Click pictures to  supersize.

                                         Alphabetical table of contents 

Modifications are shown below in roughly the order I did them.

I live in Salida, a small town in central Colorado. I do most of my shopping online. I do not endorse nor disparage any vendor or parts they sell. I buy parts, install them, and report any features and/or problems I find. There are certainly many vendors that I have not encountered - Google is your friend.

Weigh-in

12/1/2020  116 pounds - F 56, R 60   8 minor mods, less than 1 pound net removed from stock bike.

About that number. I weigh bikes using a WalMart scale I bought 20 years ago. I don't use the scale in the house; it's strictly used to weigh things in the garage, so it gets very little use. I check its accuracy now and then by weighing myself at Dr appointments, and then coming home and see how close my scale is to the Dr's scale. It's usually within a pound or two.

The first mod - Remove sensor wires

The top two sensor wires were removed from the front and rear brake lever assemblies.
These wires tell the controller when either brake lever is pulled, and the controller shuts off the motor for the duration of the pull.

I read in several forum posts that shutting off the motor like this is not desirable, and that ICE bike riders often overlap braking with acceleration and were the most probable beneficiaries of this mod. Seems like a good idea, so off they came.

The lower wire is the sidestand/kickstand interlock wire. This wire tells the controller when the side stand is down, and the controller shuts off the motor for the duration of the down-event.

Again, I read in several forums that when you ride through water, this switch could be affected and the motor would be turned off. I ride in water now and then, so off with the wire.

After removing the sensor wires noted above, I found these two springs laying on the garage floor. They just happen to fit into the brake lever assemblies where the sensor wires were removed. They are a snug fit, and may not have been in the brake lever assemblies, but I don't know where else they could have come from....

Remove lights

I don't ride at night, so the lights are gone for now.

Shock protector

The shock is hangin out in the breeze, so I added a rubber protector. It is made from extremely durable weather and chemical resistant EDPM rubber, and bolts into place with existing bolts/holes.

Shock Protector Mud Guard - about $19.  American Surron

Handlebar Riser

The handlebar riser brings the handlebar up to a more comfortable position. This one raises the handlebar 35mm and moves it forward xxmm, making for a roomier cockpit. The mounting is sturdy and the part seems very robust.

Handlebar riser 90mm - about $33.  American Surron

Footpegs and mounts

I suffer from instep fatigue when I ride for longer than about 5 hours. I use ortho inserts in my riding boots, but that doesn't completely solve the problem. Some time ago, I discovered that larger footpegs provided a great deal of relief. These aftermarket aluminum footpegs (black) are wider front-to-back than the stock aluminum footpegs.

While replacing the footpegs, I also replaced the cast footpeg mounts with machined 7075 aluminum mounts.

The stock cast piece is on the left; the 7075 aluminum piece is on the right. The left footpeg bracket is also excellent.

Extra Wide Aluminum Foot Pegs (black) - about $21.  American Surron
Foot Peg Mounting Bracket 7075 Aluminum - about $80.  eBay - uprproducts (57263)

Remove sidestand

While replacing the footpeg mounts, I did not reinstall the sidestand.

Rear fender

The seat must be removed when replacing the rear fender. The nuts to be unscrewed are hidden under a plastic cover on the underside of the seat. There is a very difficult and convoluted way to remove and replace this plastic cover as described on several forums and the seat install instruction sheet, but I elected to do the job differently.

First, remove the seat sub-frame from the main frame. Unscrew 4 bolts, and off it comes.

Flip the frame over to see the underside of the seat. I drilled a small test hole to locate the bolts within. Adjusting, I drilled a second larger test hole, and was spot on. Then I drilled a xx/64 final hole over the bolt beneath. Eyeballing and measuring, I drilled a test hole over the second bolt, and then a second final xx/64 hole over the second bolt. The picture shows the first test hole, the first completed hole, and the last test hole.

Final holes.

I removed the nuts and washers by holding the sub-frame right-side-up, and letting the nuts and washers drop out through the holes as I unscrewed the nuts with a ratchet.

