are motors interchangable?

[Mkaiju]

for example if you had a Bafang 500w rear hub drive but wanted to upgrade to 750w,.. or you had 750w and wanted 1000w (do they even make that?) ... can people do that? Swap out one motor for another?

I did google and look for an answer before posting. I saw some build videos and threads but nothing addressing really whether you can swap out one hub motor with another.

Also curious because I read Bafang has nylon gears and I wondered if you could swap in a higher quality motor with metal gears? For example if the bike you like only comes with a Bafang motor, could you install a better motor? Or you have to buy a whole new rear wheel, controller, display, etc?

I'm new to all this but I'm reading a lot and trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I have no idea...
But I would research controller compatibility as I think that would be the main concern. A larger motor may require a larger amp controller to get the power out of it. Staying within the same manufacturer would probably be best too as then the Display and all plugs are more likely to work.

 

[JES2020]

for example if you had a Bafang 500w rear hub drive but wanted to upgrade to 750w,.. or you had 750w and wanted 1000w (do they even make that?) ... can people do that? Swap out one motor for another?

I did google and look for an answer before posting. I saw some build videos and threads but nothing addressing really whether you can swap out one hub motor with another.

Also curious because I read Bafang has nylon gears and I wondered if you could swap in a higher quality motor with metal gears? For example if the bike you like only comes with a Bafang motor, could you install a better motor? Or you have to buy a whole new rear wheel, controller, display, etc?

I'm new to all this but I'm reading a lot and trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks.

Yeah, you can swap out motors but you will need to match the controller and display and if the motor is bigger, you will need a new set of spokes, at least, a new wheel at most.
Probably easier to get anew matched kit.

 

[MartsEbike]

Without getting overly technical, the answer is no, you need to change all the components.

Also I'd say there is nothing wrong with Nylon gears, if they work, they work. Metal isn't always better... Metal Gears are noisier, and can sometimes wear quicker (no grease).. I have a metal gears in my bike and its noisy compared to Nylon geared bikes!

 

[harryS]

Sure, a guy named Bolton is making money throwing mud on Rad motors for advertising their Bafang G60's at 750w. He sells a larger Bafang G60 motor, If yoy do not wish to replace the motor, these particular Bafangs come apart, and the larger core can be slid into the original motor. It's still a nylon gear, You wouldn't like the sound of metal gears.

You can only do the above with certain Bafang hubmotors, but if you're willing to buy a new motor with the rim, or can respoke it, most hub motors can replace another. They need to have the same O.L.D., which is the width of the axle. If they have the same connectors, it is is easy. If the motor replacement is vastly different in wattage, you may have to do something with the controller.

 

[EMGX]

Without getting overly technical, the answer is no, you need to change all the components.

That's not correct in all cases. I have a several year old MXUS XF07 brushless geared hub motor that I bought in a cheap kit with a claimed rating of 36v 250w. The motor itself had a 36v sticker. Run with the original controller it had little serious hill climbing ability. A few months ago I replaced the cable on that motor with a waterproof 9 pin cable (the motor didn't use one of the pins) along with a new brushless motor compatible controller and a display/control pad that I had in the parts bin. It works great now with excellent hill climbing assist.

Of course a hub can be laced into a different compatible rim also, but be aware that some online spoke calculators might provide incorrect information for some motors (the grin spoke calculator had incorrect information for my MXUS XF07 .

 

[AHicks]

Just to prevent a "gotcha" when considering Bafang motors, note the the 750w+ motors use a bigger connector!