Servicing ebike motors

[AdrianS]

Has anyone had a go at servicing or repairing an ebike motor?
We’ve got a Giant Explore with a Yamaha motor that is creaking when pedalling. The rest of the bike has been checked, and no play is felt from the cranks, but the noise seems to be coming from the motor. It’s done about 3500 miles.

 

[PembsGSA]

I've watched a few video's from these guys .... Ebikemotorcentre...I've no affiliation, but I am impressed with the youtube video's they have put out.
If you remove your motor and post to them, they'll overhaul/service & return. They are based in Fordingbridge, Hampshire.
They supply Yamaha motor bearings/parts ect

Linky...

eBike Repairs and Servicing (Home)

At eBike Motor Centre, we believe in more than just repairs. We believe in sustainability, circularity, and keeping e-bike motors on the road for longer. We’ve proudly become the go-to destination for e-bike motor repairs, parts, and servicing, trusted by leading bike shops across the UK and...

www.ebikemotorcentre.com

Ebike Motor Centre (Performance Line Bearings)

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

www.youtube.com

Yamaha Bearing replacement...

 

[NeverRodeBefore]

Not personally, but my brother who fixes a wide variety of things for a tool hire company (from as small as a laptop to replacing digger motors) has tried to fix my Haibike Sduro Bosch motor. However, he couldn't get the correct main bearing anywhere, so he 3D printed a new carrier for a standard bearing.

It's never worked since, and he thinks the bearing carries a small sensor current through the metal casing, which is isolated due to the plastic ring.

In all honesty, Haibike had turned down a goodwill repair as it was 1 month out of date and with an excessive mileage of 3300 ish! It would also require a new chainset ideally, which wouldn't be cheap, and I no longer use a bicycle for commuting so it's gathering dust in the shed as my brother fancies having another crack at it.. someday

 

[ktmman]

Performance bearings ..as per earlier post.
Excellent service. Kept in touch after examination of my bosch gen 2, advised what needed done. From memory it was quite expensive but I did get new bearings throughout and the upgraded seals. Still going strong.
Quick turnaround too. Highly recommended.

 

[jonnie comet]

In all honesty, Haibike had turned down a goodwill repair as it was 1 month out of date and with an excessive mileage of 3300 ish! It would also require a new chainset ideally,

Please educate me. I'm a keen non 'e' cyclist.

Was that 3,300 miles in a year? Irrespective of time, surely 3,300 miles SHOULD be nothing for a chainset OR a Bosch motor???

Do these things all have such a short lifespan?

 

[Pukmeister]

Please educate me. I'm a keen non 'e' cyclist.

Was that 3,300 miles in a year? Irrespective of time, surely 3,300 miles SHOULD be nothing for a chainset OR a Bosch motor???

Do these things all have such a short lifespan?

You can chew through a chain, cassette or front chainring/groupset on an ebike in only a few hundred miles if you don't maintain it or have any mechanical sympathy.

Shifting gears under power chews through teeth and stretches chains. Grit and dirt makes short work of an unlubricated chain. Never pressure wash an ebike, especially around the motor crank seals.

The guys in Fordingbridge are very knowledgeable and are well equipped to service ebike motors from all the major brands.

My Giant Yamaha PW-X motor is due a service soon as I can feel slight play in my crankbearings, I'll probably take it over to Fordingbridge over winter and get them to overhaul it.

 

[Udders]

I may take mine down to Fordingbridge seeing as they seem to be good.
My crank creaks after a mile or two. The rest of the bike has been stripped and cleaned but never had the motor serviced.

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Having my Levo Fattie 6FSR motor rebuilt by the guys above , will see how it goes , its a great bike so worth doing

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Having my Levo Fattie 6FSR motor rebuilt by the guys above , will see how it goes , its a great bike so worth doing

Which Gen?

1/2/3 or 4?

 

[NeverRodeBefore]

Please educate me. I'm a keen non 'e' cyclist.

