Wisper 905se

[Mandy]

No - mine is just the same. I think of it as being an e-bike and that the pedelec mode isn't really practical to use. I assumed it was because the controller was managing the high powered motor in quite a clumsy way to ensure average delivered power was 250W - but maybe the pedelec aspect of the controller is just not very good! Interesting that it was better on your 905e. Also interesting that your throttle is less powerful. Mine gives a fair response - but I can't compare it to a 905e. I look forward to hearing what you think when you've had a chance to give it a proper run out.

Frank

I put it down to cold, simple as that. Mine has no jerkiness at all and delivers constant power now that i have sussed out to keep the charge topped up every day in the warm. I suffered with the jerkiness and cut out but now feel that problem is solved but now have the jammed throttle, yikes!!
Mandy

 

[jimmyengland1000]

No - mine is just the same. I think of it as being an e-bike and that the pedelec mode isn't really practical to use. I assumed it was because the controller was managing the high powered motor in quite a clumsy way to ensure average delivered power was 250W - but maybe the pedelec aspect of the controller is just not very good! Interesting that it was better on your 905e. Also interesting that your throttle is less powerful. Mine gives a fair response - but I can't compare it to a 905e. I look forward to hearing what you think when you've had a chance to give it a proper run out.

Frank

Hey Frank! Thanks for that. I went out and rode the bike after reading your post... I hit the green button and the bike started to behave MUCH differently... more power on the throttle and smoother. It's definitely that de-restrict thing that did it. But.....as I zoomed along ecstatically, I hit some black ice and fell off! Thank heavens, only minor scuffing on the left pedal and lots of scuffing on me, as I made sure I was under the bike when I felt the front end go (there's devotion for you). It shook me up though. It's all your fault... if you hadn't answered my question, I wouldn't have gone out

 

[jimmyengland1000]

Wisper 905SE ..... some feedback

Here are a few thoughts re my recently purchased 905SE, compared to my 905e bought early last year.

Most of the issues I had with my 905e have been resolved in the SE:

1. The forks are good quality, adjustable and with lockout. The ride is vastly smoother than the 905e. The 905e felt a bit wobbly, presumably because the forks flexed because they were thinner. The 905SE feels really stable and handles well.

2. The handlebars are now black and they have an ingenious adjuster which allows one to change their position quickly and easily.

3. The spokes are thicker and I suspect they will be less prone to loosening

4. The head bearings and the bottom bracket bearings look better quality

5. The tyres are bigger, vastly better quality and with Schrader valves.

6. The bike now has 7 gears instead of 6. I'm not sure on the effectiveness of the gears at the moment, as I have not used it enough yet.

7. The derailleur mechanism is much better than the one on the 905e

8. The speedo on the bike is completely unfathomable and doesn't seem to indicate actual speed at all! I haven't sussed out the battery indicator yet...... anybody have any ideas?

9. The rear derailleur has a protective cage which stops it catching on things

10. The sprung seat post WORKS! It never did much on my 905e...in fact I don't think it worked at all. The seat post is smooth and really makes the ride better

11. The throttle twistgrip is loads better than the cheapo one that was on the 905e. It's a solid mechanism and nice to grip because of its shape.

12. The rear rack looks much better now, being black instead of silver.

13. The road mudguards (as opposed to the 'sports' ones also provided) are really effective and look nice. My 905e didn't have these road ones at all.

14. Whilst initially confusing, the switchgear is a lot better quality than the throttle on/off switch on the 905e

15. The bike I have has a sprung 'big bum' saddle (put on by Frank?) which is loads better than the one I had on the 905e

16. The pedals look a lot better and are much better quality than on the 905e

17. The front disc brake and rear v-brake works 100% better than on my 905e. Excellent performance.

18. Importantly, the rear wheel can now be removed easily because the power cable now has a connector block which can be unplugged to allow the wheel to be taken off (a nightmare on the 905e)

19. The ferrous nuts and bolts of the 905e are now stainless (I think) allen bolts (eg on the controller housing cover plate.

20. The front wheel is no longer 'quick release'. on my 905e, the threads stripped on the aluminium nut of the locking bolt. I wasn't riding it at the time. I believe there have been posts about the dangers of this type of wheel, so I think the fixed front wheel is much better,

Personally, I think the Wisper 905se is the loveliest looking electric bike I've ever seen. The 905e was great too but the SE is even better. It's sleek, with lovely sparkly black paintwork now. The lines are really graceful and my 905e never failed to have people admire it.

For some reason, the 905SE looks bigger to me. Is this my imagination, Wisper UK?

