Yamaha Drives Loud?

[L Johnston]

Hi I have a Giant Explore E +3. I am surprised by how noisy the drive system is. It seems like it is less noticeable when you have shifted up to say 5th gear. It is very noticeable at lower gears. It has a sound similar to that of loud/aggressive tires. I have never noticed it in my wife's Bosh drive Trek Verve 3+. I assume it is like some sort of clutch with the drive system. I ride almost exclusively in the Eco mode. I'll have to experiment with other assist levels to see if it changes/goes away. I just want to make sure that there is nothing going on that I could damage anything. Maybe the Yamaha is just a bit loud? Thanks.

 

[NovaDave]

I have a 2021 Giant Explore +2. I have not experienced excess noise. There certainly is an audible electric motor sound, but I would not consider it noisy compared to some other mid-drive ebikes that I encounter. I typically also use eco-mode with occasional use of other levels. If anthing, the higher levels of assist are louder, but still not bothersome to me.

Noise was something I dreaded when I ordered my bike, but I am pleased that it is not unduly loud.

 

[Dallant]

Hi I have a Giant Explore E +3. I am surprised by how noisy the drive system is. It seems like it is less noticeable when you have shifted up to say 5th gear. It is very noticeable at lower gears. It has a sound similar to that of loud/aggressive tires. I have never noticed it in my wife's Bosh drive Trek Verve 3+. I assume it is like some sort of clutch with the drive system. I ride almost exclusively in the Eco mode. I'll have to experiment with other assist levels to see if it changes/goes away. I just want to make sure that there is nothing going on that I could damage anything. Maybe the Yamaha is just a bit loud? Thanks.

Trek‘s drives get a bit louder as they go up in torque/power. I’ve got to imagine all ebike motors do this to some extent. I wouldn’t worry too much but it depends on how loud and what kind of noise you’re experiencing.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@L Johnston: My experience with Giant/Yamaha motors is these are indeed noisy, and indeed the noise is comparable with off-road tyres ridden on the pavement (but it is not that loud).

My video illustrating tyre and Giant SyncDrive Pro motor noise.

 

[L Johnston]

Thanks. I was looking for confirmation of the sound and not a problem and my only base of reference was a Bosch and that is basically imperceptible. That made me think mine was some sort of clutch malfunction and that seemed like $$$ in the future.

 

[Coolbob]

We have a pair of Momentum eBikes that use the Giant/Yahama SyncDrive Life mid drive motors. One bike is over a year old and the other has less than 20 miles on it. The only time I notice any noise is when the bike is on the edge of giving light assist or no assist. The motor is fairly quiet and I forget it's there when it's providing a lot of assist and likewise it's also quiet when it's hardly providing any assist. But when the cadence and terrain come together so the motor is ovulating between no and slight assistance I can hear it. If you find the noise bothersome try speeding up your cadence just a little and see if it dissipates.

 

[L Johnston]

Thanks. A good idea on trying to get a better idea of what is going on. I generally ride in eco and only pick up the assist on a steep hill. I also want to experiment with higher assist as I believe it is less “noisy” when I have done that. That’s why I thought maybe it was a clutch of some sort to provide the assist and when it was minimal - eco it made more noise as it was “slipping” providing minimal assist. I also have not tried the S/A to have it determine the amount of assist. I’ll experiment more. Thanks again for the thoughts.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I have a 2021 Stance E+2.
The first one was noisy. It developed a habit of turning itself off.
The replacement is super quiet, and hardly noticeable at all.
The motor is a Sport type.
Which motor type is your Explore?

 

[NovaDave]

I have a 2021 Stance E+2.
The first one was noisy. It developed a habit of turning itself off.
The replacement is super quiet, and hardly noticeable at all.
The motor is a Sport type.
Which motor type is your Explore?

Dave makes a good point. It's not just the brand of motor but also the model. The comments I made earlier in the thread pertain to a Yamaha Syncdrive Sport on an Explore E2.

 

[L Johnston]

I have a 2021 Stance E+2.
The first one was noisy. It developed a habit of turning itself off.
The replacement is super quiet, and hardly noticeable at all.
The motor is a Sport type.
Which motor type is your Explore?

My motor says SyncDriveLife, thanks.

 

[L Johnston]

I have a 2021 Stance E+2.
The first one was noisy. It developed a habit of turning itself off.
The replacement is super quiet, and hardly noticeable at all.
The motor is a Sport type.
Which motor type is your Explore?

Interested in the “replacement” concept. Are you indicating that you had a loud motor that developed a habit of turning itself off - couldn’t be solved, so the unit was replaced and the new one is quieter?

 

[DaveMatthews]

Interested in the “replacement” concept. Are you indicating that you had a loud motor that developed a habit of turning itself off - couldn’t be solved, so the unit was replaced and the new one is quieter?

I wasn't too worried about the noise per se, but the random shutoff thing was not repairable, thus the bike swap.
They put my wheels (had been converted to tubeless), seat, bars on the new one and away I went.