Bafang 48v 1000w Rear Hub Motor (L1019) Upgrade

[Cycloneus]

I've ran out of options and this is my first post to this forum. I have a 2016 Rad Rover and had purchased a Bafang 48v 1000w Rear Hub Motor (L1019) due to some issues with my 750w motor I had previously upgraded to. The 1000w motor was not a drop in replacement like the 750w was so I took it to a local bike shop. They had my bike for about 2 months and they were unable to get it working properly. They had tried to charge me almost $300 for the "repair" but they also threw away my other motor, which I had asked for a diagnostic on. They ended up only charging me $100 but I still have a bike that isn't working. I brought it home yesterday and when I pull the throttle the tire spins for about 3 seconds then cuts out. I'm running the RadPower Upgrade Kit from Bolton / Area 13 ebikes and the motor was purchased from Big Game Ebikes. Any suggestions would be helpful. Please let me know if you need additional information.

[handlebar]

Maybe your voltage is falling below the controller cutoff, which C12 lets you program from 38 to 41 volts.

When I do that on mine with the battery at 40 F, the displayed voltage drops from 47.5 to 47.0. If yours drops more and the battery is charged, maybe it needs balancing.

[Cycloneus]

Thank you for quick response. I checked my C12 setting and it is set to 4, which I think is correct. I've attached some pictures with my settings and the model number of my battery. Going to look into what needs to be done to balance a battery next. The battery is not OEM and is about 3 years old.

[handlebar]

According to the LCD8H manual, it's compatible with 24, 36, and 48 V batteries. Maybe it's shutting off because it's not compatible with your battery.

[handlebar]

Thank you for quick response. I checked my C12 setting and it is set to 4, which I think is correct. I've attached some pictures with my settings and the model number of my battery. Going to look into what needs to be done to balance a battery next. The battery is not OEM and is about 3 years old.

Radpower used to say you balance by leaving the charger on 12 hours three times, riding even a short distance in between. I don't like it because if left charging 12 hours, a faulty battery could go into thermal runaway and start a nasty chemical fire.

I like to use a wattmeter reading in tenths, maybe $10, and a timer, maybe $10. Without connecting the charger to the battery, I plug the timer into wall, the wattmeter into the timer, and the charger into the wattmeter. My Radpower chargers will read about 0.9 watt. If it gets down to that while charging, it means the battery has finished balancing and shut itself off from charging.

My Radpower chargers use about 109 watts and taper off at the end. If a battery is unbalanced, tapering until the battery shuts off can take many hours. A charging battery should not be left. Somebody should be present to unplug the charger if the battery starts to get hot. The timer is to make sure it doesn't continue to charge long if I forget about it and leave. .

[Cycloneus]

The battery was working fine with the previous 750w motor I had upgraded to. Does that make a difference?

[handlebar]

The battery was working fine with the previous 750w motor I had upgraded to. Does that make a difference?

I had a battery that got badly unbalanced from sitting 6 months. In case something dangerous was wrong, I used the timer to balance it in segments of an hour or two, when I would be near.

I think your display and maybe your controller are incompatible with a 52-volt battery. Has it worked for somebody else?

[Cycloneus]

It seems like it might be easier if I start from the beginning. I'll try and make a long story short. I first purchased a 2021 Rad Rover but then I also purchased a used 2016 Rad Rover off Craigslist. Both bikes were running fine but we noticed that the battery on the 2016 model was not lasting very long. I didn't know anything ebike battery voltages or amps and I had hard time finding a vendor that would ship to Hawaii so I ordered the biggest battery I could find from a vendor that would ship here (my bad). I installed the battery and the battery was working fine and then I came across a Rad Power upgrade kit. I ordered that and installed the new controller and LCD myself and everything was working fine still. I then ordered the 750w motor and also installed that myself and everything was still working properly. We took the bikes on a camping trip and we were going up a steep hill on muddy ground and as I was peddling with PAS on and the motor just cut out completely. I took it to Krank Cycles and they charged me $100 but they were unable to diagnose the issue. I did some research and it appears the issue was most likely a hall sensor that was burnt out. I then took it to Maui Sunriders bike shop but they refused to repair the motor but said they would swap out the motor if I purchased a new one. I then purchased the 1000w motor from Big Game Bikes and dropped off the bike with old motor still installed and new motor still in the box. I asked if they could swap out the motors and test the hall sensors on the old motor. The rest of the story was in my original post but as I mentioned the battery was the first thing I replaced and was working properly until I had the installed the 1000w. I'm not sure how it would be incompatible if it was working previously.

Before I picked up the bike from Maui Sunriders I did offer to purchase a new controller but they don't carry those. I explained that I would look online and he said that I would need to find one with Juliet styles plugs and requested that I pick up the bike in the meantime. I think he might have rewired the original connector but I can check when I get home and post a picture. Would you be able to recommend a controller that is compatiable with a 52v battery?

[handlebar]

That's beyond me.
https://electrobikeworld.com

I bought a controller for a Radmission from them. They're good about answering email. Under Rad upgrades, they have a 52 volt battery, so they could probably tell you if your controller would work.


The display manual says it's compatible with 24, 36, and 48 volts, but it doesn't say it won't work with 52. For all I know, the controller will work fine, and it's another problem.

When you turn the throttle to spin the wheel, does the indicated voltage drop sharply?

[Cycloneus]

No the voltage doesn't drop sharply. I had actually purchased the 750w motor from electro bike world. Their support was good and they were responsive. I ended up having to order some spacers in order to mount the motor properly.

I did find this controller but it looks like some rewiring would be involved. I actually have XT90 connectors but not sure what else I would need.

https://electrobikeworld.com/products/35a-controller

[handlebar]

I think they'll tell you if you need this controller and what connectors  you need.