Aprilia Enjoy

[drekkus]

With the stock controller and 24v battery, i doubt the motor should ever get hot...warm at best.
Running 1200W through mine and the motor is never more than just warm.
PS: ..after i "revived" my stock NiMh pack, i could get over 20km from it.

I'm finding its getting quite hot, you wouldn't want to hold it too long.It does seem to be after its gone up a hill in most cases otherwise its just warm. Something to worry about or am I just pushing it too hard ?

I'm still working on "reviving" mine . 7km is far better than the 1km I started with and this is mostly on gravel roads which is not ideal. However I do believe in the end it will come to a change of battery to get the range to make the bike truly useful.I would need at least 15km as a safe range.No point in only getting halfway back

[tonyontopofabighill]

G'day Drekkus,

I live on a big mutha of a hill and that is what I face on my return journey. As I said earlier I have got the new lipo set up and my motor gets quite hot and I guess it is because I go for a really quick ride of about 20 klms return and I really ride hard so I am using full throttle most of the time as well.I have been doing that now for a while on both of my bikes and everything seems okay.They don't seem to mind getting hot. As I also said these bikes are useless if the battery goes flat.I have pushed my home on the old NMH batteries on several occasions.I found a trick was to use the throttle (which you don't have yet) to make it easier to push up hills as there always seemed to be enough power left in the battery for this task.A word of warning though, I was getting quite fit when I had the NMH setup as I had to work harder.Now with the lipo's I tend to use the power most of the time and the waist line is increasing again.

Cheers,
Tony.

[drekkus]

G'day Drekkus,

I live on a big mutha of a hill and that is what I face on my return journey. As I said earlier I have got the new lipo set up and my motor gets quite hot and I guess it is because I go for a really quick ride of about 20 klms return and I really ride hard so I am using full throttle most of the time as well.I have been doing that now for a while on both of my bikes and everything seems okay.They don't seem to mind getting hot. As I also said these bikes are useless if the battery goes flat.I have pushed my home on the old NMH batteries on several occasions.I found a trick was to use the throttle (which you don't have yet) to make it easier to push up hills as there always seemed to be enough power left in the battery for this task.A word of warning though, I was getting quite fit when I had the NMH setup as I had to work harder.Now with the lipo's I tend to use the power most of the time and the waist line is increasing again.

Cheers,
Tony.

My big hills are on the return trip. There one quite long steep one right at the start ( great coming in though) and a couple of steep short ones after that. I'm having no problem getting in but I'm only getting , if I'm lucky, up the 1st one on the way back. Its leaving me about 4km short unless I'm really conservative with the pedal assist level on the way in and take a break for say 15 - 20 minute once in. I have managed to get within 2km of home doing that. Its a 6km trip in with about a 50/50 split of gravel & bitumen.
Its good to know that the motor can take getting hot.
This is the first time in years that I have cycled any decent distance and I am feeling it but it has to be doing me some good. I've just gotten too unfit for my own good. I doubt I would have been doing it without the pedal assist to get me started.Even with the throttle I still see myself pedalling.At the moment I'm doing 10-15km a day. One of the advantages of living semi rural is less traffic and great scenery. And to think We bought this bike for my daughter who doesn't really want to ride it.

[gtadmin]

Because if he uses a 6s cell on a 21.5 volt cutout (could be as low as 21.0V based on the stated tolerance) he will take his packs below 3.7volts and they either won't last, or cook his balls. Or both.

Sam, he won't at 3.6V - LiPo is fine down to around 3.3V although I would never recommend it and only take mine down to 3.8V. FWIW, I run the 8S on a 21V cutout but I also monitor my cell voltages.

...
The bike is primarily not for me. 50kmh would be far too fast for the intended users, even I would baulk at those speeds on a bike. About half the intended route is dirt roads so speed isn't the big concern. Anything around the 20-30kmh would be fine. Its range which is important as its a 15km round trip which may become more in the future. I can hear the complaints now if it died on the way home

I know what you're saying about the cut out being potentially a bit too low but don't you still get the same problem with the 36v packs. You will always have to monitor things to be safe.

The other thing that attracts me to the 24v packs I've linked to is that they look like they would be a snug fit in the battery box with only minimal filing out. I could do some hacking to fit different batteries but at this stage I rather avoid it to keep the peace.

I don't see a problem with 6S then. I use at most 5.8Ah and as little as 2.2Ah out of my pack on a 15km round trip with light to medium pedalling. I probably ride at 25-30km/h on the flat, all the while feathering the throttle.

Pity I have only just seen where you live, I was down that way last weekend and could've had a yarn, oh well.

