Got my wisper!

[frank9755]

My own personal experience, which is a fraction of Flecc's, is that my old non-electric bike has a 7-speed freewheel and has served me well for several thousand miles. I recently changed the freewheel and chain due to wear, not any other failure. I've also not had any issues with the 7-speed on the Wisper.

Having said that I can see that a 6-speed would be that bit stronger, so if your 7-speed does bend you might try a 6. Otherwise another 7 should be fine.

 

[flecc]

In fact my personal experience has been the same as Frank's, I've never had a failure of a multi freewheel on my own bikes. But these failures were a fairly common feature of them on normal bikes when they were more commonplace, usually the bearing breaking up.
.

 

[eddieo]

May I ask again...

Is it possible to turn of the throttle control so wisper just works in pedelec mode?

As my wife is having trouble controlling the bike, and this would be a safer proposition for the moment

just realised I had a PM from dicky Wisper.....

Hi Eddieo,

it would be useful to switch of throttle and use purely as a pedelec...Is this not possible on a wisper?

---Yes, it's possible. You may disconnect the "yellow,black,red" socket from the throttle, you can find this socket when you open the controller box cover.

Best regards,

Dick

 

[ElephantsGerald]

Is it possible to turn of the throttle control so wisper just works in pedelec mode?

As my wife is having trouble controlling the bike, and this would be a safer proposition for the moment

Not without messing about with the wiring inside the controller. Is she twisting the throttle unintentionally then?

Regards,

Elephants

 

[eddieo]

Not without messing about with the wiring inside the controller. Is she twisting the throttle unintentionally then?

Regards,

Elephants

Yes she is! and losing control....she was not impressed. Even though she rode the bike beautifully, flying up local hills. I don't want to put her of before she starts.

when I buy her a step through I will make sure throttle can be easily disconnected

 

[frank9755]

Eddie,

The original Wisper 905se had a switch to turn the throttle off, but Wisper got rid of it as everyone (including me) gave them feedback that three switches was too complicated.

A low tech solution would be to tape the throttle shut.

 

[seeker]

Throttle affects pedelec power

Hi Guys,

Has anyone else noticed this? In restricted mode using throttle only I feel I am getting far less than 15mph. If, in restricted mode, I slowly pedal while on full throttle I can feel a definate power increase from the motor NOT from my pedalling. In unrestricted mode it seems to perform to spec.

Therefore, if this is the norm, then wouldn't disconnecting or taping shut the throttle bar handicap the speed of the Wisper?

Regards,

Seeker.

 

[eddieo]

weird.......

my battery has no lock, it just slides in and out. In brochure it shows battery secured by a second key.

Seems a little odd that probably the most expensive component is not locked....

I have secured it through the handle, around the frame and through the seat with a cable lock.

the electric transport shop want £15 for "the" lock. did your wispers come with a battery lock as standard??

 

[Mussels]

the electric transport shop want £15 for "the" lock. did your wispers come with a battery lock as standard??

Yes and the same key fits both locks - the one in the battery and the one on the frame to hold the battery.

 

[seeker]

Yes and the same key fits both locks - the one in the battery and the one on the frame to hold the battery.

Same here. It was one of the features shown to me when I test rode the bike. Got mine at the end of July. If you got yours in the same batch you should have a word! Personally I'd be making a bit of a fuss.
Even with the lock, I still also put a chain through the handle of the battery though.

Regards

Seeker.

 

[ElephantsGerald]

my battery has no lock, it just slides in and out. In brochure it shows battery secured by a second key.

Seems a little odd that probably the most expensive component is not locked....

I have secured it through the handle, around the frame and through the seat with a cable lock.

the electric transport shop want £15 for "the" lock. did your wispers come with a battery lock as standard??

My bike came without a battery lock.

Doug and Dave @ Wisper send me one in the post as soon as I told them about this, but the key that came with the lock doesn't fit my battery (and vice versa).

Regards,

Elephants

 

[Phil the drill]

Hi Guys,

Has anyone else noticed this? In restricted mode using throttle only I feel I am getting far less than 15mph. If, in restricted mode, I slowly pedal while on full throttle I can feel a definate power increase from the motor NOT from my pedalling. In unrestricted mode it seems to perform to spec.

Therefore, if this is the norm, then wouldn't disconnecting or taping shut the throttle bar handicap the speed of the Wisper?

Regards,

Seeker.

Hi Seeker

Yes it would!!
The Wisper 905se is not at it's best in pedelec only mode. Many people on this forum have reported (including myself) that it seems to 'fizzle out' at around 13mph, well short of the 15.5mph legally possible. In order to get assistance at higher speeds you have to use the throttle. Shame I think, I've asked David if there is a fix for this, but to date have not heard of any. I'm hopeful though.

Cheers, Phil

 

[Blew it]

I suspect this is a hangover from previous revision levels of the 905. Before the upgrade to a 52 tooth chainwheel, the 905 was fitted with a 46 tooth. The firmware in the controller is probably still set for the higher crank speed which resulted from this smaller chainwheel. Perhaps when upgrading the 905 to a 52 tooth, the firmware was not re-written.

when climbing a gentle upslope, dropping into 6th gear will increase the crank speed and the assist will then be there up to 15 MPH. If you are not comfortable with spinning in this way, then of course, you will have to zap the turbo on and use the throttle instead. Personally, I find spinning much easier on the quads, as the lactic doesn't build up as badly as it does when slugging it out in 7th.