Was that 3,300 miles in a year? Irrespective of time, surely 3,300 miles SHOULD be nothing for a chainset OR a Bosch motor???

Do these things all have such a short lifespan?

Where I was working I could cycle to work and back everyday at 14 miles or so a day. It did a summer and autumn before I put it away to save it from the worst of winter but it did get used in a lot of rain. I swapped the rear 12 speed casette and a chain at about 1500 miles or so as the chain was looking past its best despite weekly cleaning and re-lubing using MucOff Ebike dry or wet lube depending on the weather, but I did use it the second winter. Then work became a bit iffy so I thought I'd use it until the chain needed doing and get the front chain wheel done too (I was told that chain and rear block every 1000 miles and a front chain ring every 3000 miles was a good idea), but the crank arm on one side started to creak a bit and then I think I got an error message or two. My biggest issue was I couldn't transport the bike for a repair as it came with full mudguards with wired in lights.

I got a mobile cycle mechanic to come out and have a look at it and he found the main bearing was going, which he didn't routinely carry, but he requested a repair as it was by that time 25 months old, but Haibike said that 3300 miles in two years was excessive even for a goodwill gesture. Basically, in my opinion, if you've bought an ebike as a replacement for a car (which is what mine was marketed as) unless you're doing mega miles in less than 2 years and manage to claim a new one, or just pootling about in the summer, forget about it being a replacement for a car!

 

[AdrianS]

I may take mine down to Fordingbridge seeing as they seem to be good.
My crank creaks after a mile or two. The rest of the bike has been stripped and cleaned but never had the motor serviced.

That’s the problem with mine.
It’s a Giant Explore E+1 bike bought in 2021. I use it for “social” days out with Sue and to go to a few pubs further afield. I am mainly a normal road bike cyclist. The bike has started to make a lot of creaking noises coming from the motor area. I’ve checked and greased the seatpost, dismantled the forks and headset, greased the pedal cranks and checked the pedals.
The bikes down around 3500 miles. I have changed the chain, but the old one wasn’t that worn.
No play in the crank shaft felt. I’ve just greased the motor fixing bolts as a search on the web says that this can cause creaks. Not yet tested but will report back.

 

[AdrianS]

Where I was working I could cycle to work and back everyday at 14 miles or so a day. It did a summer and autumn before I put it away to save it from the worst of winter but it did get used in a lot of rain. I swapped the rear 12 speed casette and a chain at about 1500 miles or so as the chain was looking past its best despite weekly cleaning and re-lubing using MucOff Ebike dry or wet lube depending on the weather, but I did use it the second winter. Then work became a bit iffy so I thought I'd use it until the chain needed doing and get the front chain wheel done too (I was told that chain and rear block every 1000 miles and a front chain ring every 3000 miles was a good idea), but the crank arm on one side started to creak a bit and then I think I got an error message or two. My biggest issue was I couldn't transport the bike for a repair as it came with full mudguards with wired in lights.

I got a mobile cycle mechanic to come out and have a look at it and he found the main bearing was going, which he didn't routinely carry, but he requested a repair as it was by that time 25 months old, but Haibike said that 3300 miles in two years was excessive even for a goodwill gesture. Basically, in my opinion, if you've bought an ebike as a replacement for a car (which is what mine was marketed as) unless you're doing mega miles in less than 2 years and manage to claim a new one, or just pootling about in the summer, forget about it being a replacement for a car!

I’m surprised that you only got such a low mileage out of the drive train.
Sue’s Kalkoff has nearly 6,000 miles on it still with the original chain and cassette. I do check for chain wear and all is still ok.

 

[ktmman]

I’m surprised that you only got such a low mileage out of the drive train.
Sue’s Kalkoff has nearly 6,000 miles on it still with the original chain and cassette. I do check for chain wear and all is still ok.

