AddMotor newly unveiled 1,000W fat tire e-trike - M-340

[FlatSix911]

Not really my cup of tea, but it looks like a capable trike that can carry 350 lbs.

Addmotor M-340 unveiled as powerful fat tire electric trike for adults (electrek.co)

The new Addmotor M-340 electric trike puts a new spin on the dated electric tricycle design. Addmotor, a direct-to-consumer e-bike company with a wide range of models from electric mopeds to full-size fat tire e-bikes, is back again with an interesting new electric tricycle design. The new Addmotor M-340 uses a standard delta trike configuration with two rear wheels, but swaps those wheels for big ol’ 4-inch fat tires.

Up front there’s a larger diameter wheel housing a 750W continuous and 1,000W peak-rated geared hub motor mounted in a spring suspension fork. In the rear are two smaller diameter 20-inch fat tires on either side of a large 48L cargo basket. The saddle is a generously-sized padded seat with included back rest similar to saddles we’ve seen on other comfort-oriented e-bikes in the past. A 48V and 16Ah battery with 768Wh of capacity can be found behind the seat tube.

It looks like the bike can be powered by a hand throttle or pedal assist, and there’s a Shimano 7-speed transmission tucked in there for anyone who wants to make ample use of the pedal assist. In terms of performance, Addmotor claims the M-340 can hit a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) and has a maximum range of 50 miles (80 km) when used in the lowest pedal assist mode. If I had to guess, I’d wager you can cut that range by a factor of three if you’re cruising at top speed with throttle-only riding. While trikes can be fun, that extra wheel doesn’t do the battery any favors (and nor do those big ol’ fat tires).

 

[FlatSix911]

There certainly is a market... just don't take the corners too fast.

 

[jaizon]

There certainly is a market... just don't take the corners too fast.

I agree and I’m part of that demographic. My current e-trike is just a bit underpowered for my neighborhood, with all it’s hills. So the increase is very much welcome. And I know well enough to keep it under 20. 1,100 miles last summer on mine, no accidents. Not shipping until end of May (hopefully), but will give a report after I have a little time on it.

 

[Kerrith]

Hi

jaizon, I have an old foldable Leaf 1000w ebike and a new Addmotor M-350 750w etrike. I'm finding the 750w lugs on small hills and at times I have to pedal to start moving. The diff between 750w and 1000w is noticeable. The ideal would be 750w (same speed with more torque). ​

 

[elizilla]

I bought one. It was not my first choice but the Evelo trike I ordered last spring is still delayed. (Haven’t yet decided whether to cancel it.)

Anyways I am setting up the Addmotor trike to suit myself. I removed the little wooden footrest since my idiot feet get tangled up in it. I will probably put it back once I have had more practice climbing on. I am considering replacing the seat. But the biggest aggravation is the lack of locking brake levers. With my messed up nerves, I need the trike to hold still for mounting and dismounting. So I have ordered a set of locking brake levers with the motor cutout switches, to install.

 

[elizilla]

After reading the accounts of Addmotor frames breaking, I made a specific point of examining mine. The welds all look pretty good. The paint (or perhaps it is powder coat?) is clean and flawless. It seems well manufactured. Some things are odd, though, like they took a previous frame design and added things, but did not delete the things no longer needed, like the extra set of dropouts above and forward from the rear axle. And there is a box built into it, behind the bottom bracket and under the battery. It has a cover plate held on by Phillips head screws. I took it off to look inside. It hides a bunch of connectors for the ebike components.

I have swapped the seat post for a Velo Orange unit that moves the seat back by about a centimeter. I am tall, and I have MS which makes my legs wobbly. So I get on a trike by sitting on the seat, then I use my hands to help lift a leg over. Moving the seat back, gives a hair more room, makes it easier for me to get my foot over. It also allows me to get a hair closer to proper extension, without having to take the seat quite as high. As we all know trikes get tippier, the higher you lift the seat!

