BBS02 750w dissapointingly unreliable

[midmotorman]

I have a BBS02 750w 25A. I installed it (quick and easy), and went for a test ride of about 15km. All good.

Next morning I turned the bike on, gave a quick flick on the throttle to spin the wheel and got on to go for a ride - then nothing. No PAS, no throttle. Screen was still on and there were no error messages. There was a faint clicking sound coming from the motor each time I pushed the throttle. The controller had died with less than 20km on the kit.

The supplier has sent another controller and in his reply email he said "It is a known problem and he's had a few returns with the problem".

With reliability like that they shouldn't be viewed as anything other than a toy. They are certainly not dependable enough to use as a commuter. Every forward meter that I take with it from now on I will be thinking about when it will break down again.

If you are thinking about buying one of these toys, then think "known problem", dead with less than 20km.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Where did you purchase it from?
BBS02, when working, is a great kit with performance comparable to any good speed pedelec.
The QC on these kits is questionable though.

 

[flymeaway]

That's unfortunate....I have both a BB02 48 volt 750w and a BB02 36 volt 500w. The 500w bike just passed 1400 miles and the 750w ( on a Cannondale MT1000 ) is at 250 miles......both are incredible bikes. The 500 w is my commuter.....28 miles a day. I also own a Neo Carbon and a Neo Cross, also very good bikes.

Court J

 

[R3d_N3ck]

Very sorry to hear it dead so quickly.
I have the BBS02 750w 48v and have done just over 1500 km (just commuting).
The motor and battery etc have been flawless.
The rest of the bike has been falling apart.
I recently had to replace the rear wheel because something went terribly wrong with the rear hub.
While things break more often on a bike than a car, the fix is much cheaper.
The whole new wheel and cassette was less than $150 fitted.
.. and now it goes faster with the new gears.

Please let us know how you get on with a replacement.

 

[JoePah]

I have a BBS02 750w 25A. I installed it (quick and easy), and went for a test ride of about 15km. All good.

Next morning I turned the bike on, gave a quick flick on the throttle to spin the wheel and got on to go for a ride - then nothing. No PAS, no throttle. Screen was still on and there were no error messages. There was a faint clicking sound coming from the motor each time I pushed the throttle. The controller had died with less than 20km on the kit.

The supplier has sent another controller and in his reply email he said "It is a known problem and he's had a few returns with the problem".

With reliability like that they shouldn't be viewed as anything other than a toy. They are certainly not dependable enough to use as a commuter. Every forward meter that I take with it from now on I will be thinking about when it will break down again.

If you are thinking about buying one of these toys, then think "known problem", dead with less than 20km.

Hey the seller owned up to the problem and sent you a new part; I'd call that a win. Plenty if us suffered with infant mortality issues. Hope the second controller works out. If the controller got wet during your ride may want to think about waterproofing

 

[midmotorman]

After 2 weeks I have received a replacement controller from the supplier in Hong Kong, and fitted it yesterday. I rode for 20km yesterday and 17km into work today. So far, so good. I have read of others that have blown the controller and replaced it only to have the new one blow again. It seems the common thread with them is the throttle, its like an on/off switch and can blow one or more fets if it is used by itself. I am using PAS only.

 

[flymeaway]

After 2 weeks I have received a replacement controller from the supplier in Hong Kong, and fitted it yesterday. I rode for 20km yesterday and 17km into work today. So far, so good. I have read of others that have blown the controller and replaced it only to have the new one blow again. It seems the common thread with them is the throttle, its like an on/off switch and can blow one or more fets if it is used by itself. I am using PAS only.

That's a good start! I took the throttle off both my bikes.....don't understand why they are offered, just take up space. I wish the Neo's I have didn't have a throttle.

Court J.

 

[R3d_N3ck]

Has anyone had this...

My BBS02 750w 48v with a 10aH LiFePO4 now has done about 1750 km.
Just recently the power has started to cut out intermittently.

It's often while accelerating or changing up with the throttle on.
Sometime after going over a bump.
The motor stops delivering power, after a second or two it starts again.

The display keeps working the whole time.
The battery indicator is often not empty.

Any idea what is going on or how to fix it?

 

[flymeaway]

If it recovers and works properly the intermittent/bump makes me think loose wire.

First thing I would do, reseat all the connectors. Unplug them and plug them back in. That should eliminate a faulty plug connection. You say the throttle is perhaps involved? Disconnect the throttle and ride the bike with it disconnected to eliminate that as a possible problem. I never hooked up the throttle on my two installs, the system works without the throttle installed.

Court J.

 

[JoePah]

If all the connections check out, I would say voltage sag is causing your battery management system to cut out power or reduce the amperage.

Do these problems show up when the battery is more than halfway depleted?

One way to check this as a possible cause is to switch to the lowest level of power assist the next time you get a power cut out... If the problem goes away you know that the high load is drawing down the battery voltage below the Lower voltage cutoff of the BMS. Then you have a battery degradation problem that hopefully is covered by warranty.

 

[Nebula722]

Is it true the throttle is a on / off switch and if you use it very much it damages the system? I am thinking about purchasing this kit for my recumbent trike.

 

[flymeaway]

Is it true the throttle is a on / off switch and if you use it very much it damages the system? I am thinking about purchasing this kit for my recumbent trike.

Why do you need a throttle? I wish my Neo Carbon didn't have a throttle. On the two bikes I've converted I didn't mount the throttle. You can engage the motor just rotating the pedals without any force. Works as if it were the throttle.

Court J.

 

[Nebula722]

Mostly out of habit is why I need a throttle but there is the matter of the knees both having torn Patella ligaments. Sometimes it hurts no matter what. So if I am peddling slow is the bike going slow? What controls the speed? Also, if you know what is the biggest, baddest 48 volt battery I can use with this kit? The battery will be mounted on a rear rack.

