Help/advice please, Raleigh impulse testrad (Kalkoff?)

[silversurfer]

Hi, approx. 3 months ago, with Flecc’s advice and Jimmy the battery specialist re-celling my battery I finally have my Ezee Torque mk 1 back into action after 6 years in ‘sleep mode’ (the bike not me!)
My wife now wants to try ebike,ing.... (We are in our 70s but can still pedal a bit, with help). I spotted a Raleigh Impulse ‘Testrad’? Step through, virtually new, with keys (‘pips’ still on tyres) Looks like a Kalkoff Impulse?
8 speed shimano hub gears, front hub dynamo, hydraulic brakes, telescopic forks, 28” tyres. It was being sold at our local charity warehouse (they get a lot of ex. Catalogue returns). And so, for a couple of hundred £ it was mine....wow!
BUT, it was missing battery and charger! The battery slots behind seat down tube (as Torque) but has 5 pin contacts. And before I spend £300+? on a battery and charger, I would like to check the bike is functional (I read on internet similar bikes 2016? had a crank motor model 2? that failed/were recalled.
Any advice/guidance would be gratefully received, I have the frame no. serial/PN nos. + photos, If it helps, the bike has a supplier sticker address in Cloppenburg, Germany!
Have I bought a lemon....Silversurfer.

 

[wheeliepete]

I think your best bet is to maybe try and find a friendly local Kalkhoff dealer who would be willing to try a battery on your bike. It looks like some of their models are still fitted with that style of battery. As for the motor, there is quite a long thread on the Impulse 2, worth a read before parting with any more money.

 

[silversurfer]

[
Thanks for advice, not sure where to find posts on Impulse 2? been through 10 pages on the batteries/motors section... need to find how to do a search! Oh, i have a digital meter if it is poss to check for continuity. Probably not possible to temp. wire up my 2 pin 36 V Torque battery to the 5 pin? as I do not know pin config and I guess there is no link to the handlebar selector or crank motion sensor?

Think I need to refit the bike rack to the car !
silversurfer

 

[wheeliepete]

Here's a link to the thread, it's a long one...
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/ongoing-reliability-of-kalkhoff-focus-impulse-2-motors.24290/
I'm not certain you have this motor, it could be the earlier version, which I think was more reliable. You could try exposing the underside of the battery connection and see how many wires are attached. Because it's a 5 pin connector it suggests there are communication wires as well as the positive/negative battery connections, in which case an ordinary battery will not operate the bike, but this may not be the case. Unfortunately I don't have any knowledge of the Impulse system, but others that do may come along to advise.

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks for advice, no idea which version I have? bought 2 months ago, but it may have been in the warehouse for months? frame no. D2EBD 500+1 made by Derby Cycles, Germany. How it became separated from it's battery/charger is a mystery. No markings on mat black motor, looks like a trip to a Kalkhoff dealer?
silversurfer

 

[wheeliepete]

Some photos of bike/motor might help someone identify it.

 

[silversurfer]

Some photos of bike/motor might help someone identify it.

I took a few in my garage, bit dim but might help, motor pic is from underside view...it mat be missing a square central speed/computer, however there are no surplus wires to feed this? I just see one in internet pics on similar bike?

 

[wheeliepete]

Well, it certainly very clean, but sadly that dosn't mean it works. Here's email for Derby Cycles, contact them with frame no. and they should be able to tell you which model of motor you have in your bike.

service.endkunden@derby-cycle.com

If it looks like the display is also missing, I would think very carefully before investing more money on it. On the plus side you should get your money back selling it on ebay.

 

[wheeliepete]

Found this LED display which is only fitted on the Impulse 1 motor. Is your bike fitted with this?

https://www.elektrofahrrad24.de/impulse-e-bike-led-compact-display

 

[flecc]

Many e-bikers are elderly, so battery and charger missing often means an owner has deceased at a time the battery was detached for charging, in the house for example.

Executors usually having no idea about e-bikes don't connect A to B so the bike gets disposed of without them, as just being an old bike. The battery and charger get thrown out with house clearance as bric a brac.
.

 

[RobF]

The bike appears to have both keys so is probably honest, the battery and charger being lost in the way flecc describes.

Replacing those two could easily be £700 or more, and the display another £100 - assuming the cables are still there somewhere to take it.

