E-S Stealth Electric Bike Owners

[PRW]

I bought several demonstration vehicules in my life and warranties always started the day of the customer purchase, it made no difference, this is why i wonder the legality of Stealth stiff (and somewhat agressive) stance.

The general feeling tho was that customer s agenda was not a concern, each party defending its own interests and respecting...its own priorities. When you compare with the means invested in marketing and sponsoring, it does show a sense of priority, a business model based more on selling a dream than on cooping with reality.

My few 21,000ish USD invested two times in that dream.

courcheval, very sorry to hear about this: unfortunately, very similar to what happened to me, where I bought a demonstration bike, and it lasted less than 1000km. Stealth bikes can be very expensive to repair if you don't know how to replace things yourself - and I received no support from the Stealth manufacturer. I ended up fixing and selling my Bomber, at a large financial loss - I will never deal with Stealth or any of its products again.

 

[Allex]

Yes, this is very true:
If you by a Stealth with no dealer in your country and you have no repair skills or technical knowledge of eBikes, then your new bike will be a very expensive non-moving object - You are frocked!
If you buy a Stealth with a dealer in your country/city and have no knowledge of the eBike tech. You could at least ask them to replace components but then it becomes a very expensive toy when something brakes.

 

[hugeone22]

After seeing TVs son's great red Bomber pics i decided to bite the bullet and i have ordered a red bomber with red rims and spring... Just 55 days to wait for it to arrive...

Hugh

Congrats and welcome to the club , the wait is dreadful , once you get your Bomber, the wait time will have been worth it . Red rims, red shock spring, and red frame, is the swing arm red also?

Hi Rix Yes Red swingarm too at least that's what i am supposed to get! I just asked my local New Zealand dealer about if a Hurricane seat can be fitted apparently it's possible as the seat frame is bolted to the main frame of the bomber I will ask how much for a Hurricane seat now...
Hugh

 

[Rix]

Courcheval I sympathise with your issue, being stuck without a ride, being delayed so much in Chile, though I think it is more the fault of the dealer. Maybe a language or communication issue between the dealer & Stealth? If the bike was a demo bike and was more than a year old, the dealer should have made it clear that the warranty had expired. But it sounds like the dealer did not make this clear, resulting in the expectation that it was sold "as new" which it clearly was not.

So what shipping are you waiting for? Did you manage to ship the pack back to Stealth? If so, they'll fix it right & am pretty sure it wouldn't be a major cost...and should be quick despite the distance. Hope it goes well for you.

I can ride the bike with a 5 Ah range, which is anything from 20 minutes to half an hour.

The battery had indeed 4 cycles and 150 km shown on the CA, which is coherent with a demonstration use (how do you sell a vehicule unknown by local customers if they can t try it), and 99.5% far from the 800 cycles life expectancy shown on the documentation. I bought several demonstration vehicules in my life and warranties always started the day of the customer purchase, it made no difference, this is why i wonder the legality of Stealth stiff (and somewhat agressive) stance.

The cheapest option was chosen, 4 cells will be sent to repair the pack (with local skills). The fact that nobody found strange that one of the cells was showing 3.9V, well above the 3.6V limit, does insecure me but i m fairly incompentent in that area....

The general feeling tho was that customer s agenda was not a concern, each party defending its own interests and respecting...its own priorities. When you compare with the means invested in marketing and sponsoring, it does show a sense of priority, a business model based more on selling a dream than on cooping with reality.

My few 21,000ish USD invested two times in that dream.

Courcheval, I am really confused here. I have had some warranty issues with my Bomber. My last issue before my warranty expired was with charging. Stealth sent me 3 chargers and didn't cost me a dime and the problem resolved. Granted the wait time with mailing chargers back and forth was a pain, but Stealth stood behind it. I know Stealth likes the customers to go through their respective local dealers, but if the dealer is not supporting the product, Stealth needs to know about. But if you are buying other than new, you just don't know 100% what you are getting. Eitherway, keep us posted.

Rick

 

[Rix]

hugeone22"]After seeing TVs son's great red Bomber pics i decided to bite the bullet and i have ordered a red bomber with red rims and spring... Just 55 days to wait for it to arrive...
Hugh

Hi Rix Yes Red swingarm too at least that's what i am supposed to get! I just asked my local New Zealand dealer about if a Hurricane seat can be fitted apparently it's possible as the seat frame is bolted to the main frame of the bomber I will ask how much for a Hurricane seat now...
Hugh
Hugh, if you get the hurricane moto seat for the Bomber, I would be very very interested in how you like and your findings. I have been following a Raport builder's (ES Name Offroader) on the Raptor thread, he can't say enough great things about that motorcycle seat option and how his bike handles. I have been toying around with the idea myself to run the hurricane seat on the Bomber. Please let us know how you like it.

