Lmtd Hub Motor Noise

[Rizzyrav]

I have had this noise since my bike arrived. It is incredibly loud and not your typical hum of a hub motor but more of a rhythmic vibration that intensifies at certain RPM's.
I found other people who have experienced the exact same issue but with no solution.
Here is a link of the exact noise that I am hearing from my motor.

Has anyone else experienced this and were able to find a solution? I know it has nothing to do with the brakes or spokes. It only occurs when the motor is engaged. I was considering taking the motor apart and having a look see at the planetary gears. Maybe they need some more grease? Also this bike was shipped with the newer controllers and I read that the updated controllers were not true sinewave controllers and so can be causing the vibration from the motor.

 

[Mike N.]

I noticed my LMT'D step through was quite loud when I rode it the first time. I also have a 2nd generation with the torque sensor and it is not as loud. Then winter came and I have not done anything.

May I ask why you have not contacted the customer support department at Ride1up? They are quite good at diagnosing problems and helping customers with their product.

I have also read once what someone posted that the gears were not greased well in the motor assembly.

I would contact customer support first and see what they say. Let us know what you find out. thanks!

Submit Videos - With Clear Audio of Noise:


For the fastest resolution, please make 2 videos as described below. Having both will result in the best understanding and fastest resolution. Please provide this video as an attachment or as a link: https://ride1up.com/contact/

1st Video with Rider off the bike:

• In a clear work space, in the garage or outside, with the bike unplugged.
• Carefully stand next to the bike on the side with the kick stand. Keep the kick stand down.
• Gently lean the bike towards you so that the bike is balancing on the kick stand and front wheel.
• You can now use the throttle to operate the motor, be careful and ready to apply the brake if necessary.
• Stop applying the throttle and let the wheel spin freely or coast to a stop.
• If abnormal noise is being made during this video, removing the brake caliper and other items noted in checklist above is the easiest way to rule them out.
• If no noise is present, this video is still very helpful for us to have a complete understanding of the bike and rule out issues.

2nd Video with Rider on the bike in a clear safe area:

• Have one person ride the bike, while another person records the rider as they go by demonstrating the noise and issue. This will allow us to clearly hear the noise and minimize wind noise.
• Again, depending on the noise, it may be best to remove the rear brake caliper, zip tie it to the frame away from the moving wheel. Then in a safe clear space test the bike and see if the noise is present. Carefully apply the front brake to slowly come to a stop.

Depending on what noise we hear, we can better determine what the issue is and the fastest resolution.

 

[LAMike240]

I’ve had my LMTD since Sept of 21. Same noise. I’ve reached out to support. This is typical when there is no load on the bike and you are running the motor off the ground. I’ve had zero issues with the motor.

 

[LAMike240]

Let us know what support says please.

Excuse me? That was the result. The noise is typical. Read my post.

 

[davemac2]

That noise may be a resonance vibration happening in the rear brake rotor with the motor running and the brake pads vibrating against the caliper I had it on my Core 5 as well. Would be really bad around 10-11mph and make the motor noisier overall at all speeds. You can try removing the rear brake caliper temporarily and ride it to see if the noise goes away. For me the solution was to dampen the rear brake by applying a thin layer of latex caulking to the back of the brake pads to dampen the vibration and use some rubber orings on the caliper mounting bolts to isolate the caliper from the frame a bit. I also added a bit of plumbers putty to the hollows of my bike frame close to the back near the caliper and rear wheel mounting to add more vibration damping . I assume the LTD'ed might have a similar frame construction? After this, problem solved for me . The motor is quiet now.
And yes, you could try to regrease the hub motor to quiet it down further, but I think the factory lube is pretty decent from what I saw when I did mine.

 

[Mike N.]

I know this is an old thread but did anybody find a solution to the rear hub noise on the LMT'D? Mine is a step through with a cadence sensor. It was my spare bike for guests so I didn't ride it much. I just sold it to my friend and we went for a ride on a pretty steep incline and it was much louder than my 2nd generation LMT'D.

I made some Youtube videos of the noise while we were riding. The funny thing was when he would hit the throttle the noise would go away. Here are the two videos.

I contacted Ride1up support and they were no help.

"Thank you for reaching out to Ride1Up and taking the time to contact our Customer Support team.
Thank you for the videos showing the noise you have described. The noise sounds like it could be motor bearings going out, brakes needing adjusting, or an issue with the cassette. We recommend having your local bike shop take a look at this first to see if they can better isolate what may be causing the noise.
Hopefully, this can be fixed with a simple adjustment. If not, let us know what the bike shop found and we can then better assist with the issue."

Just trying to help my friend out.

The bike I replaced it with was the Velotric Discover II. The packaging it came in was excellent, fit and finish excellent, paint job Cherry Crimson excellent and a two year warranty. Very happy with it.

I ride my LMT'D most of the time but both bikes I got from Ride1up had issues.