Serial 1 eBikes are designed so that any S1 battery can fit into and be removed easily from any Serial 1 eBike. It is possible that a rider could run into a situation where they encounter difficulty inserting the battery fully into the frame and/or removing the battery from the frame. If you encounter trouble, we recommend a few tips that may help resolve the situation or help guide our Support team in assisting further.
Battery Removal:
Envision the key slot as a clock. When inserting the key to remove the battery, the key will begin rotation at 9:00. Rotating the lock clockwise, the lock mechanism will engage at about 1:00. If there is excessive resistance at 1:00, use your other hand to press down, toward the ground, on the center of the battery. This will reduce pressure on the lock mechanism, making it easier for the lock to retract. While pressing down on the battery, continue to rotate the lock to 3:00. The front/top edge of the battery will pop upward once the lock has released and can then be removed.
If the foam bumper inside the battery compartment has been compressed for some time, the front of the battery may not lift up all of the way. You can either wait for the foam to fully expand, push the front of the battery up, or use something plastic like a tire lever to assist in lifting up the front of the battery for removal.
Battery Insertion:
To insert the battery into the eBike, the terminals at the back of the battery should engage the eBike slots. The battery can then be pressed down until the foam bumper compresses and the lock latches.
Insert the back of the battery first and maneuver it down and rearward into the battery compartment. If it feels like there is an obstruction preventing the battery from sitting flush with the frame of the eBike, remove the battery and check the battery compartment for anything that may be causing interference. Check the battery terminals and eBike slots for damage. Confirm that the foam bumper is situated as shown in the video below.
If your foam is located higher or lower than shown, contact support@serial1.com with a picture of the bumpers location.
Wiggle Battery Side to Side:
Once the terminals have made proper contact, the front of the battery will lower into position and allow the lock to engage. If there is continued resistance and the battery will not lock in, gently move the battery slightly side to side (as shown in the video below) to line up the terminals which will allow the battery to lower into position.
Engaging the Battery Lock:
After following the tips and tricks listed above and once the battery is flush with the bike frame, use two hands to press down firmly on the battery. It may help to try pushing down on the battery in a couple of ways:
1. Standard Hand Positioning: First, try pushing the center of the battery straight down toward the ground. This is often enough pressure to click the battery into place. Frequently, the battery will latch easily by pushing down with your upper hand while also pushing toward the rear of the bike with your lower hand. Follow the arrow in the video below:
2. Adjusted Hand Positioning: Pushing on different areas of the battery and in different directions may help a stubborn battery sit properly.
Set your hand towards the bottom of the battery and push down and towards the rear wheel, wiggling back and forth to see if you can get it to click in. Once you hear the click engage the lock, your battery is securely in place until the next time you need to remove it.
Repeat this process to remove and reinstall, remembering to press down on the battery as you turn the key to release. As the foam bumper compresses over time the process will get easier to repeat.
Using Other Serial 1 eBikes:
At this point, if you are still having trouble inserting the battery, we may need to check certain components on the bike to work on resolving the issue. Using another Serial 1 eBike nearby (whether it is your own or a bike at a local Serial 1 Dealership) we can use their bike to test a few different areas.
- Take your stubborn battery and try to insert it into the second bike. If the defective battery works in the good bike, then we have an indication that the battery is not the problem.
- Insert the battery from the good bike into your stubborn bike. If the good battery does not work in the stubborn bike, then that helps us narrow down the issues on the bike.
Locking Mechanism Pin:
Check to ensure that the pin on the lock mechanism is moving up and down freely. If the pin is bent, loose or not moving as shown in the video below, remove the pin from the locking mechanism completely to see if this resolves the issue.
Switching the rubber pads on the lock mechanism to create additional clearance (to make it easier to lock in a battery)
If none of the above methods worked, reverse the rubber pads in the locking mechanism. This reduces the tightness of the mechanism to allow the battery to snap into place with less force.
Step 1, Using a long #3, (3mm) allen wrench, carefully remove only bolts #1 and #2, taking care not to lose the tiny washer that is on each bolt.
Step 2, loosen bolt #3 all the way but leave it on the lock. Next, pull the entire lock out. Bolt #3 will come out with it. (this prevents the loss of the small washer under the bolt). After pulling the lock out you can safely remove bolt #3 without losing the washer.
Step 3, Slide out the rubber boots on the lock/latch side of the lock, and reinstall them on the opposite side.
Step 4, Insert bolt #3 with the washer back into the lock, and carefully re-seat the lock into the frame. Then put bolt #1 and bolt #2 back in the lock mechanism and tighten all three bolts.
Continued Stubborn Battery:
If you battery is still not wanting to go in at this point, send the following information to support@serial1.com:
- Serial number of the bike (this can be found on the bottom-side of the chainstay on the left-hand side)
- Picture of odometer Reading on Bike (RUSH/ Models only)
- Full Name, Email and Phone Number (for shipping purposes)
- Best address and to send the replacement parts to (if needed)
- Pictures and videos of the following situations
- Picture of the location of the Battery bumper installed in the bike
- Picture of the front and rear of the battery (to check to any unusual damages or connections to the battery
- Picture of the back side of the battery compartment (checking for any damages)
- Video of your attempt to install the battery (this may give us insight on where the issue is occurring.
Once we have this information, we can look further into the case and take the next needed steps for resolution.