Aprilia Enjoy

[jateureka]

I recently purchased a used Aprilia Enjoy Racing model off eBay. It was sold as functioning but I had to do quite a bit of work on it to get it to a rideable state.

Now when I ride it and let it coast (stop pedalling) the thing beeps and no longer assists, regardless of whether I start pedalling again or what position the 3 position power selector switch is in. The only way I can get it to stop beeping and start assisting is to switch the key switch off and on again. This condition is not in the user manual or the workshop manual.

Can someone familiar with the Aprilia Enjoy tell me if this is normal or is it a fault??

Thanks.

[dogman]

Sounds like low battery. Chances are the batteries are goners.

[jateureka]

Hi Dogman,
Are you familiar with the Aprilia Enjoy?

I think the batteries are OK because:
1. battery status LED indicates full and RHS LED stays lit when it beeps. The user manual says the LHS LED will be lit if battery is low.
2. it works as long as I keep pedalling

I will confirm battery AHr ratings when my Turnigy meter arrives.

[jateureka]

If anyone is after the workshop manuals and exploded view parts diagrams, you can download them from here:
http://myc5.nl/aprilia/index.php

[heathyoung]

I've been trying to track one of these down, they are an interesting bike - brushed motor, so finite lifetime there, but they respond very well to 36V and a much higher current

Doesn't sound like its working well - pedal assist should come back in when you start pedalling again. Its not a current limiting or something going on? (ie. wrong gear?)

[grindz145]

Its awesome to see 'mainstream' manufacturers making bikes like this.

you'll have to get creative and pull it apart to replace the batteries. It really won't be difficult but you can make it so if you want to have some real fun

[jateureka]

I've been trying to track one of these down,

There's another one on eBay right now, it's the City version.

they are an interesting bike - brushed motor, so finite lifetime there,,

The workshop manual doesn't even talk about the brushes, let alone show you how to replace them

From what I can glean from Google translate of the Italian forum http://www.jobike.it/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56 they are good at 36V, but the bike came with two batteries and chargers that are supposed to be in good condition (waiting on my Turnigy to arrive to confirm), so if the controller is playing up I'd be replacing it with a generic 24V 500W unit.


This PowerPed in Melbourne on eBay also looks interesting http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160435670363&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Also a bunch of electric scooters and quad bike bits would be good for a project in Sydney

[Lock]

This PowerPed in Melbourne on eBay also looks interesting

Second that... not very steal-able as parts mostly non-standard (grin)

Powerped.jpg (47.19 KiB) Viewed 8075 times

Powerped here:
http://www.powerped.com.au/
lock

[gtadmin]

G'day jateureka,

I have had one of these since 2006 and I have never experienced what you report so I can safely say it's not normal. But I can't tell you what the fault is, sorry.

Got sick and tired of the controller cutting the motor in and out when you least expect it so replaced all the electronics with a brushed controller from Oatley electronics $21. That exposed what I call the 'delicate' battery, where I couldn't get more than 10km out of a charge, but the battery still only took an hour and 20 minutes to recharge. Replacement battery is in the order of $600!

I'm now in the process of replacing the NiMH battery with LiPos - by coincidence they turned up today. 8S5.8Ah x 2 Turnigy @$210 AUD landed so 29.6V nom @ 11.6Ah. Just waiting now for Hyena to finish my charging solution, and I also need to build a battery case, probably in fibreglass. A few details to work out yet.

Cheers mate,
GT

[jateureka]

Thanks for the response GTadmin, I just had a similar response from the person selling that one on ebay now.

The person I bought mine from also bought it secondhand in Canberra. He bought new 14aHr NiMH F cells and a case and had a new pack built for about $430.

What current/wattage controller did you buy? I was looking at the Oatley electronics 30A/500W model for $49.

I think the PAS gets better range because it's not constantly on as with a throttle.

DO you still have the original controller???

From what I have read, the PAS starts to taper at 20km/hr and cuts out totally at 24km/hr. The trick to keeping the PAS on is to keep your cadence low, which is unnatural because you normally try to speed up when you see a hill.

Apparently you can cut a white wire that forms a loop on the controller board and it will get rid of the speed limit. Someone on the Italian jobike.it forum posted a pic and said they cut the wire and connected it to a switch to have 'normal' and 'turbo' modes. In turbo mode and selector switch to 'hill' it is not limited at all.

[gtadmin]

No problem.
I thought I had bought a 250W, but there isn't one available from Oatley and the piccie of the 350W (and tech specs) on the web site is exactly the same as the one I have, so that must be the one. It was easter 2007 when I rewired it!

When the bike was brand new, the PAS worked OK (not fantastic) but after only 2 months it started to drive me crazy going up hills, and when the electronics failed (after 5 months) I changed to a throttle etc. Turned out the problem was the brake inhibit but I had already committed to rewiring! I still have all the original electronics including 2 chargers, but I'm keeping them JIC I want to sell the bike.

