JimE
Member
I set the Ultra to Level 5 and came up our steep driveway using maximum throttle and no pedalling. The speed pegged at 8 km/hr and the motor pulled 1300 watts. I went up the hill a second time using Level 3 and a leisurely pedal pace. The speed was 11 km/hr and the motor was drawing between 400 and 600 watts. I don’t mind pedalling to help the motor so I won’t be using the throttle until I find a need.
Yesterday I was swinging my leg over the bike to stop when my left hand brushed the throttle. The bike lurched ahead but I couldn’t get my hand away from the throttle without taking my left hand off the handlebar which was a no-no. I used the brakes to slow to a stop. So today I wrapped electrical tape around the throttle to keep me from accidentally hitting the thumb throttle. I can imagine a day when the designers make the throttle a two-stage switch. That way you would need to press a button on the right side of the handlebar before you can press the throttle on the left. Otherwise the throttle would stay inactive.
Another safety point I mentioned earlier but needs repeating. There is a lag of about one second when the motor is still trying to help you pedal but you have stopped pedalling. The bike can go a long distance in one second. If you are turning at the same time, the speed from the motor lag forces you to turn much wider than you intended. There is an easy fix but it’s not very intuitive. If you backpedal even a little bit, the motor stops instantly. But backpedalling is the last thing you may think about as you careen toward your garage. Ask me how I know. Try it and you will see what I’m talking about.
I don’t know if the lag can be programmed out of the system but it would be a lot safer. Otherwise we all have to get used to backpedalling at the right time.
Yesterday I was swinging my leg over the bike to stop when my left hand brushed the throttle. The bike lurched ahead but I couldn’t get my hand away from the throttle without taking my left hand off the handlebar which was a no-no. I used the brakes to slow to a stop. So today I wrapped electrical tape around the throttle to keep me from accidentally hitting the thumb throttle. I can imagine a day when the designers make the throttle a two-stage switch. That way you would need to press a button on the right side of the handlebar before you can press the throttle on the left. Otherwise the throttle would stay inactive.
Another safety point I mentioned earlier but needs repeating. There is a lag of about one second when the motor is still trying to help you pedal but you have stopped pedalling. The bike can go a long distance in one second. If you are turning at the same time, the speed from the motor lag forces you to turn much wider than you intended. There is an easy fix but it’s not very intuitive. If you backpedal even a little bit, the motor stops instantly. But backpedalling is the last thing you may think about as you careen toward your garage. Ask me how I know. Try it and you will see what I’m talking about.
I don’t know if the lag can be programmed out of the system but it would be a lot safer. Otherwise we all have to get used to backpedalling at the right time.
