Usage Update

Usage Stats

I have more stats:

1.01 kW for 9.0 kilometers (estimated average of 35 mph round trip to work, 2013.08.09)
1.6 kW for 20.3 kilometers (estimated average of 30 mph)
.89 kW for 12.5K (estimated average of 15 mph)

This goes a bit beyond me at the moment as nothing is a constant rate. That is to say that I don't charge or discharge the batteries at a constant rate.

What I do know is that I pay $0.108051 per kWh.
I may be simplifying this too much, but at first glance, that means my round trip to work costs me 11 cents.

Meanwhile, assuming 17 mpg over the same round trip (5.6 miles) yields .3294117 gallons consumed. With each gallon of premium at $3.80, that third of a gallon costs me over $1.25.

I could save $1.14 daily. After a week, that's $5.70. That's lunch, man!

Given, this is an small electric motorcycle versus a sports car. But it does encourage me to take the bike as often as possible.

By the way, I think 20 kilometers is my absolute max range. I had doubts I was going to make it home toward the end of that trip. I was moving, but I had no get up and go. Good thing work has a charger!

-Colby

Power Usage

Finally, I'm at a point where I can determine inputs and outputs.

I have a means to measure how much power goes into the bike. That is by way of the Kill-A-Watt.

I'll update this post in the future, but for now, I wish to document that from a 60% depth of discharge, 1.6 KW were used re-charging the bike. That's about the only stat I have.

I guess I should now keep a log of distance traveled and power spent recharging there-after to gather up data. From that I can determine the trend and I have some idea. I'll try to share as I go.

-Colby

Mileage

I think I started last week with around 435 km on the odometer. I did a test ride Saturday afternoon, rode to church on Sunday, rode to work every day except Friday, and rode Saturday morning. I ended the week at 510 km.

I didn't realize I'd ridden it so little in the past three years, to have only accumulated 270 miles. I'm enjoying  putting some real mileage on it now.

75km is about 46.6 miles.
My 350Z averages 17 miles/gallon of premium in the city.
46.6 miles / 17 mpg = 2.7 gallons
2.7 gallons * $3.50 a gallon = $9.59 I would have spent on premium gasoline last week.

How much I spent on electricity because of the bike last week is another question I'd like to answer. Since my employer is giving me fuel for free, it's not much.
-Colby

Overall Status

I wasn't able to get the bike ready and safe to ride on Friday. Here are recent pictures:

Chain isn't installed in these pictures, but that's done now. Rear reflector, a bit more inspecting and then I can start test riding it a bit.
-Colby

Turn Signal Circuits

I finally finished wiring up the turn signals. The rear ones are new, so no big deal. The front ones are not new, but used numerous connectors and different colored wires for just two simple circuits. I cleaned all that up, and in the process, found a really confounding and interesting issue.

After wiring everything up, I found all four turn signals blinked together when I signaled left or right. Furthermore, I have a single turn-signal indicator bulb in the dash. It is supposed to be lit when either the left or right signal is active. The indicator bulb in the dash did not appear to light at all (it was lit but extremely dim). This perplexed me for hours. I diagnosed all I could, but all the while, I knew I'd been careful not to alter any circuits in the harness re-work. Plus, there is a "winker" module involved which makes it difficult to absolutely figure out because it is a black box to me. In the end, my Dad and I worked out that the circuit for the indicator bulb in the dash must have been designed only with incandescent turn signals bulbs in mind. Something about all the turn signals using LEDs changed the behavior of the module or removed a circuit this indicator relied on.

For now, I have removed the indicator. The winker module beeps so loud, the dash-bulb is pointless anyway. The LED turn signals blink correctly and at their normal speed. Perhaps when I diagram the entire wiring harness (should have already done that), I'll figure out what exactly caused it and maybe a way to keep the indicator bulb.

I'm charging the batteries now, so that leaves...

