2022 Santa Cruz Heckler Issues

[Jannerish]

Firstly, hello, first post and all.

I have had my Heckler for about 3 months (2022) now and have had a few problems. Firstly I have the battery gap issue that is highlighted in the other thread. Various adjustments have been made by my lbs. The battery stays in the house after each ride and I have to contend with a whole load of muck that has found its way in to the battery housing. I can accept this to an extent but water is also getting in, this then trips the usb internal socket/connector and causes the bike to shut off mid ride. This happened 7 times on a single ride, to fix I have to 4mm the battery, pull the battery out and put the battery back in before it turns back on. This has now been resolved (hopefully) but now the front triangle is to be replaced as the battery housing is rubbing the frame and wearing the paint off. Just wondered if others have had similar issues, particularly with the muck build up in the battery? Not great for an 11k bike!
Thanks
T

 

[Chiefworm]

Firstly, hello, first post and all.

I have had my Heckler for about 3 months (2022) now and have had a few problems. Firstly I have the battery gap issue that is highlighted in the other thread. Various adjustments have been made by my lbs. The battery stays in the house after each ride and I have to contend with a whole load of muck that has found its way in to the battery housing. I can accept this to an extent but water is also getting in, this then trips the usb internal socket/connector and causes the bike to shut off mid ride. This happened 7 times on a single ride, to fix I have to 4mm the battery, pull the battery out and put the battery back in before it turns back on. This has now been resolved (hopefully) but now the front triangle is to be replaced as the battery housing is rubbing the frame and wearing the paint off. Just wondered if others have had similar issues, particularly with the muck build up in the battery? Not great for an 11k bike!
Thanks
T

Hi Terry, I have had my Heckler since October and have had similar issues. I am even on my second motor which failed after 2 weeks of riding! Not particularly a Santa Cruz problem but still disappointing on such a high end bike. The battery gap also bothered me so I purchased some 5mm D foam which is self adhesive and ran it around the lip of the battery. It can‘t be seen when the battery is in and keeps 99% of water/mud out. I also did this around the motor cover. Interestingly the bike is now silent! However after a particularly wet ride last year the bike totally failed and would not switch on or charge. I have to say the bike shop had it straight back and sealed all of the wiring and replaced the on off switch and jet washed it to test it multiple times. Touch wood so far so good. My theory is water got in the switch and fried it somehow. Although not a great start to my relationship with the bike I have to say I love it. I will try and get some pictures up of the rubber around the battery. I have also seen a more recent Heckler and the battery had no gap at all so maybe a new mounting bracket has been engineered sorting the problem.

 

[Jannerish]

Thanks for the response. Seems the water triggering the switch is a known issue by Santa Cruz. My lbs has put a seal around the battery and readjusted the battery position slightly but these are things that shouldn't be necessary, particularly on a high end bike. I too have seen Hecklers with no battery gap. This might be acceptable in sunnier climates but not when you are knee deep in muck in your local woods. I waited 18 months for a Bullit which didn't arrive, switched to the Heckler because they could get stock and now I have a 2 month wait on a front triangle! I have had more trouble with this bike in 3 months than all my previous Santa Cruz bikes combined! Close to demanding a refund and looking elsewhere.

 

[Chiefworm]

Thanks for the response. Seems the water triggering the switch is a known issue by Santa Cruz. My lbs has put a seal around the battery and readjusted the battery position slightly but these are things that shouldn't be necessary, particularly on a high end bike. I too have seen Hecklers with no battery gap. This might be acceptable in sunnier climates but not when you are knee deep in muck in your local woods. I waited 18 months for a Bullit which didn't arrive, switched to the Heckler because they could get stock and now I have a 2 month wait on a front triangle! I have had more trouble with this bike in 3 months than all my previous Santa Cruz bikes combined! Close to demanding a refund and looking elsewhere.

I feel your pain on the delivery it took many months of nothing and I was a week away from cancelling when I got one. I agree this is not what you should be doing on a high end emtb to ride it in mud and water! Not sure what your options will be on a refund but let me know how you get on. I do love riding mine and I have friends who have had similar issues on Bosch powered bikes and Specialized.

 

[jblackmore88]

Hi Folks - For those that have had issues with the charging port breaking I got told my Santa Cruz to look into a company called Madison who then told me they're not a Darfon distributor but the part ID I required is: DARFON 5J.E4C0G.0C1
I've gone back to SC today and will keep pushing. Kind of sucks that this flimsy bit of plastic can break so easily on such an expensive bike.