Cheers,
GT

[tonyontopofabighill]

Another one on ebay.No prizes for guessing where it is....VIC... of course.Has the good old battery issue again.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aprilia-Enjo ... 143wt_1206

[Samd]

I have a few buddies keen on one, will let them know. Thanks Tony.

[drekkus]

Got the controller today and I can see what people mean about lack of details. Only 2 of the connectors are marked,- charging port and brake light. I can work out the rest but the specs on the front are a bit more concerning.
Its marked as 24v, 350W, 20+-0.5v. No Amps and its marked as YK31C which according to their website is a 48v, 500W controller. So what do I really have ? The dimensions don't match the YK31C but that doesn't mean its a YK40. Anyway of telling ?

[Hillhater]

I would certainly query the spec's with the seller, since it suggests that you have recieved a 15A controller ( what did you order ?)
However , i think the one i got had similar spec's ( 24v, 350W), but in practice it runs happily on 42v, 30A .
mine seems to have a 30A "limiter" since that is the max i ever see on my wattmeter,
At the prices you pay for these things you wont be sending it back, so you may as well just hook it up and bench test it to see what it will do !

[drekkus]

I would certainly query the spec's with the seller, since it suggests that you have recieved a 15A controller ( what did you order ?)
However , i think the one i got had similar spec's ( 24v, 350W), but in practice it runs happily on 42v, 30A .
mine seems to have a 30A "limiter" since that is the max i ever see on my wattmeter,
At the prices you pay for these things you wont be sending it back, so you may as well just hook it up and bench test it to see what it will do !

I have emailed the seller so I guess I wait and see what he says. Its not as if I'm going to use it tomorrow. I'm still waiting on a charger first to see if it can revive the battery a bit more. As for what I ordered it did clearly state 24v,350w 28A +-1A and SVP of 20v+-0.5v. The picture was also clearly a YK40. The measurements don't match the YK31c so it may just be your typical cheap generic labelling with a mistake. You can't expect too much for the price .It will be interesting to see how good their English is., I did try to keep the question simple.
Now whats the "charging port" for on the controller ?
I'm still not liking how hot the motor is getting.

[drekkus]

Got a reply already ( have to say I'm impressed) to quote
" The modle YK31C have many many style,one style is 24v 350w
So no worries,it can fit yours."

I also queried the Current limit and was told it is 28A+-1A

[Samd]

This might help identify:
http://tncscooters.com/index.php?route= ... path=41_73
Most of them have a document linked for a wiring diagram.

I recommend the LBD14. Yes, they are usually limited to about 30 amps. My turnigy wattmeter has validated this a number of times.

Look inside any controller and you'll see some FETs and some capacitors. The FETS tend to be about 60v rated, and the caps about 50V. So if you don't go over 50v on these cheap and cheerful units you're ok as you won't "let the magic smoke out" of the components. All that matters then is your low voltage cutout, and your max power = your voltage times ~ 30 amps.

Yesterday I got a nice city tyre (smooth on top, knobs on sidewalls) and pumped it right up on the rear. Picked up about 7kph cruising speed, top speed too. Tyres matter.

To connect your single phase controller, all that usually matters is the four fat ones (Power in from battery and power out to motor) as well as the key switch. Unless the keyswitch leads are connected together, you'll get NADA. Which is how a keyswitch ought to work...
I usually take all the other plugs such as brake lights, charging port etc and tape them up in a big bunch out of the way.

Single phase brushed controllers are nice and easy, not as daunting as getting a 3 phase brushless one without labels. Hang in there.
AND USE A FUSE

Keep us posted!

[Hillhater]

I Just had to ride out for a quick errand on the Aprilia.
I have Not ridden much lately due to weather etc, but i know the lipo was topped up a few days ago, so i expected it to run fine.
however, I suddenly found myself doing 70km/hr with NO pedaling
.... but that just shows the type of hills i have to deal with around here !
coming back up that same hill later, the most i could manage in low gear and max pedal effort , was 12 km/hr !

[Samd]

The duck home for lunch run...

[drekkus]

Another one on ebay.No prizes for guessing where it is....VIC... of course.Has the good old battery issue again.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aprilia-Enjo ... 143wt_1206

It didn't sell . Was $500 really too much ?