• final coats of paint to tail light panel
• adjust winker module mounting
• Clean sprockets / chain
• Full road-worthiness inspection, test ride

One a day and I can ride on Friday. =)

-Colby

Tail Light Fabrication (5/5)

Lots of mud and lots of sanding produced this:

Several primer coats and more sanding:

Also accomplished a few other things recently.

• tested out wiring harness for the first time since the re-work.
• Added tail lights to wiring harness.
• made plastic washers for new tail light panel.
• Adjusted license plate bracket

I'm on a 3 phase plan now.

1. Get the bike running and start riding it to work
2. Install chargers so I can charge while at work
3. Install retractable extension cord

Todo for phase 1:

• charge batteries
• add final coats of paint to tail light panel
• finish re-wiring front blinkers 
• adjust winker module mounting
• Clean sprockets / chain
• Full road-worthiness inspection, test ride

Tail Light Fabrication (4/5)

Previously, I was able to shape the metal frame a bit and stage a photo. The idea of bridging the gap between the back of seat and this frame with plastic did not work out. I didn't have the right material, tools, or number of hands required and a trial run went very poorly. I realized fiberglass might fit the bill.

I took a stab at fiberglass and learned a few important things.

• You have to have a mold.
• You have to make relief cuts around sharp edges and corners.

Without those things, you get this:

The absence of relief cuts was not obvious - I figured the cheap matting would be very flexible when soaked in resin. It is flexible, but it also still acts like a solid sheet and resists folds and bends. No matter what I tried, it would not stick down in the corners and some edges. As this cured, it resulted in large air bubbles.

I realized how valuable a mold would have been the moment I started. Nothing I did stayed in place. Everything began to droop and slide due to gravity. This resulted in a very inconsistent and ugly shape.

Furthermore, fighting these problems cost me valuable time because the clock was ticking on getting it set up while it was still workable. Other small lessons include having a timer count minutes since I added hardener, using a disposable cup to hold resin, having paper down to protect my workbench, and having breathing and eye protection.

So, I stared at that for a couple of days before realizing it was simply no good. I decided I could do better and ripped it off to start anew. I made a mold by cutting styro-foam to fit on the inside of the frame and shaped it as desired. I test-fit the piece several times in the process. I happened to have avoided a pitfall here: Not all resins and foams are compatible. Research what you have before using it. Alternatively, create a barrier between the foam and the resign with packing tape. 

I cut many strips of mat and added relief cuts around the ones I knew were going in tight spots. The result was a much better, stronger shape with far fewer bubbles - a much more enjoyable process. After lots of sanding and some additional fiberglass work, it's starting to look acceptable.

This guy's only real job is to hug the back of the seat. It definitely does the trick at this point, so it's just a matter of smoothing it a bit more and painting it white.

-Colby

Overall Status

Since I didn't have any interesting or recent pictures in the last post, I figured I should capture some of the whole bike to share.

The tail-light assembly is coming along alright - It's ready for some bondo I think. Wiring harness is looking good. Tank may need some minor adjustments to fit like it once did.

-Colby

Wiring Harness (2/2)

In the last two weeks:
I made a spreadsheet to document all plugs on the harness, their purpose, wire colors/styles and locations.
I removed a couple wires altogether once I double-checked they weren't in use.
I re-routed front instrument, light, and handle-bar harness plugs into the tank.
I routed the wiring harness into the tank area (was just exterior of the tank previously).
I added plug (male) for front blinkers.
I replaced one five-way and one six-way splice each with a home-made distribution blocks.
I tightened and dipped the distribution blocks in rubber.
I replaced almost all cheap and dirty splices in the harness with insulated butt-connectors.
I replaced the fuse holder on the positive wire of the 12v side of the DC-to-DC converter.

There is still a portion of the wiring harness that seems destined to be what I can only call a "bird's nest". I've had instincts to sort it out further, but the cost/benefit analysis tells me I shouldn't bother. The benefit of having organized wiring is countered by time, cost, added inefficiency.

