Range test, after motor repair.

[bob2.0]

As some of you know, I made extensive repairs to the motor some months ago as the magnets had rusted and came loose, binding the motor.

I removed all of them, completely, and refitted 32 of the original 48, the remaining 16 slots I installed new, but smaller and slightly weaker, magnets.

It has been on my mind since whether this might have extended the range. The bike is very slightly slower pulling away (this is subjective), because the overall magnetic fields are weaker. I expected this. It is actually less than I thought it might be.

But I had wondered if my range at higher speeds might be improved because the magnets have 'physical' field weakening, which reduces back EMF at higher speeds.

I usually zip around at full power and never get a proper indication. It seemed to be 'no different', in general.

Yesterday I did the first proper range test, consisting of a cross-country trip where I regulated my speed to 45mph (70kph), with occasional excursions to 80kph, and sections of slow town.

In all, 80 miles over ~2hours 45minutes. ~30mph average (34kph), which I think is perfectly normal average speed for mixed riding on fast/urban. On the faster roads, I eased back and let traffic overtake, but it was generally up to speed, I did not delay them, and they did not delay me (I usually caught them up again at the next junction!! )

From full, the bike was showing 38% on the charger when I got back, and I charged using 3.5 kWh overnight which took it to 88%. (I will charge the rest up tonight, I have a limited number of hours at off-peak).

So, from the wall (the kWh I actually pay for), that seems to be around 3.3 kWh/100 km, or 18 miles/kWh.

When I first got the bike, I would ride at these sorts of speeds at first because I did not trust the range, and I dropped to about that level on 72 miles. So, I think there has been a very slight improvement.

It pleases me that the bike has such a good range if used gently. It's always possible to ride gently to get the miles if you really need to, so it is capable.

This is not just crawling around town, this is a long trip on fast roads and being traffic aware. Not necessarily keeping up with the faster traffic, but not far behind it, and often zipping past it when it stops in a jam.

It is a pleasing bike to use and own, excepting when it goes wrong, and also the suspension is terrible!

[jeff-jordan]

Hello bob,
thank you for the report.

I'm really glad that the motor repair finally was successful and that the expected degradation of power is very minor and goes ahead with the feeling of a slight extension of range.

Over all, the way of driving the bike has the biggest influence to the range.
I once made a trip from my home town to Heidelberg which was about 85km, with a lot of small villages and 30km/h speed limits but country and federal highways in between.
My battery was down to 50% as I arrived and it took about 3.7kWh to recharge the E-Odin at a public charging point (type-2) in Heidelberg.

---

About the awkward suspension: do you still ride with the genuine rear shock damper, or did you already changed it to an YSS ME302-265T-10-85?

[bob2.0]

Yes, I would say that was the same scenario.

I did think that the greater benefits to efficiency would be at the highest speeds, but I guess the motor is already field weakening any time above 50kph or so.

Realistically, I would now be prepared to do a 100 mile journey, possibly 120 miles (200 km). I would just do it 'slowly'!

I have yet to try making adjustments to the controller but the slower starting is easily compensated with more current. I have never looked but maybe there is a field weakening setting to tweak too, and faster (but only shorter trips!).