Haibike Yamaha - battery replacement options

[Nealh]

We know that battery voltage can't be had directly from the battery alone, however if it only relies on two or three contacts then if done carefully it should be possible to wire up the battery terminal to the receiver. Bike can then be switched on to gets coms working and measure voltage.

 

[Graham101]

Hi all, from my limited experience I expect the battery is faulty. When I returned my original for refund and got another one my bike worked fine.
I loved the Haibike so much I purchased another version which is the allmtn Rx with electronic suspension!
Good luck with your battery return, don’t waste anymore time on it.

Chris, as an update my faulty battery is now in Germany and will hopefully be repaired soon.

 

[Miller]

After almost 12 months the Samsung cell battery gave up taking a charge... Purchased through All Batteries in the UK through Amazon so had the return done through them... All Batteries were slow to reply and eventually sent a return label after Amazon having to step in... 2 weeks later they offered a new battery which was shipped out and on receipt was dead as a dodo with a date sticker showing 2012.... Again waiting for another return label but I think there is no quality control going on at all so all hit and miss.

 

[Miller]

2nd battery returned and received a full refund.... I had 11 months out of the first battery so lucky it was under 12 months to get my money back and that there are some sellers doing genuine Yamaha 500 batteries for about £600.... Got one now so non-genuine is over for me.

 

[georgehenry]

After overcoming the anti tamper screws to open up my Yamaha battery to replace a broken charger connector I think that the cheapest approach when your battery starts to die would be to carefully re cell it.

I will find out when that time comes however I am very impressed with the longevity of my battery used in its commuting role and looked after carefully.

It has now entered its 5th year of use on my March 2015 bike with 10948 miles covered and continues to work very well.

Good job considering how expensive genuine batteries are to buy.

 

[GLJoe]

... 2 weeks later they offered a new battery which was shipped out and on receipt was dead as a dodo with a date sticker showing 2012....

Strange. I might be wrong, but I thought these 3rd party Yamaha batteries only started appearing on the market around 2018
??

 

[soundwave]

they have been around a long time now just not many knew where to buy them from unless you are on the German forum.

tho you still cant get a 3rd party bosch batt lol

 

[GLJoe]

they have been around a long time now just not many knew where to buy them from unless you are on the German forum.

I read that (long) German thread. Pretty sure it was around the start of 2017.
Last time I checked, 2017 was around 2 years ago, which, unless you're a child or a small furry animal, isn't generally thought of as a 'long time'
And certainly doesn't fit with the manufacturing date of 2012!

 

[soundwave]

could be when the cells for it was made but 2012 is when bosch gen 1 bikes were coming out and was no Yamaha motor anyway back then.

 

[doomo]

Its been a while since I've been on this forum. Unfortunately I was taken out by a van last july and the resulting smashed up collarbone which took nearly 9 months to heal. Consequently, the bike sat about not being used for most of that time (my daughter used it a few times). The allBatteries battery is still going but is definitely down on capacity now, perhaps as much as a 25% loss (this is a guess). Maybe the long period of not being used and being more or less fully charged has damaged the cells . The yamaha battery seems no different and has stabilized after its initial drop in capacity. Perhaps the all batteries one will also do the same but time will tell. The fuse hasnt blown again since which is good but I don't rely entirely on that battery just in case. I use the allbatteries one first then swap over to the yamaha when its down to about 50%. I've noticed in the last few months that the point I change the battery over is getting further and further from my destination. Between the 2 I've still got my than enough range but for how much longer who knows.

 

[doomo]

Regarding the capacity loss. I did a test on a known route this morning, where the allBatteries one would have been at 55%, maybe 50 with a stronger headwind when it was new, it had just 14% left. I'd say it was guffed and the rate of decline has been quite quick over the last few months. When I started riding again back in june there were no obvious signs of decline.
Admittedly the 9 month period where it was sat charged and not used may have damaged the cells, the original yamaha one had the same and hasnt lost anything as a result.
From 100% down to about 80, 75% it seems to drain normally but after that it seems to plummet very quickly.
This is pretty disappointing since its only really had about 2 years of use and doesnt look like lasting much longer. I guess provided it can get me a minimum of 5 miles then it is usable. This morning it did about 11 miles and ended up at 14% so who knows how long its got left before being useless.
So to conclude I guess you get what you pay for with these batteries. It's cheap but it doesn't last and may not be reliable.

 

[doomo]

Further update. I figured out that if I charge the battery immediately before riding it lasts much longer (but still not as good as new). if I charge it and then don't use it for almost a week then that is when the capacity completely nosedives once it gets to about 75% remaining. Clearly the battery is knackered but perhaps I may be able to get a bit more use out of it.

 

[georgehenry]

Hi Doomo,

I only charge my battery back to full, as close to my departure time for work as possible.

When I get home it has about 55/60% of its capacity left and I store it in the house, only charging back to full again as close to my departure time for my next trip to work.

I think that charging these batteries to full and then leaving them like that for any length of time is not good for them.

