Battery vs Motor question

[Cra1975]

Hi

I have a question that will likely have a number of possible answers

Current situation:

BionX s350 kit on a Norco Indie. Smallest battery 6.3Ah. 600 cycles on battery since may 2016

I’m about 170lbs but also carry 10-12 pounds of clothing, computer , rain gear etc.

Problem: Riding with level 2 or 3 assist generally flat but slight grades for a few hundred metres at a time. After a nice stretch of a kilometer relatively flat and going at 32-36km/h then slight hill (really slight) the motor will cut out, speedo on the console will drop to 0km/h but all functions still work on the console itself. Only way to get power assist back is to power off the system and power back on.

Had he shop check out the system and they claim it may be the battery. I recognize 600 charge cycles is a lot in 2.5 years however did not seem out of the ordinary to me. With where Bionx is , I am not sure if this will truly fix my issue. The store will not let me try it with their battery unless I purchase is and I do not want to pay 1100 up front as I can get the battery for 740 online.

Any thoughts on this reality? I am not sure if it makes sense to invest on a system from a dead company or to just start fresh with a more open system on the bike.

 

[JRA]

Doesn’t sound like a battery issue to me if it will restart easily by rebooting although it could be the BMS. More likely the internal controller. I’d go with another kit.

 

[indianajo]

Testing the battery with a resistor bank and a voltmeter in the back yard is not an option with the bionx.
It has a computer in the battery. That's how I proved my battery was garbage: a 15 ohm 300 W load and a meter.
My blank screen problems at miles 7-11 turned out to be the battery. Two in a row. $330 wasted, the 31 days expired on the second while I was fooling around trying to find out if it was the motor or battery. Two batteries, same symptom,I thought it was the motor/controller. After first blankout, the screen would only go about 50 feet before the next blankout. I thought it was thermal in the motor or controller.
I would definitely go with some other battery that doesn't have a computer in the battery. If you can stand a power wheel conversion, in Canada grin tech in Vancouver has a good reputation. In the US the battery I bought from luna cycle that cost 2.2 times what an e-bay battery would cost, actually worked fine. Other countries, you're on your own finding an honest mail order dealer as far as I know. Remember, you can't send a battery back for warrenty, you're not a trained & registered hazardous materials packager.

 

[Cra1975]

Thanks JRA and indianajo.

I am trying to find another person locally who has a somewhat used DL sized battery so to see if it may be restricted to the battery. My inclination is that it is the battery as I had my whole wheel and hub replaced by bionx In mid 2017. I did not mention that as I know that many have had mixed results with new/replacement parts as they can be as risky as anything else.

There is an site online that has purchased a lot of the stock in Canada and that’s my quote for a 740 after shipping and taxes option. However it really seems like I should try another battery just to be certain.

I’m game for another conversion but just needs to be something that I can perhaps repair and do over the holidays. I need a commuter that can do an 18 Km ride home and a steady last 2-3 Km climb which is not an easy climb for me. I’m better now but I can only manage a 12-15km speed up that last bit in almost Granny gear.

C

 

[harryS]

So the shop never confirmed it was the battery? All they had to do was put a known good battery on your bike, or put your suspect battery on one of their demo machines. Harump. Harump.