Radrover Controller & Display Upgrade Kit

[Bluzrif]

I've had my 2020 fat tired rad rover step-through for a couple of months now (which I love) and have also ordered a Bolton controller upgrade kit after seeing numerous u tubers showing how they've installed it but have just realized that all those videos were done with other rad models ... and none with the step through. Maybe I'm being paranoid but is there some complication to Bolton's plug & play controller & LCD upgrade that has the step-through rad rover owners not doing that upgrade???
Has anyone here put the Bolton controller kit on a rad rover step- through and was it as straight forward as the videos indicate?

I did it on RRST this past Sunday. Got my Gear a few weeks late but typical for bike gear these days. The dock for the stock controller is different from the video but it worked out for me just fine.
1) removed battery and dock .. easy
2) removed screws of stock controller
3) clipped zip ties and located and unplugged wires. Be careful with the wire under the bike that runs up thru the frame..it’s a tight fit and pulling too hard will cause disconnect inside frame.

3) installed new controller
Connecting all your wires first will save you some time.. tight fit after controller installed
A) adhesive Velcro on new controller and bike
B) used longer ( included) screws on the top mount
C) bottom mount lines up with nothing ...so I used double dose of the beefiest zip ties that would fit. Lots of other / better ways for that but I’m not taking it off road much...I had no problem with fender clearance or wire length.
Don’t much appreciate the Bolton start up screen but Kyle’s a marketer.. Works as advertised and took me a few hours at a leisurely pace. I’m handy but inexperienced with bikes

 

[RedRover2020]

Hello! I finally got my controller upgrade with the KT color display from cycle world. Installation was a breeze on my stock Rad Rover 5. The only issue I've encountered is the battery will shut off when climbing really step hills (battery icon blinks, motor shuts off). Can changing some settings fix this?

Would I need to lower C5 for max current? or maybe C12 the minimum voltage? I pretty much have everything set to Boltons recommended settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[how]

I am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will soon pipe in but if you've set the C5 and C12 to Boltons settings of (2) and (4) respectively, isn't that controller supposed to be shutting down the battery to protect the circuity if the demand that your placing on it exceeds those safety limits?
I'd also be interested in how long and at what grade this "really steep" hill is where this is happening on/ as well as what power level you are trying to do it on/ are you physically pedaling or just throttling/ not to mention what weight load you are asking the bike to take up this hill? Perhaps what you are expecting it to do is perfectly reasonable but I can't really tell that from the info that you've provided.
Cheers.

 

[ExPatBrit]

Hello! I finally got my controller upgrade with the KT color display from cycle world. Installation was a breeze on my stock Rad Rover 5. The only issue I've encountered is the battery will shut off when climbing really step hills (battery icon blinks, motor shuts off). Can changing some settings fix this?

Would I need to lower C5 for max current? or maybe C12 the minimum voltage? I pretty much have everything set to Boltons recommended settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Using throttle or PAS 5 causes the voltage to drop immediately by 4-5 volts. So if the cutoff is set to 40 volt you can trip once you are below 45 volt.

The cut-off is very aggressive.

I set the cutoff C12 to (0) which is 38 volt. At the same time I try not to run PAS 5 or use throttle below 45 volts. But if i need it for a short burst I won't just come to an abrubt stop.

 

[AHicks]

Hello! I finally got my controller upgrade with the KT color display from cycle world. Installation was a breeze on my stock Rad Rover 5. The only issue I've encountered is the battery will shut off when climbing really step hills (battery icon blinks, motor shuts off). Can changing some settings fix this?

Would I need to lower C5 for max current? or maybe C12 the minimum voltage? I pretty much have everything set to Boltons recommended settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm left wondering about the charge level in your battery when this happened? I'm running a motor that will pull quite a bit more power (MAC 12t), and it's been doing that pretty well for the last couple of years. The ONLY time it's ever done it was when the battery charge was way low. With the battery that low, full throttle causes the voltage level to sag way down, possibly getting into the area where the low voltage cutoff (LVC) will shut the power down. It will still run OK at lower throttle settings, but you should be on your way home.

My battery is generally charged at 46 volts or so to keep this from happening. You can hit that center button twice to get a real time exact voltage.

Personal call, but I would never set my LVC at a low voltage to eliminate the problem. I'd much rather it just shut me down to draw my attention to the fact the bettery is getting much lower than I normally let it get. It's easy to cool it the rest of the way home....

 

[RedRover2020]

Thanks so much guys. It was definately a low battery issue. Charged it up, kept off the throttle and was able to make it up my hill!

The last issue I have is the pedal sensitivity. In PAS 1 my feet are always spinning, motor kicks in, goes way faster than my feet can keep up. Is there a setting that would help me out.

Again thanks so much guys, you're awesome!

 

[AHicks]

Thanks so much guys. It was definately a low battery issue. Charged it up, kept off the throttle and was able to make it up my hill!

The last issue I have is the pedal sensitivity. In PAS 1 my feet are always spinning, motor kicks in, goes way faster than my feet can keep up. Is there a setting that would help me out.