Then there's the bike bits, the hydraulic rim brakes might not have liked sitting around unused, so more expense there.

Buying the bits is also a risk without first establishing the motor runs correctly, but the absence of a display means borrowing a battery might not move the job much further forward.

Are there any Kalkhoff dealers left?

50 Cycles pretty much had the monopoly, but they seem to be packing in selling Kalkhoffs.

A Raleigh dealer with an interest in ebikes might at least be able to order parts.

 

[Jonah]

Older Kalkhoff bikes just had a some LED lights on the on/off switch, no central display. Lots of Kalkhoff dealers about. Check out mainstream bike shops locally.

 

[silversurfer]

Many thanks to you all for your thoughts. I visited the charity shop today, they told me they get a lot of good bikes in from a prison ! Being donated from business etc. where they are serviced by prisoners, so not able to source origin.
There are no visable wires to service a multi display in the centre of handlebars? Just the L/H on/off mode switch.
Other than a few scratches (in transport?) the bike is, to all intents, new. I will take the advice to contact Derby Cycles with frame No. that should identify what motor is fitted. And there is a Kalkhoff dealer near Chester 20 miles from here, perhaps they will pop a suitable battery on to see if it powers up. Without prior knowledge/wiring diagram my digital meter probably will not help much. Any further comments still welcome. My Torque seems very basic by comparison! silversurfer

 

[silversurfer]

Kundenservice Derby Cycle
21:10 (5 minutes ago)

to me





Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

wir bedanken uns für Ihre Anfrage und bestätigen den Eingang in unserem System.

Es wurde die folgende Bearbeitungsnummer erstellt: 2018121510001101

Bitte geben Sie bei weiteren Fragen zu diesem Fall die oben genannte Bearbeitungsnummer an.

Wir werden den Vorgang schnellstmöglich bearbeiten.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

This is reply from Derby Cycles....any idea what the say? silversurfer

 

[Deleted member 128]

Kundenservice Derby Cycle
21:10 (5 minutes ago)

to me





Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

wir bedanken uns für Ihre Anfrage und bestätigen den Eingang in unserem System.

Es wurde die folgende Bearbeitungsnummer erstellt: 2018121510001101

Bitte geben Sie bei weiteren Fragen zu diesem Fall die oben genannte Bearbeitungsnummer an.

Wir werden den Vorgang schnellstmöglich bearbeiten.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

This is reply from Derby Cycles....any idea what the say? silversurfer

Dear Sir or Madam,

We thank you for your request and confirm the receipt in our system.

The following processing number was created: 2018121510001101

For further questions about this case, please enter the above mentioned processing number.

We will process this as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks to whoever translated this message? I have checked the 5 pin config. from the front it is 1 bare, 2, brown thin, 3, white thin, 4,red thick, 5, black thick . motor no. 1779 as pics show. silversurfer

 

[wheeliepete]

OK, so the brown and white wires confirm some sort of communication or other voltage feed needed to power the bike up. Finding someone with the correct battery is still your best bet. BTW, I don't think you have a missing LCD display, your bike just has the earlier basic LED function/on/off buttons, which would suggest to me it is the earlier Impulse1 motor.

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks for your valued comments, I am not family with Ebike power units, My Torqe is 10 years old, quick enough on the level but struggles on climbs, a small dia hub motor and a large dia. wheel.
Crank motors + rear hub gears seem to be answer, but spending a few hours doing some internet reading today seem to indicate motor+ pedal power can overload Shimano hub parts? But, my wife is not that fit!
Also agree, it is probably circa 2013/4, (no speedo/computer) you say model 1 motor? is that good?
I read model 2 was noisy /troublesome? Anyway, hopefully Derby Cycles will supply info. from their records and I can seek a trial battery....no 'electrical' smells when I lifted the cable cover, so fingers crossed!

 

[Jonah]

You needn’t worry about the hub gears, they are fine with this motor. It is best to stop pedalling whilst changing gear because this version of motor will predate the auto cut-off on gear change. The Impulse 1 motor is generally considered more robust so this would be good news. Although I did have a number of failures with model 1 motors when I had a fleet of Kalkhoff bikes.

 

[silversurfer]

Many thanks for your comments, less electronics is fine by me and a less stressed motor sounds sensible in my case. Just hope I can find an earlier model battery suitable for the pin config. Await Derby response, thanks again, silversurfer