Wabash RT Dies after ~7000 miles / 15 months of Use

[tail-winds]

My Wabash RT died after ~7000 miles of normal use. The display would not turn on. I had Fullerton Electric bikes (FEB) in Fullerton California investigate and resolve the problem under warranty (3 years for the Drive Unit), and the bike is only 15 months old. It took FEB 2.5 months to fix the problem. The delays were primarily due to Yamaha warrantee slow response time and parts supply availability. The fix included replacing the Display, Motor and Cable Harness (valued at $1500). I'm grateful to have Yamaha warranty cover the bulk of the cost, but my concern is why the Drive Unit only lasted 15 months. If anyone knows where I could find more data on the average life of an ebike Drive Unit would be appreciated. By the way, you can see I was very satisfied with the Wabash RT in my earlier reviews of the bike.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

My Wabash RT died after ~7000 miles of normal use. The display would not turn on. I had Fullerton Electric bikes (FEB) in Fullerton California investigate and resolve the problem under warranty (3 years for the Drive Unit), and the bike is only 15 months old. It took FEB 2.5 months to fix the problem. The delays were primarily due to Yamaha warrantee slow response time and parts supply availability. The fix included replacing the Display, Motor and Cable Harness (valued at $1500). I'm grateful to have Yamaha warranty cover the bulk of the cost, but my concern is why the Drive Unit only lasted 15 months. If anyone knows where I could find more data on the average life of an ebike Drive Unit would be appreciated. By the way, you can see I was very satisfied with the Wabash RT in my earlier reviews of the bike.

The average life of an E bike motor is very mixed, it's why warranty is important. Some shocking survey results recently put motor failure rates as high as 35% of all motors. The industry needs to do better. On the other hand there has been a big increase in third party motor repair centres to help out after warranties expire. Plus Yamaha tends to come top for the repairability of motors, parts easily available and easy to get into, repair etc. By contrast Shimano motors come bottom as repairs are frequently not available and Shimano very propitiatory about their tech so motors often are bricked and need full replacement.

Most accounts say Yamaha motors last for years and years. Rab on here, who has a Giant road bike with Yamaha motor, has it now for 8 years and has done thousands and thousands of miles with one major motor overhaul in that period.