 

[leroy]

Hi Terry, I have had my Heckler since October and have had similar issues. I am even on my second motor which failed after 2 weeks of riding! Not particularly a Santa Cruz problem but still disappointing on such a high end bike. The battery gap also bothered me so I purchased some 5mm D foam which is self adhesive and ran it around the lip of the battery. It can‘t be seen when the battery is in and keeps 99% of water/mud out. I also did this around the motor cover. Interestingly the bike is now silent! However after a particularly wet ride last year the bike totally failed and would not switch on or charge. I have to say the bike shop had it straight back and sealed all of the wiring and replaced the on off switch and jet washed it to test it multiple times. Touch wood so far so good. My theory is water got in the switch and fried it somehow. Although not a great start to my relationship with the bike I have to say I love it. I will try and get some pictures up of the rubber around the battery. I have also seen a more recent Heckler and the battery had no gap at all so maybe a new mounting bracket has been engineered sorting the problem.

hey chief,i'd be interested to see a picture of your foam solution if possible??
the first ride i had on mine it was very wet and sandy and i was alarmed how much water and sand got in at the top and bottom of the battery cover.my solution was to buy a roll of polyester tape(doesnt leave residue when you unpeel)and i simply tape up the two gaps to stop any shit getting in.

 

[jblackmore88]

I'd also be interested to see a picture the how you successfully sealed that gap.

 

[Chiefworm]

hey chief,i'd be interested to see a picture of your foam solution if possible??
the first ride i had on mine it was very wet and sandy and i was alarmed how much water and sand got in at the top and bottom of the battery cover.my solution was to buy a roll of polyester tape(doesnt leave residue when you unpeel)and i simply tape up the two gaps to stop any shit getting in.

Hey Leroy, I will post some pictures tomorrow for you. As an update I am now on motor number 3 in under a year! The bike shop have been superb (as they should be) but it’s getting very boring. If it happens again I might consider a change. However I’m told this latest EP8 has better sealed bearings etc, time will tell.

 

[leroy]

Hey Leroy, I will post some pictures tomorrow for you. As an update I am now on motor number 3 in under a year! The bike shop have been superb (as they should be) but it’s getting very boring. If it happens again I might consider a change. However I’m told this latest EP8 has better sealed bearings etc, time will tell.

3,thats incredible.
just out of interest how many miles had they completed when they failed and what were the symptom's?
any more info on the upgraded bearing seals?
i'm almost embarrassed to say i'm still on my first one!!

 

[ilostmypassword]

You should have got a Giant How on earth can brands charge like $16K and have these design and manufacturing facts? Unbelievable

 

[Chiefworm]

3,thats incredible.
just out of interest how many miles had they completed when they failed and what were the symptom's?
any more info on the upgraded bearing seals?
i'm almost embarrassed to say i'm still on my first one!!

It’s unlucky certainly! First motor died bang on 50 miles and was a clutch failure, the second died at 500 ish and was a torque sensor. The clutch was spinning cranks and no engagement the torque sensor shut the entire bike down so no power. I don’t have any specific info but I had a long chat with a shimano service centre and they explained some better sealed bearings are now in all EP8 replacements and they had not had any of those back. How many miles have you done? I have a mate with an EP8 on 1500 Mike’s zero issues. I have another with a Bosch motor that has had more problems than me. Just luck of the draw. Not had chance to take any pics will sort tomorrow.

 

[Chiefworm]

You should have got a Giant How on earth can brands charge like $16K and have these design and manufacturing facts? Unbelievable

Why? If Giant bikes were a colour they would be hearing aid beige. I’m sure they make great bikes and I have ridden some, but I have never met anyone that lusts after a Giant bike? They also have reliability issues for sure. Also it’s the shimano system not the bike brand that is the issue.

 

[leroy]

Why? If Giant bikes were a colour they would be hearing aid beige. I’m sure they make great bikes and I have ridden some, but I have never met anyone that lusts after a Giant bike? They also have reliability issues for sure. Also it’s the shimano system not the bike brand that is the issue.

this ffs,giant!!

 

[leroy]

It’s unlucky certainly! First motor died bang on 50 miles and was a clutch failure, the second died at 500 ish and was a torque sensor. The clutch was spinning cranks and no engagement the torque sensor shut the entire bike down so no power. I don’t have any specific info but I had a long chat with a shimano service centre and they explained some better sealed bearings are now in all EP8 replacements and they had not had any of those back. How many miles have you done? I have a mate with an EP8 on 1500 Mike’s zero issues. I have another with a Bosch motor that has had more problems than me. Just luck of the draw. Not had chance to take any pics will sort tomorrow.

cheers chief,much appreciated.

