WHERE ARE ALL THE VECTRIX PEOPLE IT'S BEEN ALL WEEK AND NO POSTS.

I guess we're all having happy and trouble free riding.

It has been a bit cool for riding here, 9 degrees. Just put the charger on today as voltage has dropped a bit.
I still have a few Nimh batteries if anyone needs to fix a pack this winter.

Too cold for me this week, too. Although it's meant to be warmer on Monday, so maybe I'll take the V to work then.

It has been a bit cool for riding here, 9 degrees.

I assume you mean -13 degrees as it is understood by most Vectrix riders? You need to be clear becasue 9C (48F)is too cold for the typical swaggering Harley riders in my area, but is a fine warm temperature for scooter riders. For some reason, even worse than other years, I am getting look like I'm from Mars when I've been riding with temperatures even just around the freezing mark.

Here the report of the last week about my vectrix and my thoughts around it...

It's been a warm winter week, averaging over 15 degree Celsius. This brief "spring season" has given some extra live to my LIFEPO, greeting me with stronger accelerations. My new rewired engine has turned out to be as inefficient as the original one, my vectrix still needs the same amount of 32 Ah/ 85km. however, the rewiring resulted in higher torque at low RPM. Acceleration from 0 km/h it is really powerful, but the 40Ah cells cannot supply enough juice, and their voltage drop fast.

I'm still thinking about upgrading to Emus BMS, and install these famous 19 60Ah leaf cells. However, it is becoming pretty hard to find a single source of these Leaf cells anywhere, and what's more, I'll need to sell my GBS battery with the MiniBMS to pay that upgrade. On the other side, my son Oriol will be born soon. Eventually, I won't have ANY spare money... Oh man, no way, lets forget about upgrading...

My twist grip lately fells a bit cranky. That masterpiece of engineering really scares me: if it ever gets stuck at full speed, I'll be in real trouble. Fortunately a friend has bought a frameless vectrix for 400 euros, I'll buy him an entire handlebar with a twist grip: I Hope this new one will twist smoothly.

I assume my vectrix will be operational during 3-4 years by cannibalizing other vectrixs. But some day these part won't be available...

Another issue: One of the screws of the rear handle cannot be properly tightened. The frame's screw got loose and it twists. I'll replace that frame screw with a metal piece called "grapa roscada". I still need to figure out were to buy a 8mm stainless one.

To end up the report, my odometer now displays 59.750 km... soon I'll reach 60k km!

My Vectrix-experience ended with the end of the last week.
Now it has a really big sister called C-evolution!
The VX has been signed off today, will be cleaned in the next days and offered for sale hoping to end this adventure finally.
The BMW is more a bike than a scooter and it´s not the answer to anything, but I´m sleeping more quiet since last weekend...
I wish you always a good ride on your VX to everyone,
Seiermann

My car is away having some rust sorted, so my Vectrix is enjoying the luxury of charging indoors for the 1st time since I bought it.

http://youtu.be/IRBVym_N09E

My Vectrix-experience ended with the end of the last week.
Now it has a really big sister called C-evolution!
The VX has been signed off today, will be cleaned in the next days and offered for sale hoping to end this adventure finally.
The BMW is more a bike than a scooter and it´s not the answer to anything, but I´m sleeping more quiet since last weekend...
I wish you always a good ride on your VX to everyone,
Seiermann

I'd be interested to hear how the C-Evolution compares to the Vectrix? Perhaps a topic worthy of it's own thread?

My Vectrix-experience ended with the end of the last week.
Now it has a really big sister called C-evolution!
The VX has been signed off today, will be cleaned in the next days and offered for sale hoping to end this adventure finally.
The BMW is more a bike than a scooter and it´s not the answer to anything, but I´m sleeping more quiet since last weekend...
I wish you always a good ride on your VX to everyone,
Seiermann

I'd be interested to hear how the C-Evolution compares to the Vectrix? Perhaps a topic worthy of it's own thread?

Yes, it sure would be! Except there wouldn't be much activity there, given the more than 3 years of proper DEVELOPMENT TIME at a proper premium motorcylce manufacturer that the C-evolution enjoyed, so it is highly unlikely that much will break, fail otherwise bother enough to whine about in that thread LOL!

My Vectrix-experience ended with the end of the last week.
Now it has a really big sister called C-evolution!
The VX has been signed off today, will be cleaned in the next days and offered for sale hoping to end this adventure finally.
The BMW is more a bike than a scooter and it´s not the answer to anything, but I´m sleeping more quiet since last weekend...
I wish you always a good ride on your VX to everyone,
Seiermann

I'd be interested to hear how the C-Evolution compares to the Vectrix? Perhaps a topic worthy of it's own thread?

13,000GBP?? that's very expensive!!

I wonder how the specs compare to the Vectrix....and how much was the V in the UK?

My Vectrix-experience ended with the end of the last week.
Now it has a really big sister called C-evolution!
The VX has been signed off today, will be cleaned in the next days and offered for sale hoping to end this adventure finally.
The BMW is more a bike than a scooter and it´s not the answer to anything, but I´m sleeping more quiet since last weekend...
I wish you always a good ride on your VX to everyone,
Seiermann

I'd be interested to hear how the C-Evolution compares to the Vectrix? Perhaps a topic worthy of it's own thread?

Me too. 13,000GBP...very expensive. Here are the BMW specs...how do they and the price compare to when the V was for sale in the UK?