Overall, the 905SE is a huge improvement on the 905e. I would say, looking at it, that David has done what he said to me he'd do... improve the 905e and produce a bike superior to the 905e.

I'll report back later once I've used the bike a lot more......

 

[frank9755]

Some good points there, Jimmy - most of which I'd agree with. I've now done about 500 miles on mine, and I think it is basically a pretty good bike.

In particular I agree with you re:
Brakes - the front one is very effective.
Rear wheel removal - which is as easy as a normal bike.
Mudguards and rack, which are ideal for me - I use it as an all-weather commuting bike with panniers.
Speedo - nice idea but it doesn't work!
And looks - a very nice-looking, stealth-bomber type bike!

However some things to watch out for:
Do check your spokes - I've a broken one and a couple have worked loose and needed tightening.
The tyres on mine didn't measure up to London street debris, but others have got on ok with the same ones on the Ezee bikes. Personally I'd replace with Marathon Plus, before rather than after the first puncture!
Most importantly - check your rear dropouts regularly for wear, or better still, fit a torque arm, as in the contest between soft aluminium open-ended dropouts vs high-powered motor with steel axle, there is only ever going to be one winner! See here for the full story

Frank

 

[tgame]

produce a bike superior to the 905e.

I'll report back later once I've used the bike a lot more......

Thanks for the report, Jimmy. It sounds as if you are well suited with your great new bike. Look forward to your further thoughts. Enjoy your "breaking in."

 

[Mandy]

The motor on mine has a label on it saying Suzhou Bafang, model 129SWX36.

However, while its pretty quick, I don't know if it matches the performance of the Torq. People report getting 22-24 mph from Torqs. I've never got that from my Wisper; its more a 17-19 mph bike, on the flat in still air.

You would expect it to be a little slower than the Torq with the smaller 26 inch wheels but it feels like there is more of a difference than that would explain.

Having said that, I've mainly ridden mine in January, which was a windy month. I might get better performance in the spring, with better weather and a warmer battery.

Frank

Hi Frank

I took the bike out last weekend on a battery kept indoors and placed on the bike. I rode down a long stretch of flat road in an industrial estate and got 22MPH according to my computer. It kind of had to be right as the not so good speedo on the bike registered the maximum all of the time. It was a bit breezy but from the side.
I do think it has a lot to do with weight as my son couldn't get anything above 17. He is over 6 ft tall and is around 14 stone roughly and is not overweight and I am just over 8 stone. I also removed my pannier bag which contains water proofs, locks, etc off the rack for this test and did not pedal.
Don't you think this may be the case with a lot of electric bikes? weight ratio etc of person and amount of goods carried? Kind of makes sense.
I wouldn't even be able to get on the torque let alone test this idea, lol!!
Regards
Mandy

 

[Mandy]

I think £70 for fitting the throttle and associated buttons is a fair price, particularly if it includes being taught how the buttons work - which is not straightforward.

Having done it, it's a fiddly job and not everyone would want to take it on. It's nice to have the option to get help.

Frank

Did any of you see the SE listed on Ebay recently?
The throttle and switch wires were not placed within the cable tidy and I thought it looked a bit messy although serviceable would leave the wires open to damage? I bet you guys at wisper wouldn't have wired it up that way and that takes some time although it doesn't take hours.

Thanks for all your help on my sticking throttle No worries it is now loosened and working fine again but kind of thinking this is an all boy forum? It would have been nice to have had some help in that matter as it was not very safe.
Nobody has commented on my suggestion of what the green button was for which I found seemed to be pedal assist mode?
Nobody has commented about the weight ratio on an electric bike which after putting to the test on the SE seemed to be proven.
Nobody commented on my findings of keeping the battery in the warm for better performance?
You just talk amongst yourselves
However I have had some great help on this forum from some people in the past so I won't knock it, just think I could have been given more assistance with my recent sticking throttle problem?
My name is now Martin, LOL!!!
Mandy (alias Martin)

 

[Mandy]

Yes, this is what Wai Won Ching said about the latest Torq Trekking and our preference for derestrictable bikes:

"In a conflict of interest between what customer or the market likes and what is legal. eZee takes the legal way, this is absolutely essential for long term consideration."

So that's emphatic, 15 mph from now on.

Never heard of a prosecution, and that's much less likely now, except for specials. I think the police are too busy going after under age kids on illegal mini-motos and quad bikes to bother with the very minor matter of an e-bike being a touch too fast.
.

