Motivation

The Super73 RX Mojave is a fat-tire electric bicycle sold in the US until April 2023.

I've fixed and repaired bikes for decades, including volunteering at organizations to repair bikes at walk-in clinics. I've built a mid-drive e-bike conversion that has worked without issue since 2017.

I wanted an e-bike to replace my motorcycle. I also wanted to save time on building and maintenance, so I consciously decided to delegate responsibility and pay the premium for a warranty and support to ride something that "just worked." I purchased a new Super73 RX Mojave in June 2022.

My RX Mojave stopped turning on in February 2023.

I submitted a support request, heard nothing back, then called them directly. In that initial phone call, the support representative tried to find any excuse to invalidate the warranty, including claiming the headlight they sold me was an unsupported modification. Eventually, they blamed a bad controller but had none in stock.

I systematically tested each component and function following Super73's diagnostics and troubleshooting advice from enthusiast communities. However, after my initial phone call, I didn't want to independently take anything apart and diagnose in fear of invalidating the warranty and therefore was stuck waiting.

Three months later, they sent a controller; the bike still wouldn't turn on. A new support representative then sent the primary wiring harness and display, no change. Finally, a battery, with the same result. At this point, I asked them to repair or replace it, and to their credit, they sent me a working new replacement.

About six months after the initial request, I now have two RX Mojave, one that is 100% factory and working and the original that won't turn on. Six months is a long time, which I did not expect when attempting to delegate responsibility.

I am a firm believer in the right to repair. Super73's e-bikes are a combination of off-the-shelf and proprietary components, which is their right. That said, e-bikes are a common platform they did not pioneer; they just built a variant. By emphasizing part replacement, the economic and ecological value of the e-bike is diminished.

For example, the battery should use common standards instead of having an arbitrarily high number of pins and a custom BMS with an excessive failure rate. Upon inspection, the battery cradle revealed that only 4 out of 6 pins are used, and 4 pins are standard. This indicates that this choice of uncommon components is intentionally arbitrary, promotes vendor lock-in, and discourages compatibility.

In short, we should be able to repair a broken Super73 e-bike without blindly replacing parts or replacing the entire e-bike. If there's a failure, there should be a clear understanding of what failed and why. There should be supporting documentation for any bike mechanic willing to wrench.

I want to fix my broken bike. I'll research, reverse engineer, document, collaborate, and share comprehensive documentation and knowledge about the Super73 RX to achieve this goal. Let's save the next person the time and empower others to repair, not throw away.

-Null Confluence, 2023