Bafang Ultra Motor (M620) Longevity - How Long Should They Last?

[mail_e36]

Friends,

How long should we expect a un-serviced Bafang Ultra Motor (M620) to last, in terms of miles, or time?

Mine has 3,000 miles (the UART version) thus far (built around 2021-2022), and seems to ride fine, although it does make a whining noise, but it seems that noise was always there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[DDBB]

I have 1,250mi. on my ultra motor and it's just as quiet as it was on day one. I do plan to open it up and re-grease it but I'm in no rush as long as it stays quiet. I see no reason this motor couldn't go for 10,000mi. or more

 

[Gionnirocket]

All depends on how you ride it. I ride to exercise and motor assist to climb and maintain higher cadence/speed
I do ride off road as well with steep climbs at times.
12,000mi on a BBS02B and I noticed no difference than from day one.
Using a few different M620 these days and my oldest with 5200 mi on it shows no sign of wear.
I did grease it with Mobil SCH100 @ 1400mi

Take away... Ride it as designed a motor assisted bicycle, it'll last a very long time and be reliable.
Ride it like a motorcycle and. . .

I'll also add my motors are programmed less aggressive than stock and hard to slam current in unintentionally.

 

[mail_e36]

Thank you @Gionnirocket and @DDBB for the responses.

 

[juggernaut1]

Arguably one of the most reliable e-bike motors out there. Built like a tank with all steel gears, no nylon gears or belts here. Downside is weight and noise from the all steel gears (depending how generous the worker was with the grease on the day).

Uart versions are programmable. I have 60v Canbus version and it has been faultless after circa 2,200 klms unopened.

 

[Nvreloader]

I have over 2500+ miles on my 2021 Can 620 motor, Wart Hog untouched, it has been problem free, but is starting to growl at me, need a lube job, I think, been pedaled hard and 99 % of the riding has been off road trail riding, with a 100#+ bike and my lard butt at 200#'s sitting on it.

 

[pappy3]

I purchased an early model Frey AM1000 in 2017. The G510 installed is an early model that does not have the BAFANG logo painted on it.
I disassembled it.
The crankshaft needle bearings were a little rusty.
I washed them with oil and replaced all the #6000 bearings with NTN.
I then removed all the old grease and injected new grease.
Fuel efficiency has improved by a few percent.

 

[mail_e36]

These are very helpful responses!

 

[Gionnirocket]

I purchased an early model Frey AM1000 in 2017. The G510 installed is an early model that does not have the BAFANG logo painted on it.
I disassembled it.
The crankshaft needle bearings were a little rusty.
I washed them with oil and replaced all the #6000 bearings with NTN.
I then removed all the old grease and injected new grease.
Fuel efficiency has improved by a few percent.

Interesting.
How did you remove the bearing and press the replacement?
Do you have the spec on the bearing?

 

[pappy3]

The bearing used in the G510 is number 6000.
We recommend non-contact sealed bearings.
NTN 6000LLB
The bearings are attached above and below the gear in the image.
If you remove this and the round cover with the BAFANG logo,
you will find the same bearing used on one side of the motor core.
A bearing puller is useful.

 

[pappy3]

My AM1000 has done 20,000 km since 2017.
The nylon gear broke after the first 500 km.
After that, Frey sent me a reinforced nylon gear for repair, so I replaced it myself.
I don't drive it on rainy days, and I don't wash it either.
I just wipe off the dirt with a wet towel.
But even then, the needle bearing on the crankshaft had rusted
and the needle had barely moved.
This is the center part of the image.
The G510 is very powerful, so even if the bearings are damaged,
you can hardly feel it.
Since the waterproofing measures are weak, it's better to check for rust on the needle bearings.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Thanks!
I've had the gears out to grease.
Was just curious how hard it is to replace the bearings
In my case it may be easier to just replace the gear assembly as you pictured.

 

[pappy3]

Some bearings can be removed by hand without any tools. Those that can't be removed may be removed with a bearing puller or pliers. I used pliers. It was easier than replacing the wheel hub bearings. The 2017 bearings from the Chinese manufacturer C&U are not of good quality.

 

[mcfizzlestag]

Aside from replacing the factory grease with SHC-100, the first necessary servicing for me is after 17000km roughly. Thought it was my clutch going, but it's in decent shape. Issue is the Needle bearing shown above is starting to bind and bunch up. Was able to give it a deep clean and manually realign the needles so I can ride until a replacement comes from GBK. Most of my riding has been sub-20 Amps and I've tuned it to be a lot smoother. 2-3k of that was trying to get a phaserunner to work with it, which definately wasnt smooth lol. I ride year-round in Vancouver so it's had two seasons of road salt abuse, and loooots of rain.

I am running a wolftooth 38t chainring with a 11-42t cassette and it hill climbs like a champ despite the bike + me being 370 lbs. This set up puts most of my ride in the middle 6 sprockets of the cassette cluster so chain wear hasn't been as bad as i had with the BBSHD.

 

[pappy3]

The total weight of my bike and the bike is about 290 pounds.
Due to the laws of my country, I ride at a speed of 25km/h or less.
I came up with a way to check the condition of my e-bike.
Limited to users who use Bafang DPC-18.
When you start pedaling slowly, if the output meter displays a small value of about 100W, there is little loss in the drive system and fuel efficiency is good.
Before maintenance, it frequently displayed 250W or 500W.
The cause is insufficient lubrication of the G510 or deterioration of the wheel bearings.

 

[pappy3]

The condition of the wheel bearings is important.
I use a DT-SWISS H1900, and after replacing all six of the front and rear bearings after three years of use,
fuel economy improved by nearly 20%.
If the chainring does not stop rotating immediately when you stop pedaling,
the freehub bearings have deteriorated.
The chain will be pushed out from the back, making it more likely to fall off.

 

[DDBB]

Excellent tip on checking wattage output when starting to pedal.. Thanks pappy!