Mtl_Biker
Active Member
From the photo and the description, it's pretty obvious (at least to me) that you need a 1/2" driver. It'll fit on the driver exactly as a socket would.
Giant SyncDrive Pro 2020 "tuning"
- Thread starter Stefan Mikes
- Start date
Thanks, I got one and it fits indeed. I haven't had a bike for years and I never unmounted one so apologies if I'm asking silly questions
Still haven't had a go at it yet, as I am trying to get all the right tools before - I've seen tutorials but they are often on older or different versions and it seems mine (2020) is slightly different...
I guess I have to start by unscrewing the one in the middle (in red), right ?
I've read that I'd need a 6mm allen key but on mine it looks more like a 8mm. It reads "M15" inside.
Do I need to unscrew the blue ones (they are 5mm allen) as well at some point ? On some tutorials I've seen they do, on some others they don't...
Thanks !
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I think I found the answer to my question actually
On this video it looks very similar to mine - it's the 2018 version but the same motor (SyncDrive Pro) and it's indeed a 8mm hex key.
It seems that different Giant motors (SyncDrive Life, Sport or Pro) have nuts from different types/sizes, so check which is yours !
I think I'll try this weekend.
On this video it looks very similar to mine - it's the 2018 version but the same motor (SyncDrive Pro) and it's indeed a 8mm hex key.
It seems that different Giant motors (SyncDrive Life, Sport or Pro) have nuts from different types/sizes, so check which is yours !
I think I'll try this weekend.
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
Yes, the red one in the middle. You do NOT need to open the ones circled in blue. Those would be only if you're changing the chain rings.Thanks, I got one and it fits indeed. I haven't had a bike for years and I never unmounted one so apologies if I'm asking silly questions
Still haven't had a go at it yet, as I am trying to get all the right tools before - I've seen tutorials but they are often on older or different versions and it seems mine (2020) is slightly different...
I guess I have to start by unscrewing the one in the middle (in red), right ?
I've read that I'd need a 6mm allen key but on mine it looks more like a 8mm. It reads "M15" inside.
Do I need to unscrew the blue ones (they are 5mm allen) as well at some point ? On some tutorials I've seen they do, on some others they don't...
Thanks !
Don't worry about asking "silly" questions!!!!! We all do it!
And the folks here won't laugh either. We've all had to start somewhere.Remind me again please which bike you have? The crank arms might need a "puller" to remove. Once you get that red one out, that's when you'll probably need the puller.
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
Is yours a 2020 model? I have a 2019 Explore E+1 GTS (no Pro in the name) and it was the last 2019 with small frame size in all of Canada. It's a real shame that Giant doesn't sell the new E+1 in North America as it's got really great components and features.
On mine, once I got the crank arms off, I needed a large socket with thin walls in order to remove the nut holding the chain ring in place. That was a little hard to find, but I got it. Looks like yours needs the special tool you showed a photo of earlier.
I might have said this to you before (I can't remember) but it's worth repeating... As you open the motor (meaning as you start to pivot it away), be very careful to take photos of exactly how all the wires are positioned. You will need this for when you try to put it back together, and even without adding any extra wiring and speed gadget, it all must fit exactly. Much tougher than a jigsaw puzzle.
Best of luck!
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
It's not an easy job, that's for sure... especially if you've never done it before.Okay, I had another try, and I'm close to giving up already...
I don't even understand how I am supposed to remove the crank.
I started by removing the middle 8mm hex nut (so far no problem), then I tried using the crank removal tool, as I saw on videos : first screwing the black part inside clockwise, then adding the silver part and screwing it also clockwise with a wrench.
Well first, as you can see on the pic above, the black part doesn't go fully inside. I've tried applying quite a lot of force with a pretty big wrench but that's far as it will go.
When I add the silver part, I can screw it all the way inside with little to no resistance, but the crank does not move one bit.
This is how it looks like on the inside :
What am I doing wrong ? Did I get the wrong tool again ?
I'm not quite sure if your removal tool is the right one. The one I have is this one. If you look at the description and the photos of it, you'll see that it has a thin end piece and a thick one. You choose the right one for your crank. Your last photos are not particularly clear so I can't see for sure. But I'm wondering if the end of your puller tool is too thick/wide to fit right inside at the middle. It could be that it's pushing up against the shoulder of the crank and not the center part. And if so, you'll never get it off.
Have you got the black part of the removal tool all the way in? If so, then you turn the silver part and it DOES take a lot of force to remove. I had to hit my wrench with a rubber mallet to get it loose. Oops, I see that you mentioned the black part doesn't go fully inside. I had to work mine a bit... first put the black part as far inside as possible, then tighten the silver part and slowly as it starts to force the crank off, you retighten the black part, and then the silver part again, and so on. But I'd first suspect your silver part is too thick at the end to fit into the center where it must. Which is why the tool I use is reversible, offering both thin and thick end parts.