To wrap this up, I need to:

• Add plug (female) for the front blinkers to plug into harness
• Mount "winker" module in a new location.
• Additionally, what started this whole wiring harness tangent was the tail-light wiring, which still remains.
• Attach and protect wiring harness under the tank.
• Inspect for any bad, missing connections.
• Clean up wires with convoluted hose and nylon holders.

Wiring Harness (1/2)

I tend to nit-pick things until I absolutely dive into them. Take the wiring harness on the bike, for example. I noticed a few wires near the tail wouldn't tuck away neatly, so I began to look at how they were routed. Then I found colors that didn't make sense, a fuse holder I didn't like, and wire that change color one or more times en-route. Next thing you know, the whole harness is off the bike - I'm pulling pins, testing connections, and removing unused wires.

I found some nylon wire organizers at ABC Auto which came in handy for laying it all out:

Before it's all over, I will probably have each wire cataloged in a spreadsheet with it's purpose. Hopefully I'll sort out a few things, fix any glaring issues, and put it back better than it was without taking forever.

Also, I've attempted to fiberglass the new tail piece. It was interesting...even the second time around. If it will cure alright, I can start cleaning it up with sand paper and lots of bondo putty. =)
-Colby

Tail Light Fabrication (3/5)

I've made pretty good progress on the rear in the past week. While discussing my tail light with a friend, I realized my aesthetic goals could not be reached as planned. Thus, I did some research about the law and formulated a new plan.

The rear panel will hold only the tail light, turn signals and red reflector. The license plate and registration sticker will go back from whence they came.... hanging on for dear life on the right-hand side somewhere. I'll just tuck them in closer to keep them out of the way.

I procured some turn signals online and a red reflector from O'Reilly.

My friend, Jeffrey, helped me evaluate options and double-check my measurements. =)

I made a jig for rounding the top of the panel.

Here's the current state with a rounded top, turn signals, tail light and (taped) red reflector.

It's still very boxy looking, but I may do some additional shaping on the corners. I'll be covering some gaps with plastic and re-wiring the plug so that everything starts working next.

-Colby

Tail Light Fabrication (2/5)

I've got the tail-light fitting in the panel now.

Thought I'd share some pictures:

Plenty of work to do, but it's getting there. =)

I still need to order some rear turn signals, finalize my game-plan for this component, and paint it.

-Colby

Tail Light Fabrication (1/5)

I was able to do some metal work recently for mounting the tail light. My goal is to make it compact and clean looking, yet strong and easy to assemble.

Using 16 gauge weld steel, I've made a bracket and a body panel, so to speak. The bracket will give me a reasonably easy place to attach the body panel, which in turn, should hold all of the lights, license plate, red reflector, and a plastic tab for the inspection sticker.

Strength shouldn't be an issue, there's neither a lot of weight nor leverage to worry about. I've thought, measured, mocked-up, and stared at it a great deal and this is the most compact and clean solution I could devise. I've got some plastic for concealing or cleaning up anything once I've got the metal bits mounted and shaped.

Here's the body panel at the moment. I'll have to finish cutting out a whole for the tail light (stenciled), bend the sides in to match the width of the seat back, and shave down the corners quite a bit.

I've been planning on painting it black, but it occurred to me today that white might be appropriate and look amazing.
-Colby

Terminals

It's rainy today, so I've replaced the ring-tongue terminals on the charging leads (DC side). They were 1/4" and now they're 5/8" to match the batteries.

I originally tried drilling out the 1/4" terminals, which worked alright at first, but turned out to be difficult and dangerous with my tools. After destroying one in the process, I decided to replace them altogether. The fuse holder on the positive lead is closer to the terminal now, but that shouldn't cause any problems.

Next step will be to re-install the batteries on the bike with these leads attached.

