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Find online instruction for changing a tire at http://www.zapworld.com/changetire.htm

Work on your Zappy often involves lifting the battery tray out. First remove the four wires from the printed circuit board (PCB). Needle nose pliers may help. The wires come through a small hole in the battery tray near the PCB. Remember which wire goes where (auxiliary power jack/charging port: smooth wire to PJ+, ribbed wire to PJ-; motor wires: red to BAT+, black to BAT-).

The brake can be adjusted at the brake handle and here. Both use a barrel screw and lock nut pair. Loosen the lock nut before adjusting the barrel screw - and tighten after.

The main power switch on the underside of the battery tray (opposite the charging point) disables/enables the system. That's it right above the motor wires (red and black) with the white locking ring around it

Handlebar height ranges from 2 feet to 3 feet high.

A Zappy users' group (not affiliated with ZAPWORLD.COM) trades information and ideas at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/

Learn why scooter riders need Pre-Paid Legal.

Winter Riding

Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 15:07:56 -0700
From: "John Mancenido"
Subject: Re: cold weather tips?

I'm from Calgary Alberta, and I rode my Zappy all through the winter last year. There were maybe about four weeks where I wasn't able to use the Zappy due to too much snow on the roads.

The stock Zappy does just fine in cold weather--you don't have to baby it at all. I rode it in -20 (Celsius) weather and no hiccups as far as the motor, battery, or controller. I did find the zappy to be a little slower last winter, but not by much. It slowed down maybe 1-2 mph overall.

Also, I just recently converted from 12 v to 18 v a few days ago. This morning was the coldest day so far this year, -10 degrees. I ran at 18v for my entire 2.5 mile commute and it was fine.

Riding on icy winter roads actually wasn't too bad. Because of the low center of gravity it's surprisingly stable.

My biggest problem riding when its -5 degrees or colder is snow getting in the belt--after a few revolutions the snow gets compressed into ice, and the whole thing stops turning. around -4 to 0 degrees the snow is slushy and doesn't freeze on the belt.

I jerry-rigged a plastic cover last winter for the drive belt out of Styrene sheet--It helped keep a bit of the snow off the belt. I'll try to post some pictures later.

-John

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If the battery is fully charged, leaving it out overnight is not a problem. Your range will be reduced with a cold battery because maximum capacity is available at room temperatures. That's why some folks take it in at night to charge. Battery capapcity only becomes an issue below freezing; at -20C you only get about 2/3 of normal capacity.


"gas gauge"

One customer recommends the pocket sized multimeter sold at Radio Shack as a great "gas guage". His battery reads 13.2 volts with a full charge and 11.7 volts when almost dead. The relative reading in between gives him an idea how much juice he has left. To test your battery, insert probes into the Zappy charging port.

"By the time I arrived at the beach (3 miles) my battery showed 12.2 due to the 20 mph headwind, not good. I had lunch and the battery came up to 12.3. I made it back to within 50 feet of my van before it stopped with a reading of 11.5."

"out of gas"

If your Zappy fails you far from home, you'll want to kick it like a kick scooter to get home. Reduce the motor drag in such situations by pulling/rotating the belt off the big sprocket. Then slip it off the silver front sprocket. By turning the belt inside out and resting it on the big sprocket, you'll eliminate the motor drag.

Preventing flats

To reduce the problem of flat tires, put Slime in your tubes. (Get Slime at most bike shops or from an online dealer.) Get the 4-oz. size and squeeze half the goop into each tube. Even better might be using a tire liner like Mr. Tuffy tube protectors. The ultimate is solid tires:

Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 13:41:06 -0400
From: "Scott MacGregor"
Subject: Re: Re: Airless tires for a Zappy?

I've sold dozens of these tires, and no complaints yet. Most riders think they feel like 50-70 lb pressure. The main thing is NO flats, and no fiddling with air pressure.

Regards,
Scott MacGregor, 9 South St., Plainville, MA 02762, Voice 508-695-3717
Fax 508-643-0233, smacgregor@aasp.net, www.EVdeals.com


Drive Belts - extending their life

Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 06:38:08 -0800
From: "Ken Trough"
Subject: life of a Zappy belt?

Without any kind of abuse or maladjustment, the Zappy belt will last a year or more of constant riding. One of the things that kill it are maladjustment (you end up with a tight spot that ultimately breaks the belt). Another is "free spinning" abuse. This is where you keep the power on when you bunny hop or jump off a curb. When the rear wheel gets airborne under power, it has no resistance and spins much faster. When you land again, it SNAPS back to your actual speed. This is the most common belt killer for me. I have found that riding on gravel, cobblestones, and other uneven or bouncy surfaces contribute to this effect. Order a few spares, and carry a few tools with you, and a roadside belt change is no problem. I have done this many times.

-Ken Trough, Modern Turbologist


Zappy Speedometer

ZAPworld doesn't offer a speedometer for their Zappy. Due to the small diameter wheels, most bicycle speedometers won't work. Some, however, do:

The Avocet 25 works fine, but is limited to around 18 pulses per second, which is around 75mph on a bicycle, but only 25mph on a Zappy. It uses valve-cap magnet for sensing rotations.

