Ive had my XB-600 for a few days now... great fun!!
Going to get my 12V 20ah battery tomorrow to upgrade!!
My major question is this.... Those 2 gray wires in the dash... has anyone ever finally found proof of how to use them? the reason i ask is this... I DO want to make it possible to revert to "stock" performance, ie <20 mph. Do these wires.. when connected limit the bike? even if u have 60V and a "shunted" controller??
If not I guess I will be the first person to actually TRY the 60V and "shunt" mods with a pair of switches with easy access. It would be nice to just need one switch mounted in the front console if those gray wires work to limit speed regardless....
I will be posting pics etc. of my mods in the near future. Especially if I end up using switches etc.
I am thinking about trying an easier trick for the shunt mod as well. I know current takes the path of least resistance, so I may try just soldering my wires to the upper corners of the existing shunts. Am I wrong in thinking that will basically make the existing shunt seem shorter... thus reducing resistance???
Good to see you back and feeling better Zerogas.
sixpax2k9,
You are at least the third person I have heard of that wants to switch back to unmodified with a switch. I frankly don't understand it.
1. these modifications improve performance for hill climbing(shunt), and speed (60v), but they don't turn a bicycle into a road rocket. It isn't any more dangerous to drive modified that unmodified. It is not like it goes 40 mph instead of 20 mph, it just boosts top speed to 25 mph.
2. a modified bicycle is illegal, whether you turn the switch on or off. If you are concerned about breaking the law, and or getting caught, then don't modify it.
3. designing in a switch is more complex(more parts and wire), may be less reliable(switch failure), more dangerous(switch failure) and less efficient(switch and contact resistance).
4. without a switch, you do need to buy a 60 volt charger, which does cost more money, but it is well worth the extra cost for the simplicity as far as I am concerned.
I am just trying to save you some time, wiring in a switch that will always end up staying in the 60 volt position. I have done both the shunt mod, and the 60 volt conversion, and you can believe me when I say it is worth it, and there is no reason for a switch.
Disclaimer: Your milage(results) may vary, you are responsible for what you do, switch or no switch,
Tom
First off: The stock speedometer is in now way accurate.
The gray wire allows the controller to monitor the reported level on the stock speedometer. But since the speedometer isn't really measuring speed it instead acts as a limiter on the wattage fed to the motor.
With the gray wire connected your actual top speed is closer to 15mph.
With the gray wire disconnected your actual top speed is closer to 18mph.
There is NO WAY to toggle a shunt mod on or off because you're trying to alter the resistance that bridges two areas of the board.
If you go to 60 volts GO TO 60VOLTS ALL THE TIME. If you want to go slower, then install a bike computer and simply don't use full throttle application once you have finished accelerating.
OK, first off. The reason i want the "switch" is because I dont want some cop having a bad day try to give me tickets for no title, registration, tag, or license. I dont really want the mod to make it illegal, just the extra performance for hills and acceleration, and for added distance.
UPDATE :::::
Performed the Shunt mod!!! I used 1.25" of a coat hanger, must not be a very conductive metal, it improved the power, just not a WHOLE lot. Much better though. I will report on it after I try some hills soon.
Added a battery to go 60V!!!! Im not sure how everyone else wired their system, I spliced into the red wire right before the 25A blade fuse. Took it to the - terminal, then ran a wire from the + terminal back to the blade fuse. I bought a 60V charger with the same kind of connector as is on the bike. Got a 60V 3.0A smart charger for $50. I think its well worth it for the ease of charging. And considering the original that came with the bike was a 48V 2.4A charger, it should charge in about the same amount of time.
::::: THE GREY WIRES :::::
To anyone who is not sure etc. about what the 2 grey wires under the dash panel do, well this is for you!!!
They do NOT need to be connected, If you connect them, it enables a "governor" to limit the speed of the bike. If you follow the wires back to a bundle that is covered in a black plastic case with 2 tie wraps, under it you will find a potentiometer. If you connect the grey wires u can then turn the dial Clockwise to lower the top end speed.
I have mine set to limit the bike to @20 mph. Of course I can just disconnect the wires to get full speed.
The speedo on the bike said i topped out at about 29, but my GPS said 25.
I considered a switch etc on either the shunt or the 5th battery, however, since the limiter of the grey wires works fine, there was no need.
Has anyone thought of a place to add the 5th battery other than under the seat? I will be trying to figure out a place for it so I dont lose that space. I am sure I will think of some other kind of "neat" mods in the future. If I figure something out I will let u all know..
Happy Biking !!!!
David
Dave ; Tennessee
XB-600.
What are your state or local DMV code specifics? In my state I can't get a ticket unless I do the same things I'm not supposed to do on a normal bicycle or moped. Primarily because the XB-600 just doesn't meet the DMV definition of a motorcycle.
I chopped off my bike pedal axle and made a steel battery tray to hold them.
But I've done many rather drastic changes to mine in the past year.
Hey, that looks pretty nice :D I wonder if I could squeeze my 6 batteries in that space? lol
Keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up.
In Florida, I NEED to have the pedals installed, cant go over 20mph, cant be over 1000W motor. Thats about it.
I was thinking about removing the plastic shroud under the seat. Making a holding area. then making a custom shroud to cover the area. seems like a lot of work though. Too bad i need to have the pedals, cause removing the pedal axle would make it pretty easy.
Is there enough room to mod it to turn the batteries sideways and get 3 in between the frame? 2 rows of 3 batteries would be a lot of room. From the pic it LOOKS like it would be a very close fit!
Dave ; Tennessee
XB-600.
When my plastic seat bucket broke I had to replace it with an aluminum crossbar. If you can find a way to replace the seat bucket with something stronger that will still fit under the fairings there's more than enough room for one or two 20ah batteries. I had one mounted on the replacement frame for months until I eventually made the battery tray.
I've done a bunch of modifying in the past year.
http://visforvoltage.org/forum/5206-extensive-xb600-modifications-no-body-panels-seat-frame-wire-consoldition-led-lighting
Unfortunately you can't cut the seat bucket much without compromising its strength. There is a great deal of unused space over the rear wheel well that usable for holding extra batteries.
The axle for the rear swing arm is too far forward for 6 batteries to fit in a single tray. The 6th battery would have to have its own tray offset from the others, or just be stowed under the seat.