Bafang BBS Motors The Most Common Problems of These Mid Drive Motors 

Excellent breakdown! ThxU! Quick question. Can you use the power output gauge to insure that you’re not stressing the inner & outer drive train. I’ve got a 620 Ultra and virtually never drive the wattage into the 750-1000 range! Usually, a simple downshift or harder pedal will drop the wattage on a hill or starting out! Should this be the goal or am I missing something? PS: Would an RPM gauge be helpful?

severe lack of mechanical knowledge on YT regarding e-bikes. Thanks for de-mystifying a lot of the issues.

Immense in depth absorbed added knowledge. Many thanks...

Lots of great information, clearly explained. Good job, Mate!

Thank you very much. That was a very informative video

Very informative. You show problems with the Bafang design and the preventive measures to keep you motor up and running, that no other channel addresses. ..Great video ..

Awesome video!! Thank you so much for sharing these issues and tips to avoid them (shift!!!). I really appreciate your incredible experience gained from supporting and maintaining these systems. Your word is gold.

Thank you so much for this video. You save a lot of BBS :D

Thank you so much. Your video is full of actual knowledge. I've been search for a video with some explanation to it and yours had it Sir. Thorough and Complete. You have no idea how much better you've made my day yo! I'll be back every drop brother!

This is an excellent video! Much appreciated.

nicely explained. its good to know whats the inside and how it works. keep it Up great Visuals..❤❤❤

I'll join the chorus of bewildered people. Those are high quality videos, of a professional showing us around his workshop & going way deep into the gear that we are oh-so-very interested in. I do not get it how is it only like 1.5k subs.

So the bottom line is don't abuse it and it will run properly for many years Great explanation, thank you

Your channel is one of the most useful and informative for someone who possess an electric bike, like me. Congratulations for the great quality videos 😉🙌

tyvm, alot of great info i didnt find elsewhere sofar, handy when u get problems and can tell whats caused it, and how to fix/prevent in the future....keep it up, im hoping to drive a bafang as soon as winter is over;)

...very good tutor👍

Thanks very helpful video.

I'm surprised you forgot to mention shifting gears! 🤪 Great video. Thank you 👍

a lot of good information thank you

Thank you for sharing your excellent knowledge of this unit! I certainly will shift more than I already am and try to protect the unit from water. Unfortunately, I could not use the so call 'Lekkie Bling Ring' which would have given me a far better gear ratio and taken strain of the motor on steep hills.

Awesome presentation, very informative. :-)

Wow! Great explanation buddy.

Good video I just built a bike with the BBSHD works great !

great info, thanks for this!

Excellent breakdown,im new to e bike's,seems alot problem so I'll wait couple years till product ironed out issues, many many thanks for information, excellent..

This is gold, wish I had seen it before!

Very Good

Excellent!

Wow. What a breakdown of this unit and how it works. Excellent! I just bought a used Brilliant brand Nexus-geared bike with 750 Bafang, and I noticed on the second day of riding [two days ago] that the motor is "popping" each time the motor engages using either PAS or throttle (pop can be felt when touching the motor housing). Pop in the motor is the same whether engaging with throttle or peddle sensor.

Quality video..

Really good advice thank you. :)

Really good video. Thanks :)

awesome video. also nice mullet

thank you . well done .

Thanks! larned a ton!

Nice video

thankyou

Thnx for your videos. I have been running a BBSHD for over 5 years, opened it to look at overall condition & to lube it last year when transferring it to another bike. Being able to program cadence and power levels (as well as setting it for max power) has made it very easy & comfortable to use, especially on technical mountain biking trails. You are so correct about shifting, having been a year-round commuter and mountain biker on "acoustic" bikes, it is second nature to me on electric bikes.

thank you boss!

Thank you so much, I have a bbshd that when I pedal and I'm pushing hard with no motor help, or straight motor it releases almost like I'm switching gears but I'm not. I replaced inner and outer gears on right side thinking that maybe they were letting go under force, but it didn't change anything. I will continue to look deeper. If you did a paid channel that would give parts numbers and help source things like bearings and go deeper in to troubleshooting ebikes, sourcing parts for all pev. I would pay. I spend hours doing research to find better ways to do repairs and I would be willing to stock it all in the US because it is a nightmare here. Thank you for the video, amazing

THANK YOU!

