E-S Stealth Electric Bike Owners

[Cowardlyduck]

Hey CD. There is NO binding of the lower shock mount with the bolt done up tight!!!!! Re the Fighter mounting of the rear guard, the bracket will be basicly the same but moved up the guard to mount in the same way. If you check my web site the bash guard stops a lot of mud and water reaching the BB area too!! I am working on the front one at the moment and will be mounted as a clamp design to the lower fork crown or a simple (but neat) cable tie set up. When i have a Fighter in stock PERMANENTLY i will produce a prototype set then test them then sell them,here's a couple of pics so far.
I will keep you all up to date and in the loop :lol:

That sounds awesome QMS. I think I will most likely be after one of these once you've worked out the design etc.

In the mean time, I've employed BONDS as a temporary stand in. :lol:


It actually works quite well considering.

Cheers

 

[QMS]

Hey CD. There is NO binding of the lower shock mount with the bolt done up tight!!!!! Re the Fighter mounting of the rear guard, the bracket will be basicly the same but moved up the guard to mount in the same way. If you check my web site the bash guard stops a lot of mud and water reaching the BB area too!! I am working on the front one at the moment and will be mounted as a clamp design to the lower fork crown or a simple (but neat) cable tie set up. When i have a Fighter in stock PERMANENTLY i will produce a prototype set then test them then sell them,here's a couple of pics so far.
I will keep you all up to date and in the loop :lol:

That sounds awesome QMS. I think I will most likely be after one of these once you've worked out the design etc.

In the mean time, I've employed BONDS as a temporary stand in. :lol:
View attachment 1

It actually works quite well considering.

Cheers

Cheers CD ,well undies are designed to stop crap HA HA HA :lol: Or is that a sock???

 

[Stealth_Rider]

If anyone has changed their Vboxx grease could you please post the specifics of what oil/grease you used, how much cleaning oil was added, and how you got to the drailn/fill screws (pull off the shock, remove the rear wheel, ?), etc.

I've set up a top level sticky post for this information on the Stealth Google forum so we can easily find it in the future. Appreciate if you could post your information there.

https://groups.google.com/d/topic/stealth-electric-bikes/4U4oZcUj7GA/discussion

Thanks.

Jim Kirk

 

[Cowardlyduck]

Cheers CD ,well undies are designed to stop crap HA HA HA :lol: Or is that a sock???

It's actually 1 1/2 socks.

In keeping with the ridiculous looks, I also wore Ski goggles on my ride to work this morning...man it's cold in Sydney atm.

Cheers

 

[Hyena]

LOL, you could have atleast used black socks :lol:

[insert sock joke about leaving no carbon footprint on an ebike]

And yeah it's bloody freezing now. I wimped out of riding this morning because I had to be suited up for a meeting at 8am but I'll be busting out the balaclava tomorrow!

Those previous comments about not charging the battery immediately after use sound a bit overly cautious to me. As stated with the sort of C rate we're discharging them at these cells aren't working terribly hard so it should be a non-issue. Sounds like a handed down generically applied warning from the manufacturer...

 

[Cowardlyduck]

LOL, you could have atleast used black socks :lol:

[insert sock joke about leaving no carbon footprint on an ebike]

And yeah it's bloody freezing now. I wimped out of riding this morning because I had to be suited up for a meeting at 8am but I'll be busting out the balaclava tomorrow!

Yeah but none of my Black socks have holes in them atm.

I'll have a crack; The Shock couldn't handle the boot, so I gave it the Sock.
Terrible I know. :lol:

On another note, I've been thinking for a while about getting SPD cleats on my Fighter, but had the thought the other day, what about the Schlumpf gear button?

Posted in another thread since it doesn't only relate to the Fighter.
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41106#p601125

Has anyone tried cleats with a Schlumpf?

Cheers

 

[Kepler]

With the new Fighter getting all the attention of late, the Bomber has been a little neglected so I thought it best I pay it some attention again. One of the features I really like on my Fighter is the internally mounted controller and as such figured this would be a good mod for the Bomber too. However, even though the battery compartment is quite a bit bigger in the Bomber, it still proved to be a bit of challenge to get an 18FET controller and 15 x 6S 5ahr LiPo's into the space. I also wanted to take the opportunity to make some wiring modifications to improve battery isolation and charging.

