2011 Zero XU Complete Upgrade 20KW Brushless Conversion - It Begins

If it was not obvious by now, I do have a bit of an Electric Vehicle addiction, not so much when it comes to cars, but more so with vehicles for having fun on and just ripping around on. Not the daily driver stuff. Currently I have my Kingsong S22 EUC which is probably one of my favorite Personal Electric Vehicles (PEV's). I also have a Frey Electric Mountain Bike I upgraded the motor on to a 1000 watt Bafang M620 motor. One of my more resent purchases is my SLY-08 Electric Mountainboard which again I couldn't resist upgrading with a FlipSky Controller and higher voltage and capacity battery. That thing rips now! I also have an Electric Scooter I purchased from Eevee's called the Cypress. My Electric Scooter may be the only PEV I haven't modified or upgraded so far?

I have also owned a Onewheel Pus which I did end up selling, even though I really enjoyed riding it. I just found it to be the most unpredictable PEV I owned in terms of safety, as at any moment it can cut out if you push it a bit too hard, and that can be as easy as going at a moderate speed from concrete onto grass, and then the next thing you know, you are sprawled out on the ground... Of course I upgraded and modded that one too :)

I have always wanted an Electric Motorcycle, but they can be kind of expensive for something newer and with decent specs. A lot of the cost, like with a car is in the batteries. And more range means bigger batteries which also means added cost. I found a used 2011 Zero XU that had recently had it's battery replaced with a nice large and powerful custom built (for this bike) 72 volt 100ah Battery capable of 400 amp output. The price of the battery is probably about $4000, which is $1000 more than I paid for the bike. But keep in mind the current version of this similar styled Zero Electric Motorcycle is around $16,000 before tax and PDI and all the other stupid add on charges... So closer to $20,000!!! I will be into my 2011 Zero XU for around $4500 all said and done and it will actually be somewhat comparable to the newer model in terms of power and range, for sure range.

when I bought the Zero XU I was aware that it had a couple issue, the main one being the throttle not engaging 100% of the time. Sometimes you need to roll it on a second time to get the bike rolling, once rolling it seemed fine. I am pretty sure it was the controller which meant replacing the controller. I don't want to drag this on too long so getting to the point, I ended up deciding to instead of trouble shooting the multiple problems mostly to do with wiring, I would simple replace all the electronics other than the battery with a complete Brushless Motor, Controller and full Harness and Display Kit. That might seem like an expensive choice but this kit will essentially make all the guts of my bike new and it will be a major upgrade in terms of speed and even range as Brushless Motors allow for battery regeneration and are a lot more efficient than brushed motors in general.

My wife already rides my electric Mountain Bike a lot and the plan is she will be able to scoot around on the Zero XU. We can also go out on rides together, as I have my 1993 Ducatti 750ss so that will be a lot of fun! I just need to wait on the parts to arrive now and put it all back together. I hope to document at least some of this upgrade and conversion so join me if something like this  is interesting to you :)

Ultrahuman Ring Air Initial Thoughts and Unboxing

I have been interested in Smart Fitness Rings for a while now, they have been out for over a decade, and there are several offerings from companies like Ultrahuman, RingConn, Oura, Amazfit, Samsung, along with a bunch of cheap China made knock offs that generally lack in the software department.

I have been interested in how a Smart Ring would integrate with my Smart Fitness Watch (which currently is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic). I don't think I could give up using a Smart Fitness Watch, as I love the total integration with my SmartPhone and having all the notifications on my wrist so I don't have to always pull out my Phone. But on the other hand, not always having to wear my Smart Fitness Watch when I sleep to track my sleep, or even if I simply want to dress up and wear one of my fancy analog type watches without missing out on my health data.

Having an all the time wearable Smart Fitness Ring, allows me to have the freedom and flexibility to take off my Smart Fitness Watch when it is not convenient or simply maybe just to charge it, and not be concerned about missing on tracking my Health and Fitness Data. Smart Fitness Rings also really focus on not just Fitness or Activity Data, but on overall Body Health, and they do it better than a Smart Fitness Watch in my opinion.

So when Ultrahuman reached out to me and asked if I wanted to test out their latest Ultrahuman Ring Air, and see how it compares to my Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic as a Smart Fitness Tracker, I said yes in a heart beat! By the way all my opinions and views in any review I make for the Ultrahuman Ring Air are my own and not influenced by Ulrahuman in any way. They have not given me any real direction in what content and what I say about my experience using it.