Depending on use , ie muddy enduro rides, chains can be worn in as .little as 500 miles. I find the first sign of wear is chain starts to jump on lower gears.
6000 miles is very good for original chain.
Kmc seem to last quite well but are expensive for what you get compared to motorbike chains.

 

[NeverRodeBefore]

I’m surprised that you only got such a low mileage out of the drive train.
Sue’s Kalkoff has nearly 6,000 miles on it still with the original chain and cassette. I do check for chain wear and all is still ok.

So was I to be honest. I still owned a standard hybrid (two identical ones at one point) so I used that the first winter. I also have a folding Tern 8 speed and when I thought work was picking back up I bought an Estarli folding ebike with a rear wheel drive motor, but before it arrived we were all put on redundancy notice, so I continued to use that during the notice period, and since then I've had to drive for work.

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Which Gen?

1/2/3 or 4?

series 1

 

[Pukmeister]

That’s the problem with mine.
It’s a Giant Explore E+1 bike bought in 2021. I use it for “social” days out with Sue and to go to a few pubs further afield. I am mainly a normal road bike cyclist. The bike has started to make a lot of creaking noises coming from the motor area. I’ve checked and greased the seatpost, dismantled the forks and headset, greased the pedal cranks and checked the pedals.
The bikes down around 3500 miles. I have changed the chain, but the old one wasn’t that worn.
No play in the crank shaft felt. I’ve just greased the motor fixing bolts as a search on the web says that this can cause creaks. Not yet tested but will report back.

I was going to suggest you re-torque the motor holding bolts, my mate did this on his Trance E+2 and cured his creaking noise when pedalling.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

series 1

How much use ?
My 1.3 has been fine

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

How much use ?
My 1.3 has been fine

It's 8 years old and good use on the South Downs way . I have looked after it but a belt has gone inside so a refurb is needed as it's out of warrantee . About £4-600 I was told

 

[jonnie comet]

Where I was working I could cycle to work and back everyday at 14 miles or so a day. It did a summer and autumn before I put it away to save it from the worst of winter but it did get used in a lot of rain. I swapped the rear 12 speed casette and a chain at about 1500 miles or so as the chain was looking past its best despite weekly cleaning and re-lubing using MucOff Ebike dry or wet lube depending on the weather, but I did use it the second winter. Then work became a bit iffy so I thought I'd use it until the chain needed doing and get the front chain wheel done too (I was told that chain and rear block every 1000 miles and a front chain ring every 3000 miles was a good idea), but the crank arm on one side started to creak a bit and then I think I got an error message or two. My biggest issue was I couldn't transport the bike for a repair as it came with full mudguards with wired in lights.

I got a mobile cycle mechanic to come out and have a look at it and he found the main bearing was going, which he didn't routinely carry, but he requested a repair as it was by that time 25 months old, but Haibike said that 3300 miles in two years was excessive even for a goodwill gesture. Basically, in my opinion, if you've bought an ebike as a replacement for a car (which is what mine was marketed as) unless you're doing mega miles in less than 2 years and manage to claim a new one, or just pootling about in the summer, forget about it being a replacement for a car!

Interesting stuff.

I completely get that off-road ebikes are going to need plenty of maintenance and that rapid component wear can be expected, but your bike was used for basic road commuting and still flew through components -

'chain and rear block every 1,000 miles and a front chain ring every 3,000 miles' - all road miles. Then throw in that the Bosch motor needs work at just 3,300 miles (considered 'excessive')...Gobsmacking....

I live in another world.

Many thanks for the comprehensive reply....

 

[Udders]

I like to make sure my emtb is spot on in every department before I go for a ride. This is because I normally park my motorhome at a site somewhere then go to very remote places. Often 15-20 miles in one direction and like to know it’s not going to break down on me. It’s often up mountains in Scotland too so no taxi to pick me up if it goes wrong. £400-£600 for a motor check / rebuild is pretty good I think. They do a lot of work.