Happy New Year,
-Colby

Holiday

It's been a while since I posted any picture of the bike. Here is what it looks like at the moment:

The tail-light assembly and license plate bracket are missing from that picture. I got to looking at the rear section the other night and realized how big and ugly it was. Also, I often clipped the license plate bracket with my leg while getting on and off. I found a nifty DOT approved LED Stop/Turn/Tail (STT) light for the back. I'll be using it only for the brake-light and tail-light, though, so I'll need to order some more arrow-head turn signals to go in the back. Here is the new tail light next to the old assembly.

The tricky part will be making a little housing for mounting the new LED brake light and turn signals. I 'll probably try using plastic first. I'm sure fiber-glass would work too, but the weather may not allow it to cure in a timely fashion.

Here is the tank, powder-coated to match the wheels:

 To give you an idea of the final product, here's a picture of everything staged together:

I'll be off work until the new year so I'm hoping to make some progress during the break.
-Colby

More Labeling

This weekend, I touched up the new black paint and added labels to the batteries and their charging leads. I'm looking forward to how much easier assembly will be with clearly identified wires and plugs.

To do list:

• Shorten D.C. charging leads
• Combine A.C. changing leads
• Label chargers with a battery number
• Make the gas tank fit again

-Colby

Cable Labels

I've been meaning to label the main battery cables for a long time. I finally got around to it this evening. I found an acceptable font, printed out a sheet and used some Scotch heavy duty clear packing tape. It's nothing special, but it is simple, cheap, easy and functional.

The 1 inch rubber hose pieces at the ends of the cables are just temporary safety precautions used when installing or removing batteries and their connections. There is not a lot of space to maneuver the cables, tools and mounting hardware once the battery is in place on the chassis, so better safe than sorry.

I'm waiting for the weekend to take a shot at another coat on the chassis and/or re-assembly. I'll use the new charging leads when I put everything back. Then, I'll work on exactly how and where I'm going to mount the chargers. I'll also need to shorten all six charging leads to the battery by 3 feet and combine all six A/C plugs into the single 110 volt extension cord.

No big, I guess.
-Colby

2012 Summary

I haven't updated anyone about the bike in a very long time. I'd like to do so, briefly. The two main things I'd like to document are some recent aesthetic enhancements and a new charging system.

My motivation for some of these changes is related to an upcoming opportunity for displaying the bike. My employer will likely be hosting a grand opening for our new office in early 2013. This office has just been constructed and incorporates many energy efficient and environment friendly features. One such feature is the electric vehicle charging station. I think I'm the only employee with a battery-electric vehicle, so I'm hoping to make good use of the parking spot and convenient charging. I'd be proud to have the bike present at the grand opening and I'd like it to look its best.

Since I posted a picture of the bike last, I've had the wheels and gas tank powder-coated white. I've also touched up some of the chassis in black. Those are the new primary colors. The tank seems to have changed shape a bit due to the powder coating process (it has no bottom and I suspect the curing oven caused the change). I'll have to make some adjustments and do some re-assembly before posting an updated picture.

The charging system is being swapped out while the bike is partially torn down for painting. The two 36 volt chargers originally installed worked alright over the past few years. However, I feel I have learned part of the answer to a question I had when originally trying to understand and purchase chargers. That question was, "Does it matter whether I go for many individual chargers, one huge charger, or slice the battery-pack into multiple, smaller battery banks?" I eventually decided to slice my six battery pack into two banks of three and purchase two 36 volt chargers. In principle, it adds up just fine. In practice, the primary issues with that approach is how unbalanced the pack can become.

The pack becoming unbalanced over time seems unavoidable now. As an example, I think my PakTrakr taps the first battery alone, which I now consider poor design. I hope they have changed it since then or that I am somehow mistaken about it only drawing from the first battery. Even that tiny draw (in my situation) just further unbalanced the first battery from the rest of the pack. I installed a small on/off switch for my PakTrakr and the first battery was immediately more in-line with the others.

I'm moving to six individual chargers. I'm sure I could have gone the other way and moved toward a single charger as part of a battery management system, which may just be a fancy (and justified) version of using individual chargers. However, that seems like good territory for a second build given the expense and research required. In the mean time, using individual chargers is a pretty cost effective and simple solution for the bike and should give me optimal charging.

