Swiss Flyer C8

[indalo]

There's one on ebay today which might be a good purchase if the price is right. These machines are better built than most of the budget to mid-range bikes most members here ride so If you like decent quality and you can ignore the styling by-pass, you could be the proud owner of a Flyer at a knock-down price.

Swiss Flyer C8, Electric bike, Pedelecs, electric bicycle. | eBay



Indalo

 

[eddieo]

You sure the Steven Segal bike not yours?lol

here is correct link:

Swiss Flyer C8, Electric bike, Pedelecs, electric bicycle. | eBay

looks in as new condition. if you factor in a new battery (via German ebay) could still be a very good buy

 

[indalo]

here is correct link:

Swiss Flyer C8, Electric bike, Pedelecs, electric bicycle. | eBay

Thanks for that Eddie. My proof reader doesn't work Saturdays so that little gaffe slipped through but I've amended it now. I agree with you that this may well be a good buy and it wouldn't suprise me if there's still a lot of life left in the battery. I suppose the battery is upgradeable to the more more powerful ones used later in the Kalkhoff Panasonic models with 26V systems?

Indalo

 

[eddieo]

Flecc knows all about this, but some flyers use a wider Panasonic battery. need to check if its the 12Ah battery as well, then look on ebay to double check replacement cost. but if its been maintained, may well be OK..But again Flecc needs to be asked

 

[indalo]

Eddie, am I right in thinking you had a ride on one of the Flyer models? If you did, was it one like this one advertised on ebay? This one, according to the seller, was purchased in Germany yet appears on the face of it to be UK spec, or perhaps I'm reading into it something which isn't there.

Did they actually do a UK model with a 250W motor or is the this one likely to have whatever Flyer provided on continental Europe three or four years ago?

There's probably a member of the forum somewhere who owns one of these but I can't remember reading anything about them.

Indalo

 

[yselmike]

I have a flyer s.street with the wider battery 16ah I understand the standard battery will not fit.
I test rode a couple of flyers and went for the faster S series the model in the ad has a standard
up to 25kph motor, but at that price i would buy it and use it for shopping and local use.

 

[eddieo]

Indalo, the bike I tried (4 times and loved it!) was the top of the range X series....I still think they are the Rolls Royce of e bikes with prices to match. This could be a very good buy for someone, well spotted.

 

[Blew it]

Swiss Flyers have proved to be disappointing for some owners. They are a bit on the heavy side. Also, even the latest C series models appear to be using the pre-2010 Panasonic firmware, which gave 1:1.2 assistance ratio in 'high' mode.

.... I suppose the battery is upgradeable to the more powerful ones used later in the Kalkhoff Panasonic models with 26V systems?

Indalo

Yes Indalo, the C series Flyers have standard battery platforms, accepting the BMZ 18ah and larger Panasonic batteries. The 'X' series high-speed models have reinforced battery platforms which will only accept Swiss Flyer's own battery.

The C series should never be considered as 'sporty'. The superb build quality incurs a weight penalty... and the mediocre performance of the Shimano roller-brakes certainly have a problem bringing it to a halt!

Also, the battery may lack the hybernation feature, if it hasn't been topped up regularly, it may have suffered some deterioration.

Providing the bidding stays below £1000, it would make an excellent purchase for those in not too hilly areas...and not having to lift the machines up flights of steps or on to a rack.

 

[indalo]

Thanks to both Mike and Bob for their input as these machines rarely come up for discussion on the forum.

I understand the points you make Bob and I'm well aware of the limitations of roller brakes, having one of my bikes so equipped. They're not very powerful but they suit the typically easy-riding style prevalent in Holland and they never seem to need adjusting, at least very rarely and I appreciate them just for that. As a consequence, I tend not to ride very aggressively on my Dutch bike which is probably no bad thing!

At least with the Flyer C8, it's possible to choose which flavour of battery suits whereas my Gazelle limits me to just one off-the-shelf model which, as I mentioned in another thread, has shot up in price over the last two or three years. To be fair, mine is five years old now and is still good for most of the trips I do so, per annum, the cost isn't really too bad.

The styling of the Flyer bikes is not to my taste, having too many somewhat Chinese elements in the frame rather than the Germanic/Dutch frames with which I relate better having grown up with bikes like those. I'm sure though that someone will buy the Flyer on ebay and I'll be interested to see how much it sells for, not that I shall bid for it.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[flecc]

The frame incorporates BikeTec's trademark swan-neck double curve on the down tube, a uniquely Swiss design feature. It does tend to make their frames look somewhat old fashioned.