Questions on XB-700Li

Hi - regarding question 1 --- this is my experience.
I don't take it in the rain so really have no experience.
Sorry not much help but if I was to do it again (I have the XB700Li) I would look more closely at Veloteq.
Veloteq seems to have a higher build quality.
thom

2. These things "only" go 20MPH - so is a regular bike helmet enough protection? It would seem so. At least in my state (GA), only a Bicycle helmet is required for one of these. What do you guys wear with your XB-600/700 for protection? I will prob get a full helmet with shield in the front - to avoid getting cold in the winter and it's kinda hard to breathe looking straight and going 20MPH.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

Basically, the original Snell standards were designed for race-car service. In a race-car accident, the helmet will be thrown against a single point repeatedly. A helmet built to this standard is actaully too stiff to provide best protection for your brain.

Two wheelers operate in a different world. As far as impact, the difference between bicycles and motorcycles isn't impact, it's abrasion. If a motorcycle goes down, the impact is the same five feet from the ground - you're not hitting your head on a brick wall. You will be sliding for a while, however.

Bottom line? I wear a bike helmet on the scoot, and a full-face helmet (and, on the highway, a motorcycle jacket) on my Suzuki. On the scoot, the bicycle helmet, my slow-moving-vehicle placard, and my way of riding, emphasizes that I consider myself as a bike, not a car.

I would suggest a good bike helmet and face shield. Gloves and solid shoes will be reassurance as well.

5. Are there mods/hacks to allow these to go 25-30MPH as the top speed? What is required to do that?

While I'm happy at 20 MPH, the XB-600's frame would be pretty flexible for 30 MPH. I expect the XB-700Li is about the same. Overvolting the XB-600 to get an extra ~5MPH is fairly common, to judge from posts here. Overvolting is easy with SLA batteries, but what level of BMS does the XB-700Li have? How would you extend it?

Welcome to this very informative forum!

All the information available here helped us decide to purchase the 700Li almost a year ago, when they became available. We were one of the first people that got their bike. We wanted to convert a regular bicycle, but after we learned a good quality Lithium battery was going to cost 1200, it was an easy decision to get this awesome bike. We liked it so much that we became a dealer in our area. We now have them available to anyone in the US that wishes to forget about gas, insurance, DMV registration, maintenance, etc. This bike is particularly helpful for people with out a Drivers License. DUI sufferers have found this bike to be a life saver.

Answering your questions:

Yes this bikes work like regular bikes. They do not use any power. The bike weighs about 150 pounds plus the rider. The bike should go faster than a regular bike. The maximum distance is governed by the controller output and speed. If the controller is not using any energy it will not stop the bike. The bike will go faster than the advertise speed.
The maximum speed we have archived with a fully charged battery is 22.5 MPH. We measured with a GPS and a Bike's computer. Higher speeds are possible if the Voltage is increased or if the original controller is replaced for a higher capacity one. 25 MPH is not true. The included speedometer is not accurate at all.
We know if guy close to our home in California that sells higher capacity controllers and batteries. He is also a member of this forum. The speed of the bike is perfect for us. We can see someone would benefit with a higher speed. For us it is fast enough to go from one point A to point B and slow enough not to get us in trouble.

The bike has an interesting feature. If you press on any of the two brake levers, the bike will engage a regenerative brake. The manufacturer does not advertise this kinds brakes because the energy regenerated is very little. However someone in the forum told us that they measured the current flow of the bike braking and they found out the current flowing backwards towards the battery. We have no idea how efficient is that but we know that the bike brakes with the motor when one or both of the brake levers are pressed. It feels just like our Toyota Prius braking, you feel a resistance from the electric motor. Positively slowing the bike without using the brakes.

We only use a Bicycle helmet. It is enough protection for us. We however recommend a Motorcycle approved helmet. Whether is a half size or full face, shield in the front will help tremendously in bad weather. We always use eye protection. It is hard to breath if you are going 20 MPH and against the cold wind. We are fortunate enough to have mostly nice weather year round.

Wearing light colored clothing is always advisable. You can never assume the Big SUV and MiniVan drivers can see you. We are still not used to share the road with Bikes.

The more protection you wear the better it is at any speed. We assume it gets very cold where you are. Wearing a jacket will be very helpful. When we ride at night we wear one of those bright colored reflective vests that you can find at any hardware store.

We are not sure if the bike is rain or water proof. The controller and connections are covered by a very sophisticated plastic bag with a Zip tie. Looks cheap but it works. We have driven in light rain but we do not recommend it. Roads become very slippery when wet. We do not believe the bike is 100% rain proof. We are not for sure because we have never gotten it too wet. Just light rain and quick drive home.

Yes there are mods and hacks you can do to the Bike to make it faster. As we mentioned before we know of a guy close to home that sells upgraded 84 volts controllers and batteries. We might try that but we will weight until our battery warranty expires on the Bike. 12 months is the standard warranty on the battery and 90 days on everything else.

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Welcome to the forum. My two cents here. As mentioned already, a motorcycle approved helmet is advisable. I use a halfie style helmet which can be stored under the seat. I wear a BRIGHT yellow coat or sweatshirt in the warmer weather. I also use a reflector vest in the rainy and colder/darker winter weather. I road my scooter all winter long except for when it snowed. It ran fine in 10-20 degree weather as well as the pouring rain. In fact, even though I didn't ride in the snow, there was one morning that I found out too late that the roads had ice on them. Only slipped a little coming to a stop on a hill. Up until the it died at 1085 miles, I was ecstatic to have it.

