A few concerns....

[KaptinAmerika]

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the R.I.P. kit Andrew. I recently purchased one, but haven't installed it yet. Mine was purchased from WSW and I assured that the harness is checked out before being shipped out to the customer. I hope I don't have any problems like you had.

Rest assured that you won't have the problems Andrew had and anything WSW sell we back 100% with or without the assistance of the manufacturer. Although I will say that if the manufacturer leaves me hanging or dupes me more than a couple of times I will drop their product.

 

[KaptinAmerika]

[/QUOTE]know when and if the PDM fails or acts up, for me will get just go old school and back to basic with good wiring, relays and simplified controls.

Best to you[/QUOTE]

That's unfortunate, everyone knows my thoughts, bit with BD gone and no products with long term reliability backing them everyone has to do what their most comfortable with.

 

[Matt Moore]

Hello BDB. For those that don't know me, my name is Matt Moore. I am the owner of Kansas Motorcycle Works who makes the RIP kit and KMW bikes. I am here to say we back our products and our dealers 100%. Our products are made by hard-working Americans and are backed by our warranty just in case we make a mistake. My direct phone line is the customer service and warranty number because I want to know of any problems with our products so we can improve. That is why this thread comes as a shock to me. We have sold hundreds of these kits with only 2 warranty claims to date. One claim was a mis-pinned connection that Andrew experienced and the other was a fried module that was a result of improper installation...and we still covered it. The only other issues I know of were when customers ordered the wrong kit for their motorcycle…and we exchanged them out! I must address the accusation regarding the kits in Sweden. These kits were ordered as “European” kits and were built as such. Factory European-spec Big Dogs require a completely different computer and many differences in the harness. However, the bikes these were installed on were NOT factory EU-spec motorcycles, they were US-spec motorcycles that were shipped to Europe then modified there to satisfy their road-going regulations and inspections. This means the wrong kits were ordered for these motorcycles and that is why all 10 of the kits did not work. Basically it was a simple miscommunication issue between KMW and the customer as the customer did not know the difference between Euro-spec and US-Spec factory bikes. We worked with the individual that ordered ALL 10 of these kits and offered to re-configure all of the kits for him for free, no questions asked. We ended up able to sort it all out over the phone with him and still keep in contact as we are friends. I also want to address the claim that the KMW bikes are unreliable. We have only had 2 warranty claims to date and the diagnosis was a faulty key switch on one bike and we replaced another customer’s kickstand. If there are other problems out there I want to know about them! As far as I know from our customers’ reviews, the products (RIP kits and bikes) are performing well and the customers are extremely satisfied…Just ask them! If you or somebody you know are a dissatisfied customer, call me ASAP so I can help you. I can’t resolve problems if I don’t know about them. In conclusion, I will put our products up against anything out there and I encourage you to look at all options before making a purchase decision. All I ask is that you do your research and know 360-degrees of information before jumping to a conclusion. If you have any questions regarding KMW or our products, please call me directly at 316-260-8039 or e-mail me at Matt@kansasmotorcycleworks.com. We are open M-F 9am-5pm CST but I am here most of the time and will respond as quickly as I can. Thank you for reading my post.

 

[KaptinAmerika]

And there you have it.

WSW continues to sell and back KMW and its products and we, like KMW, encourage all constructive input.

 

[bigdogtech01]

Spoken like a true salesman.
Everything I stated was 100% truth in what was found with this product. It was not only a problem with the rear section of harness ( additional wire for European standards ) but also the front section of harness. Non of the wires match up in color. The turn signal section of the harness was completely opposite. So pressing the right signal, the left would come on and Left would be the right.
You state that you sent all EU RIP kits because they guys over there requested it..? However, I know for a fact they stated they needed an EU style harness for an OEM bike. Giving you the VIN numbers for all 10 bikes. In other words, the harness would be built to function the rear tail lights to EU standards. Not the entire harness flip flopped around, having 18" too much length.
Another factor to all this. BDM did not produce and sell bikes to Europe untill 2010....so why on earth would you guys feel the 2004-2006 Choppers and K-9's would have EU wire harnesses?
A combination of VIN numbers, years and models of bikes along with this knowledge, the mistake was unacceptable.
I can tell you, this whole thing is very disappointing to say the least...
I have said what I need to and the members have been warned. That's all I can do....
Oh, and where is Raywood in all this? I'm curious to hear what he has to say about his new KMW bike............

 

[BBChopper]

Tic Toc Says the Clock,,,,,,, Time always tells the truth!!!!!!

:crazy:

 

[KaptinAmerika]

Your clearly upset about your experience with the product and KMW while you were in Sweden.
Have you had any experience with the kit since then?

