Electric Bike Maintenance

[gkilner]

Hello,

I just wanted to ask if there is any special maintenance I should be carrying out on my bike. I'm aware of the need for oiling the chain / gears etc, but what about the motor?

The motor does aparently have a greasing hole, but there isn't anything in the owners manual to say what to do with it.

Does the motor ever need stripping down, brushes replacing etc?

The bike is now my only form of transport to and from work and I don't what it breaking down on me!

Thanks for any advice,

Gavin.

 

[flecc]

No Gavin, just use and enjoy. The orbital gears within the motor are greased, but they aren't highly stressed and last for ages. One eZee Rider bike, a model that used the Liv motor formerly, is reported to have done 50,000 kilometres in Switzerland, and I wouldn't be surprised if the motor has never been opened.

The brushes on these comparatively low revving modern motors are very long lasting, not a bit like the brushes on the high revving small motors of yesteryear.

The best insurance against trouble with brushes, motor bearings and gears is to always help the bike away from standstill with a little pedalling. Pulling away on motor only creates the greatest strain on these parts, and it's also the largest waste of battery power, almost the entire current wasted at very low revs. As speed rises, the current utilisation becomes much more efficient.

 

[gkilner]

Thanks Flecc, I'll stop worrying.

The only other experience I have with electric motors is radio control cars - the motors need constantly re-building!

 

[flecc]

Yes, they run at several thousands of revs, and sound like it too! Our bike hub motors spin in hundreds of revs up to around 1200 to 1400, and are immediately geared down about 6 to 1 anyway, so all very low stressed. Most are Hall effect with the armature stationary, only a well balanced drum holding the magnets rotating at those low speeds.
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