Kalkhoff woes, need help.

[Spinalot]

I have a Kalkhoff Agatu 2012 model (impulse one motor) and it has given up the ghost. It started on a ride, a loud noise and vibration coming from the motor housing. Then on a trip to the shops loads of knocking and a grinding noise started. So I had to stop and push the bike home.
I rang 50cycles and it turns out I am out of warranty (which I already guessed it would be) and the motor is not a serviceable part so because they can't get parts it means a new motor is needed at a cost of £600. I am frankly disgusted. I have cycled probably 2 to 3 thousand miles and the motor is broken and I am left to pick up the bill. It seems I have little choice.
I am not mechanically skilled so am hoping too much to think I could fix it myself? Does anyone have any knowledge of fixing impulse drives? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[flecc]

I have a Kalkhoff Agatu 2012 model (impulse one motor) and it has given up the ghost. It started on a ride, a loud noise and vibration coming from the motor housing. Then on a trip to the shops loads of knocking and a grinding noise started. So I had to stop and push the bike home.
I rang 50cycles and it turns out I am out of warranty (which I already guessed it would be) and the motor is not a serviceable part so because they can't get parts it means a new motor is needed at a cost of £600. I am frankly disgusted. I have cycled probably 2 to 3 thousand miles and the motor is broken and I am left to pick up the bill. It seems I have little choice.
I am not mechanically skilled so am hoping too much to think I could fix it myself? Does anyone have any knowledge of fixing impulse drives? Any advice would be appreciated.

It's likely to be the internal gears breaking up, so with no spares available little chance of a successful repair.

This sort of non-repair thing is common with crank drive units. They are intended to be reliable for a sensible life, but inevitably there's always the odd one that fails early. The price of around £500 to £600 is typical for one.

Panasonic have also never made any spares available for their units, but with lots of them around and the early faults differing, I set up a repair advice site for them, enabling repairs using parts from other scrapped units. That's saved a number of Giant Lafree models from premature scrapping.

I doubt there's enough scrapped Kalhoff Impulse 1 units around to be able to do the same or find anyone in Britain who's stripped down one, yours is the first I've heard of with this fault. There has been gear trouble with the later more powerful Impulse 2, but they've generally been within warranty and I've only seen a photo of the damaged gear in one.

However, it's worth removing and stripping yours, if only to know exactly what has happened. With luck you might at some time find someone with a failed Impulse 1 with an electrical fault, enabling you to pick up the unit and make use of it's gears.
.

 

[soundwave]

http://www.pedelecforum.de/forum/index.php?threads/aus-1-mach-2-jetzt-impulse-1-motor-gegen-impulse-2-austauschen.31405/

 

[soundwave]

its 180 euro to have it fixed. send email to ulli here http://www.pro-cycling-golla.de/

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Check this link once a week. there's always a chance a used motor might turn up:

http://www.ebay.de/sch/Fahrradteile-komponenten-/57262/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=kalkhoff+impulse

 

[Spinalot]

Thanks for all the links. Problem with them all is they are German. I am from the uk

 

[soundwave]

no uk dealer will help you get the motor fixed so you either send it to germany to be fixed or buy a new motor.

email pcg and see what they say all you will have to do is remove the motor and post it to them.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Thanks for all the links. Problem with them all is they are German. I am from the uk

Germany is in the EU too it isn't like buying from China. Oh right... I forgot...

 

[tillson]

Here is a new Impulse 2 motor for sale for £480. A 350 Watt S version costs about £20 more.

http://www.pro-cycling-golla.de/Motor_und_Zubehoer/250W_Freilauf_artikel56ba226b06129.html

Check it will fit and the handlebar controller + battery are compatible if you decide to buy. The bolt pattern should be the same and he sells controllers if you need one.

Personally, I'd be all over 50C for this. The service life you've had from that bike is not acceptable, given the cost. There is a design flaw with that Impulse motor, they know it and Kalkhoff know it. Too many are failing and it should not be the customer who suffers.

Edit Didn't see sound wave had already linked to PCG

 

[flecc]

I'd be wary of changing to an Impulse 2 though, since a number of them have been chewing up their gears. There's a new Impulse Evo replacing it now, and most Impulse 1 units have been perfectly ok.
.

 

[Tomtomato]

I have cycled probably 2 to 3 thousand miles and the motor is broken and I am left to pick up the bill.

Go back to 50 Cycles and state the Sales of Good Act/Consumer Right Act.

Basically, those state that products should be fit for purpose, regardless of warranty period.

As a very expensive electric bike is supposed to last a lot longer than 3,000 miles (assuming it's in good condition, and was well maintained), they will have to fix it for free, else it wouldn't be of "appropriate quality" of "fit for purpose".

If they don't, then let them fix it first, pay for it, and then raise a small claim/money claim to get the repair cost back (it takes 10 minutes to raise such claim online).

I very much doubt they will actually want such claim to go to court (but you can represent yourself if it does), so likely to settle by return.