 

[flymeaway]

So if I am peddling slow is the bike going slow? What controls the speed? Also, if you know what is the biggest, baddest 48 volt battery I can use with this kit? The battery will be mounted on a rear rack.

Here's a link to my MT1000 conversion, scroll down and you'll see pixs of the bike including the battery over the rear wheel. The battery is a 20AH 48V. One word of caution, putting that much weight high on the frame (back rack) changes the CG of the bike dramatically and the handling. Best to put the battery on the down tube.
http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/e-mt1000-750w-mid-drive-project.611/

1) The speed of the bike depends upon the gear ratio and the RPM of the motor. For simplicity sake assume you are in Pedal assist 1, always the slowest RPM, and have the chain on the largest diameter gear on the rear cassette, if you rotate the pedals to turn on the motor the bike will be driven at the lowest speed possible. The "speed at which you pedal", does not determine the final KPH the bike is traveling, without adding a lot of mechanical force on the pedals all you have done is turned on the motor.

2) "What controls the speed?" Peddle assist level 1-9, 1 slowest, 9 fastest and the gear ratio you have set. On the Bafang you also set the motor cut-off bike KPH. You can set it up to 50 KPH, so in theory you can have a bike geared to travel at 50 KPH in pedal assist 9...note: SOMETHING I WOULD STRONGLY NOT RECOMMEND YOU DO. It would be extremely unsafe.

3) As I noted placing a very large (heavy) battery above the rear tire on a rack is something I would not do. Even on my Cannondale tandem with the weight of two people I notice a significant handling difference in the bike, and it's not better, it's less stable, particularly in slow aggressive turns.

Court J.

 

[Nebula722]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to answer my questions. The good news I believe I now understand how this mid drive works.

I live at the base of the Sierra Mountain Range and my goal is to be able to climb the steep grades leading to the upper elevations . I am not looking to go fast at all but to have enough torque to get up the grades. I do not enjoy riding faster than 14 mph on the trike.

It seems to me this kit would work very good for me. Just down sift to first or second, enter the speed and pedal.

The 1000 watt gearless hub motor I have on the tike now is great on the flats but fails at climbing. I enjoy the throttle on this kit as it is smooth and quiet. I just set the cruise control and then I pedal along or on days when the pain is severe I ride my ebike and etrike as motorcycles.

I tow a child's trailer behind me with a 15 pound dog in it. I would leave the 48 volt battery that I have now on the rack and place the bigger battery in the trailer with a longer cord.

Thank you,

Tom

 

[Paul Dunford]

I have a BBS02 750w 25A. I installed it (quick and easy), and went for a test ride of about 15km. All good.

Next morning I turned the bike on, gave a quick flick on the throttle to spin the wheel and got on to go for a ride - then nothing. No PAS, no throttle. Screen was still on and there were no error messages. There was a faint clicking sound coming from the motor each time I pushed the throttle. The controller had died with less than 20km on the kit.

The supplier has sent another controller and in his reply email he said "It is a known problem and he's had a few returns with the problem".

With reliability like that they shouldn't be viewed as anything other than a toy. They are certainly not dependable enough to use as a commuter. Every forward meter that I take with it from now on I will be thinking about when it will break down again.

If you are thinking about buying one of these toys, then think "known problem", dead with less than 20km.

That is not a problem with the motor. These motors are very reliable and that is a bms issue in the battery. Depending on the battery build (where you purchased) ....

 

[Nebula722]

That is not a problem with the motor. These motors are very reliable and that is a bms issue i the battery. Depending on the battery build (where you purchased) ....

Thanks for the info.

Interesting. I have read the throttle is on or off with no in between. Is that true? I also read the if you use the throttle it damages the system.

I guess the question I have for you if you would be kind enough to answer is overall what is your opinion? Is it reliable, etc etc?

Thank you,

Tom

 

[Paul Dunford]

Thanks for the info.

Interesting. I have read the throttle is on or off with no in between. Is that true? I also read the if you use the throttle it damages the system.

I guess the question I have for you if you would be kind enough to answer is overall what is your opinion? Is it reliable, etc etc?

Thank you,

Tom[/QUOTE

I just put 200 miles on mine diamonback overdrive (forum) and had no issues especially with the motor. 8fun has made millions of these for Chinese and I haven't had one issue with motor. The one thing I have noticed is my downtube battery has slightly less distance. I have 48v 11ah with 26f cells I think and I am looking to purchase the 25r cells....I think they are more for the higher peek motor 750 but does cost about 600 shipped...which my whole kit with battery was 1100.

Hope this helps

 

[MLB]

That's unfortunate....I have both a BB02 48 volt 750w and a BB02 36 volt 500w. The 500w bike just passed 1400 miles and the 750w ( on a Cannondale MT1000 ) is at 250 miles......both are incredible bikes. The 500 w is my commuter.....28 miles a day. I also own a Neo Carbon and a Neo Cross, also very good bikes.

Court J

Hi, how much difference between the two systems? I just want pedal assist to let me ride 30-40 miles (peddling) instead of 10-20 I do now, adding 5 mph to my peddling would be great fun. (-20mph) Most on nice smooth paved MUP, but I do want to do some mild (flat here) off road trail riding. I want to see more of the 70+ miles of trail we have now that grows every year.
I "think" the smaller system would work well enough for me with a 11ah 36v battery, but don't know.
I'm 210lbs and bike is a Giant Trance mtb (full suspension)

What do you think?

 

[Paul Dunford]

I would recommend 48 with mtb and price is almost the same. Titanium chain....use silicon to lube. Kevlar tires and if you got money the newest version of battery....I think it is the 11ah 22cells.