 

[Chiefworm]

cheers chief,much appreciated.

 

[JStrube]

Dang, I'm hoping I never see these issues. Mine has been solid so far. Only a few hundred miles though, and all dry weather.

 

[bikerider]

I experienced this issue too last May when I purchased my Heckler EMTB. After working with my bike shop and SC for a few weeks and trying different things, the issue was finally resolved. Long story short, a new battery with tighter female connections was sent to me and has performed nearly flawlessly. When I first started charging the original battery, I was taking the battery out and using the adaptor plug. The first thing I noticed was how loose the plug felt when plugging it into the battery. If I didn't support the plug with a piece of cardboard, the plug would actually move and fall at a slant so the that it wasn't seated straight at the battery connection. When I first got the "updated battery" the first thing I notice was the connections on the battery were gold, not silver like the original battery. I then tried the adaptor plug and connected it to the battery. It was a nice tight friction fit. I believe the connectors in the battery were reworked/replaced with different connectors with different specs. At any rate, this worked like a charm until just recently. The problem started again - power shut off and E914. After looking it over I tried cleaning the connections with electric contact cleaner. Visually I couldn't really see anything wrong with the connectors and didn't really see any noticeable dirt, but when I started using some cotton swabs and contact cleaner, I was able to see dirt come off on the cotton. Q-tips were too large to fit into the connectors so I used strong toothpicks with cotton swabs and contact cleaner. I was also able to squirt the aerosol contact cleaner directly into the connection to flush it out and then lightly hit the connection with compressed air to dry the connectors. Of course, the male connectors were much easier to clean. The connectors were dirty though as evidenced from the dirt coming off on the cotton. Like I said before, when I first looked at the connectors, they looked OK and the dirt was not conspicuous. This cured the problem. Not sure if the o-ring seal is failing and dirt is getting though somehow. I took the seal out of the battery where it lays in the groove at the connection point and it looked fine - no tears or sign of wear. When I reinstalled the o-ring, it did look a little "flat" and not protruding from the the groove very much. I think a new o-ring is in order though and I've asked SC if I could get a new one and then I can compare the thickness. If you look at the connector on the bike, you will see a small ridge at the connector which engages the o-ring on the battery. This might be the weak link if the o-ring is not thick enough or is unable to make good contact with the ridge. At any rate, after cleaning the connection thoroughly I have not had any problems for two rides at about 15 miles each. I will report back with anything new.

 

[bikerider]

Hi Terry, I have had my Heckler since October and have had similar issues. I am even on my second motor which failed after 2 weeks of riding! Not particularly a Santa Cruz problem but still disappointing on such a high end bike. The battery gap also bothered me so I purchased some 5mm D foam which is self adhesive and ran it around the lip of the battery. It can‘t be seen when the battery is in and keeps 99% of water/mud out. I also did this around the motor cover. Interestingly the bike is now silent! However after a particularly wet ride last year the bike totally failed and would not switch on or charge. I have to say the bike shop had it straight back and sealed all of the wiring and replaced the on off switch and jet washed it to test it multiple times. Touch wood so far so good. My theory is water got in the switch and fried it somehow. Although not a great start to my relationship with the bike I have to say I love it. I will try and get some pictures up of the rubber around the battery. I have also seen a more recent Heckler and the battery had no gap at all so maybe a new mounting bracket has been engineered sorting the problem.

That looks like a good retrofit. Could you possibly tell me where you got this and maybe a part number?

 

[birdman]

I solved it like this, no more dirt gets in at the top and the clattering of the stones on the battery cover is gone! I used a 2mm rubber profil…

 

[bikerider]

You cut off there. I'd love to hear how you did this, type of material, part number etc. Thanks.

 

[birdman]

I bought a second Battery cover Kit 04-23713 for the Test. Open the 2 srews which fix the Cover to the battery, then you can slide down the Cover from the battery slowly. Put some strong double-sided tape to outside of the Cover and fix the rubber. Cut the rubber in the same form like the cover, give some extra Space on the top for overlap to the frame. Put a hole for the torx wrench inside, you can See the original hole from the Inside of the cover…Put 2 holes in the rubber for the mounting screws. Ready…slide the Cover back on the battery and fix the mounting screws in the original Position.

 

[Tim_Iatsenko]

Hey guys, does anyone managed to fix gap issue by Santa Cruz without foam tape or something? I've seen here on the forum that someone was lucky and SC sent him a new front triangle with fixed insertion depth.

