Ebike Rookie

[Kamran]

Hi am new to ebikes, its been a week that I have bought a Wisper 905 classic, I had done my research and decided to buy 2nd hand german bike is better choice ( due to being mature student I couldn't afford new german ebike )than these Chinese ones for £600.

The guy who sold it to me was a true gentleman and due to his illness only used for 300 dry miles. Since today the battery played up, the battery I checked is fully charged and the button on the battery itself when I press all 5 lights come on.

On the handle bar all 4 lights come on, but the 6 power assist levels keep flashing red, and after 2/3 minutes the whole thing automatically switches.

I cleaned and checked the battery connections all seems fine.

I would like to hear from you guys who owned and used ebikes for quite sometime what is the solution.

I have every faith that the guy who sold it to me has cherished his bike, its just my bad luck maybe.
the bike is only 15 months old. Great bike very comfortable, good road holding and awesome power assistance and kicks in smoothly, I can't fault it.

The only thing I can think is at night I stored it in a water proof tent shed I just built over last weekend.
Unless cold and dampness has had an effect on the battery.

On the sticker on the battery, it mentions to avoid storing battery on the bike itself.

great appreciated for your guidance and tips, hints since am reluctant to walk into ebike shop since with limited knowledge am at the mercy of the technician, the ones here in Leicester they do not specialise on german ebike brands.

Kind regards

Kamran

 

[JohnCade]

It would help to know what bike it is. You can probably find a manual for it online which will have a section dealing with fault codes and flashing lights, and what they mean.

Is the wheel magnet in place at at the right distance for instance? If it’s got too big a gap or has slipped that causes lights to flash on some.

 

[trex]

John, He's bought a 2013 Wisper 905 classic.
It seems to me that he's got problem with the battery.
Expensive buy. Best thing he can do is asking the vendor to take it back.

 

[JohnCade]

Yes, must have skimmed the beginning. If he is a true gentlemen he should do something for him since it’s only been a week and it’s got problems…..

 

[Chris Johnstone]

John, He's bought a 2013 Wisper 905 classic.
It seems to me that he's got problem with the battery.
Expensive buy. Best thing he can do is asking the vendor to take it back.

You could have trouble I purchased a German bike which has a battery unique to that manufacturer. Ie not the Bosch battery. The battery failed on the seventh day. When the supplier admitted that this was a known problem I tried to return the bike. The supplier was very rude and eventually I had to pay the supplier £300 to take the bike back. Moral: buy from a local supplier. I did this and had fabulous and the (Bosch) battery is still going strong after a year of continuous use. I would recomend a bike with the Bosch system.

 

[trex]

Moral: buy from a local supplier.

the OP's problem is guarantee. A replacement 16AH Wisper battery costs £544
http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/Item/Electric_Bike_Batteries/Wisper_Battery/Wisper_Battery_36V_Li-Ion__-_16Ah.aspx
Can he afford a new battery? The model is also withdrawn, affecting resale value in a year or two.

 

[Kamran]

I have sent him a test message just now explaining my dilemma, and asking him if he has receipt or proof or purchase from the shop he bought it in Bristol
since the bike is only 15 months old so the battery technically has 9 months warranty left.

I told him about the price of the new battery £595.00

http://www.powashop.co.uk/spares_accessories.php#batteries


I told I simply don't have the money, only bought 2nd hand to save money .

Also if he can provide contact detail of the shop in Bristol, so I could contact
them and maybe send battery for a diagnostic or take the bike for service/repair.

I left the battery last night to fully charge, checked 10 min ago all the lights on the battery all go green, I reckon its a connections problem.

but am not a expert, I still get the red flashing light on the controller on the handle bar.

The weird thing is yesterday morning I set off to train station it worked fine, then on return journey to tennis club no problem. After the game when I came to leave, problem occurred, only if some knocked the bike or something but the bike was locked so I don't know.

 

[trex]

you've done the right thing.
If the history of the bike is correct, then you still have 9 months left on the original 24 months. Wisper brand is now handled by Amps. They may still have the guarantee registration details and should honor the guarantee even if you don't get any joy out of the Bristol retailer. It may be worth your while contacting Amps directly for help with diagnosis.
Amps is a member of the forum, that is a good guarantee in itself.
http://amps.bike/

 

[Kamran]

He has replied being very sorry simply can not believe this has happened one week after selling it, spoke to him on the phone, he mentioned once before he attended a festival and the bike got completely drenched since it rained for 36 hours, afterwards the RED LIGHT on the controller flashed exactly the problem I am having, he called up the shop he bought it from and technician told him probably got water in one of the connection just let dry out naturally.

all I could think to that, is over the weekend I built a wooden shed from scrap wood found around the house then, covered with a old motorhome tent, on Monday night it was raining hard and Tuesday morning my bike was sitting in a puddle of water. Since then I got heavy polythene sheet from Homebase to make it waterproof, since then it has stayed warm and free of water and damp.