Oh well, I kind of thought that maybe coming eventually, but I kind of think the police do not take much notice at all if you pedal also?
What are they going to do? Point a speed camera at you? lol!
I think if you owned one of those tidal force ones that have the battery seemingly hanging off your cross bar with a bionx motor then you may be noticed? LOL!
Martin lol!

 

[Mandy]

The Wisper is a pedelec so it may be giving more, but I doubt it. On other bikes which have both pedelec and throttle, and also a manual -such as Powacycle - the throttle gives you the maximum assistance while pedelec is always less or equal.

When I got to 24mph, my throttle was engaged but I believed I was over its upper limit. This was a one-off when I really pedalled hard, along the Embankment from Charing Cross to Blackfriars. I've never got those speeds on the flat on other occasions. But, Jimmy, I remembered your story about almost getting it to 30mph while going down a hill the other week. My speedo was on about 28.5 and I thought I'll give it another push, and got it to 31.1. Please let us know if your SE is any faster than your E. From that account, I suspect you might get exactly the same performance.

Okay, you may not like this or me for that matter but I have a maximum speed on my computer on my SE of 34.1 mph! Okay, was a long stretch of sweeping down hill on a Sunday 2 weeks ago just 3 days after recieving it and my average for that day was 15.8 mph as I saved my TM and was not confident on the turns. My speedo was checked for accuracy also.
However, on my trips to work I have not achieved this as too many damn cars on the road!
The bike can fly if necessary, lol!
Mandy

 

[jimmyengland1000]

Wisper speed

The jury is still out on the performance of my 905SE. My initial reaction is that it is not as fast, or as smooth, as my 905e.

I did about 20 miles today along the exact same route that I took the 905e. Two things were noticeable... even unrestricted, the throttle is definitely nowhere near as powerful and also the power delivery is jerky and not absolutely smooth like my 905e. The speedo is completely useless, by the way, inaccurate and unreadable. The battery indicator is similar.

I have e-mailed David Miall and asked what he thinks and whether the UK upgraded bike will be the same. Paradoxically, if I could, I would swap my 905SE motor and controller for those from a 905E if it resulted in the same perfomrance as my old 905E! I would do this swap because the rest of the bike is so much improved (especially the forks I keep harping on about) but I am finding the uneven power delivery in pedelec mode and the lacklustre throttle a bit irritating. One second, assistance is there, then it stops, kicks back, stops, kicks in.... it's a pain.

I suppose it's a bit ironic... the improved 905SE is improved in many respects but lacking in important aspects... just like the 905E was (re parts quality etc). I've asked David if I can buy a 905E controller, if that would make a difference, or p/ex my SE controller and motor or whatever.

If I could have my 905E performance in the 905SE bike, it would be my perfect electric bike, I reckon. The 905E had good power delivery but rubbish parts... the 905SE has great parts and inferior power delivery...

 

[Mandy]

Here are a few thoughts re my recently purchased 905SE, compared to my 905e bought early last year.

Most of the issues I had with my 905e have been resolved in the SE:

1. The forks are good quality, adjustable and with lockout. The ride is vastly smoother than the 905e. The 905e felt a bit wobbly, presumably because the forks flexed because they were thinner. The 905SE feels really stable and handles well.

2. The handlebars are now black and they have an ingenious adjuster which allows one to change their position quickly and easily.

3. The spokes are thicker and I suspect they will be less prone to loosening

4. The head bearings and the bottom bracket bearings look better quality

5. The tyres are bigger, vastly better quality and with Schrader valves.

6. The bike now has 7 gears instead of 6. I'm not sure on the effectiveness of the gears at the moment, as I have not used it enough yet.

7. The derailleur mechanism is much better than the one on the 905e

8. The speedo on the bike is completely unfathomable and doesn't seem to indicate actual speed at all! I haven't sussed out the battery indicator yet...... anybody have any ideas?

9. The rear derailleur has a protective cage which stops it catching on things

10. The sprung seat post WORKS! It never did much on my 905e...in fact I don't think it worked at all. The seat post is smooth and really makes the ride better

11. The throttle twistgrip is loads better than the cheapo one that was on the 905e. It's a solid mechanism and nice to grip because of its shape.

12. The rear rack looks much better now, being black instead of silver.

13. The road mudguards (as opposed to the 'sports' ones also provided) are really effective and look nice. My 905e didn't have these road ones at all.