The SigmaBC is a standard single magnet computer, but can handle pulses up to around 40 per second. So that easily allows accurate measurements up to 50mph on the Zappy! You can order one with the rear wheel sensor mount so you can continue using an old Avocet 25 valve-cap magnet. www.infinity.nu/vfr/Computer.html and www.sprotbikes.com/bc700.htm

CatEye Astrale or CatEye Wireless can both handle wheel circumferences as small as the Zappy's (around 660 mm depending on the type of tire you have). The Astrale can measure RPM's. It has no problem measuring up to 30 mph on downhills (488 rpm).

"How do I make my scooter faster?"

Be sure to inflate your tires to over the recommended limit. The Zappy tires should be inflated to at least 50psi.

Zappy Upgrade? Turbo-Z Alternative? Need more power to go up hills! Plans for upgrading a Zappy to a 12v/18v system are offered by "V is for Voltage" at http://visforvoltage.com/18vupgrade.html Or check out some of the many suggestions at the Zappy e-mail group list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/

Here's the story as of late 2000:

Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/files/Turbo+upgrade/ for data on Michael Perry's excellent upgrade. Also, you might want to visit the website message archive, and use the search functions online. There were a number of other people that performed various versions of the 18v upgrade. Those messages are in the message archive somewhere. Try different search terms to ferret them out. Searching through the raw archive is way too daunting a task now. I guess that is what popularity will get you. :-)

You do have some other options. One option is to do a 24v upgrade instead of the 18v, although the 24v upgrade has been done by fewer people. The 24v upgrade costs more, is harder on your already overworked Zappy motor, but makes your Zappy go 20mph. Yet another option (the super deluxe Zappy upgrade option), is to send your Zappy to Turboscooter.com for the Kevin Spacey treatment. This will get you a new motor, variable speed, greatly increased range, and greatly increased speed. This option is your most expensive at over $1000 to implement, but is the easiest, and will give you a wonderful looking scooter when you are done, not to mention a Zappy that flies.
-Ken Trough
Turbo Zapologist

Links for switchable 18v turbo Zappy - schematic and completed product with a custom designed battery tray: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/files/Turbo+upgrade/zapturbo.GIF

This is a diagram for a two relay + stock controller upgrade. All you do is add a third identical relay in place of the stock controller. All the relay numbers are based on a standard Radio Shack 275-226 30 AMP auto relay. You should probably find something that can handle higher amps, as the 30 AMP relays can cook. Or you could just carry a spare relay or two, and replace them as they cook (like I do). The switch is a SPDT toggle such as radio shack 275-711.

Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2000 08:56:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Rich Fechter
Subject: Re: Easy 18 volt?
I've been using the full-time 18 volt setup for quite a while. I use a Hawker G13 in series with a Panasonic 6 volt, 12 AHr. I recently added a small 6 volt, 2.5 AHr Hawker Cyclon battery in parallel with the Panasonic, making it more closely matched with the 12 volt battery. This all fits in the stock battery tray. The Panasonic will fit with the stock Zappy battery as well, but no room for the small 2.5 AHr. No controller mods are necessary. I haven't had any belt problems, but I did melt down the motor twice by running it up steep hills. The motor will survive if you don't run it for too long, or if you avoid any kind of hills. I added a forced air cooling fan to the motor, and can run it continuously until the battery goes dead without overheating. (See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/files/ZappyBlower.doc) It's not a Turbo-Z, but I'll certainly never go back to 12 volts. - Richard J. Fechter AC6GQ
Bil Gladstone adds this thought:
You could also incorporate a "clixon" disc to control the fan. This is from my experience in the heating trades - a disc sensor that "clicks on" when the temp reaches 120-150F and "clicks off" once cooled. it's just an expansion disc that closes a circuit. Cheap, simple. Fan would run only as needed.

Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 12:44:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jerome Byrd
Subject: Re: 18v ZAPPY data links
You can cram (I do mean cram!) a 6v 12ah Radio Shack or equivalent (1.98 x 3.7 x 5.92") in with the standard battery. You can also mount a 6v 20ah battery low on the steering column with a bracket and some straps/bungee cords. I have done both with great success. [Editor's Note: RubberMaid boxes also reportedly work for holding your extra battery to the steering column.]

[Right now 18v ZAPPys rule the sprints. They are faster than the CITYBUG and HOVERBOARD and at least equal to the UE. HOVERBOARD and CITYBUG rule the range war, by a wide margin.] - Jerome

Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 22:02:11 -0500
From: Marc Ache
Subject: RE: 24v Upgrade questions

I have been riding a 24V upgraded Zappy for over 400 miles. 8 Miles at a time. The issue with the over heating is that you need to install a fan to keep the motor cool. Without a fan you will quickly destroy the motor. I have some pictures of my scooter with the FAN installed in the archives.

Better braking on hills

Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 08:27:19 -0400
From: "Scott MacGregor"
Subject: Re: turbo brake, anti squel, high proformance brake upgrade thing

The e-brake I sell will pretty much eliminate the fade problem found in stock Zappy brakes. This is particularly evident on long hills where lot's of braking is needed. There's no question that this brake upgrade works in the fade department! As to noise: In most cases the brakes are quieter. However, in some cases (for some still unknown reason) the squeal is not eliminated.

Regards,
Scott MacGregor, 9 South St., Plainville, MA 02762, Voice 508-695-3717, Fax 508-643-0233, smacgregor@aasp.net, www.EVdeals.com

For additional technical information go to the group site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zappy/) and click "bookmarks", "technical", "Zappy".

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