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[DonTom]

What a day!


My 2020 SS9-



First, I ride through the CA mountains near Markleeville, CA down Monitor Pass and then to the EV-Range DCFCs in Coleville, CA, on Hwy 395.  Was a real hassle, all types of issues. I have used EV-Range before, but these chargers are made by a different company than the other EV-Ranges I have seen.


I get past the initiation screen, and it starts charging but at 0.00 watts. No matter what I tried, but the screen on the bike as well as on the DC Fast Charger said I was charging at 0.00 watts. After five minutes, I call the number on the machine, and they could not figure out anything. The charger stops after five minutes of no power.


I used the EV-Go in Gardnerville, NV, a couple of hours before this and it worked fine. Even with EV-Go's Autocharge Plus even (plug in and walk away just like with Tesla--no RFID card, no App needed--nothing needed, worked perfectly).


I just barely had enough juice left to get back to Garnerville, same EV-Go charger, as long as I ride slow.


Guess what?


Now even EV-Go is "Charging" at zero KW! So I drive a half mile to the ChargePoint and it gives me a charging error right away. So now my SS9- is not fast charging anywhere at all. Regen still normal. AC charging still okay. There is an AC charger there and I charged up at 3KW enough to get to Carson City for another AC charge but never made it to the next AC charge station!


In south CC, I ran over something (or whatever) that I did not see. I look at my TPMS and my rear tire is losing PSI superfast,  ~5 PSI per second. I pull over right away and then I call for a tow truck. I just now got home at 0200 hrs!


I look at the rear tire and I cannot find any damage to it by rotating the tire 90° at a time. So I have no idea what happened. I will take a better look after I get the tire off the bike.


This is the short version! Everything possible went wrong today!


I will start troubleshooting why no DCFC in the next few days. Anybody here have any idea what is the possible cause? Again,  regen is fine, even at ~20KW with a fast slowdown from a higher speed, and also ac charging is fine. Just no DCFC.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[ElectricRebel]

Hellooo,
Sad to hear ....

But probably you've blown your 75 Amp DC Charge fuse...there's a reason later models had 100 Amp fuses 😉

[DonTom]

Hellooo,
Sad to hear ....

But probably you've blown your 75 Amp DC Charge fuse...there's a reason later models had 100 Amp fuses 😉

How do I get to that fuse?






-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

A little good news on the tire. It was just a hole, just the correct size for a plug. It's a newer tire and I am not crazy about riding with a plug, but I have done it many times without any issues for thousands of miles. I must have run over a board with a nail in it that stayed with the board. Whatever it was, I felt it, but didn't see it, as it was dark already.


I could have done this repair last night in the dark with what I had with me, but I didn't then know that would have saved time compared to calling a tow truck, even though I needed another 3KW charge or two to get home.



My Zero DS has now been plugged for several years, not the slightest leak. Hopefully it will be the same for my SS9-. At least the bike is now rideable, even of no DCFC as long as I have an hour or so to charge at each of my stops at 3KW.


I take it the charging fuse (inside the battery case?) has no effect on regen. I assume the regen takes a different path into the battery.


I forgot to mention in the last post there are NO error messages in "Service" listed.


Are these the symptoms of a blown (75-amp) charging fuse?


So what is the best way to fix my DC fast charging issue? Perhaps get the bike to SSF? At least now I can get the bike closer by driving it to my Auburn house, after a LONG wait at Cisco Grove with 3 KW AC charging.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Demoni]

Glad you were able to get home safe, sounds like an adventure.

If the bike initiates a DC charge session but the charge screen shows 0A 0kWh in the top right corner that is a pretty good indication the DC charge fuse has been tripped. However there are a few easy things to check that might also result in the same behavior.

*Please note all the HV wires on the bike should be deenergized when the bike is keyed off*
Inspect the DC charge connector. This is a large orange plug under the tank fairings near the seat latch. It connects the HV pins of the charge port to the battery. It should have a white locking tab that needs to be slid up before you can depress the release button. The wires are stiff and the connector has gaskets so it will be hard to unplug. Inspect the pins on both sides of the connector, they will wiggle a little and that is normal. Next use a multimeter to check continuity between the pins on the charge port side and the DC pins of the charge port (lower 2 large pins). These have plastic tips so make sure you are actually contacting the metal parts. If you measure a good connection reconnect the plug (make sure it is fully seated) and try to DC charge the bike again.