I'm hoping to use the bike for routine commuting in the new year, in line with its original purpose. Despite the winter season, I hope to have it looking and running well soon.
-Colby

Riding, Instruments, & Batteries

School is occupying most of my time, but I've worked in plenty of motorcycling and a lot has occurred in the last month.

The thing is a joy to ride. I know I already tried to describe the sound, but it's such a cool whirring noise. "Idling" at stop lights is completely silent and really makes it stand out when somebody knows better. It's a real attention-getter in general too, because even though people may not recognize it as being electric, they know something is missing, or changed, or totally different about it. Makes for an easy conversation starter, really. As you can see below, I've put 120 km on it so far, which is 74 miles.

Hardware:
I had a few mechanical issues early on. The rear hub is attached to the rear sprocket with four bolts. The nuts are captured in the hub. When I originally tore the rear hob down, I had to fight two bolt-head-locking washers. Each washers secures a pair of adjacent bolts by going on before the sprocket (acting as a washer of sorts) and then being force-formed around the head of the bolts (acting as a bolt-head-lock) to keep them from turning. Long story short, I completely forgot about them in re-assembly and they most definitely serve a purpose. I lost several bolts out of the hub (banging up the swing-arm, the hub, and the sprocket in the process) and unknowingly, barely made it home once or twice. What a mess - I felt stupid.

Gearing:
Meanwhile, I was also finding out that my gear ratio was not going to suffice. The rear sprocket was kind of a random find, so we just went with it because it was easy to make it work. A little measuring, welding, and painting and suddenly, it was ready. We either forgot to adjust the desired number of teeth for the front sprocket, or again went with what was readily available locally. At the time the bike was licensed for use, the rear was a 68-tooth and the front, a 12-tooth. That's a ratio of 5.667:1. That's pretty steep. Having very little experience on any kind of motorcycle, I was still impressed with it's power and ability, but as I tested the top speed, it became obvious this ratio wouldn't meet my long-term requirements. The top speed was 43 mph. The way to work is 45 mph, which means traffic goes 50 mph, so my first ride to work was a bit scary. The trip was a success, but it sealed the deal. I did some calculations and asked a few experts online. We didn't look for a new rear sprocket - I kind of assumed it be hard to find and make work but perhaps not. We went local again and got a 17-tooth front sprocket instead. What a jump! Now the ratio would be 4:1. That's exactly the ratio Juiced from ElMoto suggested for street bikes - as opposed to 3.5:1 for his drag bikes. This new sprocket's arrival coincided with that of the replacement hub, so I changed out both at once, lengthened the chain by four links and I feel great about it. The new hub not only had nuts which fit better, but it came with a new bearing already installed and it was so much smoother than the original. I bought some removable Loctite for the hub bolts and I installed the bolt-head-locking washers with the proper tools for a super snug rear-end. The result was just what both I and my dad calculated. The top speed is now 56 mph. This is perfect for my current and future work commute (we're moving, eventually).

PakTrakr
The PakTrakr has been really useful for gathering all kinds of information: amperage, battery voltages, kW usage, etc. Unfortunately, it's not working quite as smoothly as I had hoped. It could be user error, but I've had problems with the following:

• Battery voltage gauge indicates almost empty while batteries are nearly full.
• The LCD screen has blanked out while under medium to heavy acceleration.
• The entire module has reset while under heavy acceleration.

In the PakTrakr manual, it does state the batteries must be fully charged before plugging in the PakTrakr. The battery gauge showing empty instead of full could therefore be my fault, as I'm not totally sure what "fully charged" is for my system. A 12-volt AGM battery can apparently hold around 12.8 volts under normal conditions, so six of those make for 76.8 volts. However, since it reset on me mid-ride the other day, it now thinks my whole system is overcharged. =/ I do and have had the module set to AGM batteries, so I know it's not the case that it thinks the batteries are flooded or some other chemistry. I guess I'll have to email the manufacturer or post on the forums to figure out what is going on.