What experience do you have with KMWs bikes? You made a statement earlier that you have heard they are unreliable. Who have you heard this from? Are they owners of KMWs?

Ray is not speaking about his bike yet because he had a couple of issues with it and consequently has not yet put any real miles on it. I have the bike at my shop doing warranty work on it and expect to have it back in his hands later this week so I suspect everyone will be hearing from him soon.
The issues were not KMW assembly related but issues with the S&S motor, the ignition switch and the compensator. All of which have been resolved excluding the S&S issue which I expect to have resolved after a conference call tomorrow with KMW and S&S.

I am not trying to sway anyone or convince anyone of anything but I feel it is radically unfair to condemn a company and its efforts due to one incident. Were that behavior continued through several incidents and not corrected then they get what they deserve.

BBC is most certainly correct
Tic Toc

Spoken like a true salesman.
Everything I stated was 100% truth in what was found with this product. It was not only a problem with the rear section of harness ( additional wire for European standards ) but also the front section of harness. Non of the wires match up in color. The turn signal section of the harness was completely opposite. So pressing the right signal, the left would come on and Left would be the right.
You state that you sent all EU RIP kits because they guys over there requested it..? However, I know for a fact they stated they needed an EU style harness for an OEM bike. Giving you the VIN numbers for all 10 bikes. In other words, the harness would be built to function the rear tail lights to EU standards. Not the entire harness flip flopped around, having 18" too much length.
Another factor to all this. BDM did not produce and sell bikes to Europe untill 2010....so why on earth would you guys feel the 2004-2006 Choppers and K-9's would have EU wire harnesses?
A combination of VIN numbers, years and models of bikes along with this knowledge, the mistake was unacceptable.
I can tell you, this whole thing is very disappointing to say the least...
I have said what I need to and the members have been warned. That's all I can do....
Oh, and where is Raywood in all this? I'm curious to hear what he has to say about his new KMW bike............

 

[bigdogtech01]

I'm now realizing who on this site is looking out for others, and who is only looking out for their bank account.

 

[KnotSo]

Personal jabs should be taken to PM :up:

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

Can someone confirm whether the RIP is a "reworked/rewired" WirePlus module.

I had the wireplus conversion in the last K-9 and was not entirely happy with the experience overall.

If this is the case, I'm t
hinking maybe it time to re-start my plans for an EHC.

I'll not be manufacturering one but will be looking into doing and open source design that anyone can make and use (and ideally replace parts in individually if something fails).

 

[bigdogtech01]

Can someone confirm whether the RIP is a "reworked/rewired" WirePlus module.

I had the wireplus conversion in the last K-9 and was not entirely happy with the experience overall.

If this is the case, I'm t
hinking maybe it time to re-start my plans for an EHC.

I'll not be manufacturering one but will be looking into doing and open source design that anyone can make and use (and ideally replace parts in individually if something fails).

It's not a reworked Wire plus. It's a rewired Thunderheart EHC. You can buy the entire kit and wire yourself for $300. KMW is asking over $600

 

[Keith S]

It just makes me shake my head when forum members talk it up about products, convincing others to buy, only to end up with major problems down the road. For example, Wire Plus...what a joke :loony: Hands down, the OEM EHC is the best product out there IMO. And I'm not a sales guy, not selling any products, just telling from my expertise and experience.

WAIT!!! Huh???? What???? I can only talk about my experience. My EHC sucked. It left me stranded. I replaced it with a used one and that left me stranded too. I bought one of the first Wire Plus kits and installed it myself. It worked flawlessly for 5 years until my VR went bad. That with a Li-Fe battery fried the switch module. At the time, I thought it was the battery and called Wire Plus. I talked to a tech who helped me trouble shoot the issue. Eventually, I replaced the VR with the help of people on this site. My wire plus module was WAY out of warranty. They replaced the switch harness without charge, and I even tried to pay. I always try to support small businesses and want them to stay in business.

I am not a sales guy, not selling any products, just telling from my experience.

 

[KaptinAmerika]

There are lots of things you can do yourself, transmission rebuilds for example, but some people don't have the time or desire so they would prefer to pay someone and just get on with riding their bike.

 

[Tim]

Hey Andrew, did KMW ever make it right with you and the 10 harnesses?

 

[francoblay1]

It's not a reworked Wire plus. It's a rewired Thunderheart EHC. You can buy the entire kit and wire yourself for $300. KMW is asking over $600

http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/ignition-electronics-batteries/57928-thunderheart-micro-harness-controller.html

http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/general/30326-home-dawg-alive-barking.html

 

[bigdogtech01]

Hey Andrew, did KMW ever make it right with you and the 10 harnesses?

