
By far the most popular upgrade available, The Upgrade kit includes a new motor controller and new color display. The combination allows you to finally unleash the full potential of the stock motor and battery. This is THE upgrade kit your friends have been talking about.
35a controller and New Color LCD8H.
PLEASE READ FULL DISCRIPTION BEFORE ORDERING. CUSTOMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RETURN SHIPPING AND A 10% RESTOCKING FEE.
Plug and play for 2016-2018 Rover bikes. Please note that the controller has a tail light plug that will not be used. We do not recommend upgraded lights as it can burn up the headlight circuit.
Plug and play for 2019-2021 Rover models. (Up to Rover 5) (Not compatible with Rover 6) Will only work with stock 200 lumen headlight, will not work with the 500 Lumen headlights. THE 500 will burn up your controller.
Mini - Although also typically plug and play for 2018 and prior, this controller is substantially larger than stock and will not fit inside the frame or stock mounting locations. May have a different battery plug. Please check your bike and photos before ordering.
Older City or Wagon Models - Untested, but customers have reported it works well. Setting adjustments may be required. Controller may not fit correctly. Additional mounting hardware may be required. NOT compatible with new Radwagon 5.
Rover 6 + STEPOVER & STEP THROUGH- Does not work
Runner - Tested and working on prior models.
Rad 5Expand - works
Mission - Works, we recomend turning max power down.
Runner Two - Untested by Area 13, but customers have reported it is compatible.
Runner Plus - Tested and Working. NOT COMPATIBLE WITH 500 LUMEN STOCK HEADLIGHT.
Works with all European/Canadian models except Rover 6
Compatible with both 48v and 52 batteries. (NOT recommended for 60v)
Dimensions: 7.5" x 3.25" x 1.75"
How to Program:
The LCD screen has a handlebar mounted switch with three buttons, UP, DOWN, and a center Power button. 1. Start with battery and handlebar switch on. The LCD will be off.
2. Turn on LCD by pressing and holding POWER button. Holding the UP button will turn on the backlight if needed.
3. Within 5 seconds of turning LCD on, press and hold BOTH UP, and DOWN buttons for a few seconds to enter the settings mode.
Brief explanations are as follows.
P1 Motor Characteristic Parameter Setting Mode (100, 46 for direct drive motors on the Radcity or some Radwagon models)
P2 Wheel Speed Pulse Signal Setting Mode (5, 6 for upgraded 750w motors)
P3 Power Assist Control Mode (1)
P4 Handlebar Startup Mode (0)
P5 Power Monitoring Mode (15)
C1 Power Assist Sensor and Parameter Selection Mode (3)
C2 Motor Phase Classification Coding Mode (0)
C3 Power Assist Ratio Gear Initialization Mode (1)
C4 Handlebar Function Setting Mode (0)
C5 Controller Maximum Current Adjustment Mode (6)
C6 Backlight Brightness Adjustment Mode (3)
C7 Cruise Function Setting Mode (0 or 1. Setting to 1 enables cruise. While riding, hold the DOWN button to enable cruise control. Using the throttle or brakes will disable the cruise.
C8 Motor Operating Temperature Display Mode (0)
C9 Power-on Password Setting Mode (0)
C10 Automatic Restore Default Setting Mode (n)
C11 Attribute Selection Mode (0)
C12 Controller Minimum Voltage Adjustment Mode (4)
C13 ABS brakes of the controller and parameters of anti-charge control (0)
C14 Power-assist tuning parameters (1)
Press and hold POWER at any time to exit the setup mode.
Troubleshooting
* This is a universal kit. New controller may not fit in stock location and physical size may be different.
I cannot get my headlight to turn on:
Long press the UP arrow to turn the lights on and off.
Pedal assist is not working properly:
- If after adjusting the settings your pedal assist still does not work, check the following cables to ensure they are fully plugged in, check the pedal assist sensor connection. Make there is no bent or pins, and it is fully seated together:
- Pedal assist connector (yellow 3 pin coming from sensor)
- Motor Cable
- Main wiring harness (the one typically ran through the frame). Make sure there is NO bent pins
- If all the connections are good and no damage done to the pins or connectors, try changing the C1 setting to 2.
- If it still does not function, please check to make sure the motor works with throttle to eliminate a different type of problem. If throttle works but the pedal assist does not, the next step would be a different pedal assist sensor, or the stock motor controller and display. This should narrow down where the problem is occurring.
“Motor position sensor fault” or “Motor or controller short circuit fault!”:
In nearly all cases of receiving this error, the motor cable is not fully seated. Please note that the arrows can sometimes be up to 1/8th turn off. The cable should be firmly seated with the lines around the circumference of each half of the plug nearly flush. Wiggle back and forth on both cables and push firmly together.
I have a 48v battery, but it says 53v (or similar):
This is perfectly normal. A 48v battery when fully charged will be about 54 volts.
My battery voltage is over 48v, but the gauge reads empty:
Take the bike for a ride! Depending on settings it may be waiting for calibration. A few seconds of riding should fix this. If the problem persists, check the main harness connection coming from the controller through the frame and up to the handlebars. Check for any bent pins. A single bent pin will cause issues.
