Hyperscorpion Motor or Controller Noise
- Thread starter Jmlesko2
- Start date
Mike TowpathTraveler
Well-Known Member
Send the video to Juiced and make a warranty claim as I assume this bike is under some kind of warranty with only 63 miles?
Yea, I just sent it to them, but unfortunately the bike is 2 years old. I was laid up medically for almost 2 years and just got to start enjoying it.
I'm guessing I'd have to Crack the motor open to inspect, not to knowledgeable about these motors, but I have a feeling I'm about to learn.
Mike TowpathTraveler
Well-Known Member
Why not try explaining your situation to them? Who knows, they just might send a new hub/rim with no charge or possibly a minimal charge to you.
Not up at all about hub motors, but if you go poking into it, are parts available individually to make some kind of repair?
I'll let you know how I make out, thanks
Uuzd4S
Member
Nice! . . I'd bet Dollars to Doughnuts that the Planetary gears are making that noise. I've worked on this type of drive system many times, but not this particular motor. If it's a Bafang motor it's likely to have Delrin Plastic gears, meaning it will go to pieces slowly ( and possibly continue to operate during it's failure ), as apposed to an all metal system which probably wouldn't be usable once it begins to "make metal" chips. Planetary gear systems have a minimum of 5 gears (not 3, as stated elsewhere in this thread) and often more, but the 5 gear design is likely the type used here. A "Sun" gear at center and a "Ring" gear at the outer diameter with a minimum of 3 "Planetary" gears in between. Take a look for yourself; https://www.instructables.com/Planetary-Gear/ Some advantage's of this type of "reduction gearbox" is it's compact and very strong (when properly assembled). Among the disadvantages are efficiency, available lubrication systems and maintenance access (for lubrication and gear lash checks). There are video's on YT showing replacement of Bafang Planetary Gear sets. It's not difficult but I'd likely replace the entire motor before the rebuild option.
Good idea posting a YT vid of this problem. presenting issues like this to the public will have Juicer's attention. Juiced all but refused to warranty my front forks on my RipCurrent S. Right out of the box they twisted and flexed aft badly when braking moderately and made loud clicking noises from the flexing. Juiced has since switched to a different manufacturer as I've seen others report complete failure with that same front fork I had to replace myself at my own expense. Their service & cust support has been less than Stelar to say the least ( as is well documented within this forum). They've promised since to do better and with only 63 miles on this motor, there should be no question about warranty.
I've had several "Quality Control" problems with my RipCurrent S. I really enjoy this Fat Bike and have the cycling app to prove I've got over 12,000 miles on it in just over two seasons of riding . . I ride a lot! A few of the QC production issues include; Air in the rear brake system (lots of air), An incorrectly installed Shift Cable Housing, at the shifter end, causing the cable to fray. After eating up 3 cables I replaced the housing with a Shimano OEM cable and casing, and shifting has been much better since. Juiced uses JAG cable housings and had cut it badly on installation, causing fraying of the cable. I've replaced the 180mm Tektro brake rotors w/ the larger 203mm rotors and found one of the six mounting Torx Screws cross threaded into the Bafang Motor housing from the factory. The rear wheel "truing" or "runout" was adequate at best. I've had it Re-trued and the ride improved noticeably on these oversized wheel assemblies. The front wheel bearing inner cones were overtightened causing axle failure within the first season. It's a discontinued Modus Branded Front hub assembly w/ 1/4" ball bearings so it may have been made in America. Finding a replacement cone proved impossible, and I looked far and wide for this Unicorn. I finally had to buy a complete Front Hub assembly from Juiced but not without some grief and a LONG wait. I try to avoid dealing with Juiced as much as possible . . they've trained me well!
So, there ya go, at least you know the 750watt Bafang will go 12,000 miles, yours should work at least this well. Good Luck with Juiced, there should be no question about warranty with this motor unless the noise is coming from elsewhere, but it does sound like gearing.
Nice job of filming that without tipping over btw!
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Update: Juiced got back to me a yes it is the gears inside the motor, they are sending me a fully assembled rear wheel assembly with a 40% discount plus shipping. Yes the bike has only 68 miles on it, but it is 2 years old and definitely out of warranty. Given the fact they didn't have to give me any discount I'm happy and feel the company was fair with the offer they gave me. Part is out of stock and the expected ship time is July.
Uuzd4S
Member
Thats more than reasonable, I thought the bike would have been newer but thinking about it, 68 miles in 2 yrs may not be far from average for most. What makes this even more note worthy is that Juiced doesn't manufacture the Motor. If it's a Bafang, any warranty questions kind of point their way. Thx for updating me and I'm glad to hear that Juiced made concessions on this. By rights, they could have put up a fight but it sounds like they did the right thing here. Happy Trails !
Uuzd4S
Member
I know they don't manufacture the E-Bikes Tora Harris has designed. They're made (mostly) in China. One of the reasons I chose Juiced in the first place is that Tora Harris is a Chinese/American. He's kind of the "Jimmy Hendrix" of the E-Bike world in that one of his Parents is Chinese, and he's a gifted Electrical Engineer who Luv's Bikes. He speaks the language and has lived in China. To me, that's a Tremendous Advantage over an American company who Doesn't understand Chinese Culture. It all Add's up to the potential for a Gr8 E-Bike. I've talked about the "Quality Control" issues with Juiced, but ALL manufactures have to deal with this as long as people are involved in the process. I work as an Aircraft Mechanical Engineer and the Airline I work for was the receiving Customer for a New Aircraft type. We got the first 20 models before a Scandanavian Airline became the second Customer. Believe me, New Airplanes have QC issues that must be found and worked out, just like an E-Bike might have. I don't begrudge Juiced for having QC issues but I expect fewer than most given Tora's background. It's Juiced Customer Service/Support I'm most surprised at. The last thing you want to do when selling a product and providing service to the public is to Piss Them Off! People Talk, and for that matter, the Negative Proves the Positive. If you put out a Gr8 Product and back it up, People Talk! and you Cannot Buy advertising that Good! It works both ways ; )
Happy Trails!
UPDATE!!! I received a replacement rear tire and motor assembly, installed it and still had the same problem, loud grinding noise coming from the motor. Frustrated, I watched some videos on YouTube and realized that people have also had motor noise caused by a bad or failing controller, so I ordered a new controller from Juiced Bikes and yes, the problem is now solved. Bike sounds like new and all is good.
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Uuzd4S
Member
Good Job on gettin the Video done without tipping over! There was a very similar thread posted about three months ago with the same issue on a similar, if not the identical, Juiced Bike. It's a damaged Planetary Gearset within the motor making all that noise. Planetary Gearboxes are compact, quite strong with good torque and offer variables not found in other standard transmission gearing designs. The drawback with these type of Planetary Gearboxes is they are sealed and cannot be lubricated without disassembly. So, they use plastic (Delrin, Rulon, Torlon) planet gears that are require less lubrication. This also makes them less durable. Engineering Always involves some sort of tradeoff. Here's a Planetary Gearset Animation; http://www.thecatalystis.com/gears/
The other fellow I mentioned with the same issue was not under Warranty but he replied in the Blog that Juiced offered him a new motor at a discounted price. They should replace your motor without question if it's still under Warranty. Best of Luck and Happy Trails!