Opinions on reliability of Impulse 2 motor and Nexus gears

[USAebike]

Untrue, don't speak of things you know nothing about. The UK agent 50cycles eventually ceased trading because customers no longer trusted them or Kalkhoff. Customers patience was exhausted by the repeated motor replacements, as many as five in a few cases. The responses to the troubles from Kalkhoff and Daum and thus 50cycles were wholly inadequate for a very long time.

I don't agree that the whole of the trouble was down to the grease used. If that had been the case that very minor and obvious engineering problem would have been quickly solved and there would still be new e-bikes using these Daum motors.
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You guys can make up things until you are blue in the face it doesn’t change the facts. I know the fact is I have an $8000 Riese and Muller. With less than 2000 miles on it with a bad motor on my garage. Also have a Kalkhoff with what you guys say is the worst thing in the world impulse 2.0 I paid $800 second hand. The impulse two. Oh is the one with the good motor that I will be doing my ride on today. $8000 bike with the Bosch plastic motor.
is waiting for me to still take it apart. I had to order a special part tool just to take the stupid crank edels off.

So keep buying Bosch and I guarantee you every single boss motor just like every electric bike motor will eventually fail. But I can’t tell you it’s been proven by more people than me that a little bit of grease keeps an impulse 2.0 on the road.

 

[soundwave]

thing is there are only 2 motors that was made that can be serviced and those are impulse and Yamaha. peter will still service the impulse motors they just they need more maintenance to keep them going but parts can be bought if something brakes.

he wont touch shitmano motors as non serviceable crap because of software and bricked motors after working on them and cost him a fortune!

anything with moving parts needs to be serviced and grease and why my old bosch performance motor done 10k plus it just needed new bearings and transfer gear and good as new.

eBike Motor Repairs & Servicing - Homepage

eBike Motor Parts Repairs & Servicing, (formally, Performance Line Bearings) has become the “go to place” for all your e-Bike motor repairs...

www.ebikemotorcentre.com

 

[USAebike]

Untrue, don't speak of things you know nothing about. The UK agent 50cycles eventually ceased trading because customers no longer trusted them or Kalkhoff. Customers patience was exhausted by the repeated motor replacements, as many as five in a few cases. The responses to the troubles from Kalkhoff and Daum and thus 50cycles were wholly inadequate for a very long time.

I don't agree that the whole of the trouble was down to the grease used. If that had been the case that very minor and obvious engineering problem would have been quickly solved and there would still be new e-bikes using these Daum motors.
.

Now if I listened to you. I would have believed the Kalkhoff Clack is the end of the road. Because I am a man who does not quit or cry. I’m back on the trail 2 days later for a tube of grease. $20

 

[flecc]

So keep buying Bosch and I guarantee you every single boss motor just like every electric bike motor will eventually fail. But I can’t tell you it’s been proven by more people than me that a little bit of grease keeps an impulse 2.0 on the road.

I'm certainly not defending Bosch and would never own one of their crank motors. Like you I've spent my life in mechanical engineering, but unlike you I was first involved with assist motors for bicycles in 1950 in a career that included the whole range of motor vehicles. Yes, I really have been around that long.

Since the first commercial one in 1922, bicycle motors have always been a bundle of trouble with the worst reliability of any form of motorised vehicle, and worst of all have been their crank drive motors. But where the current issue is concerned, Kalkhoff and many other e-bike makers choose to use Bosch motors and no manufacturer now uses a Daum motor.

That decision by all those makers is with good reason, it's the lesser evil.
.

 

[USAebike]

I'm certainly not defending Bosch and would never own one of their crank motors. Like you I've spent my life in mechanical engineering, but unlike you I was first involved with assist motors for bicycles in 1950 in a career that included the whole range of motor vehicles. Yes, I really have been around that long.

Since the first commercial one in 1922, bicycle motors have always been a bundle of trouble with the worst reliability of any form of motorised vehicle, and worst of all have been their crank drive motors. But where the current issue is concerned, Kalkhoff and many other e-bike makers choose to use Bosch motors and no manufacturer now uses a Daum motor.

That decision by all those makers is with good reason, it's the lesser evil.
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Yes because they should have recalled all their motors and replaced the grease. I am not defending what clearly was a bad engineering choice. What I’m trying to do, is help people who own a bike with an Impulse 2.0 get back in the road. There’s no reason the Impulse 2.0 after lubricated properly will not last 5000 plus miles.

I experienced the Kalkhoff clack and the fix is very simple. I actually seen the same issue on my back up motor with zero miles. They used improper grease and every motor they used it in will fail Prematurely. Bosch is far from perfect but clearly some person are achieving 10,000 miles on motors.

Since the Clack and my simple clean out and lubricant add. I am back on the road and enjoying my Kalkhoff just as much as my Riese and Muller.

 

[Nealh]

Well done, at least someone is getting good use out of the Impulse motor.