To give an example of how this also effects the range. On sunday, I popped out for an 18 mile ride using the above technique of dropping into 6th gear more often. At the end of the ride, with an average speed of 12.2 MPH, I still had all three LED's lit, and never once had to de-restrict the machine.

Hopefully, the next revision level will have the firmware re-written to allow for the lower crank speed of the 52 tooth chainwheel now fitted.

Regards

Bob

 

[frank9755]

That's one possible explanation, Bob.

I'd tried to find out if there was a way to fix this in the past, but not got anywhere. I'd come to the conclusion that Wisper pedelec didn't deliver full power because it is an all or nothing system and delivering full power from a standing start would be too sharp an acceleration. A similar concern apparently led Ezee to abandon true pedelec on their bikes and have a mode (which few people use) where the bike only gives power when pedalled but the level of power is controlled by the throttle.

Whatever the reason, it would be nice to be able to get full power from the pedelec setting.

 

[Blew it]

Frank, Yes I agree, it's very annoying when negotiating crowded cycle lanes, to find the machine surges forward resulting in using the brakes to check the speed. And of course, I am constantly aware of the waste of power this causes.

Just goes to show how each individual machine requires it's own riding technique to get the best from them.

Cheers

Bob

 

[the_killjoy]

It has taken some time for me to get the best of the bike and I too have discovered that it is definately better to keep dropping a gear to keep the pedals spinning. I seem to be changing down more than when I was just cycling on my old bike. Mind you I do get up the hills a lot quicker than I used to on the old bike.

There definately seems to be a 'sweet spot' in terms of cadance as far as performance is concerned.

At the weekend I went round some old lanes I hadn't been round in 40 years and it was a joy, and boy did I have a big grin on.

 

[Mussels]

I suspect this is a hangover from previous revision levels of the 905. Before the upgrade to a 52 tooth chainwheel, the 905 was fitted with a 46 tooth. The firmware in the controller is probably still set for the higher crank speed which resulted from this smaller chainwheel. Perhaps when upgrading the 905 to a 52 tooth, the firmware was not re-written.

when climbing a gentle upslope, dropping into 6th gear will increase the crank speed and the assist will then be there up to 15 MPH. If you are not comfortable with spinning in this way, then of course, you will have to zap the turbo on and use the throttle instead. Personally, I find spinning much easier on the quads, as the lactic doesn't build up as badly as it does when slugging it out in 7th.

To give an example of how this also effects the range. On sunday, I popped out for an 18 mile ride using the above technique of dropping into 6th gear more often. At the end of the ride, with an average speed of 12.2 MPH, I still had all three LED's lit, and never once had to de-restrict the machine.

Hopefully, the next revision level will have the firmware re-written to allow for the lower crank speed of the 52 tooth chainwheel now fitted.

Regards

Bob

If the crank size is increased the the cadence required for a given speed is decreased therefore this change would have had the opposite effect and increased the assist speed.
I agree with spinning, it took a bit of convincing but I find keeping cadence above 60 makes riding a much better experience with less aches and pains. I'm glad I didn't buy a bike with a Panasonic motor as I'd have found it next to useless.

Frank, Yes I agree, it's very annoying when negotiating crowded cycle lanes, to find the machine surges forward resulting in using the brakes to check the speed. And of course, I am constantly aware of the waste of power this causes.

Just goes to show how each individual machine requires it's own riding technique to get the best from them.

Cheers

Bob

I find in slow places such as that it's just easier to turn off the power assist and use the correct gear, shame that's not very easy with the Megarange.

 

[eddieo]

bike alarm

The "chaparone" bike alarm arrived today. Surprised how big it is, it also seems very robust with strong fittings. will fit later if I get a chance......

 

[Phil the drill]

I agree with the above posts about the Wisper pedelec power delivery. However spinning faster in a lower gear doesn't appear to increase the speed at which you get any motor assistance. I agree that its nicer to pedal like like this, but I would like to be able to exploit it's full potential in pedelec mode, without having to give it a nudge with the throttle. Long inclines with the wind in your face could be soooooo much more satisfying if this were the case - as you will notice if do it the 'manual' way - twisting the throttle and giving it welly on the pedals. This technique is tiresome on the wrists, hence my preference for a well set up pedelec mode.
As standard I find that top gear is virtually non-existent in pedelec mode. Pity, the power's there and after all, if we were all about doing things the hard way we wouldn't have bought an electric bike at all, would we?

Phil

 

[frank9755]

It's a shame that the Wisper pedelec doesn't quite deliver. I also hate holding a throttle open for more than a short burst.

It's a far simpler system than, say those on the Panasonic powered bikes, having just one power level while they have software regulating the power.

One of the Ezee bikes launched last year had a device which was much maligned at the time (partly because it was said to look like a browning level knob from a 1970s toaster!) but which now seems a good idea. It was a switch which gave about 6 settings for level of pedelec assistance. I don't think you need six, but two would be good, or even three. Definately an idea for the next generation of Wisper's or (David, if you're reading!) as a retro-fit add-on for current owners.