Rick

 

[Rodney64]

Courcheval I sympathise with your issue, being stuck without a ride, being delayed so much in Chile, though I think it is more the fault of the dealer. Maybe a language or communication issue between the dealer & Stealth? If the bike was a demo bike and was more than a year old, the dealer should have made it clear that the warranty had expired. But it sounds like the dealer did not make this clear, resulting in the expectation that it was sold "as new" which it clearly was not.

So what shipping are you waiting for? Did you manage to ship the pack back to Stealth? If so, they'll fix it right & am pretty sure it wouldn't be a major cost...and should be quick despite the distance. Hope it goes well for you.

I can ride the bike with a 5 Ah range, which is anything from 20 minutes to half an hour.

The battery had indeed 4 cycles and 150 km shown on the CA, which is coherent with a demonstration use (how do you sell a vehicule unknown by local customers if they can t try it), and 99.5% far from the 800 cycles life expectancy shown on the documentation. I bought several demonstration vehicules in my life and warranties always started the day of the customer purchase, it made no difference, this is why i wonder the legality of Stealth stiff (and somewhat agressive) stance.

The cheapest option was chosen, 4 cells will be sent to repair the pack (with local skills). The fact that nobody found strange that one of the cells was showing 3.9V, well above the 3.6V limit, does insecure me but i m fairly incompentent in that area....

The general feeling tho was that customer s agenda was not a concern, each party defending its own interests and respecting...its own priorities. When you compare with the means invested in marketing and sponsoring, it does show a sense of priority, a business model based more on selling a dream than on cooping with reality.

My few 21,000ish USD invested two times in that dream.

Courcheval, I am really confused here. I have had some warranty issues with my Bomber. My last issue before my warranty expired was with charging. Stealth sent me 3 chargers and didn't cost me a dime and the problem resolved. Granted the wait time with mailing chargers back and forth was a pain, but Stealth stood behind it. I know Stealth likes the customers to go through their respective local dealers, but if the dealer is not supporting the product, Stealth needs to know about. But if you are buying other than new, you just don't know 100% what you are getting. Eitherway, keep us posted.

Rick

Not confusing Rick as his bike was out of warranty

 

[Cowardlyduck]

Sad to see others with warranty issues.
I think Stealth tries hard on it's customer service, but some of us inevitably slip through the cracks unfortunately. That would explain why the majority have experienced great service, but a few of us feel the other way.
The thing Stealth need to realise is how it only takes a few unhappy but vocal customers to ruin what good reputation they already have.

Thanks for the pics of the battery courcheval. Is that the Fighter or Bomber battery?

I recently started using my original Fighter battery due to a heatwave and some minor issues I'm yet to sort with my LiPo battery.
The original battery is only giving around 13.5AH @ only ~250 cycles. I lost count of the number of times it was sent back to Stealth and 'repaired' under warranty before my warranty ran out. I should also mention Stealth did try to fix it one last time after the warranty period had elapsed when timing didn't quite work out for sending it back.
I know one or 2 of the cells must be bad tripping the BMS early, but cracking it open to fix it doesn't seem worth it when it still gives 13.5AH usable. I think I will keep using it for now as it provides enough range for commuting.

Yes, a Stealth bike can be expensive to fix...with original Stealth parts...or you can go the other route, learn a thing or two and buy/make your own battery at 1/3rd the cost of a new Stealth battery.

Cheers

 

[courcheval]

This is the Fighter cowardly. The 18 Ah 48V version.

The law here in Chili is clear, the vendor has to deliver the product with the specified features, ie functioning 18 Ah battery. In that case, the importer will have to cover the costs that the manufacturer refuses to cover.

The delay between customer report and repair shipping took more than one month, mainly due to personal vacation agendas. I can t as a matter of fact back the "hard trying" presumption.

In any country with customer protection laws, warranty for any product starts the day of sale. I still wonder if those "stric internal rules" comply with international sales laws. In Europe, when you buy electronics online, the vendor will redirect you to the manufacturer s customer support, the warranty starting the day of purchase, not the day it was stocked.

