New Radrover no go

[56Steve]

Yesterday the Radrover I bought for my wife for Christmas finally showed up (FedEx was a week late) I put it together, of course I had to see how it worked but having a driveway covered in ice, a ride wasn't going to happen. So I lifted up the rear wheel twisted the throttle and nothing, push the luck out button (which should have some way of telling if its on or off) and the tire moved a half of revolution and that was it,turned it off back on repeat same result. All the connectors are connected. I have an Email into support but they haven't got back to me. I work on vintage motorcycles for fun so I really was hoping for no issues with something new. Hopefully it's something easy.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

You didn't say anything about charging the battery. It should be charged fully before using it the first time. That's an obvious thing probably, so that's probably not it. I would take the battery off and put it back on a couple of times to help remove any patina on the contacts.

Is the display working correctly? If so, you should probably recheck all of the connections.

The throttle button sticks out noticably (it is a little subtle) when it's on.

TT

 

[56Steve]

Battery is at 75%, all the lights work, display works, sorry should have mentioned that. I will charge the battery but the wheel should still spin at 75%.

 

[56Steve]

And the manual says you can ride it as long as the battery is between 50 and 75% then balance them.

 

[FreeWheelie]

Some owners had an issue with a wire disconnected in the frame

Starts at 5:30 in this video

 

[Tars Tarkas]

The wheel ought to turn at pretty close to 100%, just for about 3/4 as long as if the battery was full.

Is there any kind of error code on the display?

Take apart connections and carefully put them back together. And work the throttle switch a few times in case maybe it's stuck.

There is a thread in the Rad forum on Known Issues and Solutions for Rad bikes. You might search through there for people who may have dealt with the same problem.

TT

 

[tomjasz]

It’s usually something simple. Rule one. Have a multimeter. What is the voltage out of the battery?
next, check all connections. If you have wired brake levers, make sure they aren’t activated. Multimeter can test here too. 99.9% of the time it’s the excitement and overlooking some silly detail. And then discovering you are your own bike shop and help takes time...

deep breath, and you’ll be grinning with us soon!

 

[mrgold35]

Do you get the same results with the Rad powering down when you use PAS or throttle? The only time I had that issue with my 2016 rover was when I was trouble-shooting with Rad tech support for a 30 maintain error and they sent me a new controller, LCD screen, and wiring harness. I tried each part independently to see what part(s) corrected the issue (rover would shutdown randomly during a ride anywhere from 5-30 minutes in).

New controller fixed the issue. The only part that made the issue worse was the new LCD screen. The rover would instantly shut completely off under one revolution of the rear wheel using throttle or PAS. I still had the same shutdown result with the new controller and new LCD screen. Zero issues since installing the new controller (+3500 miles on that rover now).

 

[56Steve]

Right now I'm stuck in the garage so all I can do is lift the back wheel up and give it some juice and the wheel does move a little but thats it. I'll try calling support today.

 

[RangerDave]

Do the front and rear wheels spin relatively freely? The brake pads may be set too tight. Mine were on a Rad City. I had to adjust the caliper more open a couple of clicks on the pad adjustment. The Rover has a geared hub motor so it should spin more easily than the City.

RangerDave

 

[mrgold35]

Right now I'm stuck in the garage so all I can do is lift the back wheel up and give it some juice and the wheel does move a little but thats it. I'll try calling support today.

You can lean the rover over on the kick stand with the back wheel off the ground and turn the pedal by hand to see if the ebike turns off in PAS mode the same like with the throttle.

 

[AHicks]

If you do end up messing with the connection in the down tube, as it has been a problem we've heard about here a couple of times, removing the grommets in the down tube will allow you much easier access. Just takes a minute, and they are not hard to reinstall.

If you have the bike upside down, on it's handlebars and seat, you should be able to check it's ability to run on PAS or throttle pretty easily.

 

[56Steve]

Great ideas.I'll give them a try after work.

 

[Browneye]

Yeah, I thought the PAS had to be activated by pedaling for it to power the hub-drive. Perhaps this model will use throttle only, but that is pretty rare.

 

[56Steve]

So before you can use thottle only you have to pedal? From watching videos it on folks range testing without peddling I just assumed you could twist and go.

 

[RangerDave]

You can use throttle-only to start. No need to peddle assist first.

 

[Solom01]

Not rare at all. Most hub drive bikes with throttles allow you to start just by using the throttle. There are a few exceptions that don't allow the use of the throttle until one hits a certain speed, but since that kind of kills the whole point of having a throttle for quick getaways after a stop it's out of the norm.

 

[56Steve]

I got a reply from Rad and they would like me to send them a video of what it is doing or not doing. Like I have said power does get to the wheel, but it like just a jolt, enought to move the tire but not keep spining.

 

[AHicks]

After that "jolt" do you still have power on the display? If so, that might eliminate the possibility of a really low battery. They'll usually shut everything down as soon as there's a draw on the system.

That throttle available on start up issue is all over the map. Some feel the feature is dangerous (inadvertant power aplication causing loss of control), others call it a huge advantage (being able to zip across an intersection quickly without having to pedal first). If it's not already (as in the RAD), it should be the rider's choice. On the Rad or any other, rider's personal preference could EASILY be added to the same menu that has you picking max speed and wheel size.....

 

[56Steve]

Everything works lights up just no power to the wheel. My problem with the throttle is that it is awkward to use especially if you have small hands. I haven't ridden it yet but the shiffter also seems it will be akward.