As of now I am waiting on a replacement battery pack from Xtreme with a revised charging circuit board in it. It seems that several of us who are part of this forum are having the very same issue with complete power loss. They seem to think its the circuit board and I am inclined to believe it. So I wait for my replacement. But as for the bike itself, I love it. Very comfortable to ride and stable as well. I weigh 210 and it moves me just fine.

Happy shopping, Scott.

"Are we allowed to ride these on the sidewalk?"

Even if it is technically legal, I suspect you would attract large amounts of attention from the police.

You CAN ride on the sidewalk, but only under pedal power. Unless your state specifically allows assisted bicycles on sidewalks.

My wife prefers a bicycle helmet. She says a motorcycle helmet is too heavy on her head. I prefer a motorcycle helmet for better protection, but in extremely hot weather I will probably wear the bicycle helmet because I don't think I'll ride so well if I'm unconscious from heat stroke. In Maine, no helmet is required for adults, but I've seen too many people in long-term care facilities with head injuries from bike accidents. One thing to consider is not just your own speed, but the speed of the traffic around you. You may be only going 20 mph, but how fast are the cars going around you?
I suggest that legal questions should be directed toward your local police and your state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles. They are are the people most likely to give you any hassle, if there's going to be one. Show them photos of the bike, the technical specifications, and a copy of the federal bicycle law, and see what they say. In my case, Maine's Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the local police departments were very helpful and did everything they could to make sure I was riding legally and safely.
For a better idea of the potential legal issues involved, go to the HANDBOOKS link at the top of the V IS VOLTAGE page, and go down to LEGAL and ELECTRIC BICYCLE LAWS. Also, check out ELECTRIC SCOOTER/MOPED DMV REGISTRATION AND LOCAL ORDINANCES.

I hate to say it but no matter how much you know about your laws in your state, there will ALWAYS be 1 cop that is ignorant about the laws and stops and harasses you. I am in the process of having my tickets dismissed in Florida for riding an xb600 which is perfectly legal here. Yet, this is 3 months now that I cannot ride my bike because of the ignorance and complete lack of willingness by the officer to look at the paperwork of specs and statutes I provided. Its complete nonsense when there has already been a decision in Florida on ExpressoS ebike stating you didnt need to register/insure/tag it or have a license to operate it. FYI, the specs of the ExpressoS and xb600 are identical.

In short... no matter how well prepared you are, expect some A hole to give you a hard time.

My best suggestion to ANYONE would be similar to what Buzzer has done.... actually GO to the DMV, submit your bike and specs etc. and get a ruling in WRITING from them on what you need to operate it in your county/state. If an officer hassles you then, I am sure there would be legal actions you could take against them!!!!!

What other people have done is once they find the applicable section of the law, or better, get a letter from the DMV saying the bike is okay they just carry the papers with them. Cops back down pretty fast when confronted with the facts, but they won't just take your word for it.

gotta say you are wrong. I had the exact Florida statute showing the requirements for an ebike and several forms showing the specs for my xb600. I guess the officer decided he knew better and ticketed me anyways...

Let's get back on track.
I have had my 700Li since October of last year and except for tightening some nuts and bolts have had no problems with it. I estimate that I have ridden about 1800 miles on it.
I have ridden it in the rain with no problems except the roads can get a little slippery.
Were a helmet!!! As stated before, it's not how fast you are going, it's the traffic around you that can kill you.
As for mods, etc. there is a guy selling upgrade kits that consist of adding battery, upgrading the controller, etc. He quoted me $700.00, which he says will increase the speed about 15mph. It's a tempting idea but I'm not ready to shell out that much cash until the economy gets better and I hear from other people whether it's worth it.
As for cops, yeah there are some jerks out there that will bust your chops, but most have better things to do. I have a copy of my states dmv law and a copy of the bikes specs with me at all times. I've been pulled over once, for riding in the bike lane. I showed them the afore mentioned info which they took back to there car, phoned a friend, and after about 5 minutes I was on my merry way. Since then I have been passed by local cops and the CHP with not a second look.
Remember, You are on a bicycle, ride it that way and you should have no problems.
Let's please stay on the subject matter.
Safe scooting,
Bickyd

OK, first off I am in NO WAY telling you to do this as there may be risk involved!!!!!!

Almost every ebike on this site has shown the ability to Over-volt the stock equipment at least 12V with very little to no ill effect. But on this note, if you are just looking for a few more mph out of the bike you should just be able to add any number of cells in series with the stock battery pack up to 10-12 more volts. Only thing you would need would be the lithium-ion packs and a charger for them. Unless I am mistaken you could even add a reg. SLA battery and charger with no ill effects as long as u make sure the extra battery is not hooked up to the stock pack when u are charging. Just giving you ideas. If you want to know for sure how much voltage the stock controller and dc-dc converter can take you would need to take them apart to inspect the components.

I have had one since 6/9/09 and lots of problems. Bike quit was told to return battery while removing battery found blown fuse on third wire to battery not + or - lead. Replace fuse(5 amp blade fuse) bike works fine again. Two weeks later bike looses all power at intersection twice unplug and replug battery powers up-good news-don't know why or how many times this will work-bad news. In the beginig could make 40 mile trip(according to google) no speedo on bike just kph with no loss of power or acceleration--can now only go about twenty,loss of power and speed. I wish I had bought Veloteq which was my other choice. The people who sell these for Xtreme have no inventory of bikes or parts and are only order takers with drop shiping from Xtreme and as stated on this forum batteries are on back order. It seems you either get a real good one reports of 40 mile roundtrips for a year or a real bad one two reports of waiting on back ordered batteries