First thing was to find the best place for the controller that still left enough room for the batteries. The controller was removed from its case so the heat sink could be attached directly to frame. By doing this, the frame becomes and extension of the heat sink.





Once the controller was mounted, a protective cover was fabricated and fitted followed by a general wiring tidy up.

View attachment 3

The 30S 3P pack was then re fitted ready for action. ALthough the wiring looks a bit messy, its all safe and funtional.





A new battery isolation plug was made using EC5 connectors fitted into a machined carrier. A loop plug is then used to fully isolate the pack and provide a nice neat charge point.

 

[Hyena]

Nice one kepler.
Does anything hold the lipo firmly in place ? Mind is similarly jammed in there and held fairly tightly in place but I notice on hard landings or when the front wheel comes back down after popping up I often get a knock, which is the batteries shifting around inside. This doesn't bother me hugely but I imagine with the somewhat unprotected internal controller there it could cop a bit of a nudge. Or are those velcro straps holding fairly tight ?

Nice work on the Auxillary battery for the headlight too :lol: C'mon, There's room in the neck for a DC-DC converter
Do you find you can push the pins back out of your EC5s ? I found mine could which could end in tears so I made a similar plug for mine (3 lots of plugs as I like to parallel bulk charge) only I did away with the stock housings and the thick perspex I used because the new housing. Pics soon once I tidy it all up

 

[Kepler]

Packs are sandwiched between the side covers with foam so they dont move at all. Also the controller has a protective aluminium cover around it just in case a battery does come loose. The Velcro is just used to hold the wires down on top of the packs and has nothing to do with holding the batteries down.

You like my aux pack Wouldn't want to drain my main battery you know. :lol:

The EC5's are great. The bullets click in very firmly. You need to knock them out with a drift and hammer if you ever need to remove them. I use EC5's on everything now. If you are having EC5's pop out of their plastic holders by just pushing them together, then something isn't right. There is no way they pop out by just plugging them together.

 

[Rix]

Finally got the Bomber. Great bike! Assembled it and took it out last night. Very fun. Suspension settings I found to be good. Rear Shock fast/slow rebound dampening. 4 clicks from all the way out. Left spring preload alone for now but will change because rider static sag is at about 3.5 inches. RST One. Compression, 8 clicks from out. Rebound was set 6 clicks out. This was the suspension setting I found to work for me and gave me about 1 to 1.5 inches rider static sag. I went down a hill with wash boards and whoops. With the rear dampening set 4 clicks out, it allowed the suspension to extend just fast enough between the whoops without wanting to throw me over the bars. The front setting was what I felt would most closely match the rear with slightly faster return rate. The RST fork is proving to be finicky. Maybe needs to be broke in. Overall this bike is awesome. sometimes I forget its a bike because it handles so well off road. Put my neoprene shock cover on. the fork covers were too tight and wouldn't slide down after compression. Anybody else around a 100+ Kilos come up with different suspension settings?

 

[Kepler]

Finally!!! Bike looks great in Army Green.

I think you will need to wind the spring up to full firm for your weight. I run mine at full firm even at my weight and the compression full soft. Rebound is at about 4 clicks too.

I found front suspension was best for me when set full soft on compression and full fast on rebound. I am sure you would have seen the posts on lubing the front forks at the seals for better small bump compliance. I havent tried this yet but I think I will give it a go to see if it feels any better.

Any surprises with the bike to what you were expecting? The weight is always a bit of a shock, especially at the back end. A lot copper in that motor. Power what you were expecting?

 

[Stealth_Bombering]

Finally got the Bomber. Great bike! Assembled it and took it out last night. Very fun. Suspension settings I found to be good. Rear Shock fast/slow rebound dampening. 4 clicks from all the way out. Left spring preload alone for now but will change because rider static sag is at about 3.5 inches. RST One. Compression, 8 clicks from out. Rebound was set 6 clicks out. This was the suspension setting I found to work for me and gave me about 1 to 1.5 inches rider static sag. I went down a hill with wash boards and whoops. With the rear dampening set 4 clicks out, it allowed the suspension to extend just fast enough between the whoops without wanting to throw me over the bars. The front setting was what I felt would most closely match the rear with slightly faster return rate. The RST fork is proving to be finicky. Maybe needs to be broke in. Overall this bike is awesome. sometimes I forget its a bike because it handles so well off road. Put my neoprene shock cover on. the fork covers were too tight and wouldn't slide down after compression. Anybody else around a 100+ Kilos come up with different suspension settings?

