Yamaha Battery/Charger Problem
- Thread starter georgehenry
- Start date
I just checked and I am 11 days short of a year since my connectors broke.
I have completed 1924 miles since mending my connectors with the battery and charger showing every sign of lasting a lot longer still.
The battery and charger are obviously high quality items and it would have been extremely wasteful to have thrown them away as the only option given by the manufacturer for the want of an inexpensive replacement connector.
My other electric bike is a old Oxygen Emate city with generic Chinese battery and charger with a metal connector plug that is much sturdier than the Yamaha one.
I am actually very impressed by my Yamaha powered Haibike and have now completed 10856 miles since I bought it in 2015 but I think it is not unreasonable to expect the dealer to be able to fix it.
I have completed 1924 miles since mending my connectors with the battery and charger showing every sign of lasting a lot longer still.
The battery and charger are obviously high quality items and it would have been extremely wasteful to have thrown them away as the only option given by the manufacturer for the want of an inexpensive replacement connector.
My other electric bike is a old Oxygen Emate city with generic Chinese battery and charger with a metal connector plug that is much sturdier than the Yamaha one.
I am actually very impressed by my Yamaha powered Haibike and have now completed 10856 miles since I bought it in 2015 but I think it is not unreasonable to expect the dealer to be able to fix it.
The point is that whether you are in or out of warranty you will be given no support to fix the connector if it breaks.
In fairness once I had fixed this problem I stopped researching if there might be a dealer somewhere who was prepared to fix the problem but I did approach mine and another non local one at the time and was told the same thing by both that they could not.
Now it is a year since then and at that time my own dealer did not offer a bearing replacement service and now does. Also the bearing man has appeared on the forum, so there are beginning to be options to service and repair motors with serviceable worn out parts.
I also did not approach Jimmy at insat who probably would have been able to fix it.
But I still think that if you have spent a lot of money on a bike and break an inexpensive but crucial part either on day one or whenever down the line you should reasonable expect to be able to take it to the shop where you bought it to have it fixed.
Now it is a year since then and at that time my own dealer did not offer a bearing replacement service and now does. Also the bearing man has appeared on the forum, so there are beginning to be options to service and repair motors with serviceable worn out parts.
I also did not approach Jimmy at insat who probably would have been able to fix it.
But I still think that if you have spent a lot of money on a bike and break an inexpensive but crucial part either on day one or whenever down the line you should reasonable expect to be able to take it to the shop where you bought it to have it fixed.
Since I have just ordered a Giant Trance Pro E+3 which has the Yamaha motor this post has been bookmarked in case I have the same fragile charger plug! I like your solution although preferably after the warranty has run out!
I am not thinking that it should be a warranty claim as I take responsibility for not removing the battery prior to charging. I do however take exception to the fact that they will not even entertain fixing the broken component and further the part is not available to purchase, which means that I have to do as others have which is utilize another connector, and then modify the charger to use the new connector as well. When this modified battery finally fails and I purchase a new battery then I have to replace the original connector to allow the new battery to charge.
Am I missing something or does this seem asinine? Not sure why they cant just sell the little plastic connectors so we could replace as necessary. It certainly will have me looking at this aspect of any future E-bike.
Am I missing something or does this seem asinine? Not sure why they cant just sell the little plastic connectors so we could replace as necessary. It certainly will have me looking at this aspect of any future E-bike.
Hi all just joined the forum and grateful to of found this thread. I've gone and done the same thing with the battery and connector and sounds exactly how the last guy did his and after reading this sounds like a waste of time even taking it to the bike shop and pursuing the warranty route. I've done less than 300 miles on mine and owned it around 3 months. Mrs tripped over the wire, then luckily could still get a connection until today when it shorted out. Just wondered if you could tell which 4 pin you purchased as I might have to go that route as well. Also just seen a 500w battery on eBay. Are these compatible because if so I may as well go with with an upgrade if the 4 pin don't work.
Be grateful for any reply cheers
Be grateful for any reply cheers
if you have warranty then try the dealer first as they could sort it or tell you to bugger off.
otherwise jimmy will be able to fix it one way or another. https://ebikebatteries.co.uk/
Much appreciated I just emailed them so hopefully get a response tomorrow.
Thanks again
It is now over a year since I replaced the connectors an my battery and charger and the battery has powered the bike for 2104 miles and looks very capable of powering the bike a lot further still.
A few other people have now added to this quite obscure thread after falling victim to the same problem.
From the miles I have covered since fixing my battery and charger myself there is clearly no issue with the quality of either the battery or the charger.
If bike dealers are not allowed to fix this problem they should at the very
least be able to sell the correct Yamaha replacement connectors to allow the owner to do so.
If you do not want to tackle the fix yourself then Jimmy at insat would be someone who I am sure could perform the same fix.
A few other people have now added to this quite obscure thread after falling victim to the same problem.