The front nuts and washers can be removed with some difficulty using a ratchet box-end wrench. There is an opening at the front of the seat underside where they can be accessed.

After the seat was removed, I used a soldering iron to cut out arcs in the plastic seat base so I could access the nuts with my ratchet.

This view is looking up at the seat bottom. As the seat is lowered into place on a right-side-up XBike, the plastic lip with the cutouts drops down behind a cross piece, and the bolts enter the holes. Access to the bolts/nuts is then through the cut-outs.

If putting the washers on with the nuts is too difficult, I think you could leave the washers off with no problems. The nuts are lockers, and should be OK without the washers.

I removed the redundant taillight wire while I was performing the above process.

The next day, after I bolted the seat into place, the long rear fender arrived. So I unscrewed the 4 locking nuts, lifted the seat off, installed the long rear fender, then placed the seat into place, and installed the 4 locking nuts.

The Kaniwaba Powered Pedal kit arrived, and I had a quick look at the parts. Most excellent. I plan to install this kit next spring after I actually start riding my XBike.

Long rear fender - about $35.  Race Spec Sur Ron Performance Products

Skidplate

The stock skidplate is metal (stainless steel?), but I prefer plastic/HDPE, and when it became available, I ordered the HDPE skidplate.

The new HDPE skidplate is shown on the left in both pictures below.

The installation instructions that came with the skidplate note that installing the mounting bolts should be done in a certain order, and screwing in the bolts only a few turns by hand lead me to believe that I had to use caution doing the install. Sure enough, getting the last bolt in proved to be very difficult. I managed, but it took quite some time and effort. The bolt is very hard to align with the threads, cross-threading for a dozen or so times before I got it right. I used a trick to get everything lined up...

HDPE skidplate - about $55.  Race Spec Sur Ron Performance Products

Rear mud guard

I found a better rear mud guard, made of HDPE plastic, and installed it in lieu of the hard, but fragile, plastic stock rear mud guard. Easy peasy install; 2 bolts and washers swapped for short stockers.

Rear mud guard - about $20.  Race Spec Sur Ron Performance Products

Hand guards

I found some funky hand guards, and decided to give them a try. They are the most minimalist hand guards I've ever seen. I installed the left side only, to check fit, interference, and looks. I'll do a few rides before putting the other side on (or remove this one if that's the final decision).

GEO MTB Mountain Bike Handguards - about $75.  Amazon

Seat

Race Spec Sur-Ron makes a seat that fits over the stock seat. The new seat provides more room to move forward and backward, and the extra height adds to riding comfort. Two straps hold the seat in place. The seat bottom is molded in the shape of the stock seat, and is a tight fit on it, so there is NO movement that I could detect.

Although limited to snowy streets and paved routes, the test rider pronounced the seat a positive improvement. The next ride will be on dirt, so I'll find out how it performs under duress.

Seat - about $105.  Race Spec Sur Ron Performance Products - Seat    <--- See seat pictures on this web page.

First ride

Every day brings me a little closer to my first ride......
The adjacent bike is my 2013 CRF250L (283cc) ready to go to a new owner.

Finally, on February 2, 2021 I rode my XBike for the first time. My PT gal approved the step up in activity, provided I stay on paved roads; no dirt for now. It was fun!

Immediately after the ride I installed a mirror, and ordered a handlebar with a 50 mm rise.

Tires - Geomax MX33

I decided to replace the stock tires and tubes with something a bit heavier-duty, and after a short search, found the Dunlop Geomax MX33 Front Tire (70/100-19) . This tire is highly rated, but what else would the maker and seller say. Nevertheless, I liked what I saw and ordered a pair, along with two IRC heavy duty inner tubes.

Front (L) and rear (R) Geomax tires.

Both tires are the same Geomax MX33. These tires are 70R100, the same designated size as the stock tires, but they are actually 1/4 inch taller overall. This raises the seat height 1/8 inch. And they are wider than the stock tires, but still fit within the forks and swingarm with no clearance problems.

Being larger, the tires change the circumference and thus the speed at any given motor RPM; calculated at about 1 per cent faster.

