Wisper 705 Torque or Raleigh Motus step thru with hub gears.

[Monty's Dad]

Hi, Thought I was going to go for the wisper 705, but now having looked at the spec on the new Motus. I am now having second thoughts. Any ideas from owners of both please?

Thank you.

 

[Amoto65]

Haven't got a 705 Torque but did buy a 905se at the end of last year and love it, copes well with hills around the Peaks and has been no trouble, best bet is test rides, i had a Carrera Crossfire before but returned it to Halfords due to reliability issues.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Go for the 705Torque, it's a better ride and more powerful, however I am a little biased!

All the best, David

 

[Monty's Dad]

Haven't got a 705 Torque but did buy a 905se at the end of last year and love it, copes well with hills around the Peaks and has been no trouble, best bet is test rides, i had a Carrera Crossfire before but returned it to Halfords due to reliability issues.

Thanks for you response. I must admit that my heart says go for the wisper. There is an authorized wisper dealer not far from me, probably need to have another look.
I am not sure if the crank drive would suit? What I like about the Wisper is the option to use a throttle, don't think the Modus has one.
Been following the Llandudno wisperers blog on this site, he rides the 705se and makes good use of it.
I wonder what battery size you have on your 905se?
Another plus for the Wisper is the 2 year warranty and excellent customer service.

Best wishes.

 

[Monty's Dad]

Go for the 705Torque, it's a better ride and more powerful, however I am a little biased!

All the best, David

I really like the colour of the Torque, and it drives beautifully.
Humm.

Best wishes.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Monty's Dad! Have a great weekend.

All the best, David

 

[Amoto65]

Hi, i have the 375wh battery, with hindsight i would have got a larger capacity battery as the hills around the Peak District are damned steep. However the battery i have has seen me cycle 30 miles and climb 3000ft elevation during a ride and still have power left so i suppose it depends on your locality which battery you should go for.

 

[Monty's Dad]

Hi, i have the 375wh battery, with hindsight i would have got a larger capacity battery as the hills around the Peak District are damned steep. However the battery i have has seen me cycle 30 miles and climb 3000ft elevation during a ride and still have power left so i suppose it depends on your locality which battery you should go for.

Just got to justify spending another £200 on the larger battery? Will have a think over weekend.

Many thanks

It's

Hi, i have the 375wh battery, with hindsight i would have got a larger capacity battery as the hills around the Peak District are damned steep. However the battery i have has seen me cycle 30 miles and climb 3000ft elevation during a ride and still have power left so i suppose it depends on your locality which battery you should go for.

 

[John Cee]

My Wisper Torque has been nothing but trouble. Customer service is well-meaning but rather unprofessional.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi John, sorry to read you are having problems. Please feel free to email me directly at any time and I will call you to resolve whatever issues you are having.

David@amps.bike

All the best David.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi John, I have just spoken to Claud in service. The only John we are dealing with bought an ex demo Mark 1 (2-3 year old) in September last year at a reduced price from SYEB. (We only made a about 100 of these bikes.) As SYEB weren’t able to deal with an older model, when you had issues earlier this year we collected the bike and free of charge, completely upgraded the electrics to brand new equipment. Recently we collected the bike again when you had another problem, we found it was a simple issue with the battery which has also now been replaced for a brand new one, again free of charge. Three of my tech guys tested your bike on Thursday to make certain it is working perfectly (it is) and it was readied for despatch. Unfortunately our couriers did not turn up yesterday even though Claud and I waited for them until 19.00. It will go on Monday.

I agree there was a problem with the old Mark 1 system hence the cheaper price, and there was a new issue with your battery. Your bike has been collected from you, completely upgraded to the latest Mark 2 system that has been on all bikes since 2016 and we have given you a new battery. All under warranty. I suggest ex demo bikes are often sold as seen.

I am sorry you had issues with the bike and you feel we were not professional enough. Having looked through your email thread this morning we could some times have been faster in responding and I will discuss this with Claud. In Claud’s defence it’s unusual that we deal directly with an end user and have to collect the bike from Yorkshire so we can work on it, it’s a little out of his normal working practice.