Congrats on the new bike. How long did it take to get once they shipped it out? I hope mine will be shipping soon.

For everybody else out there waiting on your bike I just saw a new youtube video somebody posted riding in acapulco mexico. It's pretty nice quality and gives a good sense of the power http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylZziCmsjpQ

 

[cruzxia]

Finally got the Bomber. Great bike! Assembled it and took it out last night. Very fun. Suspension settings I found to be good. Rear Shock fast/slow rebound dampening. 4 clicks from all the way out. Left spring preload alone for now but will change because rider static sag is at about 3.5 inches. RST One. Compression, 8 clicks from out. Rebound was set 6 clicks out. This was the suspension setting I found to work for me and gave me about 1 to 1.5 inches rider static sag. I went down a hill with wash boards and whoops. With the rear dampening set 4 clicks out, it allowed the suspension to extend just fast enough between the whoops without wanting to throw me over the bars. The front setting was what I felt would most closely match the rear with slightly faster return rate. The RST fork is proving to be finicky. Maybe needs to be broke in. Overall this bike is awesome. sometimes I forget its a bike because it handles so well off road. Put my neoprene shock cover on. the fork covers were too tight and wouldn't slide down after compression. Anybody else around a 100+ Kilos come up with different suspension settings?

Rix

Looks good. Couple of things, check that the wheels spin free once assembled. (Rear is difficult to check) I had to shim my front caliper to get it right

Servicing the forks.
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=AU#/watch?v=VXWqDzcoKEc
The R1 is the same as the video minus the air.
I mixed up sfr and grease, lubed the seals and bushes. The work well now.

Cruzxia

 

[Rix]

Kepler,
The machine did surprise me. The first time after I cut the wire on the CA to get full power, I took it out. I blipped the throttle from dead stop and almost slid off the seat. I was surprised. Torque from dead stop is impressive. For a brief moment, I think the bomber feels like my 450 right off idle. I love the bike. The one thing about the DNM shock that also surpised me is I can feel each click of the rebound, noticably. It lets you know if your are too slow or too fast very easly. To bad my KTMs aren't that obviouse. Can't find any DNM recommendations for rider static sag so I am going to set the Rider static sag at 2.75" based on 10" rear wheel travel with the compression turned half way out on top of the shock. Then I can use the compression knob for fine tuning. I calculated this sag based on my dirt bike setup. I run between 4 and 4.25" rider static with 13" of total travel. I sprayed some Boeshield t-9 on my fork tubes and compressed the forks a couple of times. It was much smoother instantly. The weight doesn't bother me, I am used to riding and lifting 250-275+ pound dirt bikes around so the bombers 116 pounds feels light to me. I know what you are saying though with the rear wheel though, when I popped the lid of the shipping crate, I reached insided, grabbed the bomber and lifted up and out. The rear was heavier than I was expecting it to be. Bottom line, it was worth the wait. With the wire curt, my CA was preset set at 65 Amp draw and 70volts LVC respectively with set wheel at 2055. My battery fully charged is 81.6 volts, (still breaking in) and rated for 18ah). Thats like 1450-1470 WA. While im breaking in the battery, I am going to keep my discharge to around 1050 WA for margin of error and no top speed runs. Lots of people on this forum have posted the importance of breaking in Lipo/Lipo4. Seems like the more I learn about lipos and lipo4s, the less I know. I am really happy with bomber in stock trim. Before I got it, I had all of the plans to modify it such as venting the hub, lipo conversion to 18s 3p with 8300 mAH desire lipos, and increase the power output to 7.5 KW or 100 Amp @ 75 volts. Now I am not touching it. Its fine the way it is and I need to educate myself more about Lipos and electrical knowlege and theory in general before I screw around with my bomber.

Stealth-Bombering

I originally ordered the Fighter on March 24. Based on discussions I had in this forum and at the advisement of John and Darrin, I switched my order to the Bomber April 20. I got my bike on the June 28. If I go off the original order date, it took 3 months and 4 days. But if I go off my order switch date, it toll 2 months 8 days. If wasn't for the battery supply issue, I would have had my bike at 3 weeks sooner. I know its easy for me to say this now that I got mine, but, be patient, its worth the wait. Right now I like my bomber so much that I am thinking about selling one of my 250s and my 450 KTM. If I am not riding my dirtbikes, why keep all of them. I still have one for the occasional gasser ride with my friends, however, because of my work schedule, I ride alone mostly anyway and now it will be on my bomber.

