E-S Stealth Electric Bike Owners

[ondabeach247]

Hi Rix! Thanks for the quick response. I requested the frame number from the seller and am waiting to hear back. Is the controller pretty straightforward to navigate? Looking at the pics the seller posted it looks like the version with just the two arrow buttons and the smaller display above the arrows (i think it's the CA v2 but I'm a newb, lol). I'm assuming I just press the arrows to scroll to a screen that displays voltage to perform the voltage sag test you recommended.

 

[PRW]

If you can, take the Bomber out for a spin. From dead stop, get on the throttle full twist and see how much the volts sag.

Rix, do you mean open the throttle slowly initially, then full throttle? If I did it the way you describe, my bomber would have tossed me into the nearest tree (just concerned about a possible newb here!)

 

[ondabeach247]

Frame number of the Bomber is #262

 

[st35326]

The year doesn't seem to matter much as the Bomber's hardware hasn't really changed in the last 6 years or so. Just guessing based on mine being the low 300s, its probably a 2013-2014 era. I do like the earlier builds as the ones Ive ridden seem to be a little snappier on takeoff than the later models. Maybe something they changed in the controllers later on to give less throttle punch? Ive even thought about finding a used earlier controller to test this theory.

If its close to you just go test ride the bike, it should tell you everything you want to know in one ride. Make sure you get pedaling the bike a few miles per hour because these things have VERY snappy throttles if you are not accustom to them. Treat that throttle like a loaded gun, my dad grabbed mine when I wasn't there and the bike looped out on him bending a crank and injuring him, slightly. The bike should be virtually silent and should go from zero to about 50mph (or until you lose your nerve) quickly. The only problem Ive ever had with my Bomber was loosening axle nuts from using regen, I think that is one of the only design flaws but seems to be avoidable if you do not use regen.

For your personal safety I DO NOT RECOMEND THAT YOU BE LOOKING DOWN AT A #12 FONT CYCLE ANALYST AT FULL THROTTLE FOR YOUR FIRST RIDE ON A BOMBER.

Lastly, if you end up getting this bike I recommend you start at the beginning of this thread and read it in its entirety

 

[Rix]

If you can, take the Bomber out for a spin. From dead stop, get on the throttle full twist and see how much the volts sag.

Rix, do you mean open the throttle slowly initially, then full throttle? If I did it the way you describe, my bomber would have tossed me into the nearest tree (just concerned about a possible newb here!)

However a full load can be achieved to tell us what the battery is doing is what we need to know. If the battery doesn't sag much, then "most likely" it will still have some good life and range left in it making the Bomber a nice deal for $6000. But if the battery sags, new ones from Stealth are around $2k and he could probably get the Bomber for less to offset the cost of a replacement battery. Even when new, whacking the throttle from dead stop, my Bomber would just lift the front wheel and go. Of course if i did that pointed up a hill, over I would go. The newer Bombers I have ridden with the DC1 are programmed so smooth that full power isn't seen until you get to about 7 or 8MPH and the ramp up is really realy smooth. That said, Good call on the Newb factor, don't want this guy crashing out.

 

[Rix]

Frame number of the Bomber is #262

So thats a later half 2013 so your battery is coming up on 4 years old. Based on my experience, if the owner cared for the bike, rode and charged it periodically and didn't let it sit, the battery will have another year maybe two left it in. Conversely, if the owner put a thousand miles on it the first year, and stored it since then, your battery is going to need to be replaced. The reason I wanted you to ride the bike and tell us about the volt sag is we can make a educated assumption what kind of performance you will get. What I don't want to see happen is, you buy the bike, the battery sags alot under load, and you think negatively of the Bomber because you are experiencing less of a machine than it really is.

Like ST35326 said, the Bomber as far as the Chassis goes, it hasn't changed much over the years. The stock suspension has improved immensely and the new DC1 does a better job then the older CA did for current modulation and being able to read the thing while riding. So if you can get a test ride, make sure its fully charged and the volts are settled around 79.9-80.1. Take it for a ride and get on the throttle just briefly for about 3 seconds from less than 5MPH. Then toggle through the CA and and look for "VMIN", if its around 73-74, your battery is most likely still pretty healthy. Also, PRW brought up a valid point. If you don't have a MC background, and you whack the throttle from dead stop, if the battery is healthy, it could loop over on you. So do it while rolling about 4-5mph and leaning forward towards the bars just to be on the safe side. I sometimes take for granted my distant past enduro racing background and the fact I am can still ride 60+Hp 235 pound MX machines with out any concerns of dumping the clutch at 8 grand and launching for the holeshot without concern for the front wheel coming up on me out of control.

 

[st35326]

Frame number of the Bomber is #262

All great points Rix (listen to this guy, he's forgotten more about these bikes than I'll ever know).


