Can I up-date my old Kalkhoff Pro-Connect ?

Apr 17, 2021
3
1
Hi,

this is my first post, so please bear with me !

My Wife and I have a pair of 7yr old Kalkhoff Pro-connects, and we love them to bits as they are still as solid as a Rock, even after all this time, - but the Batteries and Panasonic Motors are starting to show their age, so instead of replacing the whole Bikes, are there any better, more up-to-date Motor & Battery systems that I could retrofit to them ?

I know a guy who can do some Machining for me, if any plates need cutting and drilling to make them match, but would like to know what people have managed previously, so I don't have to 're-invent the Wheel' !

I would also like to know if it would be possible to fit a 45Km/h Motor to mine, as I have a full Motorcycle Licence ?

It would be great to hear if anyone has tried to do this before,

Thanks !

Nick (C/O 'J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock' ;) )
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,642
2,652
Winchester
I can't guide on retrofitting different motor etc; I'm sure others here will know much better.

You might be able to get the battery recelled at https://ebikebatteries.co.uk/, and the motor overhauled at https://www.performancelinebearings.com/. I haven't used either but they are well recommended by others on this forum.

For the faster motor: As well as your license, I think you'd need some form of certificate of compliance before you could get the required plates, and also insurance. Both of these might be difficult to arrange.
 
Apr 17, 2021
3
1
Thanks sjpt, I haven't ridden a modern bike yet, but I am assuming that their power delivery is just that much smoother and more sophisticated than our old Panasonics, - I'm basically looking for a 'Riese & Muller' Ride, on 'Apollo' Money ... ! ;)
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
My Wife and I have a pair of 7yr old Kalkhoff Pro-connects, and we love them to bits as they are still as solid as a Rock, even after all this time, - but the Batteries and Panasonic Motors are starting to show their age, so instead of replacing the whole Bikes, are there any better, more up-to-date Motor & Battery systems that I could retrofit to them ?
Not really practical Nick. As you imply, adapter plates would be necessary but I doubt they'd stand the twisting strain of pedalling force since even as standard the motor mounting bolts often need tightening from time to time. And there could be a problem of the new motor sitting too far back and too low to the ground with a greater leg reach. You can see how low the Panasonic motor sits already from the three arrowed mounting points in the photo below:

frame 1.jpg

One thing that has been done is to strip everything out of the alloy motor shell except the pedalshaft, leaving it as a bottom bracket only, then fitting a wheel hub motor kit to the bike. Cheaper than a completely new quality e-bike but with inevitable compromises, plus it will feel very different from your present crank motor systems, though you might prefer that.
.
 
Last edited:
Apr 17, 2021
3
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Thanks flecc, that's sad to hear, but thanks for letting me know, I guess it's another example of the Motor Racing truism "If you want a quick car, - Buy one ! " (As in, don't try to make a slow one go faster ...!)
 
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Superpad59

Just Joined
Jun 30, 2019
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Dublin
I can't really advise but I've also got an 11 year old Kalkhoff Agattu that I loved and, similar to your Pro Connect, it's in good solid condition but feels a bit lacking in power and range these days. Getting the battery re-celled would be easy enough but I've also considered retrofitting a front hub motor either as a backup or as the prime driver. Maybe difficult to do a street-legal job of course: if the bike ends up with two 250W motors there'd need to be a way to feed power to only one or the other. Also for best performance the hub motor would probably need a whole new power source like a 36V or even 48V battery. And then it'd give me a completely different riding experience to what I've had and enjoyed, sort of defeating the purpose.
Still undecided.