Thanks for that community file which helps a lot when you "fall into a crack" (it helped understanding quickly that the problem came from the battery cells)

 

[Rix]

Rodney64. Rick Not confusing Rick as his bike was out of warranty

Thanks Rod, some how I missed that. Not confused anymore.

Rick

 

[Allex]

I know one or 2 of the cells must be bad tripping the BMS early, but cracking it open to fix it doesn't seem worth it when it still gives 13.5AH usable. I think I will keep using it for now as it provides enough range for commuting.
Cheers

How do you see that BMS tripping to early? Is it because it shuts down at 14.5Ah instead of 17-18?
If so, my battery behaves the same, when hitting 15Ah it shuts down. I talked to Stealth support and they said this is OK
But I really think that this is not OK. I should at least get 17Ah if the battery is in perfect condition. Even the manual states that if CA shows 17 the rider should be close to home.

 

[Allex]

Today we had some fresh snow, -7°C and I took my beast out for the first time since October 2013!
My wife was on the e-scooter, it was a blast, but after 10km and 30 minutes of riding I could not feel my hands.

 

[Rix]

I know one or 2 of the cells must be bad tripping the BMS early, but cracking it open to fix it doesn't seem worth it when it still gives 13.5AH usable. I think I will keep using it for now as it provides enough range for commuting.
Cheers

How do you see that BMS tripping to early? Is it because it shuts down at 14.5Ah instead of 17-18?
If so, my battery behaves the same, when hitting 15Ah it shuts down. I talked to Stealth support and they said this is OK
But I really think that this is not OK. I should get at least 17Ah if the battery is in perfect condition. Even the manual states that if CA shows 17 is time to be close to home.

Theres a margin in error for readings, shunt values even off by a milla ohm can change your indicated energy use. You may actually be getting 16-17ah and your indicated is 15ah. Temperatures have quite an effect as well. How many miles are you getting per charge under WOT circumstances? Last winter, I rode my bike when it was cold -11F(-24C) and battery was BMS dead inside 9Ah. In warm weather I get much more, at over 100F (38C), I get a true 18ah and when the weather is that hot, my usable watts go up to about 1340wh and voltage sag is less when the weather is hot. Not saying this is the case for you, just putting it out there to consider. Nothing like a cold winter ride to get you going. Even riding in the snow is better than not riding.

 

[Allex]

On an average speed of 25km/h I get a maximum range of 52km on one charge, this is on a hot(We say hot when it is 25°C hehe) summer day. So the figures are no way near what Mr. Streamers get
I re-calibrated the shunt value with a Clamp meter, have around 15.5Ah after that, but still not near the 17Ah

 

[biknut]

On an average speed of 25km/h I get a maximum range of 52km on one charge, this is on a hot(We say hot when it is 25°C hehe) summer day. So the figures are no way near what Mr. Streamers get
I re-calibrated the shunt value with a Clamp meter, have around 15.5Ah after that, but still not near the 17Ah

Clamp meters aren't known for being very accurate, and could be easily off by 1 ah. And that's Mr. Super Athlete Streamers to you LOL.

 

[biknut]

I like this utube video that explains balancing somewhat. The wiring is a lot simpler than I imagined. I was thinking each cell would need a wire, but apparently that's not the case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e_gj4dASl0&list=LLTUcDnZmv8jjdbWm90b2hLw&feature=mh_lolz

 

[morati]

Allex, how do you like the new brakes?

 

[Allex]

Mr. Athlete, I had a wattmeter, CA and a clamp meter in series when testing, and all three showed same figures, so I think I nailed it pretty good...
I do not really believe in balancing the cells when they are in, say a group of 5. If one cell die you will not see it anyway. As long as you are not connecting every single cell for balance you always have a small risk.
If you want to bulid your own pack I can really recommend the new Sony VTC4 cell The technical data for this Sony cell claims it does not need to be balance-charged
Read more about Madin88 bike/battery here:
http://www.electricbike.com/custom-build-gallery-martins-cromotor-moped/

Just came back from a night ride, wanted to test my light in the woods, turned out pretty good!
Morati, I had thick gloves and rode on snow/ice - it is impossible to tell how the new brakes are They squeal a lot, could be the the weather. I use sintered pads(I think) I need summer to see what I have here...