Cruxzia

My front lined up perfectly. The caliper pads don't touch any part of my disk, no rubbing sounds or nothing. Spins freely. The rear rubbed just slightly. I eyeballed the rim and tire between the swing arm and it looked like the tire/rim was canted a couple of mms closer to the left side of the swingarm. I mic'd it and confirmed. Also the chain was "banjo string" tight. So I loosend the axel bolts and gave the chain some slack, centered the wheel in the swingarm and tightend the bolts. Rubbing noise was gone. Thanks for the you tube link on servicing the forks. As I told Kepler above the Boesheild T-9 really slicks things up. I don't know how long it will last though. So far I have two rides or about 43 miles. I also carry a little towel with me to wipe off the road dust. I am having some neoprene fork covers custom made which should help with stanchion protection. Will post pics when I get them.

If anybody has any tips for me please post them. There maybe things I need to know that I don't know the questions to. BTW. Does anybody have a list of torque specs in NM for the chasis? I called stealth and got the specs for the axel nuts which is 45 NM, but the manuals that came with my bike for the forks and Vboxx aren't very specific. Also, the Vboxx online manual is confusing. It referes to contaminated oil when draining and low viscosity grease when filling at 20ml per hole on the case. Was something lost in translation?

Rix

 

[Kepler]

Kepler,
The machine did surprise me. The first time after I cut the wire on the CA to get full power, I took it out. I blipped the throttle from dead stop and almost slid off the seat. I was surprised. Torque from dead stop is impressive. For a brief moment, I think the bomber feels like my 450 right off idle. I love the bike. The one thing about the DNM shock that also surpised me is I can feel each click of the rebound, noticably. It lets you know if your are too slow or too fast very easly. To bad my KTMs aren't that obviouse. Can't find any DNM recommendations for rider static sag so I am going to set the Rider static sag at 2.75" based on 10" rear wheel travel with the compression turned half way out on top of the shock. Then I can use the compression knob for fine tuning. I calculated this sag based on my dirt bike setup. I run between 4 and 4.25" rider static with 13" of total travel. I sprayed some Boeshield t-9 on my fork tubes and compressed the forks a couple of times. It was much smoother instantly. The weight doesn't bother me, I am used to riding and lifting 250-275+ pound dirt bikes around so the bombers 116 pounds feels light to me. I know what you are saying though with the rear wheel though, when I popped the lid of the shipping crate, I reached insided, grabbed the bomber and lifted up and out. The rear was heavier than I was expecting it to be. Bottom line, it was worth the wait. With the wire curt, my CA was preset set at 65 Amp draw and 70volts LVC respectively with set wheel at 2055. My battery fully charged is 81.6 volts, (still breaking in) and rated for 18ah). Thats like 1450-1470 WA. While im breaking in the battery, I am going to keep my discharge to around 1050 WA for margin of error and no top speed runs. Lots of people on this forum have posted the importance of breaking in Lipo/Lipo4. Seems like the more I learn about lipos and lipo4s, the less I know. I am really happy with bomber in stock trim. Before I got it, I had all of the plans to modify it such as venting the hub, lipo conversion to 18s 3p with 8300 mAH desire lipos, and increase the power output to 7.5 KW or 100 Amp @ 75 volts. Now I am not touching it. Its fine the way it is and I need to educate myself more about Lipos and electrical knowlege and theory in general before I screw around with my bomber.

Rix

Sounds like you have suspension all under control. I think I will wait for your recommendations as it sounds like you have some good experience in this field.

Very true about not needing to modify the bike. The batteries used in the Bomber (and Fighter) will put out nearly as much power as LiPo's and as only slightly heavier plus they are super safe. Pointless changing them. My Bomber came with Headway cells that are quite a bit heavier which was the man reason I went to LiPo.

Motor wise, 54xx motor is well within its limits at around 5kW. I run 10kW through mine without a problem even after 5000ml.

If you want more power, once the bike comes out of warranty, the existing controller can easily be modified and re programmed to add a few more kW. Cheap and easy to do and no need to replace the battery.

