e-road in San Diego - $200 (maybe ...)

[yoyoman]

The e-road is listed for $200 (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bik/2286577516.html), but the seller may raise the price after we spent a while proving the bike worked. It's a bargain if it works, but I was not totally convinced that it did ...

I made an appt to see the bike this morning. When I got there, the seller was playing around with a charger to see if he could charge the bike. He mentioned cutting off the wires to get the right plug or something and that this was the second charger he had to buy. Not off to a good sale so far, especially since he couldn't get the wheels to spin or any lights to come on when that charger was plugged in.

So, for a while he kept taking out the battery, plugging it back in, connecting a 12V auto battery charger, etc in hopes of getting the bike to come alive. I asked if he had a multimeter, and he was able to get one from someone's truck. I measured the voltage, and it was 48.9 volts. The manual I read the night before said it had a LVC of 42V, so I was surprised that nothing was working. Finally, after some stroke of luck from jiggling things, the battery gauge on the bike showed that it had some juice and the lights started to work. However, when I tried to ride, the voltage sagged right away.

I pondered if it was worth buying knowing that the batteries were a couple years old, and I'd also have to buy a new charger. $200 was a pretty bargain price, and with all the add ons it was still sounding like a good deal. Good deal or not, I told him I was going to pass for now and that I'd read up on how much a charger was, etc. As I was pulling away, his buddies waves me over, and they show me the bike wheel spinning at full speed when connected to a totally different charger. He said he was right and that it was the charger all a long.

When he finally said that it was going to cost me more than $200 now be/c I made him work, I decided I didn't want to deal with him anymore.

Geez, am I the bad guy for expecting it to work properly. It would have been totally different if he had said "as is".

[yopappamon]

How much are they new? Dang , I want it too. Go buy it and if you don't want it, I'll take it. I'll trade you those NiMh batteries I beat you to last year!

[yoyoman]

Hmm, there's another ad for an e-road, but this newer ad has a lime green trim for $350. The same phone number is listed, so I wonder if the seller just swapped out trim pieces or if he has more than one. The $200 ad is still there ...

[Lessss]

I sell those.
200 is a steal.
They retail at about 1500
spend 240 for a new SLA battery pack or 400 for lifepo4 etc..

the sensors can slide out sometimes so you might want to add some epoxy there. Your horn has functions for your blinkers.
I upgraded the controllers in mine as the small ones were a little poofta at 250W Been using the original test model now for 4th summer 3 winters.
the crankshafts are designed to break away if you hit the ground or sidewalk with the pedal. more later at work got busy

[etard]

Dude, I thought you were talking to yourself, but your names are almost the same, haha!

$200 sounds ok, but if it's not reliable, do you really want to mess with it, till it is? If so, you shoulda just offered $100 since it didn't work and then take it home and mess with it. Now, he thinks he can get $300.

[yoyoman]

The first one is $350, the second is $200. The same bike with different trim? The top one looks like it has a gray seat, while the bottom looks black, but it could just be the lighting.

[Lessss]

The cargo box and batt cover are usually the only things that change colour.
My guess is you have the weak controllers in them. Upgrade the controllers and your set.
I got mine from Antai.

[yoyoman]

The seller has dropped the price to $250 on both.

[x88x]

When he finally said that it was going to cost me more than $200 now be/c I made him work, I decided I didn't want to deal with him anymore..

Ah, we think alike then.

Personally, I would say, if you want to mess with one, watch the ads and if he drops one to $200 or less, pick it up. More on principle than anything else though.

[StudEbiker]

Wow, I can't imagine why no one hasn't bought these yet. If I was near I would have bought both of them by now!

[Lessss]

@#$%@#$% at that price I just asked if he's willing to ship to Canada.

[yopappamon]

The seller has dropped the price to $250 on both.

So why haven't you bought one or both?

[StudEbiker]

When he finally said that it was going to cost me more than $200 now be/c I made him work, I decided I didn't want to deal with him anymore..

So the guys a jerk. To me that's an even better reason to buy his bikes at a quarter what they're worth.

[yoyoman]

I know the retail price of these is pretty high, but what exactly does that buy me? I guess it's obvious that hub motors cost around $200, so that's like getting the bike + batteries for pretty cheap. But, what do we know about the motor and controller? I haven't seen much about this bike anywhere. I have a 48V infineon controller that was used with a bafang. If I used that, that would probably do away with the 20mph limiter.

But, what about the drum brakes. I have a pretty fast downhill ride on my way home from work. Are these good for stopping my 30mph descent?

[yoyoman]

The seller has dropped the price to $250 on both.

Actually, he raised the silver one from $200 to $250. The lime green one has gone from $450 to $350 to $250.

[Lessss]

This is the info I have on em

Original controller Made by Santroll
Model WZKP1001/Wzkp18a
Has 6 IRF1010 FETs
Part: IRF1010EPBF
MOSFET, 60V, 79A, 8.4 mOhm
Switching mode voltage regulator
Rated for 15-20 amps

controller top.png (156.31 KiB) Viewed 460 times

Has regen braking.

smallcontrollerswitch.png (60.29 KiB) Viewed 460 times

1) Positive from Battery
2) Negative from Battery
3) Speedometer
4) Throttle
5) Hall effect sensors in motor (all same colour to same colour)
6) Battery gage
7) Blue motor phase wire (all same colour to same colour)
8 ) Green motor phase wire (all same colour to same colour)
9) Yellow motor phase wire (all same colour to same colour)
10) & 11) Speed reduction to 15 Km/hr 10 looks like 11 but is hidden under all the wires

[yoyoman]

10) & 11) Speed reduction to 15 Km/hr 10 looks like 11 but is hidden under all the wires

SO, if the speed reduction wire(s) were left unplugged, it'd go full speed?

[Lessss]

clipped 16ish, unclipped 32ish

[StudEbiker]

There's nothing inherently wrong with drum brakes as long as they are the appropriate size. Remember that drum brakes were all you could get on American cars until the 1960's. If they would stop 3,000lb cars at highway speeds, I think they are capable of stopping a scooter.

[Lessss]

Brakes

[Lessss]

motor

[yoyoman]

clipped 16ish, unclipped 32ish

16mph vs 32mph?

[Lessss]

KM/hr

[yoyoman]

If I had 48v, I'd like to go faster than 32km/h, which is 20mph. Can the motor handle faster speeds?

[Lessss]

The bike, likely yes. The light bulbs and other electronics and the controller? Likely no. You would have to separate the batteries and controller from the rest of the bike with a DC converter and run the NEW upgraded controller and motor at higher voltage.
Top speed on the bikes is designed to be 32 km/hr @ 48V.