The PAS tapering you quote is as per my owner's manual, but I have read elsewhere that it was 24 cutting out at 26 but you need a speedo to tell! With the PAS bypassed pedalling flat out down a very slight grade with no wind gave me 34kmh (police radar verified!)

I would be interested how the 500W controller goes and how and where you mount it, I used the original controller position to mount the replacement.

Cheers,
GT

[jateureka]

I have since discovered that one of the battery packs does not have the 12V output required for the sensors. This may have been causing the problem, I will need to check into it further.

My Turnigy wattmeter has arrived so I can also check AHr capacity.

I have also placed an order for a 350W 24V brushed controller and 1/2 twist throttle.

[jateureka]

Discovered another Aprilia quirk in that the brake switches are closed in normal operation and open when you apply the brakes, so to check if they are faulty you need to short the connector at the controller. This is the opposite to every other e-bike I have seen where you simply disconnect the e-brake from the controller to check if that was the fault.

[gtadmin]

P6260018s.JPG (62.91 KiB) Viewed 9534 times

Hi J, FWIW this is a piccie of my wiring for the 350W controller taken 5 minutes ago.

The red and black andersons to the left go to the battery, to the right of them are the throttle connections (soldered) and to the right of them is the keyswitch connection (with the in-line fuse). The large blue coming from the controller goes to the +ve of the motor, the brown to the -ve. I then connected it to 3x12V 7Ah SLAs in series (36V) and the controller didn't blow up! That's a good sign. Spun it up and it seems OK, but on road will be the test.

Now to continue the battery box for the LiPos

Cheers mate,
GT

[gtadmin]

OK, hooked up the Turnigy watt meter. The following results are WOT with the SLAs still.

6th gear, no load : 36.2Vm 1.9A 69W
6th gear, loaded until stall : 31.5Vm 21.4A 677W
1st gear, loaded until stall : 30.26Vm 27.4A 860W

Loaded by applying the brake!

[jateureka]

Thanks for posting your results. What position was the selector switch in - eco/norm/hill?

The stock 24V nominal NiMH battery has two 30A fuses mounted in parallel, so I think the 250W stock controller could still put out some high peak current bursts.

[gtadmin]

What position was the selector switch in - eco/norm/hill?

None. Remember I removed all Aprilia electronics (bar the motor and keyswitch) and connected up a 350W controller and 1/2 twist throttle supplied by Oatley?

[gtadmin]

did you measure the discharge rate of the original controller? do you know the two wires that you short out to disable the 350W controller (as in brake inhibit)? I changed the 1/2 twist throttle to a hall-effect thumb throttle and took it for a short spin around the block, with the SLAs duct taped in place! 27.7Ap & 820Wp. Top speed too fast for my bumpy street with this ghetto setup.

Cheers,
GT

[Tiberius]

I have one. Does anyone want it? Free to a good home.

Someone here in the UK gave me one a while back. It needs some work and I haven't had a chance to do anything with it. So if any ES member wants it..........

Nick

[jateureka]

did you measure the discharge rate of the original controller? do you know the two wires that you short out to disable the 350W controller (as in brake inhibit)? I changed the 1/2 twist throttle to a hall-effect thumb throttle and took it for a short spin around the block, with the SLAs duct taped in place! 27.7Ap & 820Wp. Top speed too fast for my bumpy street with this ghetto setup.

Cheers,
GT

I have not yet tested the o/p of original controller (busy with FET active load for battery testing).

The OEM controller brake inhibit wires are the light green ones that go to two pairs of wires for the L + R brake switches and they need to be open circuit to inhibit (normally closed - the opposite to most Chinese controllers I've seen). If your brake switch fails you can short the contacts in the controller connector as a temporary fix until you can replace the switch.

This motor/crank gearbox looks so strong it's a shame it was limited to 200-250W/23km/h in its original form to comply with legislation. I'm sure your short test at that higher output/speed was a hoot. I was surprised you got 820W peak from your 350W controller. Glad I didn't bother with the 500W controller.

[jateureka]

I have one. Does anyone want it? Free to a good home.

Someone here in the UK gave me one a while back. It needs some work and I haven't had a chance to do anything with it. So if any ES member wants it..........

Nick

WOW that is a wonderful generous offer! That motor is begging for more power, so if it 'needs work' then is ideal for a project upgrade.
I'm sure someone over that side of the pond will jump at it. Too bad freight is so $$ or I would consider it myself.

Is it the City version or the Racing version?
The City has an adjustable goose neck/steering stem with old style threaded fork while the Racing version uses the newer A-Head style threadless fork and fixed stem.

