Bafang Motors - the best and the worst

[jaizon]

The title says it all. I'm on an information/opinion hunt that will hopefully help inform my next buying decision. Your input is most appreciated.

 

[TomD]

Mid drive? Rear hub? What price range.

I can only speak to their mid drives (no experience with their hub drives but they are fairly well regarded). The best IMO would be the Bafang Ultra with aftermarket X1 controller (offered by Watt Wagons). The worst? I'm not sure there are any bad motors. The BBSXX have decent power. The BBS01 and BBS02 are very quiet. But none of he BBSXX have torque sensing. The M600 and Ultra have torque sensing but not the smoothest power delivery. The M600 can't be programmed by the user and is loud unless you opt for aftermarket nylon reduction gear. The reason to go with a Bafang mid drive is if you want more power than the euro spec mid-drive offerings.

 

[tomjasz]

Have a favorite bike, a mid-drive kit is cool. bur eBikes.ca has some really good Bafang hub drives.

 

[smorgasbord]

I've got 2 bikes with BaFang Ultra motors, and both motors have had issues early:

1. Number one motor makes a creaking noise while pedaling. Not with throttle nor coasting. Creaking level seems to be inversely proportional to pedal effort. I'll post a video in the BaFang group (which is where this thread should be) when I get a chance.
2. Number two motor outright failed at less than 120 miles. Was intermittent for a bit before. Turned out that if I rolled the bike backwards (to get the chain to move backwards) it would start working again until I coasted, then wouldn't re-startup. Sent back to bike manufacturer, who is sending me back either a replacement or the motor fixed (haven't heard back which yet).

The Bafang programming sucks. No-one knows what many of the parameters actually mean and you can't have different profiles for different uses. You basically get a torque map, which most think is by crank speed range, and then for each PAS level you get to cap the % wattage/current applied. So, you can't really have an On-Road and an Off-Road profile that's switchable on the bike. Although, with a EggRider and a sheet of notes you could reprogam it whenever you wanted to switch.

I've done some 30 and 40 mile rides, on-road, with decent hills - about 1000 feet of elevation gain every 10 miles. As I'm getting back into shape I find that I rarely go over 750 watts even though my bike/motor can do 2,000 watts. Unfortunately, I don't know how to get a torque applied map out of EggRider.

 

[tomjasz]

The Bafang programming sucks.

Yeah the Ultra and their frame specific motors lock us out of programming We sell the s*it out of BBSxx series. BBSHD have held up well. As long as your dealer doesn't have backwards compatible rotors and crappy firmware Bafang tried to pedal. That said we still ride 2014 BBS01's, But if there's an issue parts are vapor ware.

 

[smorgasbord]

We're not locked out of the Ultra (G510 / M620), it's just that the parameters on the Torque page don't have explanations. There's been some decent work figuring out what some of them do, but not to the extent that people know what to change and by how much to get a particular behavior.

I think we are, however, locked out of the M500/M600 which produces less power and is rumored to use an automotive CAN bus and UART for communications, which I guess is different than the older Ultra, so no outside of Bafang programming is yet available. However, if truly CAN, then it's almost certainly decode-able, as has been done for almost every car using CAN.

 

[tomjasz]

Besst an oxymoron.

 

[BillH]

I have a rear hub 2019 750w Bafang Quietkat Bandit (now the Voyager) fat folder bike and a 750w Bafang BBS02 mid drive on an 2018 Evelo Aurora with the NuVinci fully automatic transmission. Both cadence based.

With the Evelo, the motor is ultra quiet and the way Evelo has it programmed it 'ramps' up the acceleration so to speak to control torque to the NuVinci IGH so even with it being cadence based it really doesn't feel that way. They also have the throttle set this way. I like that I can 'unlock' this motor and make it a Class 3 even though it tops out at 26 mph under ideal conditions (read flat and no wind) for me.

The Quietkat 750w hub, despite it's weight......it's a frickin Jack Rabbit the way it's geared. No other way to describe it. I have to be prepared or be aware when transitioning to it from my Evelo or Brose based eMTB I have. That said, it's still a blast to drive and my Golf Club, private, lets me use it to play.

 

[stanmiller]

The title says it all. I'm on an information/opinion hunt that will hopefully help inform my next buying decision. Your input is most appreciated.

What you're probably looking for is what were the 'stinkers'. A model that for whatever reason was a lemon. And honestly, I haven't heard of any in the Bafang line.

The hub motors will overheat, if you overload them.

Burning out Bafang hub motors

The short story Bike hub motors can overheat if you work them too hard, too slow. This post is about how motors heat, and how to avoid ...

bruceteakle.blogspot.com

I have three SWX02 motors installed on three bikes Two with 48v/500w models and one with 36v/250w. They've all been problem free with 3500, 1000, and 200 miles respectively. I did recently open up the older one and greased the gears. It was pretty dry in there.

You'll find the SWX02's on many of the Juiced bikes (Ocean Current and Cross Current).

Whole motors and parts are readily available through vendors and ebay.

