Aprilia Enjoy

[Samd]

Not me or anyone I know from Perth.

Had a nice ride on Aussierider and Kepler's stealth bikes on the last Melbourne group ride, about 5kw and 9kw respectively from memory. If I had six to ten grand i would go for it.

But whilst they would be great for riding in the bush, I have to say that if you want a bike that sits middle way between a 250W ebike and an offroad monster, then for well under a grand a hacked 1.2Kw brushed Aprilia is a great choice. Ignoring the hardtail limitations, the Aprilia is still a very cheap balance between daily commute flat out on the road, and taking an offroad tour of the local goldfields or jumping gutters/ hitting the local bmx park traps on the way home from work. Often in a suit, to the bemusement of Babyboomers and GenY disappointers.

If a 250w generic was a car, it would be a cheap hyundai excel. And the stealth would be a humvee with an aftermarket blower. Impressive, but not for a sprint down to the shops, turning up for work, or a trip to the local cafe. A hacked Enjoy would maybe be an older but comfy and presentable merc ML55, at about a sixth of the original list price...

[tonyontopofabighill]

Hey Sam,

That's a pretty good summation of the good old hacked Aprilia mate.I have just had new chain and sprockets put on both of my bikes.What a difference that made.They are running as smooth as silk again.I hope to get this one on ebay and make a project out of it.

[Samd]

How did you go sourcing a sprocket for the front Tony? Assuming you did....

I think that clicking noise I was on about it actually worn roller chain and sprocket from a relative riding rough. Gonna try that first before opening up the 'box...

[Hillhater]

.. Or the rear cassette ? That 14-34, 6 speed , "Mega range" Shimano is a very rare beast to find a replacement for.

[tonyontopofabighill]

I just went to my local bike shop and said I want a new chain and sprockets, front and rear .He looked it up and said no problems and put in the order.I will have a look tomorrow and let you know what they put on the bikes.As I said they are running as smooth as silk.

[tonyontopofabighill]

I am glad you guys asked me the question about the sprockets.I have only got one of the bikes here at the moment as I have lent the other one to a friend to try with the old NMH battery.Anyway I got down and had a look and could see the rear cassette had been replaced with a SHIMANO MEGARANGE MFTZ30 SUPERLOW 14-34T. I took the chain guard off the front sprocket and noticed that the sprocket was quite greasy on its face near the crank? it looks as though it has NOT been changed.I did ask them to do that for me .I will ring them after Easter and chase that up.By the way getting that chain guard back on is a pain as you have to line it up with two bits of plastic and get the bolt to go in and find its thread.IT took me about 15 minutes and lots of cursing to finally get it in.This is why I now take bikes to bike shops so they can curse instead of me.I get the other bike back next week so I will check the sprockets out on it as well.I would just buy a Nuvinci hub if I could afford it(one day I will though)

[tonyontopofabighill]

I got the other bike back today and had a good look at it.It too had a new cassette and chain but not the front sprocket replaced.I asked the bike shop and they said that both bikes front sprockets were okay. Both the bikes are running as smooth as silk.I gave the mate a go with the lipo battery and he was amazed after using the bike with the old NMHI battery ( just about buggered now).
I was going to bid on the Aprilia on ebay but got side tracked this arvo.Did anyone see what it sent for please?

Cheers,
Tony.

[drekkus]

I brought a 100Ah 12v SLA battery for $220 and a 40W solar panel recently for $100, with a 20 dollar charge controller. Hopefully I won;t need the power supply much in summer...

My next project . I've picked up a free 190w panel which I'm hoping to use as a battery charger. Just got to work out what charge controller as its not your standard 12v panel , its actually from a grid connect system.I think its something like 44 voc.

[drekkus]

Looks like I'm going to pick another one up tomorrow
Pity my newly acquired battery charger has lost its charging function but its discharge function still works.

[Architectonic]

I was going to bid on the Aprilia on ebay but got side tracked this arvo.Did anyone see what it sent for please?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/120889781650 ... 1438.l2649
$675

Never seen one in Adelaide.

[drekkus]

Never seen one in Adelaide.

There was one a couple of months ago . The one I'm now getting was on Ebay in Melbourne a few weeks back but didn't sell.I'm now heading that way for the weekend and as it turns out it was still available. Should just fit in the back of the car if I take the front wheel off and maybe the handlebars.