Again thanks so much guys, you're awesome!

With the Bolton/KT mod, you should be able to go as slow as you would like - easily. My "best guess" with what you are suggesting is the P3 parameter needs to be set to 1, enabling the "imitatation torque control", which is Chinglish for "doing it right", or something like that. Actually, if C3=1 the controller allows a certain amount of power to the motor based on what PAS level you are in (using some of the best controller software available) regardless of your speed. If C3=0, the PAS levels are based on how fast the bike is going to go in each PAS level.

Hope that helps, but holler if not. -Al

 

[Kyogiro]

Anyone has ordered on Bolton's website this summer and receive the kit ?

I'm still waiting for the kit to be shipped (ordered it in early July). I contacted Bolton last Friday, awaiting a response from them. I already receive my new 750 W hub motor and my new cassette, just waiting for my kit to arrive now.

 

[Bluzrif]

Anyone has ordered on Bolton's website this summer and receive the kit ?

I'm still waiting for the kit to be shipped (ordered it in early July). I contacted Bolton last Friday, awaiting a response from them. I already receive my new 750 W hub motor and my new cassette, just waiting for my kit to arrive now.

ordered mine 6/19 .. Received 8/21.

 

[ExPatBrit]

ordered mine 6/19 .. Received 8/21.

I am on the Bolton email list.

PARTS

RadPower Upgrade Kits - The majority of backorders are en route to the US now. Once received we will turn them around within 24 hours.

Juintech Hydraulic Brake Calipers and Brake Pads - back in stock for immediate shipping.

750 watt Bafang Motors - en route to the US now, will be available for order soon.

52v/20ah Triangle Batteries with Bags - Coming soon!

 

[ExPatBrit]

Anyone has ordered on Bolton's website this summer and receive the kit ?

I'm still waiting for the kit to be shipped (ordered it in early July). I contacted Bolton last Friday, awaiting a response from them. I already receive my new 750 W hub motor and my new cassette, just waiting for my kit to arrive now.

You need a freewheel not a cassette.

 

[CynicalZombie]

I ordered (8/13) the 750 Watt Bafang motor (with 11-34T Freewheel installed) from Bolton Ebikes. It delivered today. I'm still waiting on the controller I ordered on 7/20.

 

[Kyogiro]

You need a freewheel not a cassette.

Indeed, I got te freewheel, it's just that in French I'm used to call it a cassette even when it's a freewheel (we do also make the distinction though).

 

[Bluzrif]

The Motor is available as of last night ... Kyle's marketing Re : Radrover compatibility prompted me to buy the freewheel from him too vs Amazons $30 option, Gotta give the guy credit for seizing on a willing market....

 

[goldconch]

Here is a manual for the KT-LCD8H display …………. not the crappy 2 page instruction sheet that comes with it, but a full 41 page manual. I set mine up using this and I have it all working the way I want, with options for future experimentation.

I can't really weigh in on RadBikes, but my other bike/model on a KT arrived with a factory settings dialed-back to 85% of max power. I have to suppose this was a commercial decision to "idiot-proof" the rear motor from overheating. I found, when on bike with cargo and froggering a highway, or multi-lane traffic junction, I wanted full max takeoff thrust C4=2, P4=1 and C5=10 power to clear the gap in traffic before the approaching tractor trailer arrived. I guess it depends on how you use your bike and throttle and the relative dangers of your commute! Over-heating can be a real concern if you're driving around at max assist all day long, up hills etc. But that said, I like to have the capacity to gun it from time to time if I want to - particularly in those normal higher-stress/danger "takeoff" situations. It has helped a lot.

 

[AHicks]

I'm with you 100% (150% !) about having it GO when I tell it to. NOT a fan of "soft start".

If battery mileage is of any concern though, just as an experiment, you might find dialing things back a bit might not affect the performance as much as you think.

My "buttmeter" performance indicator for instance, is not able to detect the difference between everything topped out to max settings, and 11-1200w limits. (1000+ watt MAC12t motor w/100+nm torque and 35a KT controller)

Point being you may find "enough" for 99% of your riding is less than everything it's able to provide. That's when those limits the controller is able to provide can come in handy.....

 

[Grampy]

Going to jump in here. I ordered it 35amp controller with kt lcd3 display for my Bam nomad and bam step thru. All wires snap together same as Rad but I have problems. LCD seems fine, head light works, walk assist works, but throttle does not, and peddle assist does not. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[AHicks]

Grampy, have you been through the parameter settings for the new controller (using the display)?

 

[legsofbeer]

Anyone has ordered on Bolton's website this summer and receive the kit ?

Ordered early July, received today. Everything was there, worked first try. Now fine tuning the parameters. So nice to have a real time voltage display, and I can set the power-on PAS level. Still wish the controller would auto-activate the lights if they were on when bike was powered off. PAS 1 and 2 power outputs are no longer idiotic values. Was hoping for more than 5 PAS settings, but still worth it (you can f*ck with the C settings to match your day's ride plan.)

 

[AHicks]