You will have the bike back on Tuesday I hope it works perfectly for you.

All the best David

 

[John Cee]

Hi David


You have identified me correctly. I bought the ex-demo 905 Torque after speaking to you personally on the phone. At the time I’d already ordered a new 905SE from SYEB, then noticed the ex demo Torques for sale on your website. You were very clear on the phone that you thought the ex-demo Torque was the better buy (I paid £50 more than the new 905se price). You told me that all electronics had been upgraded to current spec before sale, so it seemed like a no-brainer to change my order. There was absolutely no indication that I was buying an inferior product. There was also no indication when I bought the bike that my local dealer “would not be able to deal with an older model”. Why on earth should this be the case?


I have had 4 separate issues with the bike in the 8 months I’ve had it, 3 of which have involved having to return it, and being without the use of the bike for a total of 2 months. I do appreciate the efforts you’ve made to fix the problems. You are clearly honest, well-meaning folk. But for my part, ownership of this bike has been a very disappointing experience.


I’m sorry to hear that you and Claud had a fruitless wait for the courier yesterday. Now you maybe have some idea how I felt when I took a total of three days off work last month waiting for your courier, who never arrived to pick up the faulty bike. Perhaps you should stop using such an appallingly unreliable courier?


I hope you are right and that my problems are now fixed for good. It’s a nice bike when it’s working.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I thought it may be you John, Claud speaks of you often and quite passionately!!! Fortunately we simply don’t have such problems with our bikes.

I won’t send the bike on Monday until we have spoken. Please call me on 07722336906.

I will be available at any time after 09.00 on Monday.

The last thing I want is for anyone to be unhappy with their bike.

Regards David

 

[John Cee]

I thought it may be you John, Claud speaks of you often and quite passionately!!! Fortunately we simply don’t have such problems with our bikes.

I won’t send the bike on Monday until we have spoken. Please call me on 07722336906.

I will be available at any time after 09.00 on Monday.

The last thing I want is for anyone to be unhappy with their bike.

Regards David

Hi David
You may tell Claud that the feeling is entirely mutual.
Cheers
John

 

[Gaz]

We've got a 705SE that's about eight years old now. It's been faultless and remains a cracking bike. I can't comment on the Motus, but I doubt very much you'll be disappointed with the 705 Torque.

Gaz

 

[Monty's Dad]

We've got a 705SE that's about eight years old now. It's been faultless and remains a cracking bike. I can't comment on the Motus, but I doubt very much you'll be disappointed with the 705 Torque.

Gaz

Thanks for your input Gaz.
How do you find the ridged forks on the 705se?

 

[RobF]

Rigid forks on a bike at this price point are a benefit.

The cheap and nasty sus fork you would get adds weight but nothing else.

Having said that, I like Bosch bikes so would be tempted by the Motus.

On t'other hand, a Wisper with the bigger battery should offer you more range.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I don’t agree Rob, the forks are not Fox air admittedly, they are Suntour NEX though and benefit from having a pre tension adjustment. They can be set for the riders weight and riding style. For road use our lightweight forks are superb but for trails and canal paths etc the suspension forks are better.

The motus has the Bosch Active motor, IMHO under powered and not a patch on our Torque hub motor.

All the best, David

 

[oyster]

The motus has the Bosch Active motor,

At least one of the Motus models actually has the Active Line Plus (the Grand Tour models, at least). You comments might still apply! Or not?

 

[Gaz]

Thanks for your input Gaz.
How do you find the ridged forks on the 705se?

It's a road commuter and cycle path bike, so really doesn't need any more suspension than the comfy saddle and good sized tyres it came with. I can ride it quite comfortably at 6'4", and so can my Wife at 5'6". It's got a nice feel and easy riding style.

But heck I'm old, and I come from a time when suspension on bikes was almost unheard of, my 'racing' bike tyre pressures were 100psi and I sat on a saddle a bluebottle would fall off, so the SE is quite luxurious (to me) in comparison.

Gaz