ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

Today, at least for me, zero manual.com seems unreachable.

 I am replacing the back tire of my 2020 Zero FX. When I took it off I noticed that the back brake pads are a wee bit thin. I purchased EBC pads for the front and back awhile ago. I do have spare pads for all my bikes so I thought it prudent to check my top choice with the Unofficial Zero Manual. I couldn't sign on. A brief search of the internet sounds like the hoster of this helpful wiki was having technical issues years ago involving spammers and the version of the wiki software he was using.

 Is this manual really no longer available ?

Thanks - Terry

So you’ve connected on the load side of the contactor at the input of the controller.

I would do what T.S. Zarathustra suggested.
Find a surplus rotary switch (OFF-ONE-TWO) & install a suitable resistor on the #1/BALANCE circuit that will allow main/extender balance. (Note that it would have be be rated for 125VDC).
It would be nice to find one that is sequential so the batteries are balanced before direct connection.
A surplus analog voltmeter installed across the two packs would let you know when it’s safe to rotate the switch to #2/RUN position

I would use a FLNR-35 or 40 amp fuse as it is a timedelay fuse with a 125vdc rating.
In the AC side of wires, #10 is limited to 30 amps so I wouldn’t feel comfortable pushing much past that & your testing shows it’s not necessary. 
AC motors have upwards of 7x inrush current to start (compared to RLA [Running Load Amps]) & these fuses are used.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll just charge the batteries to the same voltage before installing the extender. My testing has shown that even with a 4 volt difference the inrush current is only 10 amps, well within the systems rating. I use a variable power supply for charging so it's super easy to get the packs to the same voltage. There is really no space left in the storage area for more hardware. The wire I am using is not SAE wire. Google "Ancor marine cable" and look at their wire size selection tables. I misstated the ampacity in my previous post, its 60 amps, not 80. Ampacity is defined as the maximum load a wire can handle continuously and stay within temperature specs. The marine wire has a larger cross section and higher temperature rating for the insulation than SAE wire. I like your idea of a voltmeter and have already ordered one to install on the extender. Easier than using a multimeter. I already have a voltmeter on the bike.
Yes, I have thought about installing a smaller fuse. That would be easy and now I know what the actual current flow is.
I would be more inclined to use a fast acting fuse designed to protect sensitive electronics. I'll think more about that.

Not even close. It's just a high end lithium battery, he gives some examples of others in the video that perform as well or better.

Isn't the main advantage of the SSB just that it is safter than the others, just less likely to blow up?


I found the video too long and too boring to watch, so I do not know if that was mentioned or not.


-Don- Auburn, CA

So you’ve connected on the load side of the contactor at the input of the controller.

I would do what T.S. Zarathustra suggested.
Find a surplus rotary switch (OFF-ONE-TWO) & install a suitable resistor on the #1/BALANCE circuit that will allow main/extender balance. (Note that it would have be be rated for 125VDC).
It would be nice to find one that is sequential so the batteries are balanced before direct connection.
A surplus analog voltmeter installed across the two packs would let you know when it’s safe to rotate the switch to #2/RUN position

I would use a FLNR-35 or 40 amp fuse as it is a timedelay fuse with a 125vdc rating.
In the AC side of wires, #10 is limited to 30 amps so I wouldn’t feel comfortable pushing much past that & your testing shows it’s not necessary. 
AC motors have upwards of 7x inrush current to start (compared to RLA [Running Load Amps]) & these fuses are used. 

Not even close. It's just a high end lithium battery, he gives some examples of others in the video that perform as well or better.

<sound of a Russian guy scampering out of the back window with a suitcase stuffed full of dollars>

Regardless of all that ... does the battery actually live up to any of its claims? I mean, who cares what's inside it, if it actually does what they say it does.

Cas

The connection point is where the buss bars connect to the controller, so on the controller side of the main contactor. On gen 3 bikes the controller is under the battery. It's the easiest place to connect and has the advantage of not being always hot like it would be if you went direct to the battery. I already had a connection there that I use to connect an offboard charger. Like the brown Anderson connector on the Gen 2 bikes that you could  use to hook up an extra charger to. (that is a whole other story) I just split that and ran wire up to the tank storage.

I used # 10 boat cable which has an ampacity of 80 amps and is made with fine tinned wire. The wire run is about 4 feet in each direction.
The cells are LG M26 out of recycled stand up scooter packs.
The main specs are 2500mah nominal, max discharge 10 amps, max charge current 1C, Max operating temp 140 F
60 amp fuse
The pack is in two halves connected together by the contactor. 6p14s X 2 in series.

The whole thing is on the light duty side for sure but I always use a custom mode with the power the same as Standard Mode but with 70% regen on the throttle and 100%on the brake. In my test I never saw more than 20 amps in my custom mode and that was full throttle.

they did say its out of the line, which would imply its hitting the market, but you are probably correct, which actually makes all the allegations even more convincing that its a scam.  do they honesty thing a competitor would not cut one open just because you signed an nda?

so at the end of all of this, i wonder how much in trouble the motorcycle part of the company still is in?

aaron

Good to hear it's working. Intermittent problems are the worst! Make sure your towing insurance is paid up, ha ha!

I think it all had to do something with the bike sitting a bit too long, such as the battery getting out of balance causing the BMU to stop the charge. Perhaps right on the edge. After around 20 charge attempts, it started to charge fine. IOW, I don't think the fix was anything else that I did.


But yes, I do have a couple of ways to call for a tow truck, AAA Premier (member since 1992) and the Spot Messenger towing service (SOV).


However, I somehow do not expect to see this problem again, but if I do, I will just keep on trying to charge unit it works--and then I will look into replacing the BMU.


-Don-   Auburn, CA

The only ones that have had access to the battery is VTT or whatever that did the testing, I'm assuming they signed some sort of contract saying they can't just cut it open and see what's inside.

Fran, it's about a minute of quiet background music. Pretty standard for any video these days. If that's enough to put you off then you probably wouldn't make it through the whole 45 minutes.