Bafang SWX02 motor

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hilleater.ca

BAFANG 48V 500W Brushless Rear Hub Motor Only No Wheel EU Duty Free Ebike DIY | eBay

BAFANG Sprocket 44T 46T 48T 52T BBS01 BBS02 BAFANG Chainwheel Mid Drive Motor. Bafang Mid Drive Motor. Variable 1T2 Cable Speed Shift Gear Sensor for Bafang eBike Mid Drive Motor Kits. 48V 750W Bafang Electric Bicycle BBS02B Mid-drive Motor Conversion Kit DIY Ebike.

www.ebay.com

 

[Alex M]

The title says it all. I'm on an information/opinion hunt that will hopefully help inform my next buying decision. Your input is most appreciated.

The title is actually ambiguous. Better start with the bike requirements.

 

[Ryan_Peters]

I've got 2 bikes with BaFang Ultra motors, and both motors have had issues early:

1. Number one motor makes a creaking noise while pedaling. Not with throttle nor coasting. Creaking level seems to be inversely proportional to pedal effort. I'll post a video in the BaFang group (which is where this thread should be) when I get a chance.
2. Number two motor outright failed at less than 120 miles. Was intermittent for a bit before. Turned out that if I rolled the bike backwards (to get the chain to move backwards) it would start working again until I coasted, then wouldn't re-startup. Sent back to bike manufacturer, who is sending me back either a replacement or the motor fixed (haven't heard back which yet).

The Bafang programming sucks. No-one knows what many of the parameters actually mean and you can't have different profiles for different uses. You basically get a torque map, which most think is by crank speed range, and then for each PAS level you get to cap the % wattage/current applied. So, you can't really have an On-Road and an Off-Road profile that's switchable on the bike. Although, with a EggRider and a sheet of notes you could reprogam it whenever you wanted to switch.

I've done some 30 and 40 mile rides, on-road, with decent hills - about 1000 feet of elevation gain every 10 miles. As I'm getting back into shape I find that I rarely go over 750 watts even though my bike/motor can do 2,000 watts. Unfortunately, I don't know how to get a torque applied map out of EggRider.

I also have that creaking issue while pedaling but it's on a Bafang M600, it initially started when I was pedaling under no power for a bit and went away but now it's always there. I also noticed sometimes just rolling the bike backwards had an effect on it but it always comes back. I'm trying to research what might be causing it. Did you ever find out anything about it?

 

[FlatSix911]

The title says it all. I'm on an information/opinion hunt that will hopefully help inform my next buying decision. Your input is most appreciated.

Take a look at this article from a LBS...

https://islandcitybikes.com/how-we-convert-bikes#ff48b4bf-9138-4331-a0d3-3e5c5ec81834

 

[ElevenAD]

i was weary of their motors then i tried a BBSHD and loved it so much i purchased an Ultra do to arrive soon, i have around 1500 miles on the BBSHD and i have not been babying it all, i road all year round even a couple of snow days the motor has been amazing. i dont know what the best Bafang motor is but i know the BBSHD is not the worst.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Not a long time user...
But my 3 month old BBS02B with 1250+ miles on it has been flawless.
Going this route, a programming cable is essential.

 

[harryS]

Probably the biggest bike motor maker in the world, shipping close to a milllion units annually? There will be a few failures with that kind of volume.

I have two hub motors. G06 500W and SWXH 250W, and a middrive BBS02. These were purchased in 2016. It's 2020. No motor problems.

 

[tomjasz]

Probably the biggest bike motor maker in the world, shipping close to a milllion units annually? There will be a few failures with that kind of volume.

I have two hub motors. G06 500W and SWXH 250W, and a middrive BBS02. These were purchased in 2016. It's 2020. No motor problems.

agreed, until you need a part...

 

[Reece123]

I have gone through 3 bbshd motors in 3 years with a dual battery set up on a 52T front cog, my last motor lasted less than 6 months, the first motor had a gear issue replaced under warrant, the last 2 burnt out, not sure what is going wrong in my circumstance, I thought they are supposed to be bullet proof. I’m considering now going to the more apparently robust ultra motor, fingers crossed, with mixed reports on these as well. I’ve also had a 250W motor and their a waste of time, though the new Bosch CX motors seem to be getting good reports and apparently if you chip them they can do similar speeds to the bafang motors.

 

[tomjasz]

I have gone through 3 bbshd motors in 3 years with a dual battery set up on a 52T front cog, my last motor lasted less than 6 months, the first motor had a gear issue replaced under warrant, the last 2 burnt out, not sure what is going wrong in my circumstance, I thought they are supposed to be bullet proof. I’m considering now going to the more apparently robust ultra motor, fingers crossed, with mixed reports on these as well. I’ve also had a 250W motor and their a waste of time, though the new Bosch CX motors seem to be getting good reports and apparently if you chip them they can do similar speeds to the bafang motors.

That is a fluke. But who ever said bulletproof? Who did you buy from? Lugging with a 52T will kill any BBSxx series motors. I didn’t have to honor a warranty on more than .25% (one quarter %) of my BBSxx sales in 2020.

 

[Reece123]

That is a fluke. But who ever said bulletproof? Who did you buy from? Lugging with a 52T will kill any BBSxx series motors. I didn’t have to honor a warranty on more than .25% (one quarter %) of my BBSxx sales in 2020.

so you suggest I can’t use a 52t front cog? Not even on the ultra?

 

[Dewey]

the new Bosch CX motors seem to be getting good reports and apparently if you chip them they can do similar speeds to the bafang motors.

can you do that? I thought newer generation Bosch motors will detect a chip and brick the motor/controller?