On the topic of batteries, the battery that comes with the Bomber is amazingly long lasting, resilient and amongst the safest chemistries available. Having said that, I personally would not be concerned as I wouldn't trade the battery that Alex made me for anything Stealth makes.

The pack Alex made me is made me up of 18650 30q cells, it's nearly 50% less in size and weight, with more Amp/Hours. Hot of the chargers its at 86 Volts and has a noticeably better "punch" with less sag the the stock battery.

Lastly it cost 30% less than Stealth would have charged me for a new stock LiFe battery!!

Its a win, win for me.

 

[ondabeach247]

Thanks for all the feedback and advice. In the event that the battery sags more than 6-7 volts testing at WOT, indicating that the battery may be degraded, what would be a reasonable price for the bike taking into account that a battery replacement will likely be necessary? $4500-$5000 perhaps? I'm hoping to see the bike in the next week.

 

[Rix]

Thanks for all the feedback and advice. In the event that the battery sags more than 6-7 volts testing at WOT, indicating that the battery may be degraded, what would be a reasonable price for the bike taking into account that a battery replacement will likely be necessary? $4500-$5000 perhaps? I'm hoping to see the bike in the next week.

Yah, I would say $5000 would be a good compromise. Reasonably can't expect the seller to foot the bill for a new battery, on the same note, wouldn't be fair if you had to either.

The pack Alex made me is made me up of 18650 30q cells, it's nearly 50% less in size and weight, with more Amp/Hours. Hot of the chargers its at 86 Volts and has a noticeably better "punch" with less sag the the stock battery.

Allex is on vacation for the next month or so. Just got a message from him, he is in Yosemite living the good life. Didn't want to suggest him as he may be out of the ebike work for a bit. Allex makes a beautiful replacement battery though. I know as I am running one of his 18S 7P 30Q cell packs in my Alpha right now. One could buy a 21S 8P pack from Allex and use the stock Bomber charger though. No BMS though. But as the 30Q chemistry is very safe and some 18650 cell manufactures say using a BMS is not necessary for this cell and chemistry. I will leave it at that. Anyway Ondabeach, let us know what you find out with that Bomber.

 

[biknut]

Has anyone with a B52 with a DC1 computer ridden in the rain, and experienced a complete power failure that seems similar to a BMS lock out?

We got caught in rain last night 15 miles from home, and my sons bike experienced this. We thought he had experienced a BMS lock out. Later after his bike had set in my garage drying out for an hour or so, I turned on the ignition key, and everything fired back up with no BMS reset. It was showing 33% battery, and 78v

 

[Cowardlyduck]

When you own a Stealth and you've got kids, there's only one thing you can do:

The loved it a lot when I went WOT on a few wide open straight sections, but for the most part it just makes for safe, effortless transport for the family.
Far safer IMO than driving around in a 2 ton metal box along side and in the opposite direction of other 2 tone metal boxes at 5 times the speed of a bike.

Cheers

 

[Cowardlyduck]

As promised here's the video of my trip up Mt Tennant last weekend.
On the way up I was running my cooling fans the whole time, and I was still hovering around 100C most of the way up. That was with significant power limiting and pedaling help. About 4-5 times I had to stop for 2-3min to let things cool off after temps approached 140C.
Coming back down I was pumping so much regen the motor hit 100C and I was having to run the fans again.

[youtube]A3wi0pvx1Us[/youtube]
I used some of my own music in this video in case your wondering.

Cheers

 

[1abv]

A bit of night riding....

Sooooo I just got a set of Hubsinks.. 1st run up my normal route which has a hillclimb that makes me hit 120 degrees everytime (im using ferro fluid) first run was at night and I hit 124.. but i was beating on the bike. I did notice it cooled down much quicker than before. I would estimate 3-4 times at least quicker than normal on a cold night ride.
2nd run (daytime about 87 degrees) riding a bit more normal I hit 117.. I have never gone below 120.... and it cooled down the bike much faster more like 2x quicker allowing me to hit a place where im usually above 7 amps at 6.25 amps soo they do work pretty good. Not nearly as drastic a jump as nothing to Ferro fluid but for me those precious few degrees are very important... right now I have the cutoff at 130..with rolloff starting at 120 been like that for over a year now and not had any problems....no falloff in motor performance, no bearing issues nuthin.... I have inspected the interior of the motor and it looks great. granted my motor is modded with thicker phase wire, different bearings amongst other bits...

Summary:
The Hubsinks work!
They cool the motor down faster and they lower the spike as long as you are not constantly on the throttle full bore up a hill for over 10 min. If I ride that way they make no difference on peak temo but do still cool down quicker. well worth the cost. Also install was easy!

 

[st35326]

Good job on the real world testing on the Hubsinks. What are your thoughts on the Fero fluid, alone?