I personally did not purchase the harnesses from them. Dragan in Gothneburg purchased 3 and Per purchased the other 7 for the guys in Vasteras....as far as I know, they received no refunds for the parts or the labor I charged them to fix the problems. I have messaged a couple of the guys in hopes they will become members and reply to this thread.

 

[liferider]

I replaced my 03 EHC last month and went with a Heart. The only problem was the 03 chopper had more amps going to the ignition switch than the 04-newer. So I used a solenoid to deal with the higher voltage problem. The problem is the key switch. The 03 and older bikes deal with a smaller key switch and key switch cover over the coil. This causes heat build up. By using the solenoid I was able to keep my ignition switch and the Heart EHC ended up working great. A friend who is an electrical Engineer was fasinated when I told him about the ehc failure rate and said this was most likely the cause to our problem. The ignition was getting hot causing the wireing harness to heat and finally throwing it back to the ehc. He said the biggest problem is people do not realize 12 volt dc requires larger wiring and shielded wiring where 460 volt 3 phase does not. 12 volts is actually a bitch to deal with. This coming from a 62 yr old man who graduated from MIT in Electrical engineering. I kind have to wonder if he is on to something!!

 

[bigdogtech01]

I replaced my 03 EHC last month and went with a Heart. The only problem was the 03 chopper had more amps going to the ignition switch than the 04-newer. So I used a solenoid to deal with the higher voltage problem. The problem is the key switch. The 03 and older bikes deal with a smaller key switch and key switch cover over the coil. This causes heat build up. By using the solenoid I was able to keep my ignition switch and the Heart EHC ended up working great. A friend who is an electrical Engineer was fasinated when I told him about the ehc failure rate and said this was most likely the cause to our problem. The ignition was getting hot causing the wireing harness to heat and finally throwing it back to the ehc. He said the biggest problem is people do not realize 12 volt dc requires larger wiring and shielded wiring where 460 volt 3 phase does not. 12 volts is actually a bitch to deal with. This coming from a 62 yr old man who graduated from MIT in Electrical engineering. I kind have to wonder if he is on to something!!

Yes the Thunderheart EHC is very reliable. Has been used in many bikes including American Ironhorse. Have not seen many problems with them. I believe heat and vibration are factors of failure for OEM EHC. The Thunderheart is a little larger and the entire part is made out of aluminum (aluminum being able to dissipate heat efficiently)
The problem with the KMW product is not the Thunderheart EHC, but the wiring itself.

 

[BBChopper]

5 Chop with EHC, mount completely broke off! Now mounted with silicone and still running... Other than the starer issue and slam button install no issues!:2thumbs:
Had an extra sent to but it was recalled

 

[bearman]

I replaced my 03 EHC last month and went with a Heart. The only problem was the 03 chopper had more amps going to the ignition switch than the 04-newer. So I used a solenoid to deal with the higher voltage problem……..

I think you over thought this one and made it more complicated than necessassary.
Installing the Thunderheart is a total rewire. If you installed it like the instructions, you no longer had higher amps going to the key switch. The Thunderheart is like the ’05 up BDM’s in that it uses low current signals to turn on internal relays to actually power stuff. Look at the diagrams, all switches go back to the Thunderheart, and power to all lights and other electrical loads come from the Thunderheart. More specifically, all wires to the key switch go back to the Thunderheart, regardless if you have a two wire or three wire key switch.
You already have the better (higher amp rated) switch, it will handle the lower current.

…... I kind have to wonder if he is on to something!!

In my personal opinion, not really.
Heat does kill electronics, and it could be the culprit behind some dead EHC’s, but I doubt that it is being transferred from the coil area to the EHC by the wires, more likely it just comes from hot air from the engine. Heat makes wires have less resistance and then they can carry more Voltage, So if you have a load that is already trying to draw more Voltage than it can get, then you get thermal run-away; the wire heats up which allows it to pass more Volts/Amps, which heats up the wire more, which allows it to pass more Volts/Amps, see where this is going? But if you don’t have a load trying to draw more power, then what happens is that your Voltage does increase and your Amps actually decreases because of it. In the words of Sven “simple, no?”

But our Scooters just don’t use many amps to necessitate the heavy wire. He was right about low voltage wiring needing to be thicker and have thicker insulation, but only for carrying the same Watts. If the current (Amps) were the same then the wire would be practically the same size. The biggest load on our EHC should be the headlight, which is legally limited to 60 Watts (I think). Using the Watt formula of A=W/V, we get 5 Amps. Remember how small a 12 Volt,5 Amp fuse is? I think every wire on my scoot will carry 5 Amps. If we use his example of 460 Volts, for the same 60 Watts we get a little more than a quarter Amp (0.130435). So current (Amps) is the limiting factor, not power (Watts), and our scoots just don't use much (except for starting).