If you see 0A | 0kWh odds are good the issue is the fuse.

The fuse is there to provide over current protection to protect the cells from being charged at a rate higher than specification. It has not been an issue for a long time but there was a period many years ago where some EVGO stations had a voltage spike at the start of the session. This resulted in a input current that exceeded that of the fuse causing it to be tripped.

There was a firmware update that added additional over voltage monitoring and would end a charge session if there was a voltage spike. I also believe EVGO corrected the issue with a firmware update of the offending stations. We also started installing DC charge fuses with a higher current limit to provide additional headroom.

The fuse is inside the battery case on 13.4 bikes, the pack will need to be opened requiring it to be removed from the bike. The fuse is located in the "basement" on 21.5 bikes which can be accessed without battery removal.

[DonTom]

Glad you were able to get home safe, sounds like an adventure.

If the bike initiates a DC charge session but the charge screen shows 0A 0kWh in the top right corner that is a pretty good indication the DC charge fuse has been tripped. However there are a few easy things to check that might also result in the same behavior.

*Please note all the HV wires on the bike should be deenergized when the bike is keyed off*
Inspect the DC charge connector. This is a large orange plug under the tank fairings near the seat latch. It connects the HV pins of the charge port to the battery. It should have a white locking tab that needs to be slid up before you can depress the release button. The wires are stiff and the connector has gaskets so it will be hard to unplug. Inspect the pins on both sides of the connector, they will wiggle a little and that is normal. Next use a multimeter to check continuity between the pins on the charge port side and the DC pins of the charge port (lower 2 large pins). These have plastic tips so make sure you are actually contacting the metal parts. If you measure a good connection reconnect the plug (make sure it is fully seated) and try to DC charge the bike again.

If you see 0A | 0kWh odds are good the issue is the fuse.

The fuse is there to provide over current protection to protect the cells from being charged at a rate higher than specification. It has not been an issue for a long time but there was a period many years ago where some EVGO stations had a voltage spike at the start of the session. This resulted in a input current that exceeded that of the fuse causing it to be tripped.

There was a firmware update that added additional over voltage monitoring and would end a charge session if there was a voltage spike. I also believe EVGO corrected the issue with a firmware update of the offending stations. We also started installing DC charge fuses with a higher current limit to provide additional headroom.

The fuse is inside the battery case on 13.4 bikes, the pack will need to be opened requiring it to be removed from the bike. The fuse is located in the "basement" on 21.5 bikes which can be accessed without battery removal.

I was hoping you would reply!


If the problem happened from EV-Go, it would have had to have happened near the end of the charge, because that charge worked perfectly until I stopped the charge at 85% SOC, IIRC. A spike when the charge was stopped, perhaps? I did stop the charge from the bike, by turning it on and using the mode button.


I assume the problem was at ColeVille, because it took a lot of force to get the connector on so it would click. Those chargers are very new and that could be making them extra tight and difficult to use on my 2020 SS9-.


But there is no way for me to know for sure where the problem started.


I was just about ready to remove the "tank" covers to check things in there. I will check and clean the plug with some contact cleaner and then go to a local DCFC and see what happens.


If it is the fuse inside the battery pack, what do you suggest I do?  I can at least ride the bike back to my Auburn, CA house where it is closer to SSF.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

I think the odds are good that I discovered the problem. Something very simple I should have checked, but I didn't even think about it until you mentioned the orange connector.


Anyway, I got the orange connector apart and it became obvious what it was (to the HV pins of the CCS connector) when I saw it was only two large wires. So I figured I will check the continuity from the pins to the connector. Before I could get my ohmmeter leads onto the CCS HV connector, I noticed a piece of plastic in the bottom of the HV negative side. I have no idea where that piece of plastic came from, but I was able to feed it out below the connector where there is some open space, using a screwdriver with some force.  For some unknown reason, it was stuck very tight in there and I could not simply lift it out with any toots, but I was able to move it. Perhaps smashed down tight from the charge connector in Coleville. Or perhaps somewhat melted in there.


This piece of plastic not only explains why I would probably get zero charge current, it also explains why it was so difficult to get the connector on in Coleville. That little piece of plastic was blocking a normal connection.