 

[FL bomber]

Also good idea check inside bottom of battery box 4 signs of rust. And look carefully for small hairline cracks at frame Folds where seat frame connects to battery box frame.

 

[biknut]

This might be of interest. A 14T freewheel. It's wider than a standard freewheel, but looks like it would fit with no problems if you remove the stock torque arm clamp. Once installed the chain line should be unchanged, but it sticks outboard from the chain farther than the stock freewheel. There's not enough room for both the freewheel, and the torque arm clamp, but without the clamp, there's plenty of room. That shouldn't be a problem as long as you never use regen.

This obviously is one of the more super high quality freewheels costing $7.99 shipped. In reality, it feels better then the stock freewheel to the touch.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011TYO12S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[stritzky]

And how much ferro fluid did you add to your Bomber motor.

 

[ondabeach247]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. There is a 2014 Stealth Bomber for sale in my area listed at $6000 USD with 1000 miles on it. Provided there are no issues with the bike does this listing seem like a good value?

I'm planning on seeing the bike in person to inspect and perhaps make an offer to purchase it. Can anyone please help me with a checklist of what I should be inspecting, looking at and testing to make sure it is in good working order and to verify there are no issues with it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't have any experience with this bike or the controller. Thanks so much! And if I'm posting in the wrong area please let me know where I should be posting this.

Cheers!
Jarred

Well it turns out that there is another similar bike that just went up for sale a little closer to home. It is frame number 222. The listing says it only has 120 original miles and that the battery was just replaced with a new 72V 30ah (87 volts at full charge) along with a new charger. Brakes are also upgraded to 4 piston. It is listed at $6900 and is accepting offers. This seems like it would be the better deal assuming the battery was purchased from a reputable source (I'm waiting to hear back on from where he sourced the replacement). What do ya'll think?

Also is there anyone on here with replacement battery experience that might be able to provide me some timely feedback via phone or text if I take and send pictures of the battery when I inspect the bike? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[ondabeach247]

I heard back from the seller on the #222 bomber and he says the replacement battery and charger were direct from stealth for $2400 including shipping. That sounds about right yeah?

 

[Rix]

I heard back from the seller on the #222 bomber and he says the replacement battery and charger were direct from stealth for $2400 including shipping. That sounds about right yeah?

That does sound right.

 

[Cowardlyduck]

There's not enough room for both the freewheel, and the torque arm clamp, but without the clamp, there's plenty of room. That shouldn't be a problem as long as you never use regen.

Pretty sure I have the solution to that problem....and there's only 7 left:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=86054#p1258704

Cheers

 

[1abv]

Good job on the real world testing on the Hubsinks. What are your thoughts on the Fero fluid, alone?

Ferofluid works wonders. I used statoraid from Grin tech. You can prob get better cooling out a fully oil cooled motor but you should get sealed bearings and seal the side cases. Oil will still weep up through where the wires come out and even down the wires. but for max cooling full oil is prob better. (ATF or castor) Several people did this and they have minor leaking.

The ferofluid, I used 10ml. Totally changes the bike. the temp difference is insane. W/O the fluid I was hitting high temps in a matter if a few miles on pavement and it would take forever to drop back down. Im not sure about other peoples experience but I cant believe that Stealth sold them in that state. W/O some kind of cooling air or liquid I have no idea how you could take them offroad. I installed a temp sensor because my bike didn't have one hooked up. Funny but true there was one in there from the factory but they didn't run the wires up to the CAV...my bomber is in the mid 300 as far as model. FYI

 

[1abv]

I heard back from the seller on the #222 bomber and he says the replacement battery and charger were direct from stealth for $2400 including shipping. That sounds about right yeah?

To add to the list of things to check....
Cracks where the vboxx attaches at the back.
Cracks on the sides of the frame where the back corners of the covers attach.
The side covers de-glue themselves. The center is al the outside is steel. ( I have a great glue for this tried a few things..)
Im sure I will think of others...

 

[biknut]

There's not enough room for both the freewheel, and the torque arm clamp, but without the clamp, there's plenty of room. That shouldn't be a problem as long as you never use regen.

Pretty sure I have the solution to that problem....and there's only 7 left:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=86054#p1258704

Cheers

CD, this is just a rough eyeballing with a machinist's ruler, but it looks like there's only going to be about 3/16" between the outboard side of the freewheel, and the swingarm. At most 4/16" (1/4") no more.

 

[Cowardlyduck]

CD, this is just a rough eyeballing with a machinist's ruler, but it looks like there's only going to be about 3/16" between the outboard side of the freewheel, and the swingarm. At most 4/16" (1/4") no more.

You only need enough room for it to spin freely. You could even get away with 1mm of space and many have, including myself with my 7speed freewheel.
The reason I offer my clamping torque blocks as a solution is you can do away with the stock Stealth axle clamp if you were to use my replacement torque blocks.

Cheers