The Upgrade Kit

We have used the Are 13 upgrade kits on over 30 Rad Rovers, 11 Rad Runners and we have always had success with this an affordable easy, pretty much plug and play solution for those customers looking to significantly improve the performance of their Rad Power product..

This upgrade kit was installed on a 2019 RadRunner. Background: As soon as I took my first ride on the RadRunner I knew I would need some sort of upgrade to boost the torque off the line. After a fair bit of research I stumbled upon the Bolton website. Seeing that there was a kit in development that would preserve the tail light function I bookmarked the site and checked back every so often. Once I saw the kit up for pre-order in early March I ordered it straight away. Installation: Very easy to install after watching your video on the test-install you did for a customer. Took about 30 mins with basic hand tools. (word of warning; definitely follow the advice of giving yourself slack on the cable that runs through the frame. I almost had to re-run it through because the connector nearly came loose) Setup and Test Ride: The controller settings on the product page seem to work perfectly for the bike. First impressions after the install? HUGE boost to initial torque. It's hard to quantify it in a number but I'd say no less than a 50% increase from a dead stop. I'm a big dude and before I would have to pedal away from a stop in order to get up to a good stable speed. After the controller install pedaling is completely optional. It honestly feels like a totally different bike, one that lives up to the idea of being either a lightweight moped or a regular e-bike depending on your mood. Conclusion: Great upgrade over the OEM controller and well worth the wait and cost.

This upgrade kit was installed on a 2019 RadRunner. Background: As soon as I took my first ride on the RadRunner I knew I would need some sort of upgrade to boost the torque off the line. After a fair bit of research I stumbled upon the Bolton website. Seeing that there was a kit in development that would preserve the tail light function I bookmarked the site and checked back every so often. Once I saw the kit up for pre-order in early March I ordered it straight away. Installation: Very easy to install after watching your video on the test-install you did for a customer. Took about 30 mins with basic hand tools. (word of warning; definitely follow the advice of giving yourself slack on the cable that runs through the frame. I almost had to re-run it through because the connector nearly came loose) Setup and Test Ride: The controller settings on the product page seem to work perfectly for the bike. First impressions after the install? HUGE boost to initial torque. It's hard to quantify it in a number but I'd say no less than a 50% increase from a dead stop. I'm a big dude and before I would have to pedal away from a stop in order to get up to a good stable speed. After the controller install pedaling is completely optional. It honestly feels like a totally different bike, one that lives up to the idea of being either a lightweight moped or a regular e-bike depending on your mood. Conclusion: Great upgrade over the OEM controller and well worth the wait and cost.

Bought my 2020 RadRover 5 in January for a 13 mile commute to work (each way). Bike performed great except on steep hills. Unfortunately, I live at the top of a steep hill and the ride home was a drag at the very end. This kit increased torque so much that I don't even notice that hill anymore. And that's with the stock motor. I'm hooked. Going to look at upgrading the motor and battery in the near future. My bike is a beast now that can tackle about anything. No question about it - this upgrade was 100% what my bike needed.

Confirmed working on the 2020 Rad Rover Step-thru (version 1). Due to the frame setup, it was tight in the stock mounting location, and does contact the rear fender, but I just had to lightly wedge it in. Mounting locations for the controller don't line up with the stock, as it's a little longer, and there's no way (without drilling holes) to move the mount lower. But, I was able to utilize the stock bracket with the provided longer bolts to mount the top of the controller, and just used a ziptie to hold it through the bottom location. I also used 3D printed mounts that I found through a forum (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3513211) so the controller sits flush to the bracket, which provides a buffer between it and the frame, so it wasn't just metal-on-metal. You may simply just put a felt strip on the controller brackets, in a pinch. Connectors were plug-and-play, though the brake light wire exits from the opposite end of the controller, compared to stock, so I ran the wire in a small channel in the side of the controller, and used some black weatherstrip adhesive to hold it. I was getting speed readings jumping around with P2 set on 5, so I tried 1, and that seems to work well. Also, watch the recommended C setting for the power output limitation (I forget which one, but its in the video), as it should be set to 10 for max output. Max speed was about 27+ mph with PAS 5, and 26 on throttle alone. Compare that to 25 and 21 before.

This product is great for those that are looking to upgrade their Rad Runner's torque. With the upgrade installed, the Rad Runner zoomed up the hills around my area and I weight 225lbs, which was a surprise how well it did. As for the speed, not so much maybe 1 or 2 mph faster, but the positive change is that the limit was increased on the controller, so when going down hill or flat land the power limiter doesn't slow you down by the throttle or the pedal assist function vs just free wheeling it. So you can achieve upwards to 30+ mph by actual pedaling harder on the single drive. The only now I need is a big motor! The negative issue, I had was my control unit came a bit dinged up, corner bent, scratches, etc.. but I installed it to see if worked, and yes it worked well.

Just finished the install on my 2018 RadRover, and the 40 to 50% torque increase is quite amazing. The stock Rad controller has a 16.5 amp max current rating. Top speed doesn't really change much, but your average speed will increase considerably. The vastly increased functionality of the colour display is a bonus. Be patient and careful with the connectors, especially on an older bike. The alignment arrows on the motor cable connection are about 1/8 of a turn out of alignment. The connection for the display / control cables is inside the downtube, so I unscrewed my battery tray to give me maximum wiggle and stretch, easily made the connection, then returned everything to the original positions. I'm on the east coast of Canada, so after shipping, exchange, and customs duties, my final cost was $355. Still well worth it!

Well worth it, took a while for the 2019 versions with back light to arrive but the upgrades are selling well apparently. The upgrade took me 90 minutes on my 2019 Rover, I found it easier to flip the bike upside down onto some soft pads. Worked straight out of the box. New LCD screen is a big improvement, more attractive. The brake indicator / throttle and PAS indicators are nice, USB is now powered even with the LCD turned off (not like the old version) and no throttle on PAS 0 which I like. Been about 2 weeks about 100 miles in. still tweaking settings, only thing I don't like is that the throttle doesn't have much dead-band and goes to 100% in less than a quarter of turn. Prolonged full throttle at 1400Watts will drop the available voltage temporarily about 10% so if your battery is at less than 1/2 charge and under 45 volts, you can trip the power (40 volts min). Just ,make sure you are not climbing in 7th gear when that happens. ;-{

I live on a big hill. There's are several steep grades up to about 18 degrees. I am a gentleman of size. For the first time since I got this bike, this controller has gotten my 2019 radrunner up the hill without walking. Truly, this upgrade has made bike commuting possible for me with this bike. I now don't go past PAS 3, and really, 2 is usually more than enough. I really appreciate that this is helping me use my bike more in my hilly town.