Hi all, thanks for reading. Looking for a bit of advice please.
I am seriously considering getting a TC Max for my 35 mile round trip commute. I don’t ride so would be doing my cbt prior to purchase and therefore am keen to get some real world experience. I am based in north Derbyshire and my commute is mainly on rural A roads. What would the bike be like to ride on these and what kind of range could I expect on hilly, fast(ish) roads? I am not a big guy, 5’6” and about 80kg. I am able to charge at home and possibly at work. With all this in mind do you see this as a viable option?
Any advice is much appreciated.
Steve
Steve. In short - you will like it. TCmax is fast enough for suburbs (for your weight you should be able to reach ~90 km/h - 55 mph) and has range you need (apx. 70 km / 45 miles for fast drive) and twice for slow, mode 1 drive.
It has also no gearbox, and both hand brakes - like on bike, so it is easy to ride if you have no experience so far.
Thanks very much for your reply. My main worry is the range. According to the manual it states it may turn off under 10% charge. With only 45 miles(ish) in fast drive that would be quite close over my commute.
I’m also struggling to find much info on the modes. Am I right in thinking mode 1 restricts to 30mph, mode 2 to 40mph and mode 3 is full? With that in mind is it possible to shift between modes when driving and therefore when entering towns you can drop to mode 1/2 and save some battery?
Steve
Yes, you have switch button on right side. You may change it anytime while riding. I usually use mode 2 in slow traffic and on lights to make softer ride/start.
About range. I am 2 meters tall. So also much more heavy then you. I ride usually around 35-40 km a day using around 60% of power. Sometimes 50-55 km - mostly quite fast and still I get home with 15-20%, Please note - I am taller and more heavy. So more work (=power) for TCmax to be done.
With your weight you can really on 70 km range in mode 3 and 90 km in mode 2. So around 80 km (50 miles) in mixed drive as you do not always ride max speed. You wrote you need 35 miles. So you may feel safe. So far I have close 1000 km - so my experience about range is based on soem days riding.
And you may install your charger on board under tank cover to be able to charge it if needed. I saw here on forum photo of faster 10A charger which will do full recharge in 4-5 hrs. So if you really need backup - it is option for you.
Thanks again, that all makes sense and sound like it should suit my needs well.
Hi Steve,
If its any help, I ride 28 miles to work on back roads with a few hills in the trip. When I finish my journey, I generally have between 25-10% of battery left... depending on the wind that day. However, I havent used power setting 1 or 2 since the first week of having the TC Max. Basically, I can make it to work fine on setting 3 so I dont bother changing down. However, this means carrying the charger to work with me.
As for the 10% turn off... When I bought my TC Max, the dealer was 45 miles away and I had to go to work! I also had to do at least half of that on the motorway! I got to about 3/4 of the journey and the battery got to 10% and it did turn off. However, I just started it again and got to work with 0% on the battery! Im not saying to do this often, but in an emergency, it will go the whole way down. 😉
Finally, if you havent taken your CBT yet, you will find the Max could be a bit 'lurchey' when pulling away. It may take a bit of getting used to the on/off power delivery of the bike, but luckily its not too pronounced. (I dont mind because I was used to riding crazy 2-strokes!)
Hi Steve, I rode my TC Max from Eastwood to Matlock Bath today along the A610 and A6 at mainly 50mph, grabbed some chips then headed back via Holloway, Critch, Pentrich etc, which is about as rural (and as high!) as it gets. Odometer said I had done 37 miles and I had 33% battery left. So you'll have no trouble. It will only manage 50 mph uphill in to a headwind which is OK with me. It could only manage 35mph though on the steepest part of the climb from Cromford to Holloway!
All the best.
Hi, thanks very much for this. Very helpful. Sounds like it will be perfect for me. How long did it take to charge back up from c.30%?
Steve
For standard 5A charger - formal full charge is 8-8.5 hrs. So from 30% you will need 6hrs+. I would bet 7 hrs as the more % the slower increase. I've never checked it with timer. Usually I connect main for a night after getting back home.
10A is still not avaiable in EU. But should be soon. Should be 1.7-1.8x faster.
I'm not sure. As DocWeyr says you just plug it in when you get back and unplug it in the morning. I plugged it in at 4pm and it wasn't finished charging at 9pm when I went to bed but it was probably within an hour or two off a full charge by then. There is a fast charger you can buy which is rated at double the charge speed but I'm not going to bother.
Out of interest, where are you thinking of buying it from? Is there a dealer near you? I got mine from Midland Scooter Centre in Stapleford. They've been really good and they're handy for doing the bike servicing.
Sounds like the fast charger would be good but guessing it’s quite expensive. Would certainly give me a few more options if I could get some charge in quickly.
Midland scooters is my nearest dealer but I’ve also been speaking with english electric motorcycle company who have been really helpful, much further away though.
Steve
