as well. Since I don’t carry a passenger, I don’t need the scalloped shape for a passenger’s legs. That scallop is my only complaint with the OEM side cases.
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My semi-educated guess is that it's about the same. The 25L capacity is the same, although the shape is slightly less irregular than the OEMs. I never had the OEM soft bags, but I did ask to see the inside of one fairly recently so I have a slightly fuzzy basis for comparison. I would guess the WL900's might have slightly less drag, but I don't think that I would personally go to the trouble of converting the racks and getting WL900's if I already had the OEM bags unless you wanted the zipper-lock for a little bit (not a lot) of extra security. I'm very happy with them, though, and I like that I can put them on an Experia if/when I ever get one.
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Thanks for the feedback. I currently use TSA luggage combo locks on my OEM side bags which has worked well. Of course I still don’t keep anything of real value in them since all it takes is a decent pocket knife to slice them open but they do keep me from forgetting to zip them up and losing the contents on the road. Don’t ask me how I know…lol. ;)
I’ll stick with the OEMs for now since the top case has solved my commuting “problem”. Again, thank you so much for your efforts here in the Bay Area of seeking luggage solutions for our bikes.
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My semi-educated guess is that it's about the same. The 25L capacity is the same, although the shape is slightly less irregular than the OEMs. I never had the OEM soft bags, but I did ask to see the inside of one fairly recently so I have a slightly fuzzy basis for comparison. I would guess the WL900's might have slightly less drag, but I don't think that I would personally go to the trouble of converting the racks and getting WL900's if I already had the OEM bags unless you wanted the zipper-lock for a little bit (not a lot) of extra security. I'm very happy with them, though, and I like that I can put them on an Experia if/when I ever get one.
What is wrong with the stock Experia sidecases? Why would you want to transfer them?
-Don- Crescent City, CA
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One of the problems on the Ribelle side cases is the zippers are not very durable. After two years the zipper on my left side case is coming apart and not sure how much longer it will close completely. Carrying a strap to wrap around the side case in case it completely fails.
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What is wrong with the stock Experia sidecases? Why would you want to transfer them?
-Don- Crescent City, CA
I don’t think anything is wrong with them per se but if maximum efficiency is your goal, the WL series of cases weigh half of what the Trekker cases on the Experia weigh. Also, the WL series are a bit more aerodynamic.
I had the Trekker cases on a Moto Guzzi Stelvio and I loved them. The hat trick of the side cases having a “top” lid made it possible to load some items without having to completely open them up clam shell style.
I think it’s just a matter of what your goals are with your luggage. If you don’t have a need to regularly stuff your cases full then IMHO the WL series make better sense.
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What is wrong with the stock Experia sidecases? Why would you want to transfer them?
-Don- Crescent City, CA
For my mostly-highway riding, the Trekker 33's just took too big of a bite out of my range. Especially in a strong headwind, my efficiency with them was absolutely shocking, on the order of ~280 Wh/mi @ 70 MPH. I started leaving them off on most of my rides, which left me with insufficient cargo capacity to stow my helmet and jacket and still carry enough for an overnight stay. So far, it seems like the WL900's have almost no impact on my riding efficiency compared to riding without side cases, but that's a very preliminary finding based on a single ride and word of mouth from others.
The Trekker 33's might not be so bad on the Experia because it looks like they're positioned farther inward compared to my SS9 and can hide in the airstream behind the Experia's fairing. We'll see when the long-term tests come out. As BigPoppa said, the Trekkers are very nice cases, well-built, easy to access, and can store plenty of stuff. I would recommend them to anyone who isn't constantly testing the limits of their bike's range like me.
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Thanks for the feedback. I currently use TSA luggage combo locks on my OEM side bags which has worked well. Of course I still don’t keep anything of real value in them since all it takes is a decent pocket knife to slice them open but they do keep me from forgetting to zip them up and losing the contents on the road. Don’t ask me how I know…lol. ;)
Been there, done that, picked my underwear from the road :P
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What is wrong with the stock Experia sidecases? Why would you want to transfer them?
-Don- Crescent City, CA
For my mostly-highway riding, the Trekker 33's just took too big of a bite out of my range. Especially in a strong headwind, my efficiency with them was absolutely shocking, on the order of ~280 Wh/mi @ 70 MPH. I started leaving them off on most of my rides, which left me with insufficient cargo capacity to stow my helmet and jacket and still carry enough for an overnight stay. So far, it seems like the WL900's have almost no impact on my riding efficiency compared to riding without side cases, but that's a very preliminary finding based on a single ride and word of mouth from others.
The Trekker 33's might not be so bad on the Experia because it looks like they're positioned farther inward compared to my SS9 and can hide in the airstream behind the Experia's fairing. We'll see when the long-term tests come out. As BigPoppa said, the Trekkers are very nice cases, well-built, easy to access, and can store plenty of stuff. I would recommend them to anyone who isn't constantly testing the limits of their bike's range like me.
I'm not surprised. I really hate the stupid trend of putting adventure-type rectangular metal bags and topboxes on every bike.
The Givi E360 is superior in every respect, and although no longer made, is still available in some places. Far cheaper, 40-liter capacity each side, usable also as a top case, looks much better and aerodynamic so much less buffetting and better range. They're also much more usable than the V35/V37 abominations which have such a weird shape inside that almost nothing fits.
For people who need a bit more space, there's the E460.