Another one for sale on GumTree.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/doncaste ... /306379897

[tonyontopofabighill]

Sam said he had a couple of mates who might be interested in that one.I emailed the guy and said that if it didn't sell on ebay I would give him $500 if he would go to his local bike shop and have it boxed up and sent to me (all for $500).I haven't heard from him so I don't think he appreciated my offer.I bid on a second hand mountain bike with a Nuvinci hub and disk brakes. If I had won that auction I would have put the hub and brakes on one of the Aprilias. Sadly It went for too much.
Here is a link to another Aprilia that shows just how much a new battery costs.He will be lucky to sell it.I have also made him the offer that if it doesn't sell I will do the same deal minus the new battery
p://www.simpletrade.com.au/other-for-sa ... /800292752

Cheers,
Tony

That link didn't work.Here it is again.It is on the site Simpletrade.com.au.THe guy was asking $1750 .He said the new battery cost $750.
http://www.simpletrade.com.au/other-for ... /800292752

[drekkus]

Sam said he had a couple of mates who might be interested in that one.I emailed the guy and said that if it didn't sell on ebay I would give him $500 if he would go to his local bike shop and have it boxed up and sent to me (all for $500).I haven't heard from him so I don't think he appreciated my offer.

I'm looking to see if it comes up again as I'll probably be in the area in a few weeks time. I'd buy it for that price as I want a "his and a hers" . The one I got was a re listing so you never know. Maybe I'll drop him an email when it get closer to the time and I know if I'm flying over or driving.


Got my charger and after a couple of proper dischargers and recharges I was able to get 14km out of it today though the last few km you could feel it was struggling somewhat.Still its a marked improvement so we'll see how a couple more cycles on the charger go.

[tonyontopofabighill]

I bought a his and hers and my wife wasn't interested so lucky me got the two of them.Depending on what mood I am in I'll ride either one or the other.I do find the racing version a bit more sportier than the city version.It is interesting that you say the battery lags after your ride.I haven't experienced that since having the lipos (sorry,I don't mean to rub it in) but I do remember that annoying feeling of the power diminishing towards the end of an otherwise very pleasant ride.How do you like the "beeping" when you have pushed it a bit too hard?

Cheers,
Tony.

[drekkus]

I bought a his and hers and my wife wasn't interested so lucky me got the two of them.Depending on what mood I am in I'll ride either one or the other.I do find the racing version a bit more sportier than the city version.It is interesting that you say the battery lags after your ride.I haven't experienced that since having the lipos (sorry,I don't mean to rub it in) but I do remember that annoying feeling of the power diminishing towards the end of an otherwise very pleasant ride.How do you like the "beeping" when you have pushed it a bit too hard?

Cheers,
Tony.

I know if I had 2 they would both get used. My son and I already fight over the one we have . As for the beeping its rather annoying when you're a couple of Kms from home. Today I got home before it started but it would have been very close.

[Samd]

Guilty also on the his and hers front. And I agree, I think there is something about the racing unit but cannot put my finger on it.

I have been towing the kids a lot in the trailer on the back and lately both cranksets are starting to 'crunch' on each revolution. Much worse if I am not pedaling.

Time to get brave and open up the crankcase and see what is going on inside one unit. I don't think it is a worn sprocket or chain. I think the sprag clutch / ratchet bearing might be worn from "over-torqueing" it with too much weight being towed. We'll see...

[tonyontopofabighill]

G'day Sam,

I'll be interested in the outcome of that.

Cheers,
Tony.

[drekkus]

It seems the charger can put in a little over 11Ah into the battery. This is giving me 12-14km if I nurse it but its been touch and go on the last big hill back if I'll get the dreaded beeps. That leaves me 2km short of home. If I then walk it up and turn it back on I can reach home as there is only a couple of mild hills to deal with.I'd say its more like 8-10km useful distance in the battery..Looks like the LiPos are getting closer.
Now what may seem like a silly question but seeing as I'm looking at staying at 24v is it possible to connect up a separate 12v battery so as to keep the original controller. I do have my reasons for asking.

[Hillhater]

do you mean a 12 v supply for the "control" circuit as on the original ?
Depending on how you configure your 24 v lipo pack, you could easily "pick out" a 12 v feed from some of the balance leads.
Or if you would rather, you can get a cheap 24/12v DC/DC converter off ebay. They are common for RV's , camping etc.

[drekkus]

do you mean a 12 v supply for the "control" circuit as on the original ?
Depending on how you configure your 24 v lipo pack, you could easily "pick out" a 12 v feed from some of the balance leads.
Or if you would rather, you can get a cheap 24/12v DC/DC converter off ebay. They are common for RV's , camping etc.

Yes a 12v supply for the control circuit. I'm attempting to keep the pedal assist if its not going to be too much trouble. Throttle control may be beyond certain members of the family
If its easy enough without getting too messy then I'm willing to attempt it.

Mmm, looking at the step down converters on Ebay there seems to be a few and some will definitely fit but just what draw will it need ? Is 5A sufficient , 30A?

[Hillhater]

Its a control circuit, so unlikely to be even 0.5 A. If you have a MM you could easily check it.

[Samd]

You could run a sep 12v battery I think? The controller shouldn't use my power by iteself I guess?