These tires and tubes are heavier than stock, 568 g tire and 561 g tube for a total of 2.5 lb more per wheel. The tires are also harder; 68 stock vs 75 Geomax duro reading. The tires are not DOT rated.

Dunlop Geomax MX33 Front Tire (70/100-19) - about $46 each.  Amazon
IRC Heavy-Duty Tube - 70/100-19 - TR-4 Valve Stem T20069 - about $21 each.  Amazon
Two of each.

Tires - Shinko SR241

The Geomax tires were a definite improvement over the stock tires, but research turned up another tire that may be better for my style of riding. The Shinko SR241 Trial Tire in 2.75-19 and DOT rated is now on the front wheel.

I installed a mousse in lieu of an inner tube for backcountry insurance against flats. The mousse is heavier than a heavy duty inner tube, but the peace of mind is more than worth it. For more on mousse, see  Mousse

This tire is wider than the stock and Geomax tires. The height is the same as the stock tire. The tire fits between the forks with no clearance problems.

This tire is the softest (duro) yet; stock 68, Geomax 75, Shinko 55.
This tire and mousse are much heavier than previous tires and tubes; stock xx lb, Geomax 12.5 lb, Shinko 13.75 lb.

After several rides, I definitely liked this tire, so l ordered another, plus mousse, for the rear wheel. The tire fits the swingarm with no clearance problems.

This tire looks fatter than the front tire above because it's zoomed.

Shinko SR241 Trial Tire (2.75-19) - about $40 each.  Amazon
Nitro Mousse NM19-195M - about $122 each.  Slavens Racing

Speed and Power Options

The SurRon Light Bee's / XBike's battery and controller are the source of power, and the limitation of that power.

Some bikes are delivered with low-power and speed to comply with state Moped laws. Others are delivered with this mode disabled, so they have more power and higher speed.

There are confusing comments about when these modes were in effect. The end result: if your bike seems like it's low on power, check the green with black stripe wire. If the wire is cut, join it. If it is not cut, then cut it.

I finally decided that my XBike was in low-power mode, and I had a look at the green/black wire. It was not cut, so I cut it, and voila, I have full power. Top speed is boosted from 30 to 45 mph. I shoulda done this weeks ago.

The green/black wire is located in the signal cable that connects to the battery, just next to the power cable. The cable is covered with a black plastic sheath.

On some bikes, there is a loop in the wire that can be fished out to facilitate cutting it.

On some bikes, this loop is not necessarily visible or is hidden far back behind the sheath. Note that even if you do not see the loop at this part of the cable, you may see it at the connector where it is plugged into the controller. You can cut it or join it at this point as well, if you do not want to remove all the plastic sheath to find where the wire is looped.

Several aftermarket businesses sell batteries and controllers that are more powerful than the stock bike battery and controller. I have reviewed several and chosen to go with a more powerful, exact slide-in Lite Speed Bikes 60v42ah Surron Stock Killer that works with the stock X Bike controller. There is a 3-4 week lead time on these batteries, so stay tuned for my eventual install and evaluation.

More information.  lunacycle.com/hotrod
Even more information and pictures.  electricbike.com
Lite Speed Bikes batteries.  https://litespeedbikes.mybigcommerce.com

Spare Parts

Shimano brake pads, with heat radiators.

Shimano H03C Metallic Disc Brake Pads - about $46.  Amazon

Misc Pics

Sand gulch

Sand Gulch, 2 weeks later.

Methodist Mtn Rd at RBT intersection.

RBT/Little Bridge Rd.

I want to 'adopt' this trail.

That's all, Folks.

After approval from my Physical Therapy gal, I started riding my little girl's ICE bike (CRF230F), and after a few easy rides, I threw on a chain saw and got down to business.

It's great to put all of the therapy behind me and get back to my version of normal. I will be careful riding and other activities so I don't put any of my limbs (and body) at risk of injury. I'd like nothing better than to ride quietly off into the sunset.

The X Bike is sold; I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I'm still hooked on ICE Bikes. Old habits...

So long for a while....

PS I discovered a new word during my travels:
ICE - Internal Combustion Engine.

fini