[tonyontopofabighill]

Thanks Architectronic,

It went much higher than I expected.Looked like new, so I guess it was a good buy for a first timer.

[tonyontopofabighill]

Hey Drekkus,

Looks like you're hooked now into the Aprilia club.

[drekkus]

Hey Drekkus,

Looks like you're hooked now into the Aprilia club.

I'm suprised that my wife agreed to get another one. She should know me better by now
The one I just picked up looks in goo nick. The guy says he only gets a couple of hundred meters from a charge , a bit like the first one I got. I'm running a discharge at the moment and it actually looks to have a fair bit of charge in it. We'll see I guess once I get it home.

As a bit of an update: on tests so far the pedelec system doesn't seem as smooth on this one and it seems to respond to the gearing a bit differently. early days still. As for the battery after 3 discharge/charge cycles I managed a ride of at least 7km on some rather soft wet roads and there was still good charge left.Further testing required to see just how far it goes.Just a few kms extra over the other one would be good.

[tonyontopofabighill]

Hey Drekkus,

When you end up with the throttle and lipos you will not believe the difference.I am riding around about a 16klm round trip every morning and it is still a "buzz" each time.I have to watch myself on the cycleway as I sometimes tend to go a bit fast and occasionally get the evil eye from pedestrians, but I always ring my bell to let them know I am coming.As I said earlier that pedalec is a bit of a challenge.

[drekkus]

Hey Drekkus,

When you end up with the throttle and lipos you will not believe the difference.I am riding around about a 16klm round trip every morning and it is still a "buzz" each time.I have to watch myself on the cycleway as I sometimes tend to go a bit fast and occasionally get the evil eye from pedestrians, but I always ring my bell to let them know I am coming.As I said earlier that pedalec is a bit of a challenge.

I really do want to change to Lipos and I already have the throttle but damn it this battery in the new bike has come up really well. 13.5km trip this morning and still plenty of charge in it. I need a good excuse to be allowed to spend more money.
The Pedalec on the new bike is a little more choppy than the other one so this will be the one thats gets the modification though I do want to try and keep the Pedalec and have Lipos.At least initially

[tonyontopofabighill]

I did the same, I kept the original batteries until they were pretty much buggered and then made the change.My wife agreed to the new batteries when she could see I was struggling with the big hill we live on ( I profess to a little bit of overacting though)
Hang in the Drekkus.

[Samd]

Removed the powerplant on my older of two bikes yesterday - as both bikes now make a slipping/clicking noise when I put too much power down at low speed. Must be something stripped inside the box from too much power/torque at low speed.

Got the whole powerplant up on the bench.

But I am buggered if i can get the cranks off before i open up the gearbox casing. Any idea if I can take it to a standard bike shop to have them do it? The manual mentions a special tool (number4) on page 32 of this document: http://myc5.nl/aprilia/manuals/workshop ... joy_uk.pdf

I don't know if the tool has some kind of internal thread, or if the tool is just a glorified square tap that I could make at home?

I see someone has put up a new youtube video of their Aprilia Enjoy. I reckon we all should....
SD

[Samd]

Cancel that! I just spent some quality time with Doctor Google. I now know that the tool is like a bearing puller, the crank is pressed onto the shaft (which is tapered).
I will head on down to the local bike shop (LBS) and resume the usual grovelling and recipt of anti-ebike sentiment.

[tonyontopofabighill]

The bloke on the youtube video doesn't mention what battery mods he used.

[drekkus]

Well I've taken the plunge and I've started converting the new bike to throttle drive. It was doing strange things with the assist just cutting out and refusing to work unless I removed the battery for a few minutes. Indicator showing full battery and I know the battery had good charge. So i'm assuming a controller problem or brake switch or torque controller problem. Either way swapping will solve which ever it is. At least it will make an interesting comparison.

[tonyontopofabighill]

G'day Drekkus,

I had exactly the same problem with both of my bikes. I found all I had to do was turn the key off and then straight back on and it would be okay.This happened more and more often until in the end it just stopped working.With both of my bikes it ended up being the controllers.Once I replaced them with new ones and throttles I was on my way again.This seems to be an inherent problem with these bikes but you will prefer riding the bikes without the pedalec I reckon and no more beeping and stopping half way up a hill.

