Annual (or so) check in. I Still use mine for commuting and errands every day, especially with our California-like rainless early summer weather this year...
Totally aside that it is an EV, I am coming to realize that the use of two wheels for practical and quiet day to day transportation rather than just some kind of noisy ego-statement is even more of a radical act than it was in 2011 when I put the scooter into service.
My C135 is still alive and kicking...
I just finished having the rear axle rewelded.
It snapped just above where the wires exit from the motor.
Had to do the big strip of the motor to get the axle out before getting it welded.
The scooter is all back together now and I use it for short trips and errands.
Best of Luck to All!
LCJUTILA
Ouch! Were you in an unsafe situation when it broke? How fast were you going? Hard to believe that the axle can be welded back together. I would have gotten a whole new QS motor - which are considerably improved over the ones 12 years ago.
I was in traffic going about 45 mph and I went to apply the regeneration to slow down and the axle snapped right above where the wires exit the motor on the left side.
The Bike attempted an unscheduled lane change to the right and I corrected for it and let off the brake which made the bike go straight ahead again.
I gathered myself and reapplied the power and the bike quickly swerved in the other direction.
I figured out how to control the bike with it swerving and managed to limp two miles home.
The axle had only broken on one side so when power was applied it twisted the tire one direction and when regen was applied it twisted it the other.
I had to completely strip the motor down to remove the axle to have the stub welded back on.
Not too easy of a job...
It is all welded by a Certified Welder and all put back together. the bike is back up and running just in time for over $6 a gallon Los Angeles gas prices!
A new QS motor is a bunch of money so I thought I'd take a shot at fixing the old one.
BTW- I have a C-130, not 135.
Do you know if they make any higher capacity batteries that would fit these bikes?
LCJUTILA
Thanks for the details. That's a bit scary.
Checking the Electric Motorsports website (whose business is now mostly sailboat power systems and stationary home storage) they have available more compact 72AH LiFePO4 cells that would probably fit on the existing C124/C130 battery trays. But the price is still as high as back in 2011!
What kind of rig did you use to you press the armature and axle out of the case against the magnetic force?
And were you able to see the failure mode of the axle? I presume it was fatigue but was it from flexure (crack propagated from the side in tension) or torsion (helical crack)? Do you use a torque wrench when tightening the axle nuts, if so, what torque? I assume, or hope that, it was a uncommon metallurgical defect. Chinese quality control was terrible back in 2010-2011. It has since improved.
My motor repairs have been:
1. A bent/cracked rim when I hit a softball sized fallen rock in the road at night - straightened then MIG welded;
2. The development of rotational slop in the armature keyway, resulting in an annoying clunk when going between power and regen, This was fixed by adding a shear pin as documented in this forum a couple years ago.
3. Replacing the right hand bearing.
Of course, I've replaced tires a few times. It is much easier, because during a servicing back to Ann Arbor, I told them to keep the loop of slack in the motor wires so the tire can be removed and replaced with the wires connected. My favorite tires have been the Michelin City Grip, and by using a size larger tire in the front (130/60-13), I eliminated the annoying low speed handlebar wobble my scooter had.
The axle snapped because it was very slightly loose and the jolting force of the regen kicking in would make it rotate and clunk in one direction followed by a rotation and clunk when power was applied. The crack was helical.
I did not remove the armature from the rim on disassembling the motor and the magnets held it in place the whole time.
I used a large gear pull to press out the axle from the center after first removing the circlip.
I used the Kelly Computer program a while back to put the regen full on when the rear brakes are applied. I think it is too harsh and kicks in too hard and led to the axle failing.
I am going to reset the regen to kick in partially when the rear brake is applied and fully when the front and rear brake are applied.
I think this will lessen the harsh jolt the axle receives and hopefully solve the problem or decrease the likelihood of the axle snapping again.
I also tightened the bejesus out of the axle nuts to keep the axle from rotating in the fork. I think I did not have them tight enough after I changed the rear tire. I have no idea how many ft/lbs they are tightened to. I do remember them being quite tight the first time I removed the rear wheel though.
I have Pirellis on mine and they work quite well.
That idea of mounting a larger front tire to cure wobbles sounds great!
Hopefully I will remember that next time I replace it.
Thanks for the battery info!
LCJUTILA
I use a torque wrench and tighten the nuts to 120 ft lbs. Absent a torque wrench, maybe half your upper body weight on with a 2 ft long breaker bar is probably close.
I have 4, all dead. But I have decided to get them all working before x-mass 2023.
--Scotter and his scooter
2007 Vectrix VX-1 Maroon
2007 Vectrix VX-1 Silver
2008 Vectrix VX-1 Blue
2008 Vectrix VX-1 Silver
Other EV projects in the works