Rad Rover battery issue

[ExPatBrit]

Did you mean to say "amps"? It's the amount of power in the current that can fry you. Car batteries are only 12V, but can generate 350 amps for over 4000 W and it's DC, which means once your muscles contract into position they don't let go. But then your somewhat discharged electric bike battery still has 40-something volts and can deliver 20-30 amps, pretty sure that's enough to lock your hands into place.

Yeah, I've been zapped by 120 V AC on a 30 amp breaker circuit, but AC tends to make your hands rebound unless you're willfully stupid.

Nope, you are 100% wrong.

I am a 40 year + EE, this is basic 1 year ohms law (V=IR) stuff.

You need a large "potential difference" as in Volts to allow "current" as in amps to flow in the human body.

You can touch the terminals a 12 volt car battery with your hands, the resistance of the body is too high to allow enough current to flow. Don't touch your tongue across the terminals.

As I said 60 volts DC is the threshold for more protection.

FYI Defibrillators typically run 100-1000 volts DC

 

[AHicks]

The bigger point is that with any care at all, a bike battery is not inherently dangerous to work on. Sure, some precautions must be taken, but it's not rocket science.

 

[ExPatBrit]

The bigger point is that with any care at all, a bike battery is not inherently dangerous to work on. Sure, some precautions must be taken, but it's not rocket science.

True.

 

[curt]

Hi all,
I ordered a new battery for my '17 Rover. It came today, charged it up and everything is working now. Going for my first ride later today. There are 2 mounts are either side of the stem for the bottle holder. Anyone know what/where to get a bottle holder for this model?
Thanks,
Curt

 

[ExPatBrit]

Hi all,
I ordered a new battery for my '17 Rover. It came today, charged it up and everything is working now. Going for my first ride later today. There are 2 mounts are either side of the stem for the bottle holder. Anyone know what/where to get a bottle holder for this model?
Thanks,
Curt

Rad has one for $20 on the web site, there are cheaper ones on Amazon that will fit. They have slots to fit the various bolt spacings.

Congrats on getting the bike going, not a bad deal overall . New battery so you should be good for a few years. Enjoy!

 

[curt]

Thank you ExPatBrit. You gave me good info about my Rad. Im still a newbie. Im lovin the bike thus far.
Im confused--In the upper right hand corner of the display show the trip distance or just the total number of miles the bike has been ridden? Thanks for all you help.
Curt

 

[ExPatBrit]

Thank you ExPatBrit. You gave me good info about my Rad. Im still a newbie. Im lovin the bike thus far.
Im confused--In the upper right hand corner of the display show the trip distance or just the total number of miles the bike has been ridden? Thanks for all you help.
Curt

I am actually running the Color Screen LCD-8 as I have the Bolton Mod.

However RAD had their manuals online, you can toggle between odometer (total miles from new) and trip odo.

New Owners Guide

Thanks for choosing Rad Power Bikes! We have put together a couple of quick tips to help you ride Rad! Watch our Safety Video below to learn more about getting your bike ready for your first ride. ...

radpowerbikes.zendesk.com

 

[curt]

I am actually running the Color Screen LCD-8 as I have the Bolton Mod.

However RAD had their manuals online, you can toggle between odometer (total miles from new) and trip odo.

New Owners Guide

Thanks for choosing Rad Power Bikes! We have put together a couple of quick tips to help you ride Rad! Watch our Safety Video below to learn more about getting your bike ready for your first ride. ...

radpowerbikes.zendesk.com

ExBritPat:
How is the Bolton mod working out?
Was it easy to do the mod? Plug & play?
Curt

 

[ExPatBrit]

ExBritPat:
How is the Bolton mod working out?
Was it easy to do the mod? Plug & play?
Curt

I bought the mod because of the hills in my neighborhood.

On the Rover pretty easy to do no instructions are provided . I flipped the bike upside down on some rubber mats and it took about 90 mins. Everything was in the box including longer screws to use with the existing clamps. I did make a couple aluminum strips as backing plates for the controller . I used double sided tape and a strip of rubber between frame and controller. If you have fenders it's a bit tight, I added a couple of washers to the fender mount to add a gap between the controller.

I cleaned the lower part of the bike thoroughly around the wiring harness beforehand and lubed derailleur and chain. It worked out of the box.

Have about 700 miles on it, no problems. THE LCD 8 is much easier to use and I have since dialed it down to 1200 watts to avoid accidental wheelies. There is no soft start and the throttle is fairly aggressive.

 

[curt]

Thank you. May get there one day, for right now Im still a newbie!

 

[AHicks]

Nothing wrong with riding what you have until you get good and mad at it/have a good reason to change! At that point, you have an ace in the hole available with Bolton's kit....

Of course there are also those that can't leave well enough alone.... myself included.

 

[BKing]

Working on a battery is usually going to involve replacing some cells. How do you spot weld the new ones in? From prior experience with similar things it seems like I remember soldering does not work properly with that type of metal and inability to get the battery end hot enough for a proper and long lasting connection.

 

[AHicks]

You aren't going to hear me endorse replacing individual cells. I think it's way beyond most folks, with a good chance you're going to end up worse off than before. For instance, without even considering the soldering, if the cell you're inserting into the pack isn't matched very closely to the cells in the rest of the pack, that pack may not balance charge properly - leaving you no further ahead than you were with the bad cell.

That said, somebody with a soldering iron/gun with enough capacity and experience, will be able to make a solder connection on a battery quickly enough where you don't damage the cell. But you didn't hear that from me...