 

[flecc]

Since the Clack and my simple clean out and lubricant add. I am back on the road and enjoying my Kalkhoff just as much as my Riese and Muller.

And I hope that continues for many thousands of miles for you.

But for the sake of the vast majority of the public who either cannot do what you have done or do not wish to with a new product, I'm pleased the Impulse motors are no longer on the market.
.

 

[Nealh]

This is the issue the general public aren't engineers or mechanically minded so opening,stripping down a motor is not within their grasp, it is only the few dedicated or officinado's of the ebike world who dig deeper.

I wonder what Peter the Bearingsman take on this would be ?

 

[soundwave]

50 cycles went bust b4 peter showed up imo he could of saved there ass sorting the motors out but was not meant to be,

also no dealers are allowed to open motors in warranty so thats why it all went to shite with endless replacements.

 

[USAebike]

An

And I hope that continues for many thousands of miles for you.

But for the sake of the vast majority of the public who either cannot do what you have done or do not wish to with a new product, I'm pleased the Impulse motors are no longer on the market.
.

if anyone needs help they can send me a message. I will help them it is very easy to service. No reason to throw a
way a perfect bike when the Fix is so inexpensive.

This is the issue the general public aren't engineers or mechanically minded so opening,stripping down a motor is not within their grasp, it is only the few dedicated or officinado's of the ebike world who dig deeper.

I wonder what Peter the Bearingsman take on this would be ?

you are 100% right. Either pride or ignorance prevented them from properly resolving this. And no the public should not be expected to tear part motors and fix them themselves. I just hope we could help a few people who have the know how to get back on the road and not have to spend another 4 or $5000.

 

[soundwave]

peter wont service any shimano motors tho but will service impulse motors pmsl

 

[SteveRuss]

I still have my Kalkhoff Pro Connect with the Impulse 2. Had it over six years now. The battery is still good and the motor has never displayed any issues at all. Granted I haven't ridden it much over the past few years but it's a great bike.

 

[T140V]

if anyone needs help they can send me a message. I will help them it is very easy to service. No reason to throw a
way a perfect bike when the Fix is so inexpensive.

you are 100% right. Either pride or ignorance prevented them from properly resolving this. And no the public should not be expected to tear part motors and fix them themselves. I just hope we could help a few people who have the know how to get back on the road and not have to spend another 4 or $5000.

Doesn't seem worth starting a new thread on this, so I thought I'd resurrect this one. After 7 completely trouble-free years and a few thousand miles on my Kalkhoff Pro-Connect, I was blissfully ignorant of the Impulse 2 issues until today, when I lost drive.

It was obvious from the noise and feel that the drive pawls had stuck in the freewheel position, and it was confirmed by the Walk Assist feature still working. As it happened I was only a couple of miles from home so I set off pushing the thing and after I bumped it down off a kerb something freed up and I got my drive back, so I rode home very gently.

It was a doddle to remove the motor, and I'm all set to open it up as per the numerous YouTube videos to check, clean and re-lube the pawls. I've been maintaining cars and motorcycles for donkey's years so the spannering holds no fears, but I just thought I check in and see what people recommend as an alternative lubricant. A light Graphite lube like what they use in locks maybe? Just want something that's not going to dry out and go gummy I suppose.

TIA for any opinions.

 

[soundwave]

email ebike motor centre as you need to right grease

 

[4bound]

Doesn't seem worth starting a new thread on this, so I thought I'd resurrect this one. After 7 completely trouble-free years and a few thousand miles on my Kalkhoff Pro-Connect, I was blissfully ignorant of the Impulse 2 issues until today, when I lost drive.

It was obvious from the noise and feel that the drive pawls had stuck in the freewheel position, and it was confirmed by the Walk Assist feature still working. As it happened I was only a couple of miles from home so I set off pushing the thing and after I bumped it down off a kerb something freed up and I got my drive back, so I rode home very gently.

It was a doddle to remove the motor, and I'm all set to open it up as per the numerous YouTube videos to check, clean and re-lube the pawls. I've been maintaining cars and motorcycles for donkey's years so the spannering holds no fears, but I just thought I check in and see what people recommend as an alternative lubricant. A light Graphite lube like what they use in locks maybe? Just want something that's not going to dry out and go gummy I suppose.

TIA for any opinions.

Did you get it working again afterwards??

 

[T140V]

Did you get it working again afterwards??

Yep, it was pretty straightforward. Open up the motor, wash out all the gummy old lube with WD40, cleaned and dried it, gave everything a light coat of ACF 50 for corrosion protection then lubed the pawls with some light machine oil and used Yamaha ebike grease for the drive gears.

Reassembled everything and it's fine.

I did, however use the opportunity for a bit of an excuse. My wife also has a Kalkhoff with the same motor, so I used the excuse that we needed to have a spare motor for her. So my old bike is now in the shed for spares, and I got myself a new Cube Kathmandu 750 ABS. Got to say the Cube is orders of magnitude better than the old Kalkhoff, ebikes have come a heck of a long way in the last 10 years.