Maintenance

Corbin Sparrow Maintenance Log

Current Issues with my Sparrow

Issue	Description
Left window switch sticks up	Myers says file interior switch hole to fix
Radio reception	Radio reception is nonexistant. Install antennea or sat radio
Battery management	Install Packtrakr batter management and permanently mount
Air conditioning	Find a way of putting AC in the sparrow (may be impossible)
Cabin storage	find cabin storage
Add drain holes	Add drain holes under window areas and misc other areas
Parking brake is poor	Appearently this is normal. Check parking brake pads
Heater hoses	Upgrade heater hoses. Stock ones melt.
Defang	Chassis to ground can be up to 70VDC. Not a priority unless changing chargers.
Auxilary battery	Install aux battery for 12v system. Will allow radio memory presets, etc
Water Leaks	Windshield and door leak during rain
Tires dry rotting	Replace tires

Possible Future Upgrades

Upgrade	Description	Resolution
Keyless Entry
LED Lights	Upgrade all lights to LED
Install mirrors with LED lights
Dash Labels
green light trigger
Fix brake warning light
Improve controller cooling

Resolved Issues

Issue	Description	Resolution
GFI	Plugging Sparrow into outlet trips GFI outlet	Move "ground wire" from ground to neutral
Install battery regulators	Installed beq1	Prevent overcharging and gasing of batteries in the string
Bad batteries	Replace 3 failed batteries
Replace tie rod boots	Replaced worn out tie rod boots	See tie rod boot replacement page
Floormat	Install rubber floor mat	See floormat page
Upgrade charger to V10 chip	Has improved charging algarithm	Has pulse charging at end of cycle to avoid overcharging of an individual battery
Rear fender bracket mount broke	Needs welded back	Repaired at Myers Motors
Replace cabin air filter	Replace cabin air filter	See cabin air filter page
Belt noise	Excessive belt noise	See sprocket page
Keyless entry system	Install keyless entry system	See keyless entry system page

11-2007     EV Research

I got bit by the EV (electric vehicle) bug in November 2008. I'm not sure why, maybe I thought it would be a good project or an alternative to the motorcycle I rarely ride anymore. I considered a doing a conversion or purchasing an EV. I looked at Commuta Cars, Zenns (with a 35mph mod), Zap Zebras, and whatever came up on Ebay or the various EV classifieds.

12-2007    EV Shopping

I decided the Sparrow is the EV for me because:
-It is unique
-Doesn’t require years to build like a conversion
-I should be able to fix it myself (with the help of the Sparrow newsgroup)
-It’s somewhat modular, so I can replace/upgrade some systems
-It's fiberglass so it will last a while.
-It's closest to a motorcycle replacement

I started looking for a Sparrow in late November / early December. I noticed one on an EV classified sites. I called. The guy said it sold within 4 hours of being posted, and he had numerous calls that day. I continued watching, and saw nothing for a couple months. In the meantime I found that Myers Motors advertises their pre-owned NMGs on NiceSale.com. They had one for $19,900 I was considering (new they are $36,000).

In early January a jellybean (original style) sparrow in Texas was for sale for $13k, but I decided I needed the extra space a pizzabutt could offer. In early Feburary a pizzabutt sparrow was for sale for $9,500 in Washington state.
It's a purple 2001 (mfg in 9/2000), #151, 3367 miles, with a broken belt. The batteries were about 2 years old with 250 miles on them. It has been sitting for about a year. Appearently it was owned by a retired couple with 9 EVs. I learned later that they have 3 Sparrows. Below are a couple pictures from a 2004 EV event.

Sparrow Purchase

So I bought it. Others were interested too, but I got it :) .

Shipping was a huge pain, much more then I could have ever guessed. I first called different motorcycle shippers, they ranged from $1600 to $1900. Delivery times for this cost was 3 to 6 weeks, and you pretty much don’t know where it will fall within that. Many were actually brokers who offered cheaper pricing but you don’t know what shipping company you will get (if you even get one). I originally agreed to use one of these shipping brokers who offered a price of $650, but no shipping company wanted it for that price. Eagle One Express also had a good price ($670), but they pickup/deliver only once a month to a region. I missed the pickup by the time I dumped the broker, hence it would have been almost 2 months before I got my Sparrow if I went with them.

So I continued looking for someone who could deliver within a month at $1000 or less. I put an listing up on Uship. They are sorta like an Ebay for shipping. People put up stuff they need shipped and shippers post bids on it. You can accept any bid you want. Some shippers look like they know what they are doing, while others do not. A one man/truck operation made a bid of $1,036 ($950 for him, $86 to UShip). He gave a pickup time of about a 10-14 days and about a week for delivery after that.

Sparrow Arrival