(#1) [M2S] 2018 KUSH fat tire bike...

Sic Puppy

Active Member
(Jan 2021 update: I am attaching the following link to my posting(s) located over at the BikTrix ebike companys' EBReview forum site:
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-sensor-bottom-bracket-price-is-200-00.40097/
As of today, Jan 5th, it is a work-in-progress. It should make current M2S ebike owners really appreciate their very correct ebike purchase. I also realize that many potential ebike buyers cruise these forums as an aid in their search for the ideal ebike at the most practical price. They also need to be made aware of “brand service after the sale”, or lack/deception thereof. After all, an ebike purchase of $1,500+ is no small investment. You be the judge.)
ADDENDUM on Jan 10, 2020: Since I now have numerous threads posted (sorry about that), I want to let viewers know their chronological sequence, thus every thread title will begin with (# ).
If you go to the M2S website you will see 150+ reviews of the Kush dual suspension fat tire 750watt/48volt/16amp ebike and its companion hardtail ebike, the 750. However, for whatever reason(s), there don't seem to be any other websites with squat written about these wonderful beasts. Kinda weird. So, the following is my contribution to the Kush:
I am 67 years old, weigh 180 pounds, and have a 30" inseam. The 2018 size Medium blue Kush is right at the limit for crotch clearance in my case. I own 6 bikes. 3 are old school (pre-ebike) bikes. I do alot of riding (50 miles a day is the norm). This magnificent dual suspension beast is my 3rd electric bike (ebike).
My 1st ebike was purchased in Oct. 2017 for $849. It is an X-Treme(brand) TrailMaster Elite. It is a 300watt/24 volt hardtail with a (supposedly) top throttle speed of 20mph. That proved not to be anywhere near correct by about 8 mph. I will eventually post a review of my experience with it on the X-Treme thread.
My 2nd ebike was purchased two months later (Dec. 2017) for $1,250 (it now sells for $1,600+). It is also X-Treme brand. The Sedona. 500watt/48volt/10 amp. It is dual suspension. It will actually attain 20mph on throttle-only mode. It is a decent bike, all things considered. The Sedona will also eventually receive a review on this site.
One day while cruising the local bike paths on the Sedona, I had a chance encounter with a 2017 M2S 750 fat tire hardtail bike rider. We chatted for awhile. Eventually a posse of local Lance-in-Tour De France roadie maniac youngsters came whizzing past. Us 2 old farts, both being 60+ years old, decided that we would chase down those rowdy rascals on our ebikes and, hopefully, breeze on around them. One of us did: the guy on the 750W/28mph+ M2S caught up to, and passed, the entire posse of hooligans. I was only able to maintain my initial distance because I was restricted to only 20mph. I was absolutely blown away by the power of that M2S fat tire machine.
Needless to say, 2 days later (on Jan. 17, 2018) I placed my $1,850.00 order with M2S for a size Medium blue KUSH dual suspension fat tire beast. I had to wait until the end of April for delivery. During the 4 month wait, I constantly perused the internet looking for another ebike that compared favorably with the dual suspension-- the only way to go (in my humble opinion)-- Kush and which was also similarly priced. No such luck.
It is now mid-July 2018. I have 915 miles on the odometer. This bike has impressed me every time I ride it. The 20 mph versus 28 mph top speed comparison cannot be understated. You will very much appreciate that additional speed being there should the need arise, especially since it doesn't really cost you any extra $$. I can easily go 50 miles distance on a battery charge (I will still have 2 bars remaining) using PAS 1/PAS 2 with the occasional thumb throttle boost thrown in. I average 14 mph on every Kush ride. The other 2 ebikes are only good for a distance of 15 miles and 30 miles max and neither of them has the initial get up and go that the Kush possesses. Bummer. Tough lesson learned.
I wish that I would have had the foresight to buy this Kush as my very 1st ebike. It would have easily saved me $2,500+ (the cost of the 2 X-Treme ebikes plus their own specific incidentals). By the way, the Kush actually weighs noticeably LESS than the dual suspension Sedona non-fat tire ebike. Also, the Kush's Chinese build quality is top notch; 5 stars for sure. Problems have been ZERO.
I believe the hydralic brakes are probably overkill (at least in my case). I have not had to deal with them at all so far. However, down the road, I see swapping them out for wire cable brake units like my other 2 ebike already use. Keep It Simple.
I have made a few alterations to my wonderful toy (see photos) just because that is what I like to do. The changing out of the original 36tooth crankset with a 46tooth dual chainguard (a necessity) crankset is a must-do for these bikes. The new 46tooth unit is not shown in the photo's. The small 36t spins out too rapidly as you attain speed beyond 20mph. it feels like the chain fell off. Bummer. Usually, a 10 tooth increase means the need to add 4 or 5 chain links. However, in the case of the 750w rear hub Kush, I just "locked out" gear #1 and #2 at the rear derailleur so the chain is unable to shift up to them. With the PAS power/thumb throttle capability, you don't really even need those low gears anyway. [ ADDENDUM: I have since installed the following modification; So, I disconnected the chain QuikLink. I use 2 of them because I had lengthened the overall chain way back as a result of changing out the original 36 tooth front chainring/crank for a 46 tooth setup. Therefore I added 5 links to the chain. The QuikLinks are much easier to deal with than the re-pinning of a chain link via chain tool. ]
The Kush has proven to be an absolute delight to own. The ONLY negative that I have been able to find is that the bottom bracket is lower than my 5 other bikes. The pedal will scrap the pavement when you go into a turn if you don't position the cranks in the correct way ( either parallel to the ground OR inside pedal at the top). I can see serious consequences occurring if this scraping happens "at speed". The OEM crank arms are 170m long. A 165m unit might lessen the chances of a scrape, but good luck finding a dual chainguard in that length.