Amps
The amperage on the battery side of the controller has, of course, changed along with the gearing changes. At 5.667:1, I could slowly accelerate up to 25 or 30 mph without breaking 15 amps. At 4:1, I'm immediately at 30 amps or so and it's difficult to cruise at any speed while drawing less than 25 amps. Under hard acceleration, I used to pull maybe 110 amps at the most. With the new ratio, I got a reading of 150 amps. Keep in mind, that this is on the battery side. The motor is rated for a continuous 125 amps with bursts of up to 300 amps for no more than 30 seconds or so. The reduction in leverage is very apparent, both in these values and in the physical feel and pull of the bike. For my use though, it's worth having the top speed where it is now, instead of all that acceleration. I plan on trying to take care of this batch of batteries as much as possible, anyway.

Watts
I finally got a chance to gather a couple readings of kW usage as well. I never checked this with the original gearing, but the new setup resulted in 3.5 kW at around 25 or 30 mph and 5.4 kW at a steady 50 mph on level road.

3.5 kW / 30 mph = 3.5 kWh / 30 miles = .11667 kWh/mile = 116 Wh/mile = 72.5 Wh/km
Similarly, 5.4 kW at 50 mph is 108 Wh/mile = 67.5 Wh/km
I am not positive whether or not these calculations are correct, but they do seem reasonably close to that of other bikes of similar design.

Battery charging and discharging:
Below is the log that I've kept on battery charging discharging. This may or may not be terribly useful just yet, but in case any of the batteries don't last like the others, I'll be able to see if it was destined to or if I did something wrong.

SC = Start of Charge
EC = End of Charge
SR = Start of Ride
ER = End of Ride
BC = Battery Check

Act.	Y	M	D	h	m	B1	B2	B3	B4	B5	B6		Pack		State	Odom	Ratio
SC	10	8	19	22	17	11.5	11.7	11.6	11.7	11.8	11.8		70.1			39.2	5.7:1
EC													76.7			39.2
SR													76.8		resting	39.5
ER	10	8	22	19	00	11.7	12.0	11.9	11.8	11.9	11.9		71.3			68.5
SC	10	8	23	21	00											68.5
EC	10	8	23	23	30	12.4	12.6	12.5	12.4	12.5	12.5		74.9		resting	68.5
SC	10	8	24	20	40	12.2	12.5	12.4	12.3	12.4	12.4		74.2		resting	68.6
EC	10	8	24	21	40	13.0	13.3	13.2	13.0	13.1	13.2		78.8		charging	68.6
EC	10	8	24	22	25	12.5	12.8	12.6	12.5	12.6	12.7		75.6		resting	68.6
SR	10	8	25	19	45	12.4	12.6	12.5	12.4	12.5	12.6		75.0		resting	68.7
ER	10	8	26	01	00	12.0	12.3	12.2	12.1	12.2	12.2		72.9		resting	80.6
SC	10	8	26	18	35	12.0	12.3	12.2	12.1	12.2	12.2		72.9		resting	80.6
EC	10	8	26	21	15								84.4		charging	80.6
EC	10	8	26	23	05	12.6	12.9	12.8	12.7	12.7	12.8		76.5		resting	80.6
SR	10	8	27	07	40										resting	80.6
ER	10	8	28	00	05	12.1	12.4	12.3	12.2	12.3	12.3		73.6		resting	91.1
SC	10	8	29	20	13											91.1
EC	10	8	29	22	00	13.1	15.7	15.2	13.2	13.4	13.5		84.1		charging	91.1
EC	10	8	29	22	50	12.5	12.9	12.7	12.6	12.7	12.8		76.2		resting	91.1
SR	10	9	18	00	28	11.8	12.5	12.4	12.3	12.4	12.4		73.7		resting	91.2	4.0:1
ER	10	9	18	01	25	11.5	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.1		resting	100.5
SC	10	9	18	13	55	11.5	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.1		resting	100.5
EC	10	9	18	16	10	12.3	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.9		chrg B1	100.5
EC	10	9	18	16	50	12.0	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.6		resting	100.5
SC	10	9	18	17	00	12.0	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.2		resting	100.5
EC	10	9	18	19	00	13.0	13.3	13.2	13.0	13.1	13.3		78.9		charging	100.5
SR	10	9	18	19	15	12.5	12.7	12.6	12.5	12.7	12.7		75.6		resting	100.5
ER	10	9	18	19	47	12.2	12.5	12.4	12.3	12.3	12.4		74.0		resting	105.2
SR	10	9	20	17	50	12.1	12.4	12.3	12.2	12.3	12.4		73.7		resting	105.2
ER	10	9	20	19	00	11.9	12.3	12.2	12.0	12.2	12.2		72.7		resting	110.1
SC	10	9	20	20	00											110.1
EC	10	9	20	22	00	13.0	14.6	13.6	13.1	13.6	13.6		81.2		charging	110.1
EC	10	9	20	23	00	12.4	12.7	12.6	12.5	12.7	12.7		75.5		resting	110.1
SC	10	9	22	17	40	12.2	12.6	12.5	12.4	12.6	12.6		74.9		resting	110.1
EC	10	9	22	18	40	12.9	12.6	12.5	12.4	12.6	12.6		75.6		chrg B1	110.1
SR	10	9	22	19	05	12.5	12.6	12.5	12.4	12.6	12.6		75.0		resting	110.1
ER	10	9	22	20	47	11.9	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.2	12.2		72.5		resting	121.4
ER	10	9	22	23	10	11.9	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.2	12.2		72.6		resting	121.4
BC	10	9	23	17	45	11.9	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.2	12.2		72.6		resting	121.4
SC	10	9	23	17	50	11.9	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.2	12.2		72.6		resting	121.4
EC	10	9	23	23	00	12.8	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.2	12.2		73.5		chrg B1	121.4
EC	10	9	24	00	05	12.3	12.2	12.1	12.0	12.1	12.2		72.9		resting	121.4