Currently I am keeping the brakes applied at a stop, by holding the levers in with Velcro straps. I look forward to getting my locking levers. But I have noticed another wrinkle. When the brakes are locked on, the rear brake light stays on even when the bike is turned off. You hafta turn it off at the key, to turn that light off. It’s annoying because I keep forgetting; it would be nice if this were more elegant. But I absolutely need those parking brakes, because if that trike rolls unexpectedly I could fall.

So far I have about ten miles on it. Everything seems to work well. I have not had any issues with the motor lugging on hills. The right rear brake sometimes makes a whistling sound. The brakes work well and seem perfectly balanced, and the slight drag that makes the noise can’t even be felt, so I am refraining from trying to adjust it out; I am hoping it will disappear as the pads bed in.

 

[Kerrith]

Heads up 9/7/22: I bought an M-350-A several months ago. I have written to both their sales and their service email addresses but they either don't reply or they send a scripted (one-for all) answer or they just don't reply. They have not answered 3+ emails. It's possible they are going out of business.

My problems:

The torque of the M-350 750w motor causes it to slow down to 10mph on gradual inclines. Not so with my old Leaf 1000w ebike. My ideal would be a 750w motor with more torque or a 1000w motor. I asked if I could buy a 1000w fat tire motor and they said they didn't have any to sell. I'm assuming the main factors when shopping for a 1000w motor are the width of the fork and a matching controller, yes?

The right rear disk brake grabs and causes the trike to veer to the right. The one email reply they sent was a URL to adjust brakes but it didn't address how to prevent one from grabbing.

The instructions read that one can adjust the controller for the tire-size and max-speed but the LCD does not show any indication of these settings.

About 50% of the time I have to move the trike forward or backwards a few inches to get it to move when starting. I can't (don't) use pedals.

The LCD always reads 1000w no matter the speed.

Too bad about the service, I'll edit this post if I can get some answers. I would like to be able to recommend the trike.

 

[elizilla]

Kerrith,

I hope you can get your issues sorted out!

FWIW I have not attempted to contact Addmotor support at all since none of the parts I wanted were on their site, and based on what I am reading here they don’t sound very helpful. But I have owned a number of trikes, I keep swapping to the next intriguing thing, and modding each in turn. So far I am having enough fun with this one, but you are influencing me to keep that Evelo trike order open.

I should go find a steeper hill to ride the Addmotor on!

 

[m@Robertson]

The torque of the M-350 750w motor causes it to slow down to 10mph on gradual inclines. Not so with my old Leaf 1000w ebike. My ideal would be a 750w motor with more torque or a 1000w motor. I asked if I could buy a 1000w fat tire motor and they said they didn't have any to sell. I'm assuming the main factors when shopping for a 1000w motor are the width of the fork and a matching controller, yes?

Your problem description sounds like either a bad controller, or the 48v, 25a system that trike comes equipped with is not enough to push a bike that size up a hill. Its not the motor. The motor just does what the controller tells it to do and the wattage rating is just a measurement of how much abuse (sustained current) that motor can take before bad things happen to it. As an FYI, that Bafang front motor they use is easily able to sustain a continuous blast of 1500w from a 35a controller running on a 52v system (58.8v x 35a = 2058 watts, which is its short term max reached only at a 100% charge).

I looked at the Addmotor site and all of their trikes use the 25a/48v system. Your 48v system thus peaks at 54.6v x 25a = 1365 watts. So if the system is working properly, then at a 100% charge you should be pumping 1300 watts to that motor and it can take it in stride. I can say from experience that is one badass motor in terms of its internals.

If you want to genuinely fix this, you are going to have to get into some DIY effort. One thing to look at is your battery voltage. A 48v system when fully charged should read 54.6v. If it doesn't you have an issue with power delivery. If you ride the bike for lets say 100 feet, then check battery voltage again and it has dropped significantly, then that is a sign of a worn out battery. Thats how they behave when they are running out near their rated cycle life. They still charge to full voltage, but it flashes off to the true voltage capacity almost immediately. Can't blame the controller if the battery isn't feeding it enough juice.

The right rear disk brake grabs and causes the trike to veer to the right. The one email reply they sent was a URL to adjust brakes but it didn't address how to prevent one from grabbing.