I'm a fresh owner of Heckler, bought less than one month ago, it still 2022/2023 model (with ep8, not 801), yesterday had a first ride and was disappointed by battery rattle.

Previously i had a Focus Jam2, which is half of the price of the Heckler and it was rock solid.

 

[birdman]

For the wet/snow rides I sewed myself a neoprene cover, this is perfect against moisture, dirt and cold in the Winter…

 

[JStrube]

For the wet/snow rides I sewed myself a neoprene cover, this is perfect against moisture, dirt and cold in the Winter…

View attachment 133616 View attachment 133618

That is a very nice addition, you should market it.

 

[tylersf90]

For the wet/snow rides I sewed myself a neoprene cover, this is perfect against moisture, dirt and cold in the Winter…

View attachment 133616 View attachment 133618

I would legit buy one from you for my 2022 if you ever decided to make and sell some lol

 

[SEBA]

For the wet/snow rides I sewed myself a neoprene cover, this is perfect against moisture, dirt and cold in the Winter…

View attachment 133616 View attachment 133618

hi, where did you get that printed néoprène ?!

 

[bmxmarty]

I bought a second Battery cover Kit 04-23713 for the Test. Open the 2 srews which fix the Cover to the battery, then you can slide down the Cover from the battery slowly. Put some strong double-sided tape to outside of the Cover and fix the rubber. Cut the rubber in the same form like the cover, give some extra Space on the top for overlap to the frame. Put a hole for the torx wrench inside, you can See the original hole from the Inside of the cover…Put 2 holes in the rubber for the mounting screws. Ready…slide the Cover back on the battery and fix the mounting screws in the original Position. View attachment 132986 View attachment 132987

This is rad! Gute Arbeit, Birdman!

 

[Kirk P Brosius]

Hi Terry, I have had my Heckler since October and have had similar issues. I am even on my second motor which failed after 2 weeks of riding! Not particularly a Santa Cruz problem but still disappointing on such a high end bike. The battery gap also bothered me so I purchased some 5mm D foam which is self adhesive and ran it around the lip of the battery. It can‘t be seen when the battery is in and keeps 99% of water/mud out. I also did this around the motor cover. Interestingly the bike is now silent! However after a particularly wet ride last year the bike totally failed and would not switch on or charge. I have to say the bike shop had it straight back and sealed all of the wiring and replaced the on off switch and jet washed it to test it multiple times. Touch wood so far so good. My theory is water got in the switch and fried it somehow. Although not a great start to my relationship with the bike I have to say I love it. I will try and get some pictures up of the rubber around the battery. I have also seen a more recent Heckler and the battery had no gap at all so maybe a new mounting bracket has been engineered sorting the problem.

Hey Chiefworm,
Where did you find the 5mm foam?
Is it household or automotive?
Thanks for any help.

 

[bmxmarty]

I did a similar thing to Chiefworm. The gaps all around the battery let an insane amount of dirt and dust into the frame, so everything gets filthy, from battery connections to the headset. First I taped a cut-down can coozie into the frame around the back of the headtube to help minimize dirt getting into the headset (I kept pulling it apart to clean/grease/rebuild because it was always filthy and creaking), and then a year later added self-adhesive rubber window seal all around the perimeter of the battery, and at the top and bottom of the frame opening. It started with the bike shutting off about every other ride, which eventually led to a new wiring harness, and the final fix, which was cleaning all the battery and frame contact points and then coating all contacts in dielectric grease. But having a seal for all the dirt can't be a bad thing, so did that as well. The window seal came from a local hardware store.

 

[paulbarbu]

I did a similar thing to Chiefworm. The gaps all around the battery let an insane amount of dirt and dust into the frame, so everything gets filthy, from battery connections to the headset. First I taped a cut-down can coozie into the frame around the back of the headtube to help minimize dirt getting into the headset (I kept pulling it apart to clean/grease/rebuild because it was always filthy and creaking), and then a year later added self-adhesive rubber window seal all around the perimeter of the battery, and at the top and bottom of the frame opening. It started with the bike shutting off about every other ride, which eventually led to a new wiring harness, and the final fix, which was cleaning all the battery and frame contact points and then coating all contacts in dielectric grease. But having a seal for all the dirt can't be a bad thing, so did that as well. The window seal came from a local hardware store.


View attachment 137618 View attachment 137619 View attachment 137620

Nice hack on the Headtube, will do something similar as well . Had to clean the headsets too often for the cracking noise and the amount of dirt on there.
Hope something like this will reduce the issue.