RadRunner total power loss. What`s going on?

[Coolio]

Hi there,

While riding today on a very, very bumpy Montreal road, the bike twice lost all its power. First the front light went off, then everything else. I pulled the bike to the side, thinking maybe the battery came loose. All looked good. Tried restarting but nothing. Checked the under cables, front cables, they all looked firm. Pressed the on/off switch multiple times and nothing. I was like...damn, the crap Montreal roads killed the bike somehow. Tried restarting a couple of minutes later and, surprise, all good to go! No error messages, all seemed right. Rode another 200 meters on the very bumpy road and power went off again. I was sure at this time my bike was defective somehow. Did the same procedure as before, checked all cables etc., waited and power came back on again. I eventually did my errands and rode back on another road just to be sure. No problems until I got home, everything was fine. My question is: What might have caused the power loss? Anyone experience this before? Can a bumpy road trigger some fail-safe mechanism on the bike?

 

[Tars Tarkas]

No error message? Call or email Rad tech support and see what they say, but my speculation goes the same direction as yours. I kind of have to assume the bumpy road isn't just a coincidence. It sounds like a tenuous electrical connection somewhere. I'd check all of the connectors; battery as well as all cables. Personally, I'd brush on some dielectric grease or some contact cleaner on every pin I can find. Put things back together and take them apart a few times to work the grease into all of the receptacles. That might solve everything. On the other hand, it could be a crack in the controller or some other physical damage. Rad tech support will have the best advice -- and In my experience, they are very liberal in honoring their one year warranty, so check with them before you do much of anything.

If I recall, you may get Rad's voice mail when you call, or they may not respond instantly to an email, but they are fairly quick, and for my issue, they were very well worth dealing with.

TT

 

[Coolio]

Thank you TT,

I really think somehow the crap road slightly moved something around. I`ll double check all the wiring tomorrow, and clean them with contact cleaner (I use a similar spray for my Desktop/electronics ). I just got the bike last week, has less than 30 km on it. Going to deflate the tires again. Started at the recommended 30 psi. Way too hard. Tried 28. Still too hard. Tried 25 (today) still hard and had the issue... Going for 20-18 psi tomorrow and hopefully that will be the end of it. For sure, I`ll get in touch with tech support if it happens again. I hear they are great. Still, I`m hoping it was a one time hiccup.

EDIT: Just saw on the FB group someone mentioning having issues with the front light (it won`t turn off via the controller no matter what). I used the front light for the very first time today (since it was dark) and the light was the first to go off, before the bike turning off. Hmm...to be investigated.

 

[trainman]

Not sure what electrical connections are in the frame, if any, but I would ask Rad where they are and what to look for. I myself would use a test meter to check electrical connections, but then again I feel comfortable in doing it.

 

[AHicks]

I had a very similar problem. The first time I lost power after hitting a big pot hole (mental note, pay more attention!) I started wiggling connections and it came back on. I don't think they had anything to do with the issue though, as the second time it went out causing a very long ride home with no assist, it didn't come back on. This was fine with me because then I knew I could track the real problem down easily. Erratic ones suck!

Anyway, mine turned out to be the on/off key lock switch on the battery was crapped out. I eliminated it from the circuit and haven't had a problem since!

Point being, when the power is out, you can track the issue down easily. Start at the battery to see if you have power. From there, track it down to see where it quits!

 

[Coolio]

Hi there!

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I was finally able to ride the exact same road, yet this time because of snow, I deflated the tires to 10 psi. No power loss, no issues, light stayed on, and WOW, what a smooth ride! So much more comfortable! I really think hitting those bumps "hard" momentarily shifted something, just enough to cut the power temporarily. I'm even thinking about keeping low psi during summer, for extra comfort and grip. Besides the added stress on the motor/battery due to more resistance, is there something else I should worry about? Anyway, Rad running 110%!

 

[AHicks]

Stress no issue. If there's an issue, it will be your range, which may not be an issue at all.

 

[moto185]

I had a very similar problem. The first time I lost power after hitting a big pot hole (mental note, pay more attention!) I started wiggling connections and it came back on. I don't think they had anything to do with the issue though, as the second time it went out causing a very long ride home with no assist, it didn't come back on. This was fine with me because then I knew I could track the real problem down easily. Erratic ones suck!

Anyway, mine turned out to be the on/off key lock switch on the battery was crapped out. I eliminated it from the circuit and haven't had a problem since!

Point being, when the power is out, you can track the issue down easily. Start at the battery to see if you have power. From there, track it down to see where it quits!

Hi. My rad runner has now power to the motors. 5 flashing lights and the controller and the head lamp and tail lamps flicker. I have checked all the connectors and un plugged them and plugged them back in. I wonder if I have the same on off switch problem you had at the battery. How did you bypass the switch?