RetireJapan

Hi all, don’t know if this is the appropriate place so sorry if not.
I have an electric folding bike back the uk. When I left I tried various places to get it shipped to Japan but everyone kept saying no because of the battery.

I can’t understand why considering batteries are shipped internationally and cars are too all the time.

So does anyone know of any companies (operating in the uk and shipping to Japan) that can transport a bike with a big electrical battery?

Before anyone suggests, I don’t want to just buy a new bike here, this bike is in perfect condition, is perfect for my size and build and looks a damned lot better than all the electric bikes I’ve seen in Japan.

It is the lithium that is the problem. Dangerous to transport = extremely costly.

I had a UPS that was returned to our company in Japan by a customer. I wanted to send it to Singapore but we decided that the cost of doing so would be higher than the value of the thing, which was $3000-4000. So it is just sitting in storage now.

Sorry, that probably doesn't help, but it may help to explain the 'give up' comments you seem to have already received.

You could try asking Japanese Couriers' offices in the UK, such as OCS (Overseas Courrier Service) or Nippon Tsuun, but they probably won't do it.

You could ship the bike to Japan without the battery, and buy a new battery here.

The problem with Lithium batteries is they spontaneously combust.

I faced the same problem when I tried to order & import an e-bike from Germany/Canada/UK last year. Many of the retailers would say yes initially, then come back with a "sorry no can do" after they looked into it. Never did find an appropriate solution, and I ended up just buying an ebike in Japan.

As mentioned above, if your battery is Bosch or Shimano you may be able to buy it separately here in Japan, as many of them are standardized and interchangeable. This is not ideal as batteries are very pricey, and also because the higher battery capacities are sometimes not available in Japan, but if it's your only option it will likely be much cheaper than buying a whole new bike.

Unfortunately my bike has a somewhat custom made battery that fits into the crossbar. So wouldn’t be able to buy one over me thinks.

Thanks for all the advice though. I guess I'm gonna have to start giving up on it. It was such a good bike though.

We had problems sending batteries as we used them for radio control helicopters via airmail. Apparently you can’t send them via air…due to their explosive nature installed.
However, and I may be wrong, you could send them separately or via surface sea mail. It’ll take longer but could be a solution.

There may also be a stipulation that via air, that they must be send separately and not installed in anything.

We bought our stuff from Taiwan, and they were shipped to the uk.

Bubblegun wrote: ↑Fri Nov 12, 2021 4:32 am We had problems sending batteries as we used them for radio control helicopters via airmail. Apparently you can’t send them via air…due to their explosive nature installed.
However, and I may be wrong, you could send them separately or via surface sea mail. It’ll take longer but could be a solution.

There may also be a stipulation that via air, that they must be send separately and not installed in anything.

We bought our stuff from Taiwan, and they were shipped to the uk.

I buy my LiPo from HobbyKing and never had a problem. 18650, AA and AAA from AliExpress and send by airplane but last time the AA and AAA battery from Amazon was cheap and better quality so i will buy from Amazon from now the Ni-MH.
Maybe showing the battery here i can help find battery here in Japan with same specifications or direction him to make his own custom pack (similar the one in use with same specs), im pretty sure it can be done.
Sorry for my english.

Copyleft wrote: ↑Fri Nov 12, 2021 10:05 pm

Bubblegun wrote: ↑Fri Nov 12, 2021 4:32 am We had problems sending batteries as we used them for radio control helicopters via airmail. Apparently you can’t send them via air…due to their explosive nature installed.
However, and I may be wrong, you could send them separately or via surface sea mail. It’ll take longer but could be a solution.

There may also be a stipulation that via air, that they must be send separately and not installed in anything.

We bought our stuff from Taiwan, and they were shipped to the uk.

I buy my LiPo from HobbyKing and never had a problem. 18650, AA and AAA from AliExpress and send by airplane but last time the AA and AAA battery from Amazon was cheap and better quality so i will buy from Amazon from now the Ni-MH.
Maybe showing the battery here i can help find battery here in Japan with same specifications or direction him to make his own custom pack (similar the one in use with same specs), im pretty sure it can be done.
Sorry for my english.

Thanks but I really don’t think I could buy one in Japan or make one to fit. It was a custom made battery specifically for this bike to hide in the crossbar. So it was a huge long battery curved into the crossbar.

You can pay here in Japan for custom battery pack or make your own pack.
I make my own pack for Makita Impact Driver/Wrench.
I guess your bike use LiFePO4 with 18650 dimension, just ask at manufacturer about the specs of your battery and you kwon the life cycle too, soon or later you need change battery...you just need to buy at Amazon one スポット溶接機 for around ¥5,000 to make your own pack, i brought my spot welder at Yahoo Auction for ¥9,000 used but its a big one and i use at my job.