Repost from Kalkhoff battery thread, probably more appropriate here...
I have to say that I am becoming a but less impressed with Kalkhoff bikes lately, having been a keen advocate of some excellent bikes. We bought a Tasman recently as a reserve for y wife's ProConnect when it gets beyond it's time (hopeful a good while yet).
Our original Panasonic motored bikes, two ProConnects and ProConnect S have been practically faultless, over a total of near on 30,000 miles split between the three bikes and still. On original batteries.. The bikes always attract attention when we are out, with really good proper paint jobs as opposed to cheap plastic decal and sticky-on aluminium K as badging on the Tasman. The old bikes are head-turners. We get into many conversations and have always extolled the benefits of both pedelecs and Kalkhoffs in particular. Given early experience of, and some reports on this site, my confidence in recommending the latest brood of Kalkhoffs has been coloured. I shall be offering caution in recommending the latest bikes, and will advise that finding a little-used older Panasonic model a better option, particularly for novice pedelecers.
Some of the development of the Kalkhoff brand had been just for development's sake. I think the build quality is poorer, The decals are cheap, the battery suspect, and other niggling issues. It is poor that I have to make a 180 mile round trip to Shoreham, to have the software altered because the wheel size is incorrectly set to 28" instead of 26" of my wife' model. It has to be reset, because itincorrectly reduces by more than 5% the assist speed, and overestimates the distance travelled. This should be sorted by Quality Control at Kalkhoff, or even better, a proper Quality Check by 50cycles, BEFORE sending the bikes out. The pre delivery check at best looks cursory. We have conflicting advice from 50cycles as to whether the battery terminals should float (be loose) in the battery compartment.