As for the photo's:
1). The black tires are the OEM 4" type. The blue tires are 3" beach cruiser units. One of the reasons I bought the blue (instead of black) version is because a). free shipping and b). 3" inner tubes were included in the $60.00 per pair of tires internet purchase price. I mention the 3" inner tubes for two reasons: 1). inner tubes of this size, be it the 3" size or the 3.5"-4" size are not cheap. $10+ each is the norm. 2). the 3.5"-4" OEM inner tubes do not fit the 3" beach cruiser tires. It is like trying to cram a footlong hot dog onto a 6" bun. The too big tube will be folded up inside the 3" tire. No way around it.
So, use a 3" tube from the get-go. Save the 4" tire/tube combo for another day.
2). I own 6 bikes. Five of those bikes use a 27.2mm seatpost. I have a dozen seatposts and that many saddles, too. Each is a dedicated pair. I just swap out the entire combo when I feel like presenting a different appearance for any of my wonderful toyz.
However, the Kush uses a 30.4mm seatpost. A 27.2-to-30.4 seatpost sleeve was necessary so that I could expand my options on the Kush. Those sleeves are inexpensive and they are available in a variety of anodized colors, so I bought 6 of them. You can see on the photos how I chose to utilize the extra sleeves. They will also appear on the X-Treme Sedona posting.
As for the sleeve actually used in the bike frame: I found that it caused slight slippage of the seatpost. To halt that, I found the ideal height for the seatpost/saddle by going on short rides. I used a piece of tape to mark the seatpost. I drilled a small hole at the rear of the seatpost and screwed in the tiny screw to act as a slippage stopper. Works like a charm, too. I just remove the screw (if need be) if I should decide to put that post on one of my other 5 bikes.
3). This Kush has a carbon fiber/white stem, straight handlebar (carbon fiber unit is awaiting installation), black/white pedals, black/white saddle, carbon fiber (27.2) seatpost, red anodized non-quick release seatpost collar, red anodized seatpost sleeve (upside down-- a black unit is used inside the frame), hand grips w/red anodized trim, long barends with grips installed over them, gold hand grenade tire valve covers, red anodized lower pulley on rear derailleur, white USB auxiliary front headlight with strobe/flashing capability, seatpost mounted quick release water bottle holder, red anodized stainless water bottle, and a set of handcuffs. The OEM red wheel rim inserts have been replaced by black/white checkered duck tape. I also installed an "extender" on the handlebar to mount the ebike computer display because I didn't want the stem to be concealed by the display unit.
The water bottle is just for looks because I always ride with a hydration system/backpack. However, in hot weather, I can use it to pour aqua over my pointy lil' head so that I stay cooled down.
The handcuffs serve a practical purpose as secondary bike locks. My primary theft deterrent is a U-Lock mounted thru the forward section of the rear wheel. That way, the back wheel and the bike frame are secured. However, that still leaves the front wheel section vulnerable. Now the handcuffs come into play. On my bikes with "normal" (less than 2.0") size tires, I secure one cuff around the tire/rim. The other cuff goes on the front shock crossbar or the frames downtube. And, yes, a thief can simply cut the handcuffs chain link connecter, but they will be unable to ride away on the stolen bike because the handcuff on the rim will only allow a partial revolution each time. That covers normal tires.
Now for disc brake and/or fat tire bikes. Those disc units have cutouts in them. A cuff arm will easily insert thru one of those holes. The other cuff will be put on the front fork above the disc main mechanism and then squeezed until it is unable to slide down past that mechanism. If used on the rear disc, just connect to the chain stay or seat stay. Only by using a key will the cuff(s) be able to get backed out (made wider) again. Again, a potential thief will be unable to ride away because the cuff will negate any kind of rotation. And, in the case of 50+ pound ebikes, he/she will most definitely NOT want to carry the bike away. Also, I firmly believe that a potential thief, upon seeing the set of handcuffs, either mounted under the seat (see photo's) or installed on a parked bike will seriously consider bypassing this bike (possibly owned by someone in law enforcement?) and go look elsewhere. Either way, what have you got to lose by using this very lightweight and inexpensive secondary bike theft deterrent??
Also: handcuffs are available as either chain link connected OR hinged. While the hinged is definitely going to be much harder to cut through, it is also very much restricted in its area of movement and its fixed distance between cuffs. My 1st purchase was of the hinged style because it seemed more cut-proof (which it would indeed be). However, the restriction of movement and fixed distance quickly showed me that the chain link style would be much more practical. I now own 1 hinged and 3 chain link sets of cuffs-- each of my expensive bikes have their own dedicated handcuffs. Also, if you do buy more than one set, be darned sure that they all are the same brand. I carry 1 key for the hinged set and 1 key for the 3 chain link sets. Lesson learned. And be sure to install each cuff so that the key hole is easily reached. Think about it. By the way, I used key holder rings attached to the seat rails as top anchor points and stretchy (think scrunchies) ponytail hair holders attached to a modified paper clip as the bottom anchor.
The bar ends: I use them on all 6 bikes. I find them to be quite an aid for the 3ebikes. Need to flip the 50+pound bike upside down? Kiss that computer display bye-bye. Got a top side thumb-type shifter? An Iphone mount? Hmm. The bar ends will protect all of that valuable real estate. Plus, you can mount them outside (as intended) or, way inside so as to just protect the computer display. Yer call. I have had my ebikes bottoms up on several occasions and the bar ends have been a great stabilizer and a real godsend.