My speed does not read correctly, it jumps up to 49mph when coasting (and/or reads 0):
Please verify your P2 setting. An incorrect setting here will cause the wrong speed to be displayed when coasting. Also make sure you have the correct wheel dimension (DIM). The dimension is the overall tire diameter, not just the rim size. P2 = 5 for stock motor. P2 = 6 for upgraded Bafang 750W motor.
RadCity and RadWagon (direct drive motor):
Note that some settings may need to be changed for proper operation. P1 is determined by the number of magnets or poles in the motor as well as the gear reduction. As the RadCity and older RadWagon have a direct drive motor, use the setting 46 for P1. P2 may also require a change for a correct speed reading.
Motor or system shuts down while riding:
Adjust your C5 setting to a lower current output. Settings 0-2 are different take off speeds followed by max power. 3 is the lowest current output and 10 is the highest. Take the bike for a spin and adjust the current output till you find a happy medium the controller and motor are happy with. For stock motors, we recommend 5 - 7 for C5.
CHECK OUT THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR STEP BY STEP SET UP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0F6x8V0NZQ
*The Upgrade Kit is created for specific models of Rad bikes, and that name is used for part compatibility or identification only. We are not affiliated with that company and this item is an aftermarket part.
Reviews
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2017 rad rover upgrade kit
I just installed my 2017 rad rover upgrade kit (controller and display). The install was easy and well explained. The upgrade works REALLY good. I am very pleased. Input values are very balanced and perform very well.
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great for hills; plug and play
Very much appreciate the boost in hilly North Vancouver. No issues on install, and 2000km on it already. Sold the car. For other Canadian folk fyi the import handling was about $50 so that was a surprise. GST should have been $15 so the parcel handlers are extortionate.
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Solved my hill/ weight problem in 60 min!
Kit was delivered in less than 5 days and installation on my Rad Runner 1 took about an hour. The performance boost is just amazing! Hills that used to jack my heart up to 150 bbm can now be done with throttle only. This makes it not just a workout device but the car replacement I envisioned for neighborhood errands . Superb service and a great product!
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Controller/display Upgrade Kit
Yes, Ladies and gentlemen, it's true! It really IS 'plug 'n play', and it really DOES make a world of difference! Thank You Bolton Ebikes for offering this awesome kit!!!! The instructions do warn of caution when pulling the cable out of the frame, but I would add if you take the grommet off first, the cable would be less likely to prematurely unplug resulting in the need to fish it out of the frame. That's right, I had to go fishing!!! In any event, this kit has made my Rad Runner even more fun!!! Keep up the good work, Kyle, you are appreciated!
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Worth. Every. Penny.
Just finished installing on my 2020 Rad Runner and NOW it has proper hilll climbing ability. I live in Pittsburgh, and it's pretty much impossible to ride around this city without hitting a bunch of hills (considering I live at the top of a giant one and Downtown is at river-level). Anyway, my 1st test ride I was able to maintain 26mph Uphill with just the throttle, vs the (maybe) 15mph with the stock controller. On flat ground with full throttle, display is reading 27.8mph max speed. Next upgrade will definitely be the front suspension fork, lol, as I certainly don't wanna slam a pothole going nearly 30mph with no suspension whatsoever. Anyway, as I said, this is definitely worth every penny, and the math doesn't lie. The stock controller is rated at 8 Amps (48v X 8A = 384Watts, boo) and 17Amps max (816W) VS the new controller at 17Amps and 36Amps (1680W) Max. The difference really IS night and day.
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To much power for my wife
Bought this a couple weeks back for my radrunner1 and the difference is very noticeable. The torque is really where it’s at. My wife didn’t like how quickly it accelerated so I ordered a second radrunner + to put the controller on to; problem solved. One thing I do notice is that the settings for pas are a little off keeping it in pas 1 still helps a little much. Over all should be the number 1 upgrade on your list. And 5 stars to Bolton bikes for their delivery.
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What's with the throttle
Display settings. I want to be able to use throttle when Pedal assist is set to 0. That's the only problem I have with it
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Works well, even on a RadCity Step Thru 3!
Took my time and added this to my RadCity Step Thru 3 in about two hours going very slowly. The motor controller is bigger than the stock controller and pushes the rear fender back a little bit, but not enough to cause a problem. Some of the cables from the motor controller are longer than the stock controller and need to be looped, but better to have them longer than too short! All the connectors were compatible. The settings entered through the display are different than those for the RadRover due to the different motor in the RadCity. The motor is a Shengyi 750W motor and this upgrade can drive it at 35A, which is about 1680W (48V battery). To prevent problems/overheating, I would be careful and not drive it full bore for any length of time. Great customer service from Bolton! I created some installation notes including the settings that seem to work well for me. Here's a link to my PDF: http://bit.ly/36p1UDw
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Hill climber
Finally installed upgrade controller on my wife’s radrunner 1, climbs the hills in Green Tree, Pa. neighborhood. Great on the Panhandle trail, trails around Western Pennsylvania. Ordered upgrade controller for my Radrover, and a 750 watt motor also. Getting ready for 2021 bike riding. Ebikes are the way to go easy 40 mile ride on the beautiful trails in Pennsylvania and Ohio. See you on the trails.