I'm still learning plenty about the batteries and my chargers. The chargers are supposed to be intelligent enough to do a 3-stage charge and turn their LEDs green when in the float-stage. This has never happened and makes me worry about A) the chargers being wired and used in a manner for which they were not engineered or B) the two large sparks upon finally assembly having screwed them up. I guess option C would be that I've never absolutely fully charged the battery pack halves. This would actually be good news I think. What's strange is that the PakTrakr shows some batteries slowly being charged up to 12.9 volts, while others batteries show to be charging up to 14 volts and higher, and accelerating upward in charge voltage. For example, look at August 29th, during charging (EC.10.08.29.22.00). Here, batteries 2 and 3 were very far above 13 volts, which was scary and I have no idea if this is dangerous or normal. Maybe they would eventually get float-charged by their charger, once B1 matched them.

Balancing:
Balancing the pack is also a new adventure. I purchased a 12 volt battery charger from Walmart which stated it was compatible with AGM type batteries. So far, batteries 1 and 4 have turned out to rest just a bit lower than the others. Attempts to bring B1 up with the likes of B5 and B6 haven't exactly been successful just yet. However, I haven't let this charger, like the other on-board chargers, reach what it considers fully-charged. I still need to learn how sensitive the batteries really are and whether I'm hurting them in any way. Once again, this will take research and assistance from the forums probably.

Other Notes:
I accidentally got caught in the rain the other evening - No failures of any kind, but how much water can the ME709 really take in those vents?

Inspecting the bike has been more critical than I expected. Had I inspected it closer from day one before each ride, I would have avoided several headaches and delays. Far too many close calls in this area.

Also, for the record, I would like to say how much I enjoy the correctness of the term "motor-cycle". Naturally, I never thought of it as inaccurate before stumbling into the EV scene, but how cool is it that my bike really is a motor cycle, not an engine cycle.

-Colby