New Voltbike Yukon 750 spotted

[ace20ri]

wow @ace20ri!! Phenomenal upgrade! and you did such a clean and tidy job with the extra hardware and wiring... tip of my hat to you sir! I am quite curious about something: how did you remove the freewheel with the motor cable in the way? typical inexpensive sprocket remover cannot be used with a hub motor. While you were there, did you take a peak inside the motor? curious to see if the 3 gears are all plastic and if they were decently lubed.

Thanks for the compliments! Took some time but I am definitely happy with the results. I used Park Tool Freewheel Remover FR-1.3 to remove the freewheel. It has the center cut out so that the motor cable and axle can slide through the middle. Here is a picture of it from a top viewish:

Fit like a glove. Here is a picture of the freewheel side of the motor. Unfortunately I did not take both sides off so I could not see the internal gears but I plan to swap the hall sensor as I'm not getting less than 4V when I measured them so I think they may be going bad. I will post some pics when I do that swap. They are more than likely a resin of some sort (PA66 maybe?).

 

[ace20ri]

@america94 I believe the park tool will fit that shimano Freewheel.

Here are some pics of the motor taken apart showing the plastic gears (looks like a PA66 material or similar). I had to fix another puncture in the rear tire so I decided to take a look while I had the rear wheel removed.

 

[Denis Shelston]

@america94 I believe the park tool will fit that shimano Freewheel.

Here are some pics of the motor taken apart showing the plastic gears (looks like a PA66 material or similar). I had to fix another puncture in the rear tire so I decided to take a look while I had the rear wheel removed.

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Thank you for those pictures, very much appreciated. I too was curious and did think the gears were made from some sort of composite material, nice.

 

[ace20ri]

In case anyone is interested, the late 2016 Yukon 750 Limited (November 2016 specifically) used a 42T front chainring. I noticed on the Voltbike's website that the current Yukon 750 Limited ships with a 44T front chainring. After some calculations and measurements, I discovered that I could swap out my 42T chainring with a 46T chainring and still have plenty of clearance to the chainstay. I also opted to remove the bashguard and add a Problem Solvers Chain Spy 2 and Direct Mount Adapter to prevent the chain from coming off. I also changed the crank arm length from 170mm to 175mm to fit my riding style better. I do not ride a lot of hills or hit a lot of hilly trails (more beach riding) so the 175mm length is a lot smoother ride for me, especially at speed >30mph.

Next project is to swap the battery cell pack with cells used by a certain American electric vehicle maker (please do not ask how) to drastically increase my energy capacity and fast charging capabilities. Stay tune

 

[Barry S]

Glad to see someone using a hanging rack for an ebike. I already have a Thule 3-bike rack with a total weight capacity of 105# (3 bikes at 35#). I figured the rack would be just fine supporting just one ebike and keep me from having to buy another expensive rack for ebikes. I'm getting ready to purchase my first ebike and the Yukon 750 Limited is currently at the top of the list. Was considering the Rad Rover, but Rad Bikes wants $400 to ship the back to Honolulu. Voltbike said total shipping for their Yukon to Honolulu would be $120. That's more like it!

 

[SuperGoop]

Now at around 2,500 km and not a single issue with my Voltbike Yukon 750. Loving it. Battery lasts over 75 km with PAS with occasional throttle.

 

[SuperGoop]

Glad to see someone using a hanging rack for an ebike. I already have a Thule 3-bike rack with a total weight capacity of 105# (3 bikes at 35#). I figured the rack would be just fine supporting just one ebike and keep me from having to buy another expensive rack for ebikes. I'm getting ready to purchase my first ebike and the Yukon 750 Limited is currently at the top of the list. Was considering the Rad Rover, but Rad Bikes wants $400 to ship the back to Honolulu. Voltbike said total shipping for their Yukon to Honolulu would be $120. That's more like it!

Yep, loving the rack also. I have taken my Yukon 750 on this rack many times on highways, bumpy parks, stop-and-go city traffic. Not a single issue with it. It is rock solid. I have a rear dashcam in my car, and I can see that it is rock solid over all driving conditions.

