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[oldnoah]

I just bought a Zero S, 13.0. I'm planning on using it just for commuting, as I've been commuting on a Yamaha Virago 250 for about 8 years, mostly to save gas and the planet.

I didn't buy any chargers or anything. I'm seeing some references in this forum to problems with the on board charger. I'd like to hear more about that. So far I'm happy enough with the ~4 hours it takes to recharge after I get to work/home. I haven't paid much attention to the actual time it takes, but the bike seems to be fully charged when I check it at lunch time.

[protomech]

Welcome to the forum!

It seems like the onboard chargers - GreenWattPower EVC1300 - have fairly high defect rate. The revision "E" charger is the most recent, and some failures have been reported even with this revision (including one replacement for me).

It's possible that the high defect rates may be limited to a certain batch of chargers. The "new old stock" 2014 bikes that were available at a discount rate seem to be more heavily affected; I haven't heard of anyone with a 2016 and issues.

As with most issues, the prevalence is probably less than it seems from user reports here.. so charge away!

[Erasmo]

First, welcome to the forum!

How do you like the bike until now? At the point of chargers, there are some glitches but so far it seems that mostly some of the '14 models that seem to have received a less reliable batch. Since your bike has been charging away since 2013 you should be in the safe zone, most people reported problems in the first few months.

[mrwilsn]

Since your bike has been charging away since 2013 you should be in the safe zone, most people reported problems in the first few months.

I'm pretty sure he meant ZF13 battery (i.e. 2016 Zero S) not 2013 model year.


Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[Doug S]

It seems like a lot of new eBike riders have a fair amount of that sort of angst. While there may be some truth to the newness of the technology still causing some bumps in the road, it's just not that big of a deal. Every vehicle has a problem once in a while, and you take it to the mechanic or repair it yourself....in other words, you deal with it. A charger is no big deal compared to, say, the chronic valve seal problem the Pontiac Fiero had, which cost a lot of people a lot of money including premature purchase of new vehicles. I predict that the basic, expensive parts of your new bike will prove to be very reliable, as most of ours have.

I had one of the bad chargers. After 1-1/2 years, the charger simply failed one day -- I walked out to go to work one day, and the bike was at 53%, not having charged all night. I drove the car to work, called the motorcycle tow truck after work to haul it to the shop, and it was repaired in a couple of days.

I think that kind of anxiety is just due to it being a technology we're not used to managing yet. But it's really no different than any other vehicle, if it breaks, you fix it. And in truth, they're pretty reliable and getting more so.

[Erasmo]

Since your bike has been charging away since 2013 you should be in the safe zone, most people reported problems in the first few months.

I'm pretty sure he meant ZF13 battery (i.e. 2016 Zero S) not 2013 model year.


Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Wow totally read that wrong. But Doug S pretty much closed the case in the post above this one.

[ticobrahe]

It seems like a lot of new eBike riders have a fair amount of that sort of angst. While there may be some truth to the newness of the technology still causing some bumps in the road, it's just not that big of a deal. Every vehicle has a problem once in a while, and you take it to the mechanic or repair it yourself....in other words, you deal with it. A charger is no big deal compared to, say, the chronic valve seal problem the Pontiac Fiero had, which cost a lot of people a lot of money including premature purchase of new vehicles. I predict that the basic, expensive parts of your new bike will prove to be very reliable, as most of ours have.

I had one of the bad chargers. After 1-1/2 years, the charger simply failed one day -- I walked out to go to work one day, and the bike was at 53%, not having charged all night. I drove the car to work, called the motorcycle tow truck after work to haul it to the shop, and it was repaired in a couple of days.

I think that kind of anxiety is just due to it being a technology we're not used to managing yet. But it's really no different than any other vehicle, if it breaks, you fix it. And in truth, they're pretty reliable and getting more so.

True dat Doug. '16 SR owner of 11 days now and have emotions and thoughts triggered by 'new tech/novice adopter' peculiarities all the time. Read a post here several days ago about garage charging and needing a separate circuit so I immediately go out to the garage and assess my setup and whether I'm good or not (I am. Just don't run the electric dryer while charging the bike).

Appreciate the additional attention required and sometimes distress. Makes the whole exploration that much more interesting. I smirk now when I look over at the adjacent Triumph in the garage and reminisce over her issues and my reactions to them.

[oldnoah]

Thanks for the information. Yes, my Zero is a 2016, so it sounds like the charger problem has probably been worked out. If not, as has been pointed out, hopefully it will fail while under warrantee.