After my first km and various smaller trips resulting in extensive testing of TW560’s rebuild, it was time to go to Ksenotek for one last rebuild session for some last finishing touches. A new wooden battery bay cover – the last one was just plain wood. This time over I’m getting a beautifully lacquered one. Looks very, very posh. Finally my battery bay is closed and there aren’t unprotected cables carrying >400V just mere centimetres behind me and I don’t have to warn anyone getting into my TWIKE not to touch anything 🙂 Another very important final touch is adding […]
ODT: Lake Lucerne – Ibergeregg, postcard-grade Switzerland
After my first drive across Switzerland after TW560’s rebuild following a the destruction of TW560 in an accident, a visit to the Gran Sasso and enjoying a weekend in the Graubünden Alps, it’s time to drive back home. This entry isn’t too much about TW560 and more about the stunning beauty of the country I live in. We start by crossing the Oberalppass for the third time in as many days. It’s another very nice day with a bonus of being one of these day that has extremely clear air, giving 200km+ visibility. Then, not using the motorway, I head […]
ODT – Visiting Sasso San Gottardo
Sleeping at 1600m is always relaxing – fresh air, cow bells in the distance and crickets all merge into the typical Swiss soundscape I find deeply relaxing. (Maybe the bottle or two of very drinkable Rhine valley reds we had the evening before also helped a little 😉 ) Today, whilst my daughter is competing in a Show Jumping competition, I, together with a fellow neo-Swiss, will be visiting one of Switzerland’s greatest wartime relics: the Gran Sasso fortified bunkers atop of the Gotthard pass. There is so much interesting to learn about how Switzerland prepared to defend against being […]
Repairs: DIY TWIKE drivetrain overhaul (not for the faint of heart!)
Part of the TWIKE community reaching out to me after destroying TW560 was me being offered to drive TW600. Caroline and I have known each other for a few years now and I’ve been her primary gateway for most questions around her vehicle as we both live in the same (small) village. During the handover of her TWIKE she asked me: when you’re driving my TWIKE, can you please tell me if there is something you think will fail soon? Are there any sounds you think should worry me? As I’ve said many times – every TWIKE is different .. […]
TW560: back on the road – first few km
Finally – the day I’ve been waiting for has come! TW560 is ready for a first week of driving in minimum configuration in order to detect any major problems before going ahead and concentrating on the remaining details. I will be collecting TW560 from Andi in a ‘barely driveable’ state. This means: No fog lights No reverse light No internal lights No 12V outlets No windscreen wiper! The hood will not fully open No wheel covers No battery bay cover! Lots of non-connected cables everywhere No serial number…I’m incognito 🙂 but: All drive-related parts are functional! Front lights work Indicators […]
Re-build of TW560, part 2
As TW560 cannot monopolize Andi’s business for days on end, TW560’s revival had to pause for a few days. Other TWIKEs need repairs, too! We rejoin the action for the second part of TW560’s re-build. The goal for today is to get TW560’s back on its own wheels, able to break and propel itself – a bonus would be to have the hood fitted. Let’s see how far we can get today. Last time we left off with the main frame mounted and the battery bay ready. A good next step is to add the back suspension assembly. When this […]
Re-build of TW560, part one
I was very much looking forward to this part: Finally, TW560 is going to be put back together, as a Chimera of TW560’s main parts, TW524’s outer hull and TWxxx’s hood. It will take time to get used to. But I have really missed my TWIKE unlike any other possession I’ve had in my life. It’s a very strange and strong feeling. I don’t know if other rare vehicle owners have similar feelings. It’s similar to how you might feel towards a very old and very dear friend. Anyway: today is the day TW560 fights its way back to life…and […]
Tips: Updating DFC3’s software
Three months without TW560 taken its toll on me. No long therapeutic drives across Switzerland’s beautiful landscapes. No tinkering with my TWIKE to keep it in tip-top shape. After working really hard for a few weeks, I decided to take a day off from work and asked Andreas from Ksenotek if I could take on his offer to borrow his TWIKE – he happily agreed to give it to me for the weekend. Just a few minutes after setting off with Andi’s TWIKE, I noticed that the controller was running a 7-year-old version of DFC’s software. Many of the goodies […]
Stripping down TW524
With TW560 reduced to a square cube meter of parts, it’s time to remove all parts from TW524 and get its Space Frame ready for transplantation to TW560’s frame. Everything else will go towards my ever-growing TWIKE spare-part collection. I’m really happy to finally have many parts in storage which can make problems (such as this one) go away very easily and cost-effectively. As I mentioned, we had to source a back top Luran cover as the one that came with TW524 was non-standard … and I really want my stock-edition non-modified outer hull TWIKE back. This is why […]
How to balance with dead cells in a stack
Another spot of giving back love to the community after having driven a TWIKE that was offered to me after my catastrophic total-loss accident with TW560. TW230, a 10Ah capacity TWIKE from 1999 was lent to me by Thomas who also asked me if I could tell me if I could hear something that wasn’t OK with his TWIKE. After a few hundred km, my verdict was: some ball bearings are on their way out and will be needing some attention soon. The battery pack, however, was showing strange drops in voltage at higher loads and the end-charge voltage would […]