Power: 48hp at 4650rpm
Torque: 72Nm at 0-4500rpm
Top speed: 75mph
0-62mph: 6.2secs
Charge time: 0 to 80% in 2:45h, standard plug
Range: approx 60 miles
Length: 2190mm
Weight: 265kg

Me too. 13,000GBP...very expensive. Here are the BMW specs...how do they and the price compare to when the V was for sale in the UK?

Power: 48hp at 4650rpm
Torque: 72Nm at 0-4500rpm
Top speed: 75mph
0-62mph: 6.2secs
Charge time: 0 to 80% in 2:45h, standard plug
Range: approx 60 miles
Length: 2190mm
Weight: 265kg

I think the Vectrix was about 8,000GBP but that was a few years ago. Still, the lease on the BMW C-Evolution works out at the equivalent cost of replacing 1 motor controller per year on the Vectrix!

13,000GBP?? that's very expensive!!

Sure is. It costs more than a number of electric cars in the US after the govt incentives.

I don't know how it is in other countrys but in Germany they are selling the demonstration C-E's now appr. 2000€ cheaper with appr. 1500km at the clock.
As the CE has a smaller space under the seat you may need a topbox and if you are bigger than 180cm you may need the higher seat. and if you want to drive in winter you need the bigger windshield. Costs all together appr. 1000€ extra....
The VX is more practical than the CE that is more like a bike than a scooter. but in Germany there is "war" on the roads and you live in danger if you can only drive 90 km/h.
Now I can't go shopping anymore as it was with the VX but I have to go to work every day and so I need a vehicle that runs fast enough and reliable...
Greets
Seiermann

And sorry: Pls. don´t compare BMW quality and service with Vectrix...

Look at the size of the drive belt, it looks like it would be for a much smaller scooter must be made out of kevlar or somthing like that. Evidently the gear is a ring gear not a planetary like the Vectrix has.

http://www.gilamotor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BMW-C-Evolution-Scooter-9.jpg

Look at the size of the drive belt, it looks like it would be for a much smaller scooter must be made out of kevlar or somthing like that. Evidently the gear is a ring gear not a planetary like the Vectrix has.

http://www.gilamotor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BMW-C-Evolution-Scooter-9.jpg

Actually, the C-evolution belt is rather wide (looks like around 30...40mm), and remember it is on the primary drive side, so it must bear less torque but high rpm.
A 2013 Zero-S belt, THAT is one narrow strip (max. 15mm wide!) and must bear the full grunt! Apparently carbon fibers play a role in that...
My (Quantya) vR one has a 30mm belt that is abused by a 48V Lynch LEM 200 – 127Q which is being driven by 72 - 84V, possibly with up to 60Nm of torque spread over less than half of the currently 19 teeth of the motor sprocket. And no, that belt knows nothing about carbon fibers...

The C-Evo has a planetary gearbox and the belt must be changed every 50.000 km (BMW service instructions).
Greets
Seiermann

I ride my Vectrix every day to work, but today I took it out just for fun and made this short video.

http://youtu.be/Ke-3bYazwLA

As someone who has never seen a Vectrix "live", I must ask: Is the loud whine noisy gears or the motor?

My direct drive hub-motor scooter starts with an annoying sputtering growl, but quiets to a faint whine over 60 kph and faster.

My only Vectrix news is I am not riding to work as I have been scheduled nights and I hate riding in the dark. SO, I put it up on my motorcycle lift on the RV and took it up to the new cabin in Sonora.

Is there a way to post picts on this site?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/israndy/15723363648/in/photostream/

The fear is not knowing how it behaves on mountain inclines and my house is at the very top, I just imagine needing saving, in the woods there are no 110v outlets.

So I charged it all the way up and took it to town 11 miles away all down hill. Crazy, the range meter showed 358 miles, COOL!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/israndy/15288584994/in/photostream/

The bike was only down a few bars. Then the ride back after shopping was crazy. I have taken the RV, the hybrid, the convertible, and the new beater Jeep up the hill and NOTHING compares to riding the Vectrix up the hill. It's so powerful AND it's got enough range that I got back to the house with half a charge left. The bike should be a great addition to the mountain. Too bad it freakin' rained all day today and this week...

Love my Vectrix.

-Randy

haha, certainly Caruso... The CE is cheaper to maintain than those 4000 Euro/year in original vectrix batteries. And like the vectrix, during the next decade we'll be able to buy CE with damaged batteries for 1000GPB...
Congratulations, Seiermann, enjoy that masterpiece of the XXI century.

I am a Vectrix VX-1 owner and I have an important question. I was sidelined for several months after having surgery. During that time the NiMH batteries on my VX-1 went completely dead. Now, when I plug it in, nothing happens. Is there anything I can do to recharge the batteries and bring my scooter back to life? Thanks in advance for any help.

I am a Vectrix VX-1 owner and I have an important question. I was sidelined for several months after having surgery. During that time the NiMH batteries on my VX-1 went completely dead. Now, when I plug it in, nothing happens. Is there anything I can do to recharge the batteries and bring my scooter back to life? Thanks in advance for any help.

http://visforvoltage.org/forum/7798-winter-storage-your-vectrix

http://visforvoltage.org/forum/12339-reset-or-debug-procedure-reviving-dead-battery

Best option in my opinion is to charge the battery with 300mA for 3 to 4 days. That way you will have almost full battery capacity for the first ride.

Alternatively, charge the battery with about 300mA until the voltage is above 90V, then turn on the built-in charger. The range will be poor until you have cycled the battery several times this way.

If you can only find a 50V DC power supply, you could charge the battery in 34 cell segments.

You would have to open the battery cover to charge in segments, but the entire battery could be charged through one of the battery connectors under the front fairing.