Jump to content

Heavily Used Tesla V1 Review!


gon2fast

Recommended Posts

Greetings,

while wasting time in the garage last night I stumbled upon a CL posting for a first generation GW Tesla for a mere $400. Charger, extra tire and both boxes. That seemed like quite a deal for a capable wheel. Given how fast wheels come and go on my local CL I figured that someone had already grabbed it. 

This morning I made a site visit to a campus near the poster's location so during a break I sent him a message with little expectation. To my surprise the wheel was still available and is now part of my collection. 

Everything seems functional so far. I am going to crack it open and inspect everything before I push on it, but so far, so good.

I have a few visions for this wheel -

Travel/Gym Wheel - I would much rather loose a $400 wheel to car theft than one  of my nicer wheels (plus my V1 could change to a V3 in a claim LOL). I have never felt safe leaving my more expensive wheels behind the counter at the gym so problem solved.

Tier II Training Wheel  - I have a V8 for training purposes, but it will be nice to have a wheel that can take it to the next level performance-wise

Easier Wheel for the Wife - the Wife has expressed interest in learning to ride. The plan is to get a V12 at the end of Summer for her once the major bugs have discovered/resolved. This will hopefully make for a easy transition to the V12 and she can beat the hell out of Tesla in the meantime.

Nobody Needs to Ride My Wheels Anymore - two training wheels now, don't even look at my wheels LOL!

teslav1.jpg

I love those old GW boxes...

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could not leave well enough alone so I started to modify/upgrade already LOL...

teslav12.jpg

The LK pedals feel awesome on this wheel. Only downside is that they do not align with the shell magnets so the pedals will not stay vertical. Going to work with some magnetic tape in a bit. If that does not work I can work on the shell magnet location when I inspect the interior of the wheel.

teslapencil.jpg

I use the ribs on the eraser side of the pencil to even out the pedal rod. I also like using the eraser tip to push in the rod so there is no damage to the pedal threads if the pencil/tool slips 

teslav14.jpg

teslav13.jpg

teslav15.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put 5 miles on it today. Seems very solid so far. Have not taken over 15mph given I have not opened it up yet. Can't give the wife a sketch wheel so I will have to keep to testing/tinkering LOL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw the same wheel on CL, wasn’t tempted cause it said it only charged up to 88%.

The likelihood of a battery issue seems pretty high, but would be easy to rule out if you’re able to check voltages. 4volts off of max is the main red flag to watch out for, as it means you have a dead cell, and the odds of a cut out or a battery fire increase significantly. 

Please, check this thread for more info on how to investigate the battery health. 

 

Edited by Denny Paul
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could be the charger, often it is, especially if its the stock one, they have a tendency to loose their ability to put out enough volts to charge the wheel. Would be the most common, and also least expensive fix.

If you want to make the drive up to Walnut Creek I have an eWheels brand fast charger for an 84v gotway. It has a built in voltmeter and can help narrow things down.

Plus, the road up mount diablo road is fun as hell. Nice and twisty, great views.

Plus plus, me and a buddy here would love to try out a Sherman haha. Only if you’re cool with it obviously haha. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All part of the plan when crack I it open (probably over the weekend), but I will send you PM about a Sherman demo LOL.

Thank you for the tips though. I actually did not bite on it when I first saw it based on the disclosed issues, but after some thought the loss was consistent with what I experienced with V10.

I felt more secure after talking with the seller and learning that he has a collection of older GWs LOL.  

Edited by gon2fast
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything checks out on the inside. Cables and internal components look good. Voltage is good. 

Fail - one of the batteries fell out while I was manipulating the wheel and I broke two of the small battery connectors. Given the gauge I am going to splice them together and bypass RC hobby wire connectors. Phuk, I used better wires for the stereo in my Ford Tempo when I was in high school LOL. 

Edited by gon2fast
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Double Fail - battery pack with the broken BMS wires/connector has been sitting on my desk since Friday afternoon. I think I moved it a few times as other projects came to light. I was discussing my planned fixed with one of the eWheels guys and the exposed BMS wires touched while I was holding the pack trying to take a picture... I hate sparks LOL.

Long story short, this is someone else's issue now. Got a quote and dropping it off tomorrow. 

Battery currently in the middle of my front yard in a box next to a hose and a trash can full of dirt. Overkill, but necessary (IMHO).

firstcoat.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the Tesla back this morning, thanks Alien Rides. BMS damage fixed, new tire installed and pedal magnets/grip tape replaced. Obviously painted my Wife's favorite color...

finished1.jpg

Oh yeah, rim tape installed as well.

finished2.jpg

finished3.jpg

finished4.jpg

finished7.jpg

finished5.jpg

finished9.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/22/2021 at 6:36 PM, Roadpower said:

You sprayed paint right on the plastic or does it need some kind of priming or preparing process?

It is all primer spray paint with several clear coats (had a $4 budget for clear coat, probably could have come out nicer LOL). The color my Wife likes requires one full coat of black followed by several light sprays of white, teal and black. I did not prep the plastics other than cleaning them. First attempt (w/o clear coat) had a lot of drips and weird texturing so I sanded the questionable parts down and repeated the original process. 

It will chip off as soon as it hits the ground, but it looks nice now.

Edited by gon2fast
meh
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I think that my time with the Tesla is coming to an end. The low profile tire coupled with the high PSI required for my fat ass makes a very unpredictable ride. I think that this wheel would be great if I lived in SF or a large city with lots of foot traffic as it is a very maneuverable wheel, but my off roading and straight shots are better handled by my larger wheels.

I am trying to get away from archiving wheels and letting the units, that are not fun for me anymore, go to someone else who can get joy out of them... and help fund the next one (or three).  

"Hey - didn't you say that you built that up for your wife???" 

- that's pillow talk, got to keep fresh EUCs coming in by any means necessary LOL. Chit, I hope she does not read this.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...