 

[QMS]

Kepler,
The machine did surprise me. The first time after I cut the wire on the CA to get full power, I took it out. I blipped the throttle from dead stop and almost slid off the seat. I was surprised. Torque from dead stop is impressive. For a brief moment, I think the bomber feels like my 450 right off idle. I love the bike. The one thing about the DNM shock that also surpised me is I can feel each click of the rebound, noticably. It lets you know if your are too slow or too fast very easly. To bad my KTMs aren't that obviouse. Can't find any DNM recommendations for rider static sag so I am going to set the Rider static sag at 2.75" based on 10" rear wheel travel with the compression turned half way out on top of the shock. Then I can use the compression knob for fine tuning. I calculated this sag based on my dirt bike setup. I run between 4 and 4.25" rider static with 13" of total travel. I sprayed some Boeshield t-9 on my fork tubes and compressed the forks a couple of times. It was much smoother instantly. The weight doesn't bother me, I am used to riding and lifting 250-275+ pound dirt bikes around so the bombers 116 pounds feels light to me. I know what you are saying though with the rear wheel though, when I popped the lid of the shipping crate, I reached insided, grabbed the bomber and lifted up and out. The rear was heavier than I was expecting it to be. Bottom line, it was worth the wait. With the wire curt, my CA was preset set at 65 Amp draw and 70volts LVC respectively with set wheel at 2055. My battery fully charged is 81.6 volts, (still breaking in) and rated for 18ah). Thats like 1450-1470 WA. While im breaking in the battery, I am going to keep my discharge to around 1050 WA for margin of error and no top speed runs. Lots of people on this forum have posted the importance of breaking in Lipo/Lipo4. Seems like the more I learn about lipos and lipo4s, the less I know. I am really happy with bomber in stock trim. Before I got it, I had all of the plans to modify it such as venting the hub, lipo conversion to 18s 3p with 8300 mAH desire lipos, and increase the power output to 7.5 KW or 100 Amp @ 75 volts. Now I am not touching it. Its fine the way it is and I need to educate myself more about Lipos and electrical knowlege and theory in general before I screw around with my bomber.

Rix

Sounds like you have suspension all under control. I think I will wait for your recommendations as it sounds like you have some good experience in this field.

Very true about not needing to modify the bike. The batteries used in the Bomber (and Fighter) will put out nearly as much power as LiPo's and as only slightly heavier plus they are super safe. Pointless changing them. My Bomber came with Headway cells that are quite a bit heavier which was the man reason I went to LiPo.

Motor wise, 54xx motor is well within its limits at around 5kW. I run 10kW through mine without a problem even after 5000ml.

If you want more power, once the bike comes out of warranty, the existing controller can easily be modified and re programmed to add a few more kW. Cheap and easy to do and no need to replace the battery.

Hi Kepler. I and some friends are very interested in the simple controller power mods you described for the bomber. I really want to leave the stock battery alone as it is a great "all rounder" i think. I would love a little bit more ooomph without modding too much!!!! This info would be awsome

 

[Cowardlyduck]

I added some double sided padded tape to my side panels to fix and improve a few things.



I found battery the leads inside the shrink wrap were getting a bit squashed on the side panel, so this moves the panel out slightly to help with this.
View attachment 3

It also prevents the bolts from coming loose as they have a constant slight pressure.

And you can put the side panel on without any bolts to hold it now.


Other advantages are that little to no dust can now enter through the edges of the side panels, as well as no water droplets working their way through now.


You could probably achieve the same with single sided padded tape as well, but this is just what I had on hand.

Cheers,

 

[Kepler]

Hi Kepler. I and some friends are very interested in the simple controller power mods you described for the bomber. I really want to leave the stock battery alone as it is a great "all rounder" i think. I would love a little bit more ooomph without modding too much!!!! This info would be awsome

Check this thread out. Basically all the info you need. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31643

I really like the mod using the trim pot. (Courtesy of Big Moose)



This gives you some control over the shunt total resistance and allows you to fine tune max current without the need to use the programming tool. It should be noted that increasing the current limit also gives you more re-gen and of course voids your warranty.

 

[veloman]

What brand lifepo4 does Stealth use? at 18ah, they must be pretty decent cells for that kind of power and reliability. A123? I never heard of them mentioned so I think it's someone else?