 

[Kamran]

Just texted me when he return home he will dig out old receipts of the bike, till then he will call the technician at the shop he bought it from, to see what advice he give since they know each other very well.

But what I don't understand isn't the wiring meant to be waterproof ???
then am in the wrong country

 

[trex]

your bike turned off to protect itself. The fault can come from a number of sources. From your report, after recharging to full, the bike works long enough for you to ride a few miles before turning itself off, pointing to either battery or controller. I think it's more likely your battery because the previous owner did not use it much in 15 months. Batteries need to be used, long storage time causes the cells to get out of balance. When that happens, you get the symptoms as you described.

 

[Kamran]

I contacted amp bikes in London, they said bring inside and stick it next to a radiator for 24-36 hours that should do the trick. so am gonna leave wisper on its own for the next 48 hours, its a waiting game and see what happens.

 

[Kamran]

so one question as " Trex " you are a star right now, can the battery meter on the battery itself be faulty, meaning the all lights show green, but in actual fact, the battery is not fully charged?

 

[trex]

the light on the charger goes green when the voltage rises to 42V. You can read on the label of the charger something like 'output 42V 2A'. Your battery is made of 10 blocks, each will charge to 4.2V when full. The problem is, the battery management system (BMS) runs off one of the 10 blocks, that block is depleted faster than the other 9. The block that feeds the BMS over the months of inactivity tends to grow dendrites on the electrodes' surface because the current that goes through their electrodes is too small to flush the dendrites. That block will appear to have a reduced capacity when you recharge your battery.
The fix is usually unplugging the balance wires, the technician will locate the bad block and manually discharge that block with a current about 2A and recharge it to the same voltage as the other 9 then reconnect the balance wires.

 

[Kamran]

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that was the most detailed, accurate response, I did not get expect this greatly appreciated thank you for giving such big insight to internal structure of this type of batteries and how they operate internally.

 

[Kamran]

I been advised to open the small plate under the pedals where all the wires and stick a heater near it, and let it dry out, I leave it to dry fully over night, and see if the battery functions properly tomo morning, in the mean time I have contacted fosse electric bike, in Leicester who sell and service wisper bikes, ( feel relieved ) explain the problem and solutions that I have been offered by the seller and his bike technician.

 

[Kamran]

I truly believe that from every bad thing a good thing comes out, this caused
me to take care much more greatly from now on, till now I just looked at it as a Bike, not truly appreciating that if it offers great comfort and convenience over an ordinary bike then I should give it more detailed attention.

The seller mentioned he kept it in a heated garage always, and charged it once a week, he also mentioned if ever I plan to not use the bike for more than 4 weeks I should press the switch on the charger from 42v to 39v.

 

[Kamran]

Man you guys Rrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooocccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

 

[Kamran]

ok I contacted fosse electric bikes in wisper who also sell brand new Wisper ebikes, and explained my situation this is how they replied to me

(((
Kamran,

Thanks for getting in touch with us again. I am really sorry but unfortunately we are not in a position to help you out with your problem. As a company we have made the decision not to service or repair any bike which have not been purchased from ourselves as we would be swamped with second hand bikes to sort out problems on. My advise would be to contact the shop direct where the ebike was originally purchased from as they maybe able to help you.

All the best

So basically because I haven't coughed up £1700 am not entitled to a service.


So I called Amps bikes in London and told them, how fosse electric have replied to me, they called fosse electric bike and advised them not to refuse my request.

Dave Mial sent me an email this evening saying " they should call you ",
till 6pm I didn't hear from them.

 

[Kamran]

Meanwhile I opened the box under the pedal, place a heater near by and let the wires and connections to dry out,

After 8 hours there was 1 one sign of progress, when I pressed the PLUS button on the control the red light plus the 3 green lights came on and stayed like that without flashing, then press the + button again to increase power level one by one that is when it all 6 level started flashing in RED.