Yamaha XPC-26 - Any assistance gratefully received!

[arnoA]

Hi!
I've purchased an elderly but apparently unused Yamaha XPC-26 Pedelec which has a few problems. Any help would be very useful.

The first problem is that the battery pack is beyond recovery. I've managed to get three spare battery casings and made a 24v 5Ah SLA battery which works albeit with limited range and intend to make a 20Ah Li Ion battery over the next month or two. The batteries I can do but my problem is that the bike came with no battery charger. I can even do chargers but the sticking point is the connector for the battery pack input. The battery pack has a four blade male connector which looks to be vaguely generic and requires the corresponding free female that would have been a part of the original charger. Does anyone know that this connector is, where I might be able to get two or three or have a redundant/broken charger I can cannibalise?

The second problem is that I have zero documentation. Ideally I would like to get hold of a full service/repair manual so I can get a better understanding of the mechanisms and circuits but anything would be better than nothing. Can anyone help?

The third problem is that the front basket originally supplied with the bike is missing. I'm sure I can make something suitable but it would be nicer to get one of the originals. Anyone?

That's it for now folks!

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hi!
I've purchased an elderly but apparently unused Yamaha XPC-26 Pedelec which has a few problems. Any help would be very useful.

The first problem is that the battery pack is beyond recovery. I've managed to get three spare battery casings and made a 24v 5Ah SLA battery which works albeit with limited range and intend to make a 20Ah Li Ion battery over the next month or two. The batteries I can do but my problem is that the bike came with no battery charger. I can even do chargers but the sticking point is the connector for the battery pack input. The battery pack has a four blade male connector which looks to be vaguely generic and requires the corresponding free female that would have been a part of the original charger. Does anyone know that this connector is, where I might be able to get two or three or have a redundant/broken charger I can cannibalise?

The second problem is that I have zero documentation. Ideally I would like to get hold of a full service/repair manual so I can get a better understanding of the mechanisms and circuits but anything would be better than nothing. Can anyone help?

The third problem is that the front basket originally supplied with the bike is missing. I'm sure I can make something suitable but it would be nicer to get one of the originals. Anyone?

That's it for now folks!

Photos would be helpful, and I am sure that if no plug is readily available, it should be easy enough to make one up, or change the one on the battery pack for something more easily available, or maybe buy a charger, and buy the socket that the charger plugs into and add it to the battery.
Nothing should be impossible to do, maybe with a bit of Epoxy putty to make it good and strong!
regards
Andy

 

[arnoA]

Hi! Yes, I do now see that photo's would have been helpful so here is at least one. The connector has four small blades, two for charging and one for a temperature sensor. I did consider replacing the connector early on but it's actually less easy than it appears at first glance. The original is rectangular and comes flush to the surface it's mounted to. Then there is a folding handle on the battery that comes down to cover it with very little clearance. There is an internal 2A fuse in the battery pack.

As well as this, if possible, I would prefer to keep the bike as original as possible. Since it seems to have survived intact for 20 years, it seems a shame to butcher it. Part of the attraction was that it is rather cute! A fiend of mine has a later Yamaha bike that has had a generic battery grafted on to it and although it works very well, it does tend to look what it is.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hi! Yes, I do now see that photo's would have been helpful so here is at least one. The connector has four small blades, two for charging and one for a temperature sensor. I did consider replacing the connector early on but it's actually less easy than it appears at first glance. The original is rectangular and comes flush to the surface it's mounted to. Then there is a folding handle on the battery that comes down to cover it with very little clearance. There is an internal 2A fuse in the battery pack.

As well as this, if possible, I would prefer to keep the bike as original as possible. Since it seems to have survived intact for 20 years, it seems a shame to butcher it. Part of the attraction was that it is rather cute! A fiend of mine has a later Yamaha bike that has had a generic battery grafted on to it and although it works very well, it does tend to look what it is.

Best wishes that you manage to do something attractive and working for you. But do remember that the bike is basically at this point only worth the scrap metal price, but an attractive solution should still be possible with some clever thoughts and good DIY techniques!
The usage of plasticene to take a mould of where the plug should fit, and using that to make a fiber glass or epoxy replacement should be quite easy.
Then buying a replacement charger for the battery type and voltage, should not be difficult, then you only have to make a small adapter cable, observing polarity of course, between the plug of the charger, and your newly made plug. That way, no changes to the external appearance of the bike.
It might cost you time, but price would be minimal, probably less than 10 UK Pounds, plus the charger.
Remember, how you wire the battery inside is your choice, and many chargers and batteries are low current, 2 amps for example, which extends battery life due to the reduced heating effect, and monitoring the temperature is therefore not needed.
Hopefully I have given you some ideas.
Regards
Andy