 

[QMS]

Hi Kepler. I and some friends are very interested in the simple controller power mods you described for the bomber. I really want to leave the stock battery alone as it is a great "all rounder" i think. I would love a little bit more ooomph without modding too much!!!! This info would be awsome

Check this thread out. Basically all the info you need. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31643

I really like the mod using the trim pot. (Courtesy of Big Moose)



This gives you some control over the shunt total resistance and allows you to fine tune max current without the need to use the programming tool. It should be noted that increasing the current limit also gives you more re-gen and of course voids your warranty.

Cheers Kepler! Yes warranty is VERY IMPORTANT but i have some clients/mates that just have to fiddle, plus really needed a simple low cost mod for MY future fiddling. I must have missed that thread

 

[Rix]

Sounds like you have suspension all under control. I think I will wait for your recommendations as it sounds like you have some good experience in this field.
Very true about not needing to modify the bike. The batteries used in the Bomber (and Fighter) will put out nearly as much power as LiPo's and as only slightly heavier plus they are super safe. Pointless changing them. My Bomber came with Headway cells that are quite a bit heavier which was the man reason I went to LiPo.
Motor wise, 54xx motor is well within its limits at around 5kW. I run 10kW through mine without a problem even after 5000ml.
If you want more power, once the bike comes out of warranty, the existing controller can easily be modified and re programmed to add a few more kW. Cheap and easy to do and no need to replace the battery

Thanks Kepler,

I appreciate everything. Just saw the wiring diagram. How much increase in KW does the mod put out? It looks simple enough. I have some additional questions and will send you a PM. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.

Rix

 

[QuaziModo]

Woohoo! Fighter is on its way!

Just back from NZ and unpacked the Fighter. Threw it together but there was no user manual etc. is that normal? I googled it and found one on a strange website but it wasn't of great detail, is there a real manual somewhere which is up to date?

 

[Rix]

Quazi,

Just got my bomber a few days ago, no manual with it. I called the US Stealth Rep Darrin and asked him about it. He told me that due to R&D updates, Stealth doesn't have a manual, but encourages their customers to contact for questions. As Cruzxia pointed out to me on the last page, check break alignment and adjust accordingly. Also the rear axel nuts are torque spec'd to 45nm. I know the Fighter uses a HS3540 hubbie and not the X5, but I am not sure about the axel nut torque specs for the HS. For the bomber, I am in the process of putting a list together for all chasis related torque specs. When I have it, I will post here. Basically the list will show specs for swing arm bolts, upper and lower shock bolts, Axel nuts, RST Tripple clamp bolts, Vboxx crank arms. The small stuff like down hill handlebar stem and fork tube plug cap, seat post clamp, I am just going to tighten by feel. The RST manual that was included with bomber did show torque specs for the RST front fork axel shaft and locking nut. Listed both as 12-15 nm for the RST One and Storm. Hope this helps,

Rix

 

[Kepler]

Here is a copy of the 2011 manual. It is a bit lite-on in relation to info but in combination with the various component manuals, I think it gives you enough basic info. I think one of the reasons a detailed manual with exploded views etc isn't provided is to make it more difficult to copy the bike.

For the most part, servicing the bike is not that much different to a normal bike anyway.

Perhaps if there are some specific areas that people fell strongly need documenting in the manual, we can list these and pass on the request to John.

Rix, that shunt mod will push the controller to self destruction if not set carefully. Basically it allows you to dead short the shunt which essentially means no current limit. Extreme caution is required if attempting this mod.

It will also throw out your CA calibration as the CA uses the controller's shunt resistance to carry out many of its calculations. This means its not practical to set up a pot on the bike that you adjust whenever you want to.

The mod is simple but you will need an external current measuring device to re calibrate the Cycle Analyst every time you make a change to the pot otherwise kW and Whr readings from the CA will be meaningless.

 

[Kepler]

Woohoo! Fighter is on its way!

Just back from NZ and unpacked the Fighter. Threw it together but there was no user manual etc. is that normal? I googled it and found one on a strange website but it wasn't of great detail, is there a real manual somewhere which is up to date?

I think you got that off Jim Kirk's web site. Jim Goes by the name of stealth_rider on this forum and is very active on the Googles group site. Check out his posts over on Google Groups. Lots of good info.