reggie_electric

I am also having problems with a Error 503 on my KTM Macina Tour (2017). It happened once on New Year's Eve but after reading these posts I was able to sort it and it started working after I moved the sensor. However, it may have been a coincidence as I have had the error again today and couldn't resolve it myself. I took it to a local bosch service centre earlier and they said it's also got a 500 error. They also tried moving the sensor without any improvement, and are going to investigate more on Monday - but not good to have such gremlins! Off the road again for a few days which is really inconvenient.

I did something very similar last winter - wet stuff turned to black stuff. I also hit the side of my helmeted head as the bike went over so quickly. Now I will lower tyre pressures and saddle, and have some winter tyres to put on too. Plus you can get Endura pants with padded hips. This was in 4 degrees but in sheltered areas e.g. between trees and hedges with no sun it can still be icy. I hope you fully recover soon! (see about 55secs in) :

I've just got myself a 2017 KTM Macina Tour (to replace a dud Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse). I couldn't find much chat about them online before I bought it, so any questions please ask. Although it is the 2017, they seem to have made very minor changes with the 2018 model. I'm 5'10 and this is the large size, which fits very well and still feels 'compact' and corners sharply. It is excellent up hills (better than the Impulse) but is slightly more bobbly around the top end 15-16mph mark (i.e. the speed moves around that mark rather than sitting dead on it as with the Impulse). It is also not as noisy as online videos make out - I would say it is a high quality reassuringly technological electronic whirring sound. The front suspension is great and the seat post suspension is also working well. It's my first time with disc brakes - I still don't see a great advantage - and also first time with a derailleur on an ebike. I'd have preferred another hub geared bike but a) the torque is reduced by Bosch for hub geared models b) I still don't trust innovations like Nuvinci. Videos you see online of derailleur changes on ebikes always sound very painful, but it's not quite as bad in practice. 10 gears is probably one too many (I can't see a use for the highest gear) and with four modes, that is also probably one too many. Tour mode is good for the commute, with Turbo for hills. I don't see the point of the mode in between which is 'Sport', and I think you'd only use the Economy mode if you were running low on battery and needed to get home. I forgot to put the battery back on it the other day, and tried it under my own steam, it was pretty easy to ride. The motor power level display part of trees handlebar display is quite small, and the push buttons to change mode don't light up in the dark as with the previous Agattu. The pedals are nice and tight to the frame (I found my feet were very wide apart with the Impulse) but that creates a problem as the chain stays are very splayed out, so I'm catching my heel on them when I pedal. I'm sure I'll get used to avoiding this, if not, I'll see if different medals work better. All the ancillaries - lights, mudguards, saddle, handlebars, rack, stand etc - all seem great so far.

Hi, yes these were all brand new motors.

Sorry to hear of the Integrale failure. I was interested in them when I bought my Agattu 2 years ago. I have had three motor failures in two years, and am currently getting the whole bike replaced thanks to an understanding (and probably very poor, German) dealer. I probably will be going with a KTM Macina with Bosch performance line, and hope for more luck. Thanks to this forum for giving weight and credence to the issue of systemic failures rather than one off events. My failure rate was around: Motor 1 - 800 miles (clicking, grinding) Motor 2 - 2300 miles (quacking, vibrations) Motor 3 (2017 spec) - 150 miles (yes, only lasted a few days before quacking, cricketing, vibrations and loss of power). Although my bike might seem to have done high miles, it's half the miles it would have done with a 17 mile round commute everyday if it hadn't been off the road with problems for half its life. It's probably paid for itself even so, but every day it's not able to be used costs me another £5 on the bus. I have also paid some postage and fitting costs which I probably needn't have during motor replacements. I finally had enough. The bikes are wonderful things out of the box, but for some users time is not being kind on the engine front.

Hi templogin, can you please share the motor type you have on the e-horizon? I'm interested in that bike but live in a hilly city so it would be good to get some real life performance thoughts.

Very interesting interview with Bosch on current motor range, including some internal motor views and thoughts about dual battery systems. USA market focus but insights applicable to Europe.

I'm also a bit decisive about the Bosch motors. I'm replacing a Kalkhoff - reasons eluded to in other posts above - which had good power while it lasted. I live in Edinburgh which is a hilly place even on road, so the CX seems like an obvious choice. But many of the 2018 models have the less well powered active line. I really don't want to experiment with other in house or unproven motors given the motor reliability experiences with my first ebike. I'm also reading some issues with water corrosion with the cx control systems - Edinburgh is also very wet!

And/or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re72di5phM0

1st sentence - "not pedalling" (!)

Does anyone's chain keep going round when they are pedalling? I'm noticing it happen with my new motor, either it doesn't have much resistance itself or the hub gear is tightening up. I had noticed it now and again but confirmed my suspicion today when taking a rearward facing video. The bike is getting noisy again, and I'm trying to work out if it's the hub or the motor - it's difficult to tell from up high on the saddle. It sounds like something like the chain is 'railing' but not sure what it is. I've checked the hub gears are adjusted correctly with the yellow markers, which they are. I'm wondering what's causing the chain to go round and round while I'm not pedalling. I can't find the answer anywhere apart from one you tube video suggesting the hub gear is worn out.

Doesn't the instruction manual encourage you to keep the bike in a high gear to get the power to go up hills? There requiring full power? If so it's an unusual way to ride a bike as normally you'd wind down to a low gear and spin a lot on a non e-bike. I don't think there should be ways you can 'break' the bike, if it's tested and developed properly. Like you say, it's difficult if things go wrong as most of us don't live next to an authorised dealer.

My Agattu is a 2016 model which I got very early but as has been pointed out, the same as the earlier models in terms of the Impulse 2 motor. I considered the Evo models but couldn't afford the price tag, having already blown my initial budget, and actually didn't want to run the risk of something very desirable getting nicked. The Agattu is more workmanlike than sleek. I bought my bike as it was marketed as a commuter bike, which implies regular use. I use it everyday 9 miles each way, and as I live in Edinburgh it gets its fair share of hills. I ride it sensibly in terms of gear selection, use of power and loads. I will monitor closely if my new second motor lasts, luckily I am using it enough so that it gets to a high enough mileage within the warranty period for any failings to occur while they're still covered. Like someone else said, there are a lot of ebikes on the market but some just won't have the same power. But reliability and peace of mind is needed too.

It was an import ... I'm just glad to get it back and a couple of hundred miles later it's still working.

I had the motor on my 6 month Kalkhoff Agattu replaced under warranty. Just got it back, the new motor is working fine but I'll keep an eye on it. It's slightly taken the shine off worry-free 'motoring'. The motor was replaced under warranty, but with postage to the nearest UK dealer and labour it ended up costing me £130, so I need to do a lot of pedalling to recoup the cost.