 

[Paul_G]

I know one or 2 of the cells must be bad tripping the BMS early, but cracking it open to fix it doesn't seem worth it when it still gives 13.5AH usable. I think I will keep using it for now as it provides enough range for commuting.
Cheers

How do you see that BMS tripping to early? Is it because it shuts down at 14.5Ah instead of 17-18?
If so, my battery behaves the same, when hitting 15Ah it shuts down. I talked to Stealth support and they said this is OK
But I really think that this is not OK. I should at least get 17Ah if the battery is in perfect condition. Even the manual states that if CA shows 17 the rider should be close to home.

AH's tell you nothing about how much power a battery holds. A battery is measured in WH's (watt hours) its the amperage used X the voltage for 1 hour or any part there of (your CA will figure it out for you). Stealth Bomber batteries hold 1500 WH when new and IF your CA is set correctly (RSunt value) just look at the WH's used for the ride as AH tell you NOTHING as they change depending on if it was a slow or fast ride as the voltage varied.

 

[Paul_G]

Today we had some fresh snow, -7°C and I took my beast out for the first time since October 2013!
My wife was on the e-scooter, it was a blast, but after 10km and 30 minutes of riding I could not feel my hands.

I always carry several pairs of nitrile gloves to use under my riding gloves as well as if I break down they keep your hands clean and a pair under your gloves keeps your hands warm...try it and you will never ride without them in your bikes bag or under your gloves in the winter

 

[mtblover]

This is the Fighter cowardly. The 18 Ah 48V version.

The law here in Chili is clear, the vendor has to deliver the product with the specified features, ie functioning 18 Ah battery. In that case, the importer will have to cover the costs that the manufacturer refuses to cover.

The delay between customer report and repair shipping took more than one month, mainly due to personal vacation agendas. I can t as a matter of fact back the "hard trying" presumption.

In any country with customer protection laws, warranty for any product starts the day of sale. I still wonder if those "stric internal rules" comply with international sales laws. In Europe, when you buy electronics online, the vendor will redirect you to the manufacturer s customer support, the warranty starting the day of purchase, not the day it was stocked.

Thanks for that community file which helps a lot when you "fall into a crack" (it helped understanding quickly that the problem came from the battery cells)

Courcheval the law does not include the sale of a demo bike does it? Where has that bike been? Give it a chance

Seems weird you would post this stating its been bumped hard and knowingly new it was a demo, then try and complain about Stealth for not helping you..

Re: E-S Stealth Electric Bike Owners
Hello all... I m currently travelling around South America and found a stealth fighter for sale in Santiago de Chile (a steep 10,000 USD for a somewhat used demonstration bike that bumped hard a few times aldready). http://articulo.mercadolibre.cl/MLC-413877898-mountain-bike-electrica-stealth-fighte...


Im sure Stealth sorted it and fixed it timely besides your vacations Everything seems to be running fine with mine. Only a few loose spokes and pads, they send me local to get my stuff even. Nothing I don't expect from a bike period. I hope you get up to speed with your bike and start posting some killer riding spots for me to dream about during my day behind the desk.

 

[courcheval]

I aldready have a few pics with the truck...but unfortunatly nothing "in action"...colors fit nicely tho

The first impression was indeed negative, mainly due to the incompentence of the employee...the second visit with the actual importer was much more positive and all details had been fixed...except the battery i guess

 

[Allex]

I know one or 2 of the cells must be bad tripping the BMS early, but cracking it open to fix it doesn't seem worth it when it still gives 13.5AH usable. I think I will keep using it for now as it provides enough range for commuting.
Cheers

How do you see that BMS tripping to early? Is it because it shuts down at 14.5Ah instead of 17-18?
If so, my battery behaves the same, when hitting 15Ah it shuts down. I talked to Stealth support and they said this is OK
But I really think that this is not OK. I should at least get 17Ah if the battery is in perfect condition. Even the manual states that if CA shows 17 the rider should be close to home.

AH's tell you nothing about how much power a battery holds. A battery is measured in WH's (watt hours) its the amperage used X the voltage for 1 hour or any part there of (your CA will figure it out for you). Stealth Bomber batteries hold 1500 WH when new and IF your CA is set correctly (RSunt value) just look at the WH's used for the ride as AH tell you NOTHING as they change depending on if it was a slow or fast ride as the voltage varied.

Paul, The BMS shuts always down at 1200Wh and the Ah always shows 15.5, no matter how I Drive. So 300 short? What could it be?

 

[biknut]

I went on a fun 40 mile ride today.

 

[biknut]

 

[biknut]