Anyway, I just now need to put the bike back together and test it on a DCFC here in Reno.


On the opposite side of this connector, side towards the front, it reads infinite resistance. I assume that is normal.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Specter]

They make a product called Ride On.  NO I'S NOT SLIME.  Its similar but works much better imo.  Squirt a bottle in the tire then take it for about a minute slow ride and you are good to go.  it makes its way around the tire and if you have any leaks that are not gaping like you ran over a spark plug, like i did one time, it'll seal them right up in a few seconds.

it's also non flammable and i think non toxic as well,  and as an added bonus it somehow helps to balance the tire.  If it's off a bit, the centrifugal kick will cause the stuff to move slightly more and even things out.  if the bike sits a long time and it settles down a bit, just give it about a block of riding and it'll redistribute inside the tire and be good to go again.

I have a real bad problem of finding run over and poke holes in my tires stuff on the road, so used to run it all the time.   hitting a nail on a 200 dollar tire after 50 miles would piss mother Theresa off!!

Now that both my bikes are race bikes I don't use it in the ego or ribelle but it works in the experia just fine.  only reason i don't use it in the racers / mixed modes is, a waste for a tire that might not see 500 miles before getting changed, otherwise it'd be there too

https://ride-on.com/

Aaron

[Ingineer]

Yeah, the latch is supervised with a switch in the handle, so if it does not come down fully, the proximity line will be de-asserted and no current can flow for safety.

[DonTom]

Yeah, the latch is supervised with a switch in the handle, so if it does not come down fully, the proximity line will be de-asserted and no current can flow for safety.

I am hoping to check it today on a DCFC, but I am having an issue with the rear tire leaking. I think there could be another leak (very small puncture) right next to the main larger plugged hole.


It could mean I need to replace the rear tire or at least need have it patched from the inside.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[PWM]

It could mean I need to replace the rear tire or at least need have it patched from the inside.

-Don-  Reno, NV

Glad to hear you've solved the DC charge issue.

Good luck finding a shop that will repair motorcycle tires...frustrating as heck having to buy new shoes when there's plenty of tread remaining.

The following is highly recommended and represents good value to spend your hard earned money on, particularly if you have multiple street bikes.

https://us.rabaconda.com/collections/street

https://www.stopngo.com/products/7856

[DonTom]

Glad to hear you've solved the DC charge issue.

Not yet known if I did or not. I first need to get the bike to a DCFC which I would have done by now if it were not for the tire problem.


I figure the odds of the plastic being the issue to be around 50-50%. BTW, it was hard to notice because it was the same shade of black as my CCS receptacle.


It looks like the tire hole is more of a long tear and too large to be plugged. I ordered one of those mushroom guns as they can usually plug a larger hole. I will have that in a couple of days.


I also ordered this. Both should be here tomorrow.


If that stuff doesn't work, and seem perfectly safe (which I kinda doubt at this point), I will take the tire off and have it replaced. I don't care much about the cost of the new tire, just the work involved--with no center-stand.


My first trip with this bike after I take care of the tire issue with be to the closest DCFC station. But I am not yet sure when that will be.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Richard230]

A patch on the inside of the tire might work if the tire cords are not damaged. 

[DonTom]

A patch on the inside of the tire might work if the tire cords are not damaged. 

I get the feeling that this tire has some major damage, I decided I am going to replace the tire--if I can figure out how to get the wheel up by myself. I had help last time, but that guy died the exact same day I had my Experia delivered.


I like my SS9- a lot. I can pretty much go anywhere I want to with it these days, as there are enough charge stations to match its shorter range which I find to be enough. I was going to ride it down to Bridgeport the other day but never made it, for obvious reasons. And this bike has NO bugs and the screen is easier to use than the Experia.


I have no idea what I ran over, but whatever it was, it must have been designed to damage tires!



-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

I now have the rear wheel off the ground, wasn't that hard. I know those with experience (not me) can do it with no problem just by using the stand in the rear.


But I was too chicken to try that and used three tools to get the rear wheel up in the air. The front chock to hold the bike, the small jack to lift it (with a hockey puck on the lift plate) and the Energica stand on the rear.


I will not even try to repair the tire at this point; it will be replaced on Tuesday and perhaps I will get to a DCFC the same day.


Some pix, now to remove the wheel:




-Don-  Reno, NV