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My 2014 DS 11.4 was working great all of these years.  Because of my previous job, I was only commuting like 3 miles each way/day so I've got 20,000 miles on the bike.  Bike performance flawless, strong, and could easily reach over 85 on highway for sustained amounts of time.  Lately, towards the end of last year, I took it out and was going down a road at 65, when all of a sudden it started slowing down.  Battery around 85% or so.  Couldn't add throttle.  When Itried to by holding it down more for increase in throttle, the display went to -- instead of 85% and started blinking.  I had to pull over because the bike basically stopped powering the motor.  Left it by side of road for an hour and returned.  Came back 1 hour later, turned on key and it went to 35%.  Got on bike drove home and recharged back to 100%.  Last 3 trips on bike, same issue.  Around 85%, If I'm going 50+ mph, bike starts slowing down.  Now I figured out that if I back down to maybe 30-35 mph I can continue driving, but each application of throttle more then about 35 it will cause the motor to slow down/lose power.  Basically allowed me to limp to where I can get to and plug it in.

I have't tried to read the diag codes on the battery brick in the little circular window, but at 6 years, I'm wondering if my cells are misleading me into thinking that 100% is still 100%.

Today's trip 3 miles up one road to the home improvement store, and it was doing in again once I got over 50 mph - and that was starting at 98% on the gauge at the start out of the garage.

Try to ride 14 miles each way to work for my new job is out of the question.  I can't trust the bike for short trips, and I know it can't possible do the long ones.

Anyone else see this behavior?  It's like the more current you apply, the faster this condition arrives and the greater the change I will be stuck somewhere.

Is it practical to think my dealer here in Las Vegas could replace bad cells in the monolith if that's the problem, or is 6 years the practical life of my 2014 DS 11.4?  I want to ride my Zero to work down the 215 freeway for 14 miles, but I can't even get up and maintain freeway speed anymore.

Mark (ZeroMark)
in Henderson, Las Vegas, NV
2014 DS 11.4

Thank you everyone... For the prices quoted I think I'll replace them rather then try to paint or mess with them. -Mark

I was wondering if anyone has looked at anything like plugless recharging like they have for the LEAF, VOLT, Cadillac ELR and Tesla?  The units (www.pluglesspower.com ) sit on the floor and you drive over it and once it lines up with the induction unit on the car (or bike!) then charging can begin.  The units they show on their web site do 3.3Kw Level 2 wireless changing.

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has looked into induction charging, and if anyone has anything working like this?

Ashley Harris at mailto:aharris@evatran.com is tracking interest in EV's and so if anyone wants something lke this, you could always drop her a note about your Zero.

In any case, the idea seems forward thinking even if the efficiency doesn't.  What do you guys think about it?

Mark Hripko (ZeroMark)

Terry - 1. Anything that would allow more uninterrupted range I would be interested in!  I was daydreaming at the recent reunion event that I almost wish that they had an SDS chassis that had the swappable battery compartment of the FXS, and maybe if we were lucky, a battery box for the SDS that wasn't the sealed monolith that we have, but instead one that held from 1 to 4 hot-swappable modules.  Then, not only would your idea of carrying them or even "renting them" from the dealer be attractive, but zero could basically grow the business in both directions by offering like a 1 module SDS motorcycle for a much lower price-point, allowing the customer the ability to grow into longer range as needed by getting more (for example, getting the missing 3 if you buy a bike with a 1 module subsystem.

2. It's clear to me that battery technology is about to take some sort of leap in both capacity, as well as economies of scale-lowering of price.  If a battery in the next few months offers say 4X the capacity and/or costs 1/4 the price, then the 1 module, growing into 4 module type of setup not only makes sense to me, but seems like it should be the highlight of the 2017 product line!  Seems like leapfrog in battery technology is coming like a train very fast so I'd almost prefer to have swappable modules in my SDS so I could run light and lean (imagine shaving 150 lbs off the bike for my daily commute to work and back by only running one module in the SDS bike) but still could drop in the other modules for range when the long distance trip I want to take is before me.

3. Interesting thing if you look up the Mercedes Benz designed SMART CAR, they sell it now with a price that includes NO BATTERIES, and you purchase or "lease" your batteries as a separate agreement.  Makes for interesting pricing, and while the model of the lease doesn't seem to apply to Zero batteries, especially if they outlast the lifetime of the bike, but the idea of treating the battery subsystem like a commodity much like double-AA cells in the real world brings forth some interesting ideas.

4. Although I love the beauty of the SDS style bikes and hate the thought of what seeing an FX-style cage in the SDS frame might look like (compared to the elegant and beautiful monolith) I got to believe that is a cosmetic challenge Zero scientists can easily overcome and win me over on in a future machine.

5. So Yes! Yes! Yes!  Give me a way to plug in more range when I need it - and I'll buy it - because I truly believe that the pendulum on that will go both ways, and we will get range that is adjustable thru ideas like yours (carrying the modules ready to be used), while at the same time gaining the ability to reduce the weight and module count - IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE RIDER - in times when the weekly commute can be carried by one or two of them!