For what it's worth, I really struggled a lot with mine, getting the cranks off. It was really tough. But then the toughest part (and most frustrating) was trying to get the speed device and the extra wiring back into the tubes, and that's where I gave up.
I hope someone else can offer you better advice.
I managed to do it, you're right I needed the extra thin end piece and then it worked. It wasn't included in the first crank removal tool I bought but luckily I had bought a second one just in case and it did have it.
Now I'm blocked a bit further...I can't remove the motor. I've unscrewed all the screws I could see, but the motor is still firmly attached to the frame. There must obviously be something holding it in place but I've looked everywhere for 15 minutes now and I just can't see it...all the videos online are on different models with different screws positionned elsewhere, that doesn't help !
Right side :
Left side :
Left side - I even removed the plastic cover but there are no more screws underneath...
What have I gotten myself into...but I was warned indeed.
Now I'm blocked a bit further...I can't remove the motor. I've unscrewed all the screws I could see, but the motor is still firmly attached to the frame. There must obviously be something holding it in place but I've looked everywhere for 15 minutes now and I just can't see it...all the videos online are on different models with different screws positionned elsewhere, that doesn't help !
Right side :
Left side :
Left side - I even removed the plastic cover but there are no more screws underneath...
What have I gotten myself into...but I was warned indeed.
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
That does look different than mine does. But you don't actually REMOVE the motor... the bolt that is furthest back should just be loosened a bit and then used as a pivot point so that the motor swings down and out of the way. Could there be some kind of screw on the top from the frame side? Or one in the middle front of the motor that you didn't see? Maybe time to give a shout out to @Stefan Mikes as I think his motor is the same as yours. And he (together with a friend) opened his up successfully. Anyway, now that I've mentioned his name he's sure to come and take a look here. Let's hope he has some insight to this.
Yep I've read that the back bolt should just be loosened for the motor to pivot, but as it wasn't moving at all I tried to remove it all together and it makes no difference.
I don't quite get it, there is this big Torx30 nut at the back, a similar one on top which I removed (both sides), but I don't see anything else holding it yet it doesn't move an inch.
Thanks for the help, appreciate it !
I don't quite get it, there is this big Torx30 nut at the back, a similar one on top which I removed (both sides), but I don't see anything else holding it yet it doesn't move an inch.
Thanks for the help, appreciate it !
Ok, I made it !!! 
Interestingly I did not have any problem fitting the device ! There was not a lot of space, but surely enough. Maybe that's because I have a L-size frame, or maybe the Volspeed V2 is a bit smaller than the Bikespeed RS. I didn't put it in the battery chamber, just below, at the very bottom of the downtube, where the red arrow is on the picture.
The advice I would give here : don't pull out all the cables when you pivot the motor. There are just two that you need to unplug, identify them and plug the device while keeping the cables where they are if you don't need to move them. That way it was quite easy to put everything back together.
It still took me several hours, but the hardest part for me 1) understanding which tools I needed 2) the unmounting process itself, because it looked a bit different than all the tutorials online which were made on older versions.
So for the tools, this is what I needed on mine (Explore E+1 Pro 2020 with SyncDrive Pro) :
Again thanks a lot for the support ! And hopefully this little feedback can help someone else
Interestingly I did not have any problem fitting the device ! There was not a lot of space, but surely enough. Maybe that's because I have a L-size frame, or maybe the Volspeed V2 is a bit smaller than the Bikespeed RS. I didn't put it in the battery chamber, just below, at the very bottom of the downtube, where the red arrow is on the picture.
The advice I would give here : don't pull out all the cables when you pivot the motor. There are just two that you need to unplug, identify them and plug the device while keeping the cables where they are if you don't need to move them. That way it was quite easy to put everything back together.
It still took me several hours, but the hardest part for me 1) understanding which tools I needed 2) the unmounting process itself, because it looked a bit different than all the tutorials online which were made on older versions.
So for the tools, this is what I needed on mine (Explore E+1 Pro 2020 with SyncDrive Pro) :
- 8mm hex key with a long handle - long handle is important to be able to apply enough torque, the nuts on the pedals are very tightly fastened and there is just no way to remove them with a tiny pocket tool (I tried and failed).
- 4mm hex key - needed to remove the motor cover.
- Crank puller tool + 16mm wrench (also long enough for the same reason as above, also tried and initially failed using one that was too small). You need a tool compatible with a ISIS drive, not Octalink ! (with the thick rotating tip)
- Giant spider + 1/2” torque wrench
- T20, T25 and T30 Torx keys
- Flathead screwdriver (to pivot the motor once unscrewed)
- I did not need the chain whip tool. You can use the rear brake to prevent the wheel from rotating when using the spider.
Again thanks a lot for the support ! And hopefully this little feedback can help someone else
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Ok, I made it !!!