14. Whilst initially confusing, the switchgear is a lot better quality than the throttle on/off switch on the 905e

15. The bike I have has a sprung 'big bum' saddle (put on by Frank?) which is loads better than the one I had on the 905e

16. The pedals look a lot better and are much better quality than on the 905e

17. The front disc brake and rear v-brake works 100% better than on my 905e. Excellent performance.

18. Importantly, the rear wheel can now be removed easily because the power cable now has a connector block which can be unplugged to allow the wheel to be taken off (a nightmare on the 905e)

19. The ferrous nuts and bolts of the 905e are now stainless (I think) allen bolts (eg on the controller housing cover plate.

20. The front wheel is no longer 'quick release'. on my 905e, the threads stripped on the aluminium nut of the locking bolt. I wasn't riding it at the time. I believe there have been posts about the dangers of this type of wheel, so I think the fixed front wheel is much better,

Personally, I think the Wisper 905se is the loveliest looking electric bike I've ever seen. The 905e was great too but the SE is even better. It's sleek, with lovely sparkly black paintwork now. The lines are really graceful and my 905e never failed to have people admire it.

For some reason, the 905SE looks bigger to me. Is this my imagination, Wisper UK?

Overall, the 905SE is a huge improvement on the 905e. I would say, looking at it, that David has done what he said to me he'd do... improve the 905e and produce a bike superior to the 905e.

I'll report back later once I've used the bike a lot more......

Hi Jimmy

I hope you enjoy your German SE as I have mine. My problems however were not down to the bike or Germany and all now sorted thankfully.
I love this bike and when you get on and twist that throttle the front end of the bike rises up on the forks as if ready for action and it is! It just go's and I have now sussed out the buttons I think?

I haven't seen any listings lately from Germany but probably wasn't really looking to do international searches as I have mine already.

You will not be dissapointed and the guys in Germany are second to none with help etc.

I agree with you over the warranty thing which has been discussed in previous threads as a little worrying. However, up till now have been helped by guys on this forum to sort the problems, with the guys in Germany or sorted them myself and with help from my partner and son. Just think positive and things may not go wrong??

I didn't personally like the city mudguards and found I could fit the sports mudguards with the rack and they do the job.

The battery is so light you wouldn't need to hide this in a hedge, It is incredibly light!

The gearing is much better than my old Powabyke for comparison but you had the original SE so would be able to compare better.
I had my Powabyke on 6 all of the time and my pedalling stroke was like being in 2 where as this one it really does work efficiently.

The bike looks great too and gets loads of attention! It is a good looking bike with everything, well almost everthing matching in black.
I have however changed my orange wheel reflector's for white one's and my partner found a front reflector, which the bike did not come with and fitted that for me. Why does it not come with a front reflector? Not the end of the world though, lol!

Let me know how you go as a newbie to this bike myself, lol!

Regards

Mandy

 

[Mandy]

The jury is still out on the performance of my 905SE. My initial reaction is that it is not as fast, or as smooth, as my 905e.

I did about 20 miles today along the exact same route that I took the 905e. Two things were noticeable... even unrestricted, the throttle is definitely nowhere near as powerful and also the power delivery is jerky and not absolutely smooth like my 905e. The speedo is completely useless, by the way, inaccurate and unreadable. The battery indicator is similar.

I have e-mailed David Miall and asked what he thinks and whether the UK upgraded bike will be the same. Paradoxically, if I could, I would swap my 905SE motor and controller for those from a 905E if it resulted in the same perfomrance as my old 905E! I would do this swap because the rest of the bike is so much improved (especially the forks I keep harping on about) but I am finding the uneven power delivery in pedelec mode and the lacklustre throttle a bit irritating. One second, assistance is there, then it stops, kicks back, stops, kicks in.... it's a pain.

I suppose it's a bit ironic... the improved 905SE is improved in many respects but lacking in important aspects... just like the 905E was (re parts quality etc). I've asked David if I can buy a 905E controller, if that would make a difference, or p/ex my SE controller and motor or whatever.

If I could have my 905E performance in the 905SE bike, it would be my perfect electric bike, I reckon. The 905E had good power delivery but rubbish parts... the 905SE has great parts and inferior power delivery...

Hi Jimmy

Okay I have never owned an SE for comparison but are you sure you didn't knock something when you came off it on the black ice?
You said it went like the wind?
I have only found the power cut out on mine if the green button is in the "other Mode" pedal assist? I dunno, well the other one anyway.
Or if the battery is cold.
The throttle opens smoothly and delivers the power expected and no jerkiness and mine was stuck in on a journey too and from work one day last week!
Try messing about with the buttons again just to see Jimmy.

I know what you mean about the forks though, they are ace and rise up as you open the throttle.

Don't give up and give it another go

Regards

Mandy