[UPDATE on MARCH 31, 2022]
There are currently (in 2022) a bazillion brands of ebikes. Separating the quality vendors from the “fly-by-night” rascals is a very tough nut to crack. Thousands of$$ spent can be $$ flushed down der terlet.. Tough lessons learned. Therefore, this UPDATE..
This threads original posting date was on July 12, 2018. The M2S(brand) 2018(year) KUSH(model) originally arrived at my front door on May 1, 2018 -- 47 months ago. This magnificent ebike beast now has 20,400 miles on the odometer. Unfriggingbelievable.. I never in my wildest dreams had any expectations of the electrical components/rear hub motor being able to attain such lofty numbers. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd get 10,000 miles max out of ANY ebike. However, this ebike is still just as powerful, and as dependable, as it was on day 1.
And just in case you think that maybe this situation was/is a fluke, I also own a M2S(brand) 2019(year) R750(model) ebike that now has 13,300 miles on its odometer. It, too, is a carbon-copy dependable ebike beast. Absolutely bulletproof.
I now own 6 ebikes, of which 3 are straight up pieces of chit, 1 is tolerable, but not recommended (at least by me), and 2 are my absolute pride and joy. Those 2 are the aforementioned M2S(brand) ebikes. To this very day, This 70 year old rider goes on a daily 50 mile ebike ride with no worries about component/electrical failure..
I now (as of 3/31/2022) have a total of 13 (#) threads posted on this M2S location. By reading this new UPDATE, you will, hopefully, be motivated to suffer through reading every one of them to see how my mindset has been re-aligned to that of being an avid believer/supporter of the M2S ebike company and its over-the-top quality ebikes.
By the way, I am 5'9” tall, 200 pounds out-the-door riding weight, and have a 30” inseam. I think that the 30” inseam measurement is the absolute minimum needed to safely mount up on one of these fat tire ebike beasts. Otherwise, the R750 StepThru model might be your best bet. It has 24” size wheels/tires and it should really be a beast. That model, or the SCOUT with its StepThru frame and 20” wheels/tires. Quite agile and quick like a bunny.
By the way, the BaFang(brand) 750watt (minimum output) rear hub motor unit used on my two M2S ebikes is the same motor as used on pretty much every fat tire rear hub equipped ebike sold now (in 2022). Talk about piece-of-mind if replacement motor items are ever needed. ]]
Kush #1.jpgKush #4.jpgKush #2.jpgKush #3.jpg
 