See Post #70 on this thread for more pictures and write-up.

 

[Barry S]

Yeah, I gotta get the Yukon. I was hoping to put it off until the end of the year but just last week the DOT removed the bike lanes along a major portion of my route in order to accommodate construction equipment to build an elevated rail system. They say the lanes will be restored when they're done, but that will take years. Long story short, while I could just "share the lane" with the cars through this closed segment, it's an uphill climb where my normal pedaling speed is under 10mph so I run the risk of getting plowed by some inattentive driver. There is one alternate route with fragmented bike lanes (they don't complete anything here in Hawaii) but the hills are worse, so in either case I need an ebike to maintain a higher speed uphill.

I'm curious to know if you still prefer the white finish over the black. I have to say the white really pops with the black wheels and tires. And have you had any major problems with the brakes or derailleur? I know in EBR's review, it was mentioned that the models used of these components were the manufacturer's budget line.

 

[SuperGoop]

Black or white is really a personal choice. I would still buy a white.

One of my reason for choosing the white is that (contrary to popular belief), I would argue that he white hides the battery more because of the stark contrast.

You can see from many of my pictures that you almost don’t notice the battery hump, because you just see the white frame. The black battery seem to fade into the background. The white frame gives an “illusion” that the black battery is much smaller than it is.

You can see the “battery mod” in one of my posts to hide the battery with white vinyl sticker.

 

[Barry S]

A large YUKON sticker would be a nice option from Volt. I was thinking of looking for a talented local art student who could paint the image of a water bottle in its cage to camouflage the battery.

 

[SuperGoop]

Another positive with my Yukon 750 is that the rear rack is adjustable. I was able to lower it one notch and also level it to my liking. It is also a standard rack (non-proprietary) with all the stardard mounting points in case I ever need to replace the rack with another aftermarket brand.

I also like the spring clasp. It is very useful and avoids needing buggy cords.

I also like that the tubing is regular size so that standard panniers clip nicely to the rack. Some bikes has oversized non-standard tubings which means normal paniers don’t work.

Finally, Yukon’s rack is rated at 25kg (55lbs). No problem with it at all.

 

[SuperGoop]

Another positive is that you’ll notice that my fenders are really tight to the tire. It looks nice this way. Almost hidden. I have zero fender rub. The tolerance is really tight, maybe only a few millimeters between tire and fender, but no rubbing at all.

 

[SuperGoop]

I also ride my Yukon 750 pretty hard. Lots of muddy trails. It have taken at least 5 major tumbles. My brake levers were bent many times. I just re-bend and readjust them, and it is all good. I finally decided to add the “bull horns” bar-ends to protect the brake levers. Works great! No more bent levers.

 

[SuperGoop]

@PCDoctorUSA No issues with brakes or derailleurs at all. Brakes are not hydraulics, but good enough for me. I don’t hard stop very often. The positive side is that I don’t need to bleed them, and they are easy & inexpensive to maintain.

The shifting is perfect. No skips or misalignment. I know how to tune my own bikes though. I used to be an avid cyclist.

 

[SuperGoop]

A large YUKON sticker would be a nice option from Volt. I was thinking of looking for a talented local art student who could paint the image of a water bottle in its cage to camouflage the battery.

I thought about having no sticker after my white vinyl mod, but it looks really weird naked. I couldn’t just get a VOLTBIKE sticker, and even if I could, the word “Voltbike” screams E-bike!

While my Yukon 750 still gets (positive) attention now, it draws much less attention on the trails and bike paths.

 

[SuperGoop]

If there is one lesson after 2,500 km, I’d consider a less flashy bike. The fat tires draw too much attention. I am now looking at the Surface 604 Colt.

 

[Denis Shelston]

I used to be an avid cyclist.

I think most of us have guessed that

 

[Barry S]

If there is one lesson after 2,500 km, I’d consider a less flashy bike. The fat tires draw too much attention. I am now looking at the Surface 604 Colt.