In this first Unboxing Video, I unbox the Ultrahuman Ring Air and go over my initial thoughts along with why I am so interested in what a Smart Fitness Ring can do for me. I will be using it for several weeks, perhaps even a month or so to really get to know it well and find out any of the strengths and weaknesses I experience. I want to compare it to my Samsung Smart Fitness Watch and see if the data is comparable, information like heart rate, step count, calories burned, miles walked, sleep activity, blood oxygen levels, body temperature and whatever else is comparable. I will also figure out what other insights the Ultrahuman Ring Air offers me.

If you are interested in purchasing your own Ultrahuman Ring Air, then here is a Discount Code you can use to save 10% (Discount Code: GFO10), or us this link: http://ultrahuman.com/getfitover40

Vancouver Open Regionals 2 Months Out Physique Update

I made this video 1 day after I was officially 2 month out from the Vancouver Open Regionals, where my plan is to compete in Men's Physique and more than likely also Classic Physique. At this point I am not sure what age categories I will be competing in as I can compete with younger athletes if I choose to be in an age class that is more competitive. Generally speaking the younger classes have higher caliber athletes in them.

I am very happy with where I am right now 2 months out. I have a lot of work to do but I also have a good amount of time to do it, and my weight and body fat are I would say perhaps better then past shows, even well before my heart surgery. I weigh about 190 pounds give or take a pound or two and my body fat is sitting at close to 8%, again give or take a little bit one way or the other.

My plan is over the next month to actually increase my calories a little bit to 2500 per day and see if I can gain a couple more pounds of muscle, 1 month out I will go into cutting mode, and shred the 2-3% of body fat I will need to get really shredded.

I am feeling really good and in no way am I low on energy or feeling any real hunger. Fingers crossed, I have no injuries or pains that are holding me back and if anything I am in the my best form 2 months out going into a show I have ever been. Again the goal is not be super big as I simply can not do what it would take in terms of performance enhancing options to get there.

I always strive to come in as conditioned as I can, so I can at least out condition most other competitors. Compared to last years show I feel I will be coming in with at least an additional 5 pounds more muscle, which if I am as conditioned will help out a lot as I was out sized buy pretty much everyone at the last show.

Don't Let Retirement Kill You

I thought it would be important to talk about retirement for just a bit. I have watched my father and my father in law both retire and after retirement, they both seemed to go down hill quickly. My father in law worked hard all his life and saved, with the ambition to travel when he retired, but his health went downhill rather quickly and he was only able to make a couple trips before his health just wouldn't allow him to do it anymore. He had a stroke and his kidney required daily filtration which kept him from traveling.

In this shorter video I talk about my view on why specifically men after retirement fade so quickly. In my opinion this does not have to be the case, men in particular need to find a purpose or reason to be excited for each new day, if a person does not fill their life with some sort of purpose after retirement, then what reason do they have to live or look forward to life?

This One Thing Could Save Your Marriage or Relationship

Now nearing on close to 25 years of marriage and I finally figured out one super important thing that at least for myself changed my view on what is expected from me in our marriage. Most men are by default generally happy and we want to be fixers or problem solvers by nature. Women by default want to be understood rather than be fixed, and they predominantly are less happy and secure in themselves. This combination makes for conflict for sure since men want their wife's to be happy and they want to fix everything. That's not really what women are looking for. It's more about understanding and support.

The problem I was having was feeling like I was failing as a husband, because when my wife became unhappy I felt like it was my fault and since most of the issues we have are pretty much the same as they have always been, It must mean I was not doing a good job at fixing any of the ongoing problems.

It kind of becomes this endless loop of one person feeling insecure and unhappy, which can lead to blame on the other person out of frustration in the situation. Then the other person feels responsible and helpless to fix the problem, which causes an over reaction which essentially fuels the situation and makes it all worse.

As I always do when I am at a loss and can not figure out something on my own, I went to the internet to find out what I could learn and I came across a YouTube channel called the "The Happy Wife School" which focuses on women and their inherent level of unhappiness. The channel focuses on women and helping them understand how this can negatively effect a marriage and ways to take ownership and correct it. There is information on the "The Happy Wife School" YouTube channel for men also, but I learned more from watching videos for women which helped me understand better what is going on in their minds. I realized I was taking way too much responsibility for my wife's happiness which was putting a lot of pressure on me since I will never be able to rid my wife of these feeling entirely.

Just understanding this one key point has released me from much of the pressure I was putting on myself in our marriage. Of course I want my wife to be happy, but I now realise this does not come from me being perfect or being the ideal husband. All she really wants is love and security and knowing I am on her side even if we do not see eye to eye or have the ability to fix the situation currently causing us problems.