Interestingly I did not have any problem fitting the device! There was not a lot of space, but sure enough. Maybe that's because I have an L-size frame, or maybe the Volspeed V2 is a bit smaller than the Bikespeed RS. I didn't put it in the battery chamber, just below, at the very bottom of the downtube, where the red arrow is on the picture.
View attachment 60030 The advice I would give here: don't pull out all the cables when you pivot the motor. There are just two that you need to unplug, identify them, and plug the device while keeping the cables where they are if you don't need to move them. That way it was quite easy to put everything back together. It still took me several hours, but the hardest part for me 1) understanding which tools I needed 2) the unmounting process itself because it looked a bit different than all the tutorials online which were made on older versions. So for the tools, this is what I needed on mine (Explore E+1 Pro 2020 with SyncDrive Pro) :
I had a short test drive with the limit upped at 32 km/h and it makes already a big difference with 25 km/h. With the Volspeed it is possible to set the limit with the remote without having to unmount it again. Again thanks a lot for the support! And hopefully, this little feedback can help someone else
- 8mm hex key with a long handle - long handle is important to be able to apply enough torque, the nuts on the pedals are very tightly fastened and there is just no way to remove them with a tiny pocket tool (I tried and failed).
- 4mm hex key - needed to remove the motor cover.
- Crank puller tool + 16mm wrench (also long enough for the same reason as above, also tried and initially failed using one that was too small). You need a tool compatible with an ISIS drive, not Octalink! (with the thick rotating tip)
- Giant spider + 1/2” torque wrench
- T20, T25 and T30 Torx keys
- Flathead screwdriver (to pivot the motor once unscrewed)
- I did not need the chain whip tool. You can use the rear brake to prevent the wheel from rotating when using the spider.
For the benefit of other EBR members, try using the BadAa$$ box to tune your Yamaha motor.
No motor drop or disassembly is required ... just clip the box to your speed sensor. Job Done!
E-Bike tuning with the badassBox for pedelecs with Yamaha motor
Badass Box 4 for Yamaha
The Badass Box 4 shifts the engine support of your Yamaha electric bike up to 31 mph. A Yamaha Electric Bike Tuning Tool.
www.ebiketuning.com
Last edited:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Congratulations! Many happy rides!Ok, I made it !!!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The 2020 Giant ebikes use a differently located magnet and sensor. Volspeed reports the correct speed and distance and is highly configurable.No motor drop or disassembly is required ... just clip the box to your speed sensor. Job Done!
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
Congratulations!!!!! Good for you! Not an easy job to do, especially the first time.Ok, I made it !!!
Interestingly I did not have any problem fitting the device ! There was not a lot of space, but surely enough. Maybe that's because I have a L-size frame, or maybe the Volspeed V2 is a bit smaller than the Bikespeed RS. I didn't put it in the battery chamber, just below, at the very bottom of the downtube, where the red arrow is on the picture.
View attachment 60030
The advice I would give here : don't pull out all the cables when you pivot the motor. There are just two that you need to unplug, identify them and plug the device while keeping the cables where they are if you don't need to move them. That way it was quite easy to put everything back together.
It still took me several hours, but the hardest part for me 1) understanding which tools I needed 2) the unmounting process itself, because it looked a bit different than all the tutorials online which were made on older versions.
So for the tools, this is what I needed on mine (Explore E+1 Pro 2020 with SyncDrive Pro) :
I had a short test drive with the limit upped at 32 km/h and it makes already a big difference with 25 km/h. With the Volspeed it is possible to set the limit with the remote without having to unmount it again.
- 8mm hex key with a long handle - long handle is important to be able to apply enough torque, the nuts on the pedals are very tightly fastened and there is just no way to remove them with a tiny pocket tool (I tried and failed).
- 4mm hex key - needed to remove the motor cover.
- Crank puller tool + 16mm wrench (also long enough for the same reason as above, also tried and initially failed using one that was too small). You need a tool compatible with a ISIS drive, not Octalink ! (with the thick rotating tip)
- Giant spider + 1/2” torque wrench
- T20, T25 and T30 Torx keys
- Flathead screwdriver (to pivot the motor once unscrewed)
- I did not need the chain whip tool. You can use the rear brake to prevent the wheel from rotating when using the spider.
Again thanks a lot for the support ! And hopefully this little feedback can help someone else
I'm sure you are correct in that the large frame size was a help. My bike has a small frame size (I have short legs) and there are some reinforcing obstructions in the tubes and there was no way I was able to get the BikeSpeed RS inside without pinching wires. And after I gave up and wanted to put it back together stock, I was also unable to refit the original wires and connectors back. I ended up taking it to the dealer and having him do it. And even for him (dedicated Giant dealer) it took over two hours just to fit the wires properly.
Ride in good health!
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Stefan, you are right about the new 2020 models... I understand that a new BadA$$ Box is in development for the integrated speed sensors.
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Yes, you have the original setup with the spoke magnet and chainstay sensor... so it is a simple setup with the BadA$$ box in under 30 seconds.
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