Will I Harm My Rear Hub Running It While On A Repair Stand??

[nextcity]

I'm a new Radmission owner (yes, the $499 sale).  New to ebikes altogether.  I also recently purchased a spare battery, as they went on sale.

However, it's too cold (and I am too old and sickly) to get out to ride the required first three times (followed by the 12 charge) to condition the new battery.

I'm wondering if I can just run down the battery by just running the rear wheel via the throttle while in my Park repair stand (without doing damage)?  I know nothing about rear electric bike hubs and was wondering if the lack of weight (having a rider) would somehow damage the electric  hub.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Altema]

No, you won't harm the stock motor by running it without a load. It will just reach it's specified RPM and stay there for as long as it has power.
Balancing the battery is a good thing to do, but don't feel like it's an emergency or you have to rush it. The purpose of it is to balance out the individual battery cells inside your battery pack, and it's usually recommended for batteries which are new or have been unused for a while.

If you do decide to go though the process (it WILL give you something to do!), then make sure there are no pets of visiting children that could injure themselves on the spinning wheel. It will take a long time to run the battery down like this because, without a load, it will only draw enough power to keep the wheel spinning, and that is not much (8 to 12 watts?). To make it easier, take a wide rubber band, and put it right on the gap between the twist throttle and the handlebar grip. This will act like a cruse control, and the friction will keep the throttle in whatever position you twist it to. Make sure you take the band off before riding, and never try a thin rubber band because it can go down into the gap, and possibly jam or break, leaving debris inside the gap. Have fun, and resist the temptation to open a bottle of beer on the spinning tire 

[nextcity]

No, you won't harm the stock motor by running it without a load. It will just reach it's specified RPM and stay there for as long as it has power.
Balancing the battery is a good thing to do, but don't feel like it's an emergency or you have to rush it. The purpose of it is to balance out the individual battery cells inside your battery pack, and it's usually recommended for batteries which are new or have been unused for a while.

If you do decide to go though the process (it WILL give you something to do!), then make sure there are no pets of visiting children that could injure themselves on the spinning wheel. It will take a long time to run the battery down like this because, without a load, it will only draw enough power to keep the wheel spinning, and that is not much (8 to 12 watts?). To make it easier, take a wide rubber band, and put it right on the gap between the twist throttle and the handlebar grip. This will act like a cruse control, and the friction will keep the throttle in whatever position you twist it to. Make sure you take the band off before riding, and never try a thin rubber band because it can go down into the gap, and possibly jam or break, leaving debris inside the gap. Have fun, and resist the temptation to open a bottle of beer on the spinning tire 

Thank you.  This is great news.  I live alone and don't have pets.  I've got a good repair stand too (Park PRS-3) with a weight limit well over 100 pounds.  I'm old, live in the north, and may not get out too often on this Radmission, so it's good to know I can keep both batteries conditioned this way. 

[blusky]

I purchased a used RAD3ST with very few miles.  I know that the battery hasn't been cycled thru in proper fashion.  I live in a cold climate and know that I won't be getting the "ride hours" needed to get some good charging cycles thru the battery.  SO, in regard to the aforementioned suggestion, running the bike on a stand, is there anyway this can be done without running up the mileage on the odometer?  (I kinda doubt it.) Appreciate any back-feed.

[Naranja_CT5+]

I would guess spinning your motor for a long time would generate a lot of heat.

My RC5+ manual says store the battery with a charge between 40-75%. Therefore while it's not winter yet. Why not go out and ride it to 75%. When I was young, I remembered a trick we've used to drain big capacitors by connecting a 100 watt lightbulb to it. But now with sophisticated electronics this method is not be a good idea.

"For a peak battery performance over time, store the battery at approximately 40-75% charged (about 4 to 7 charge level lights illuminated). Check the battery's charge level monthly. If necessary, use the charger from Rad Power Bikes to charge the battery to about 40-75% charged."

[John Rose]

...  I also recently purchased a spare battery, as they went on sale.

However, it's too cold (and I am too old and sickly) to get out to ride the required first three times (followed by the 12 charge) to condition the new battery.

If it's one of the new Safe Shield™ (or even regular) batteries, it probably does not need to be "balanced" (the procedure of partially draining it, then charging it for exactly 12 hours, 3 times). The instructions for new bikes (which come with new batteries) don't say anything about balancing the batteries any more. The BMS (Battery Management System) circuit is part of the battery, not the bike's controller, and the BMS would be the part that renders it unnecessary in newer batteries.

Even if it is one of the older style batteries, I'm pretty sure that you can put off balancing it until the weather is more cooperative. Any reduction in capacity as a result of not balancing it is not permanent, unlike the premature loss of capacity as a result of always keeping it topped up to 100% during long-term storage.

[John Rose]

I'm a new Radmission owner (yes, the $499 sale).

Waiddaminnit ... does that mean you are a new owner of a pre-owned RadMission bike, or did you find a "new old stock" RadMission bike?
They were discontinued a while ago, weren't they?