RIGHT! IT'S SORTED! Found a dry solder connection on the main fuse of the battery. This was the obvious culprit all along. If it wasn't for me stripping down the battery pack, and then noticing many sparks, it would have remained a complete and utter mystery.

 

I have now found a problem with one of the micro switches on the brakes, but after further examination it appears that it is only a broken wire, which I am hoping to sort tomorrow?

 

I would like to thank you all for your kind help, advice and a great deal of patience. If it wasn't for this forum, and the knowledge of it's members, my 'Little Black Beast' would have ended up at the local tip before now!

 

THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...! THANK YOU...!

Just glad your sorted as I was in the same boat few weeks ago. It can be very frustrating.

 

Alot oh peeps will have learned from this post myself included. Spose thats what the forum is all about.

 

Have fun.

Brilliant!

Well done, glad you got there in the end

A golden lesson for us all. A voltage reading on its own is not a reliable indication that a battery is capable of supplying enough current to drive a motor, or any substantial load. Note that in this case, the battery could not supply enough current to light the LED display! A voltmeter, being a very high resistance device, draws only a microscopic amount of current. Every ebike rider should own a dummy load in the form of a string of headlamp bulbs. Years ago, I had an old Bedford van . Every now and then, the engine would cut out. A quick multimeter test showed 12 volts at the distributor, but there was no spark. after a few minutes, the fault would disappear. One day, the fault occured when I had left my meter at home , so I had to use a test lamp . No power at the distributor . Close scrutiny revealed a damaged wire from the ignition switch to the distributor . There was damaged insulation, and green corrosion. New wire, problem solved.

A good result and difficult but valuable learning experience...well done.