For various reasons I have been off work for a protracted period with only the occasional trip in and even when left for long periods it seems fine when I next charge it back to full just before I set off again.

It is currently just over three weeks since I last used my bike. Mine is a 2015 Haibike Yamaha with 400Wh battery, that will be 5 years old in March 2020 and is amazingly performing very like it did when new. 11,374 miles traveled so far.

I think also that these batteries give of their best fresh of the charger.

 

[Jonnie]

Hi Doomo,

I only charge my battery back to full, as close to my departure time for work as possible.

When I get home it has about 55/60% of its capacity left and I store it in the house, only charging back to full again as close to my departure time for my next trip to work.

I think that charging these batteries to full and then leaving them like that for any length of time is not good for them.

For various reasons I have been off work for a protracted period with only the occasional trip in and even when left for long periods it seems fine when I next charge it back to full just before I set off again.

It is currently just over three weeks since I last used my bike. Mine is a 2015 Haibike Yamaha with 400Wh battery, that will be 5 years old in March 2020 and is amazingly performing very like it did when new. 11,374 miles traveled so far.

I think also that these batteries give of their best fresh of the charger.

Wanted to clarify how long you should leave the battery at 100% unused, as you state it shouldn’t be left too long like this. I charge it up either on an afternoon for an 6 am start the next day (ie left over night at 100%)or in the morning for a 1pm ride the same day?

Also, why would sitting at 100% charged damage the battery? Thanks..

 

[georgehenry]

It is between my trips to work that I leave it at 55/60%.

I am a shift worker so put my battery on charge as I go to bed for an early shift, or for a late shift try to remember to charge it an hour or two before I set off.

I can charge the battery back to full at work and Have to start the charge before I start my work returning to the fully charged battery 8 hrs +or- later, so it has been fully charged for a few hours.

What my regime avoids is charging it back to full when I get home and then leaving it until I next use it as in some circumstances this would be several weeks.

I have just come to my approach by reading and choosing from what can be quite contradictory advise out there on the net.

These expensive batteries do degrade anyway over time so how ever careful you are you are best using them as much as possible and getting out there and enjoying yourself.

I do have a Chinese derived rear hub motor simple cadence sensor bike that I also use a lot for shopping trips into town and as the battery is behind the seat post and a bit more of a flaff to remove that stays on the bike and is charged almost to full using a timer plug in the garage when I return from whatever trip I have done. So that battery gets treated in the opposite way I am on my third battery since I bought the bike in 2011.

However the last battery I bought was off ebay and under £200 including a charger, and although undoubtedly of far less quality, it does if it lasts two years to April next year it will have done a lot of miles

 

[GLJoe]

Also, why would sitting at 100% charged damage the battery? Thanks..

It doesn't 'damage' it per se, so its quite safe to charge to 100%. Its just that because of the way the battery chemistry works, its constantly (but slowly) degrading, even if you don't use it. The more charge there is, the faster the degradation is.
So if you use it regularly but maybe don't have a fixed routine, then by all means charge to 100% so its ready to go at the drop of a hat. But if you're more organised, and/or you know you won't be using the bike for a while, you might as well hold off charging it up to full until the last moment.

 

[Jonnie]

It is between my trips to work that I leave it at 55/60%.

I am a shift worker so put my battery on charge as I go to bed for an early shift, or for a late shift try to remember to charge it an hour or two before I set off.

I can charge the battery back to full at work and Have to start the charge before I start my work returning to the fully charged battery 8 hrs +or- later, so it has been fully charged for a few hours.

What my regime avoids is charging it back to full when I get home and then leaving it until I next use it as in some circumstances this would be several weeks.

I have just come to my approach by reading and choosing from what can be quite contradictory advise out there on the net.

These expensive batteries do degrade anyway over time so how ever careful you are you are best using them as much as possible and getting out there and enjoying yourself.

I do have a Chinese derived rear hub motor simple cadence sensor bike that I also use a lot for shopping trips into town and as the battery is behind the seat post and a bit more of a flaff to remove that stays on the bike and is charged almost to full using a timer plug in the garage when I return from whatever trip I have done. So that battery gets treated in the opposite way I am on my third battery since I bought the bike in 2011.

However the last battery I bought was off ebay and under £200 including a charger, and although undoubtedly of far less quality, it does if it lasts two years to April next year it will have done a lot of miles

Thanks for the info, think I’m treating my battery quite well then!

 

[Izzyekerslike]

Thanks for the info, think I’m treating my battery quite well then!

I'm afraid mine is being harshly treated

 

[Jayfdee]

I need a second battery, so this thread has been very interesting, thanks all who contributed.
I have seen some German and Italian sites offering genuine Yamaha for £550-£570 delivered,still eye watering, but I think that is the route for me.
I have also seen a larger capacity non oem,but they have no charging socket, and say use a charging station,anyone know what a charging station is?

 

[Izzyekerslike]

If it's this battery your considering then you will be able to charge it using the charger that came with your bike. I have been using one of these batteries for 2 years and have had no problems and it's still performing well.