6. Will we see the SDS-FXXXXX  in 2017? (S/DS/DSR elegance with the hot-swap battery box) <-I heard "Service" saying that it takes way to long to put in the 5th module into the tank area so they could start by making that a hot-swap drop in - especially if battery capacity goes up in the very near future!

7. One last thought I've not heard anyone comment on but was curious about was the idea of the "range extender" technology like the Chevy Volt originally came out with.  The idea that you'd have some small ICE engine turning a big fat electrical GENERATOR  that in turn was pumping electricity into my battery modules on the zero while I'm traveling down the road.  (Forget about the way Chevy tied the ICE motor into the drive train, which was for other reasons non-essential to this discussion)  That generator subsystem on the Volt kicks in when the batteries reach 33% charge and basically with the tiny ICE running a generator feeding the batteries; it gives that Volt about 10X the distance.  That type of setup on anything besides the volt is something I'd like to explore.  Heck-locomotives that do the heavy work on the rail network across the USA have powerful electric motors powered by what?  Batteries that are fed from a generator in the same engine compartment fed by a diesel generator!  Sure-A Zero making ICE noise wouldn't be a Zero anymore, but if I could sit that little ICE box down in place of your "module" and hook it to my battery charging subsystem, I wonder how far I could go, and how quiet I still could be.

8. Oh yeah--my Smartphone can either be recharged by plugging a cord into it, or by getting it "in close proximity" to a charging station that provides that function.  I wonder if A) it's possible to charge a zero that way-no or in some not to distant future - and b) will we ever see a day when driving down the road and stopping at a plate in the road, near an intersection - or heck even blowing past it on the side of the road - could provide the charging or boost that we need to keep us all moving on down the road....  If my phone can do it-how about my bike?

-But YEAH - gimme swappable in my S/DS/DSR so i can have more range and I'll ride with ya - side by side - and we will start a new ZEROSTURGIS together.  One where Electric motorcycles and their owners come together after riding long distances using every creative way imaginable!  Including your way of carrying those extra modules!  I'm in and up for it and willing.

Mark Hripko

I'n coming out from Las Vegas with my 2014 DS in the back of a pickup (to get it there), but it's a nice 8 hour drive from Las Vegas.  Any of you guys that are meeting for Pizza or staying overnight somewhere have any thoughts where us guys arriving at 4 a.m. in the morning can meet up?  I'm leaving approx 7 to 8 pm from Las Vegas putting me there around 4 am or so.  Long drive, but it will be a drive with some good company, and I can't wait to meet all of you other "good company" out there all day long. -Mark Hripko

Anybody got any information about a person with a pacemaker or an in-chest defibrillator (or one of the combo units) as it relates to riding a zero (like a 2014 ds).  Is there any official position on this, or does anyone have any info (informal, official) about the potential interference.  I've never heard anyone discuss how much emf or what kind or energy surrounds an electric bike.  Should someone considering a motorcycle when they have an icd/pacemaker be worried riding a Zero any more then say the cautionary warnings of holding a cell phone up near that side of their chest where an icd might be implanted...

I think the noise seems to be coming from the axle or bearing around it.  It's not the rear brakes as I once elevated the bike on a stand and made sure i could see tha tthe brakes pads were not doing it.   Tomorrow morning I'm pulling the wheel off and taking the whole assembly down to one of the motorcycletire places I've got some recommendations on and i'll have them check it out and get it fixed.  I'll see if they can check the axle/bearing or whatever is making that noise at that time.... -MARK

Final Resolution: After squeezing 12 volt 5-wire connector (Thanks Jason S for the picture that helped me find it) and then checkng the 250V 4A fuse of the 2 fuses that stick out of the battery box at the back of the box, I found that the fuse was blown.  It was originally tested when I first started troubleshooting, but I didn't test it, someone else did.  Funny, it was the type of fuse that had what looks like brown paper bag material on the inside of the glass, all the way around it, so it's impossible to see any wire or link in there.  Only after pulling it out of the little top piece that you push on to screw the fuse in, and measure it with an ohmmeter, was I sure it was open.  So i went to auto parts store and bought another 250V 4A fuse and put it in and it's been working fine every since.

I do think that the connector (the 5 pin 12 v one mentioned in this post) should either be raised, or waterproofed.  I live in Las Vegas, and while it's normally dry, hot, and dusty, we just had the craziest few months this year of rain, and what little rain we had, came down hard when it did, creating floods and puddles everywhere.  In all of that time, I managed to stay out of all of them and only 1 time can i say i was in water more an inch or so deep.  But that cover over the 5 pin connector lookdd moist as you all mentioned, and it's by far the lowest connector in that center group opf wires, and closest to the top of the motor.  It just seems like that whole area above the moter ought to be enclosed better it all of tbhe electirical stuff is up there.

But I'm happy it's fixed now, as I was just getting ready to drive it 300+ miles to where my NEAREST (sadly) zero dealership is at.  Still hard to believe there is NO (longer) a ZERO dealer here in the Las Vegas area.

-Thanks to all for the help.  I only hope i can repay you with my ZERO knowledge some day)
-MARK
ZeroMark