From the miles I have covered since fixing my battery and charger myself there is clearly no issue with the quality of either the battery or the charger.
If bike dealers are not allowed to fix this problem they should at the very
least be able to sell the correct Yamaha replacement connectors to allow the owner to do so.
If you do not want to tackle the fix yourself then Jimmy at insat would be someone who I am sure could perform the same fix.
I spoke to Jimmy the other day and he didn't know where to source the 4 pins to do the repair. Where did you get yours from? I've come foul of the same problem
My mate got hold of a chok block style 4 way connector off ebay like the one in the link.
He is competent with electrical components but essentially this was more about his ability to solder the wires inside the battery case where they would not easily break and waterproofing with silicone sealant.
The actual connectors from ebay were easy and cheap to source and have been reliable and easy to use after being fitted.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-8mm-2-3-4-6-9-Way-pin-Electrical-Connector-Kit-Car-Motorbike-Auto-UK-STOCK/273243572053?var=&hash=item3f9e960755&enc=AQADAAADAFjVrDbVsZ8oH/8PNHtt9VX4/w7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVn6Uph
He is competent with electrical components but essentially this was more about his ability to solder the wires inside the battery case where they would not easily break and waterproofing with silicone sealant.
The actual connectors from ebay were easy and cheap to source and have been reliable and easy to use after being fitted.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-8mm-2-3-4-6-9-Way-pin-Electrical-Connector-Kit-Car-Motorbike-Auto-UK-STOCK/273243572053?var=&hash=item3f9e960755&enc=AQADAAADAFjVrDbVsZ8oH/8PNHtt9VX4/w7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVn6Uph
I am not an ebiker, just an someone trying to help a friend with the exact same problem that georgehenry had.
My first reaction when seeing for the first time the Yamaha battery was that the charger port was a poor design, especially as it now seems to use a proprietary plug and socket which is unavailable. I also have another German battery (vhbw?) with the same socket, but different internal connections. I was asked to remove the German socket and fit to the Yamaha, but I think georgehenry's solution is better, so will do that. Many thanks georgehenry for your comprehensive guide
My first reaction when seeing for the first time the Yamaha battery was that the charger port was a poor design, especially as it now seems to use a proprietary plug and socket which is unavailable. I also have another German battery (vhbw?) with the same socket, but different internal connections. I was asked to remove the German socket and fit to the Yamaha, but I think georgehenry's solution is better, so will do that. Many thanks georgehenry for your comprehensive guide
a mag safe connector would make more sense tbh esp for on bike charging but i have never used the charger with the batt on the bike but with bosch it is not direct to the batt but would still get damaged if you tripped over the cable and ripped it out.
jimmy at insat could have done a better job tbh
I got a four way connector from ebay, I opened up the hole where the connector is on the battery and fitted it and then I fitted and soldered the female plug on the charger cablea mag safe connector would make more sense tbh esp for on bike charging but i have never used the charger with the batt on the bike but with bosch it is not direct to the batt but would still get damaged if you tripped over the cable and ripped it out.
jimmy at insat could have done a better job tbh
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Hi all with Yamaha battery/charger connector problems. Update on how mine are doing post repair.
My original 400Wh Yamaha battery is still performing well as it enters its sixth year of service. It has now powered the bike for 2,942 miles and almost two years since I was forced to replace the battery/charger connectors myself in April of 2018.
As it continues to perform so well it shows how wasteful it would have been to have thrown it and the charger away when the original connectors broke.
I still find it quite disturbing that if you are unlucky and damage the connectors on your Yamaha battery and/or charger there is no support available to get them fixed. You either have to fix them yourself, like I did, which involved overcoming the defeat bolts and opening up the battery case or finding a third party business that could do it for you, perhaps like Jimmy at insat.
Eroom1965, I am jealous that you have done a better, neater job than me!
Could you link to the better looking connectors you used if I feel like changing mine.
My original 400Wh Yamaha battery is still performing well as it enters its sixth year of service. It has now powered the bike for 2,942 miles and almost two years since I was forced to replace the battery/charger connectors myself in April of 2018.
As it continues to perform so well it shows how wasteful it would have been to have thrown it and the charger away when the original connectors broke.
I still find it quite disturbing that if you are unlucky and damage the connectors on your Yamaha battery and/or charger there is no support available to get them fixed. You either have to fix them yourself, like I did, which involved overcoming the defeat bolts and opening up the battery case or finding a third party business that could do it for you, perhaps like Jimmy at insat.
Eroom1965, I am jealous that you have done a better, neater job than me!
Could you link to the better looking connectors you used if I feel like changing mine.
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I'm glad you like my connectors, they're called GX20 connectors 4 pin 10amp. They are pretty good as the plug side on the charger has a good cable clamp and soldered connectors. The hole where sockets fits has to be carefully drilled out to 20mm The socket then clamped in place with a locking ring supplied. I might have a look and see if I've got a spare plug and socket as I bought some more for another project where do you live?
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