Cheers,
Tony.

[drekkus]

G'day Drekkus,

I had exactly the same problem with both of my bikes. I found all I had to do was turn the key off and then straight back on and it would be okay.This happened more and more often until in the end it just stopped working.With both of my bikes it ended up being the controllers.Once I replaced them with new ones and throttles I was on my way again.This seems to be an inherent problem with these bikes but you will prefer riding the bikes without the pedalec I reckon and no more beeping and stopping half way up a hill.

Cheers,
Tony.

The guy I bought in from thought it was a battery problem but the battery is quite good. In one sense its good that its not the reason.
I just got to work out the connections tomorrow. The only one that I'm not sure on is the battery indicator. I don't know if I'll be able to hook up the one thats part of the throttle set up. The Aprilia one looks a little too complex to try but I guess I can go with a small voltmeter in its place at some stage. The other thing I have to work out is some sort of neat covering over the new controller to keep dirt and water out.
Looks like the 12v feed isn't going to be used for anything so I wonder if a switch and hooking it up to the lights could be an option.

Whilst I had all the coverings off I did temp up the battery direct to the motor and it does seem to have a bit behind it. Trouble was I did accidentally short out the battery and blew both 30 Amp fuses
All going well I'll get some sort of test ride tomorrow. I do expect my range to lessen to some degree.

[Samd]

Now I am an expert at crank removal (one time) I managed to get inside the case.

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Looks like the main drive gear (number18 on schematic above) has worn a flat spot. Hard to see with the camera flash, sorry.

Both my high powered bikes are like this now. It starts as a small skip in power when too much torque is applied at high speed, but over a few hundred kilometers it becomes worse. Pedalling hard makes it go away at the start - I guess it keeps the chainwheel rotating so that the flat spot is moved beyond.
It becomes a bit like wearing out a clutch on car - after awhile you can't get power to the wheel(s) at all.
I loaned the bike to a relative who was constantly putting all the power down from standing start in the highest gear at low speed, with audible loud skipping noise.
You wouldn't take off from the lights in sixth gear in a car but I guess some folks aren't mechanically minded and see ebikes as a 'magical mystical mechanism'.

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I can get another large gear from aprilia for about AUD $120, which is still good value when I consider how much petrol I have saved on the work commute. But I cannot see how to get the old one off. The assembly is really tight. Perhaps it is pressed onto the roller bearing (number21) in the centre of it. I don't think it would have a thread internal - nowhere to attach to.
I'll have to remove it destructively I think. Maybe a bearing press...

Unfortunately the small pinion transmitting pwer from the motor to the above gear looks a little worn too. (Top left of second photo). I have a spare from another wrecked bike. Gearbox is full of fine metal, so it'll need a clean out.

Fortunately all the differential gears in the bottom of the case are as brand new.

I was expecting the chainwheel (number 22) to be worn, but it appears ok. At least visually it does.

If I can find out how to get the main gear off and replaced, I think it would be very important to get the gear case bolted as tightly together as possible. The teeth on the motor pinion and main gear need to mesh/overlap as much as possible. There is a rubber seal on the case. I'd recommend anyone who has an upgraded bike to go and at least tighten the hex bolts on the outside of the case as much as possible, you should be able to access these thru the chainwheel by rotating it without pulling the bike apart. You may not be able to tighten them any more than they are - but worth checking I suggest.

If the pinion and gear aren't mating as much as possible, those teeth are going to wear.

[tonyontopofabighill]

Well done Sam,you're an Aprilia Enjoy pioneer.It will be interesting to see how you go getting it apart.I will have a look at the tightness of those bolts on my bikes.Your relative sounds like a challenge.I have ridden my bikes a lot but I haven't had those problem(yet anyway)I use the gearbox a lot so I guess I am not putting too much pressure on those parts.When I rode motorbikes I never had a clutch or gearbox problem on any bike I owned?

Here is a message for Drekkus.Have you checked out this site where this dutch guy shows you how to use the old controller to incorporate the new controller and how to wire it up.Have you seen how Samd put an LED Voltmeter into the existing thingymabob (technical jargon for the whatsamecallit)
http://myc5.nl/aprilia/eng%20new_controller.htm

When you get onto the above site you have to scroll to the right to pick up the page.