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't want to have to start changing things straight out of the box, which is only going to add to the cost of the bike and defeat the purpose of going with the lower priced Yukon.

I am concerned about the Yukon drawing unnecessary attention since Honolulu hasn't decided how to treat ebikes. Currently, you can't register them as a bike, but they don't consider them a moped either. Certain key players in the Hawaii Bicycling League have made it known on camera that they don't want ebikes in the bike lanes, but everyone wants to find a solution to Honolulu's traffic congestion. The bike lanes along my route are either being removed due to construction or nearly void of riders. There is one multi-use path where I might get some stares, but I may switch to the roadway anyway so I don't have to deal with crosswalks. I have yet to hear of any ebike riders being hassled by HPD for using established bike lanes. Like anything else, be responsible and don't be an a**hole on the bike.

I was interested in the new Juiced Bikes CrossCurrent S, but I've read they've been having some quality control issues, which is probably due to the company trying to keep up with consumer demand. Their bikes are well-equipped at a price that's under $2k making them very attractive. One of the ebike shops that was carrying Juiced Bikes has stopped, so I can't check one out for myself. Another ebike dealer here carries Prodecotech bikes, and I really like the look of the Phantom XR. It could easily blend right in as any other bike, but the price tag is over $2k. Finally, I've got another ebike dealer with a used Motiv Shadow that includes a new battery for $999. I'm just nervous about buying a used ebike when I don't know how it was treated. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Dwight Anderson]

I too, have been trying to figure out how to remove the speed limit. This is just an great option to keep with traffic, if you're riding on the road.

I have a Mariner and believe the controller is similar to the Yukon 750. Here's a photo of the Mariner controller. I was able to decipher/trace majority of the wires, but none that seems to be able to disable the speed limit. Perhaps it is wired inside the Hub motor?

Any insights by other members???

As far as I can decipher:

Thick Red/Black: Power to the controller

Thick Y/G/Blue: Power to the Hub Motor
Attached R/Blk/W: Some sort of signal relayed from the Hub Motor (most likely the throttle)

Controller R/Blk to Exterior Blk/Blk-w: Power to attached bike lights (on/off controlled by an unknown signal (wire) going into the controller)

Controller Light Blue/R/Blk: Cadence sensor (the 12 magnets disc)

Now here comes the fun part:

Exterior R/B/Blk/G/Y: This is the cable strip that connects to the LCD Controller (R, Blk: is most likely power; rest is most likely transmission of data)

Controller R/Blk/Green-Yw to Exterior Grey/Purple: ???? Unknown (My guess is brake lever cut-off sensor)

Controller Dual Grey/Blk to Exterior White: Unknown. I trial and error this wire hoping is the speed limit but unfortunately is not. If unplugged, then brake lever motor cut-off would not function. If plugged to the Single Grey/Blk connector, appears to make no difference - both brake lever motor cut-off still works.

Controller Single Grey/Blk: Unplugged. Unknown

Controller Grey/Red *male: Unplugged. Unknown - some how the plug appears reversed, controller plugs mostly female.......so my deduction is this is some sort of power feeding to bike accessories just like the bike lights plugs????

Exterior Brown *female: Unplugged. Unknown. Based on the manual simplified wiring diagram, the bike lights is labeled "Brown". So my deduction is this wire is to control brake light if the bike is equipped???

The Blk wire loop: This loops one ground to another. Probably has nothing to do with speed.

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As far as I know, the bike is not limited to 32 km/hr. I think it is somewhere around 48.

 

[Barry S]

@SuperGoop My morning commute starts out with a 1.2 mile downhill from my house. I average about 36 mph on my Trek FX just coasting and have hit 40 mph on occasion. On the Yukon, I was wondering if I need to be in a zero PAS, keep the power off, or hold down my speed to XX mph. I've heard this can be an issue for direct hub motors, but wasn't sure about geared. Thanks.