ZEV electric bikes

tkrocks2

100 µW
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
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9
I'm currently riding an '04 Burgman 400 and since it's my only transportation when I need to order parts there are times I can't use it until the new parts come in like right now I need a drive belt I ordered it last Monday will have it tonight thats almost 2 weeks without it and I just changed the belt 3500kms ago I was told it was a defective belt but can't use it till I get one.

I want to make a change to electric I've been thinking about it for awhile now I've came across ZEV electric bikes a couple of times in my searches in the last couple of years.

I'm looking at getting a ZEV 2700L mainly because it's built to work I think as my only transportation it would be perfect and it's small enough to bring into my apartment rather then leaving it outside where anybody can steal it witch I'm always scared of happening with my current bike.

Is there anybody that owns a ZEV electric bike I would like to know what the build quilty is like and the parts availability and do they use the same brake parts as a GY6 scooter the front caliper,wheel,brake rotor looks the same as a GY6 scooter.

The reason why I'm asking about brake pads and rotors is I do all my own maintenance and like to know where I can get parts from.
 
I have no experience with ZEV scooters. But I have been riding a chinese scooter for the past five years. ZEV scooters are made in China I am sure and assembled in the USA. From what I know of my Chinese scooter, the steel used for the chassis is of poor quality and starts rusting just by breathing on it. And the welds look like they are made by an amateur. I can't say for sure if ZEV is the same, I am just certain that it is Chinese components assembled in America. He can come here and prove I am wrong if he wants, I welcome it.

I am reminded lately of the huge difference in quality between a Chinese scooter and a Japanese scooter, a 2007 Yamaha Vino 125cc as my son and I are converting one to electric. The quality of parts and craftsmanship of the Japanese Yamaha is 10 times better than the Chinese scooter I have.

A Chinese scooter will still serve you well if you spend a lot of time staying on top of things like rust, inspecting that welds are not cracking and premature failure of some parts.

Another thing is even though my Chinese scooter is not safe to ride at 90 km/h, I still do it because I modified it to be able to do so. Modifying that scooter was a learning process and I will apply what I learned on the Yamaha. That hill in the ZEV vids,I would climb it up at full speed without slowing down. So I am not impressed seeing the ZEV go up that hill at walking speed.
 
I've owned both a ZEV S6100 and ZEV T7100. Solid machines and drive trains. Very stiff shocks, I guess to support the excessive loads some users put on them. Zero drive train issues over five yrs of use. Distributed BMS system is used vs central BMS system. Overtime the BMS doesn't fully balance packs, so adding balance wires to cells seems a non-brainier after a couple years. Typical Chinese parts for horn, throttle, turn signal switches, etc so be gentle on them and they can last. Speedo is not very accurate and hence the over rated speed and range figures. I added cycle analysts to both bikes for accurate speed and range info. Up hills and against a wind, max speed could drop to 50mph.

Overall, reliable bikes but expect lower max speed and range than advertised and to later make some mods.
 
GY6 - yes, from what I can tell my bikes used many standard GY6 parts for rims, brakes, switches, etc. But except for replacing brake pads, throttles, and tires, I haven't used any other replacement parts in five to six years so I'm not 100% sure what is truly GY6.

I bought the ZEVs because I do my own maintenance and wanted easily available and inexpensive parts and I was able to get a great deal on tax credits in my state at the time. For people looking for local support, maintenance service, or higher performance, I would buy a Zero. But for me it's worked out well.
 
update:
The damn ZEVs keep on working. I say that because I would love a good excuse to buy a used 2015 Zero S ZF13. After 7 to 8 yrs, the main issue with these 6100W and 7100W bikes is the cable connections to the batteries. The 2010 S6100 I sold after getting the 2011 T7100, recently had a 1 AWG cable connector break where it mounts to the cell. He and I crimped on another connector and he should be back on the road. Last year, my T7100 had one of the 1 AWG cables come loose from the connector. Since the batteries are isolated from the frame it isn't a safety issue, but damn irritating when you lose power unexpectedly.

Besides that, the damn things continue to work.
 
Besides that, the damn things continue to work

Some of them, anyway. My 5000LA died before hitting 2300 miles, and was rarely right before then. It suffered extensive shipping damage, and I foolishly agreed to let ZEV "rebuild it to better than new." My advice to a prospective ZEV buyer would be to not accept a damaged new bike, and look for signs of repairs on a used one. They are in essence Chinese scooters, with all that that entails...
 
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