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I'm happy for your Kush enthusiasm :)

I wish I can say the same. We got the same late April shipment. Mine is black in large frame.

Problems:

I get a rattle sound from the motor, under assist or throttle​

My bike shut down twice without warning with at least 3 battery bars remaining.​

I have 550 miles on the odometer and my range vary from 25 to 55 miles depending on riding style tho if I hit 50 miles, my average speed is 8 mph and I'm only 150 lbs. I've contacted M2S about the shut down problem and they told me to make sure it's set to 48V which is already set at 48V from the beginning, so the problem still exist. They never got back to me about the motor noise and I feel I'm getting ignored. I have, and will document any problems on video in case legal action needs to be taken.

Here's my motor noise:

 
Hi (Gary) Klein rider (Rascal or Attitude?),
https://m2sbikes.com/replacing-r750-motor-core/
This thread is probably the reason you are being ignored.
I just listened to my rear end but all I heard was a fart. I then tried the bike and it sounds pretty much the same as your video; mine is "smoother", but yours doesn't sound much different than mine.
In the past I have sent an email asking about a front fork question and never received an answer back.
I hope to never have a real issue which needs to be addressed because my faith in the company itself is pretty much nil.
But, as long as my beast behaves itself, I am a Happy Camper. Also, it is possible to find replacement parts/wheelsets/etc on the internet at VERY reasonable prices. You just have to be willing to wait a month or so for arrival from China. I have located entire 750 hardtail fat tire ebikes for a pittance, but no luck yet in finding our dual suspension model. Still, parts compatibility between the 2 models is 100%. Hmm..
 
LOL I'm not Gary but I ride a 2001 Klein Mantra, original owner, got it new when I lived in Santa Monica.

About M2S's spotty customer service... if our KUSH bikes ever break down, even within warranty period... we are SOL. Honestly I only post problems publicly as a last resort. I've contacted M2S about issues 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back except for the 48V setting. I replied with a video showing all factory settings and haven't heard back.

 
I believe reviews on a companies web site about as much as I believe political posts on Facebook. There are actually companies you can pay to "boost" your brand. That means they have people sitting at home reviewing a product that they have never seen nor touched. Glad you love your bike.
 
Hi Klein Rider,
I listened to you motor sound video again. Apparently my post addressing your noise issue was taken in the wrong context. My bike does NOT have the metallic clicking that I heard on your bike. I read on another M2S thread that you said another M2S rider was also experiencing the same issue as your bike has. If that rider was me, then I apologize for the mis-information. My Kush is behaving just fine and dandy. The only sound I ever hear is the electric motor whirring along smooth as can be. What I meant to convey was that, should something M2S related ever need to be addressed, I have pretty much nil confidence in the company being helpful. I'll be on my own and I'm Ok with that. I know that the "e" portion of an ebike can be rather intimidating. If I can't figure out the item in question then I'll just go looking for a replacement, be it a component or an entirely new bike. Toyz is Toyz. Yesterday I did a 54 mile ride (once again 2 bars out of 5 remaining). Today I'll do another 50 mile ride and hope for the best. My Kush is now at 1,000 miles trouble-free. I'm really hoping that your situation turns out to be something minor. I had a not so good experience with X-Treme brand ebike (2018 Trial Master Elite). As a result, I will never give them any more of my $$$. Unfortunately I had already purchased a 2018 Sedona dual suspension bike from them. Luckily, it now has 1,900 miles and has been trouble free. What I'm trying to convey is that we are dealing with pot luck when we chose to do business with these, or any other, internet website vendors.
Hopefully, your situation will turn out to be something very minor.
 
Sicpuppy you have answered my questions as I want to get a fat tire Kush but may want to go with a 3” tire on it. Thank you
 
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