[gtadmin]

I have one. Does anyone want it? Free to a good home.

Someone here in the UK gave me one a while back. It needs some work and I haven't had a chance to do anything with it. So if any ES member wants it..........

Nick

WOW that is a wonderful generous offer!

I second that. Too bad it's on the other side of the world Hope somebody over there takes up your offer.

"do you know the two wires that you short out to disable the 350W controller (as in brake inhibit)" .... that's the 350W controller, not the original - the wiring diagram supplied from Oatley does leave something to be desired.

I was surprised you got 820W peak from your 350W controller

Controller is rated upto 30A, the test had the 36V SLAs drop to about 29.6Vm @ 27.7Ap which is about 820Wp (although this was measured with the Turnigy), so I'm not surprised. Just wonder how the motor brushes will stand up to this though. Voltage will be "stiffer" when the LiPos are in use (about 2 weeks I hope). It's too cold at the moment anyway ....

Cheers,
GT

[Hillhater]

Guys,
Hi, I am in Sydney and recently picked up an Enjoy (race) to help me up these dammed hills.
I soon got fed up with the "assist" type function and thanks to this thread , decided to attempt some improvements.
So, controller removed ready for a more conventional throttle controlled set up without the torque and speed sensor interference.
But whilst i wait for the Chinese sourced controller ( YK40 @ $18.00 delivered from Ebay !! ) ...i decided to experiment a little.
A $5.00 30 amp relay from Dick Smith was hooked up direct between the battery and the motor ( using the Aprillia's 12 v tapping to operate the relay via the original key switch and "function" switch on the bars)...with a 25A fuse in for safety.
Actually i think i could also hook in the brake lever switches also if necessary, but this is a quick and dirty mod!
The result is obviously quite different ( to say the least !) , but in reality...(using a little common sense like not using power to start instantly to minimise shock loads on the gears etc)... the result is surprisingly practical !
I can now ride with or without power assist, Steep hills 10%+ can be climbed at 10-15kph with minimal pedal assist and have seen 35 -40 kph on the flat. ( and 70+kph downhill !) . Whilst the Aprilla is not exactly a "stealth" bike , it is relatively silent and i have been able to seriously worry some of the weekend licra team as they circulate Centenial Park ! . All this on the original 24v NiMhi pack.
I am now wondering what a 36v LiPo pack will give me, and at the same time really wondering if the new controller is possibly going to be a disappointment after this wacky set up.

PS;.. Gtadmin... what was your problems with the NiMhi pack ?? ...mine seems ok so far ( certainly able to hold 28v and pop the 25A fuses if forced !)

[gtadmin]

Hi Hillhater, firstly welcome. Good moniker, I should change mine to "Hill_and_wind_hater"

I had bought my bike "new" (but I think it was a demo) and even though I looked after the battery by following all the instructions, the most I could get out of it (in Ah) was about 5 instead of the rated 13. And this was before I tossed the standard controller and went to the Oakley supplied one (which I don't think are available now).

My understanding is that NiMH do not "like" heavy amp draw, and soon loose their capacity if you do deep draw. I'm not an expert on batteries though.
So when I was told the replacement Aprilia NiMH was about $650 and LiPo was $210, guess what I chose. Haven't had the time to finish the fibreglass battery box replacement yet.

If you don't mind the all-or-nothing assist, why not continue with your setup? I don't like it though.
BTW, do you have a link to that controller?

A small update: I removed the twist throttle and replaced it with a thumb throttle.

Cheers mate,
GT

[Hillhater]

gtadmin,
here is the Ebay link for the controller..
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... AQ:AU:1123
..the pricing is ridiculous so i am not expecting a top notch piece of kit even tho' it is the make model recommended by the Dutch guy .....
http://myc5.nl/aprilia/eng%20new_controller.htm
I also have a thumb throttle ready for use with the new controller .
My only hesitation with retaining the "relay" drive is the shock loads it can put on the gear train if i forget to start off pedalling initially, and changing down gears under load on hills. I have popped my 25A safety fuse a couple of times when i forget or get lazy, requiring a quick replacement ( carry spare fuses) on the roadside ! However i have already spied a tiny 30A circuit breaker..with auto reset... in the local auto spares shop !
Where did you source your LiPo's from ? ..locally ? ..or o'seas ? and which cells did you decide on ?
I fancy the "headway" 10Ah cells, but at $35 (Ebay .au) a go its not the cheapest option as i have seen the 123's for about $1 per cell.
PS:I was quoted $1050 for a genuine Replacement Aprilla battery and $450 for the controller ( maybe i can sell mine to fund a set of LiPo's ? )
Like you, i would like to fit any replacement in the existing batt box ( and keep the lock function too if possible !)
I think i need to give my NiMHi batt a real test to see how long it will last ?