impulse 2 motor, less power

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
Hi. I have a 2015 Kalkoff Dover Impulse XXL. I had 2 replacements of the motor and after over a year of trouble I just got my gear fixed. The trouble is having less power on the hills. The motor seems fine for a while and then it looses its power. I can not seem to use up the battery eighter. The seller will not touch it and I want to know if anyone else has this problem and if there is any way to check the motor to see if it gives the right help/power.

Thank you.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: LeighPing

nemesis

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 14, 2011
521
343
Mine was the same,i also had less power when the motor was changed.The reason is that the software was changed to help the motor so it wouldn`t go bang.I sold it and built my own bike with the Bafang BBSHD.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LeighPing

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
Mine was the same,i also had less power when the motor was changed.The reason is that the software was changed to help the motor so it wouldn`t go bang.I sold it and built my own bike with the Bafang BBSHD.
You also had "trouble" using up the battery?
 

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
Yes it wasn`t consuming as much power.
I want to sell mine too as I am fed up! But I also don't want to sell it with faults and give someone else a problem. I want the manufacturer to take responsibility. Its a very expensive bike!
 

nemesis

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 14, 2011
521
343
I want to sell mine too as I am fed up! But I also don't want to sell it with faults and give someone else a problem. I want the manufacturer to take responsibility. Its a very expensive bike!
I had to sell mine at a big loss and the buyer took a chance.
 

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
How can I objectively assess the poweoutput of the motor and if the battery is being used sufficient?
 

danielrlee

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 27, 2012
1,349
692
Westbury, Wiltshire
torquetech.co.uk
The answer has already been provided in the first reply. When your motor was replaced, a lower power limit was programmed at the same time to decrease the likelihood of it failing again. IMO, this is a completely underhand move and one that would drive me to obtain a refund, since the bike is is no longer the same spec as when purchased.

Your battery is now lasting longer since it is now being asked to deliver less power than before. It is impossible to compare with how it was operating before though, as you have no figures to compare with previously.
 

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
Tank you danielrlee. I just need some way of proving that point. Would a retailer measure it?
 

danielrlee

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 27, 2012
1,349
692
Westbury, Wiltshire
torquetech.co.uk
Tank you danielrlee. I just need some way of proving that point. Would a retailer measure it?
Which retailer? The one you purchased it from and who carried out the repair? They didn't need to measure it. They just keyed in a new number and reprogrammed it.
 

Hege

Finding my (electric) wheels
Dec 8, 2017
8
1
55
Norway
Not my first language, so sorry for confusion. The retailer did the last repair with the nuvinchi gears that made the problem more noticeable. The importer changed the motor this summer. None of them want to look at the bike so I need someone else to do an objective test and I do not know what to ask to be done. I need a documentation so my I can ask to get a refund and give the bike back.
 

danielrlee

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 27, 2012
1,349
692
Westbury, Wiltshire
torquetech.co.uk
Apologies, my knowledge on the matter of this bike ends there. I know that there have been a lot of issues with the Impulse 2 motor, which you can read more about in the following thread:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/24290/

I'm sure somebody else will be along to advise you on the specific current limiting issue you are experiencing.
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
You need special Kalkhoff equipment to find out what current has been programmed. Only Kalkhoff dealers would have that, and I doubt any of them would tell you what's been done - and I doubt that they even know what the parameters are in the new software version. They just plug in and load a new software version.

The only way you can find out is to remove the motor to get access to the battery wires. You'd then have to adapt them and put a wattmeter between the battery and motor.

If you have good fabrication skills, you could make an adapter so that you could mount your battery remotely temporarily, say on a rack, while you measure the current down the wires with a wattmeter. Basically, you need something that at one end will fit onto the pins sticking up out of your bike and at the other end some pins that fit into the battery.

I don't believe that you need any of this. I think it should be enough to say that you reject the bike as it now is because it has insufficient power for your needs, it has significantly less power than when you bought it and you bought it on the basis of its high torque, which it doesn't have anymore. Anybody should be able to understand that.
 

ttxela

Pedelecer
Jan 3, 2017
118
66
52
Cambridgeshire
I don't suppose there is any such thing as a dyno small enough to take an electric bike? I guess it would be difficult anyway to measure the power the motor is putting in if you can only do pedal assist?
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,345
6,344
I don't suppose there is any such thing as a dyno small enough to take an electric bike? I guess it would be difficult anyway to measure the power the motor is putting in if you can only do pedal assist?
 
  • Agree
Reactions: ttxela