Getting the brakes to grab evenly (as in equal pressure of the calipers on the rotors at the same time) is something you will have to just work through and adjust. Cables can stretch at different rates so if you have dual brake calipers one for each rear wheel this is just something you are going to have to learn to finesse, or take it to a local bike shop and have them do it. This is an unfortunate reality of cabled brakes.

 

[Kerrith]

Thanks muchly m@Robertson

I'll top off and check the voltage. I've had the M-350 for 4 months and it lugged when new.
Do you know anything about adjusting the controller for tire-size and speed optimization? Could mine be set at a default tire-size of 20" instead of 24"? There are supposed to be options for both settings when the ignition is first turned on but I don't see anything icon(s) on the LCD.

 

[m@Robertson]

Do you know anything about adjusting the controller for tire-size and speed optimization? Could mine be set at a default tire-size of 20" instead of 24"? There are supposed to be options for both settings when the ignition is first turned on but I don't see anything icon(s) on the LCD.

You will need an instruction manual for your on-the-handlebars display, which is what holds those settings. Usually its a combination of button presses. Something like holding down the + and - keys simultaneously or holding down an info button until the settings screen comes up. Once you are in, if there is an Advanced section you will need the PIN code to get in, and that occasionally is something the manufacturer will not divulge.

 

[AHicks]

Regarding the one side brake grabbing, if looking for uniform braking from both sides, I would be looking at (measuring?) the gaps between the pad and the disc on each side. They're going to need to be the same/identical. If one has less clearance than the other, it's going to grab before the one with more clearance.

Knowing full well how measuring these clearances might be pretty difficult, I'd be tempted to use the cable adjusters to "finesse" these settings a bit. The brake that's hitting first would need the cable adjustment to be made a hair longer (turn it "in" a half turn at a time). Or, you could make the late brake cable shorter (turn it "out" a half turn at a time), so it hits sooner....

Just make sure the adjustments don't get the pads so tight they aren't releasing. That's going to be a big drag on the battery, and very likely result in some noisy brakes....

 

[Kerrith]

You will need an instruction manual for your on-the-handlebars display, which is what holds those settings. Usually its a combination of button presses. Something like holding down the + and - keys simultaneously or holding down an info button until the settings screen comes up. Once you are in, if there is an Advanced section you will need the PIN code to get in, and that occasionally is something the manufacturer will not divulge.

I'll ask for an instruction manual. Tx.

 

[Kerrith]

Regarding the one side brake grabbing, if looking for uniform braking from both sides, I would be looking at (measuring?) the gaps between the pad and the disc on each side. They're going to need to be the same/identical. If one has less clearance than the other, it's going to grab before the one with more clearance.

Knowing full well how measuring these clearances might be pretty difficult, I'd be tempted to use the cable adjusters to "finesse" these settings a bit. The brake that's hitting first would need the cable adjustment to be made a hair longer (turn it "in" a half turn at a time). Or, you could make the late brake cable shorter (turn it "out" a half turn at a time), so it hits sooner....

Just make sure the adjustments don't get the pads so tight they aren't releasing. That's going to be a big drag on the battery, and very likely result in some noisy brakes....

Good tips. Tx.

 

[Kerrith]

Re: "AddMotor newly unveiled 1,000W fat tire e-trike - M-340" Mo accurate if it read, "AddMotor newly unveiled 750W fat tire e-trike - M-340" Addmotor doesn't sell 1000 watt motors.

 

[kevinmccune]

This is why Yamaha Gear PAS Cargo can lean.

Nice,I have looked into making a "sidecar" bike with a pivot on the side unit with a crazy wheel to support it, if the caster is right on the sidecar it should work, after a couple minutes on a Delta trike I swore off, with no real access or skill with metal fab tools I would like to make something without much fab involved, the one thing. I am not certain about is how that would affect right turns I see on the Yamaha the "caster truck" helps support the cargo while supporting the weight on the rear, wonder what one of those Yamahas would go for( if I could study one I could reverse engineer)