The old bbs02 was set with the throttle as priority over the PAS.. This allowed you to use a really low PAS setting and add throttle along with your leg power and it kept the heat and stress down.. It also felt natural.. Then they changed it when the newer bbs02-b came out.. Now the PAS is priority over throttle.. This ruined the drive.. While your turning the pedals the throttle won't work ( unless you pin it to full throttle which is obviously bad for the motor).. I built several of these and the first thing I do is cut the grey PAS wire!! PAS is stupid!! With no PAS you just ride it like a bike and add power with the throttle when you need it.. The PAS numbers 1-(3,5,or9) now act as what amps your throttle controls.. If you can program the controller set PAS 1 to say 15% ( of the 25 amps) 2 to 25% and so on until 9 is full amps 100% or 25 amps.. You can even set 9 to 90% just for piece of mind (or a customers bike).. You will be surprised that you can ride all day in say 6 and it has plenty of power.. Your bike will feel 100% more natural to ride, your drive will never overheat and your range will increase.. If your really low on battery you can go into PAS 1 and just tap or blip the throttle to keep your momentum up.. 🍻

Thank you,you made my decision to buy bicycle with hub motor

Hello Felipe! I would like to congratulate you for your videos! They are great! I'm following all your tips here on your channel and I'm applying them to my BBS01. I would like to ask for your kindness and suggest that, if possible, you produce some videos addressing the problems with electrical and electronic components. How to detect these problems and how to fix them. I'm here in Brazil and technical assistance is very far away. It is located in São Paulo. The company is really good, but the logistics for me are very complicated due to the distance and cost. With these classes that you give us on your channel, it opens up a great possibility of solving it right here in my city. I had a problem with the main cable giving err 30. I managed to detect the problem, I will replace it with a new one and install it following your recommendation. Thanks for your excellent work! Keep helping us! A big hug!!

super helpful, thanks. I've either stripped my nylon gear or granny gear. It won't catch in 2-3 speed now and sounds like gling-dingadingading when its not catching

Thanks. The music is fine.

I have been using my BBS02 for about 2 years now, I don't really travel far on it, Just going to shop and local journeys, The paint on the motor stated to come off showing the bare metal housing of the motor, So I sprayed some anti rust paint on it, It is still working well though, I have never used the programme wire, I bought one but I have left it default, I feel the BBS02 is enough for the little commuting I do on the E-bike, I am going to put another E-bike together in the Summer, From ground up an enduro or down hill, Probably an enduro though, A project you could say... Still though doing the BBS02 build have saved me from all sorts of stress not having a license, I can just jump on the E-bike and get to where I needs pretty fast as you can use short cuts and parks, I hate the roads anyways, I feel there is way too many cars on the roads see, So I am glad I am not part of the mess you see on the roads, lol....

Looks like it's peddle like a normal bike and don't try to spin the tires all the time. Keep off the throttle and peddle. The motor is there to help, and not clime mountains on it's own. Great video, and I learned a lot of how to protect the motor, and how it's made on the inside.

I grease the reduction gear with Black Moly NGLI 2 grease... I choose small (30T Lekkie) chainrings so that the motor spins fast.. This does a couple things.. Keeps the motor cool, and extends range of battery. Paired with my Rohloff SpeedHub i am able to keep the motor from lugging down.. That will burn out the controller fast.. Listen to the motor and don't lug it down.. it should sound like it's spinning fast to work properly.

I am starting to have difficulty peddling my bafang while assist is off. Feels seized up. Peddles fine when assisted. I love your tutorials man!

Supergut!

Seems like most of these issues are caused by improper use. These motors need to be used like combustion engines from what I can tell except when you lug a Bafang, it will rip itself apart rather than stall. If that is not something you want to do/learn, I guess a hub motor would be a better choice. Thanks for the great video.

Hello Phil,how is your new shop in Leichhardt.Thanks for fix all my bike in the last 4year bro.The best ebike Dr 👍

nice useful details...my bbsd 350w dosent start on pressing power button on some research after checking all contacts points etc finally noted that contrller is not giving out 5v to red wire..what can id

Hi Felipe, fantastic videos! You are so knowledgeable. I'm building my first e-bike conversion and your videos have become a most valuable resource. I have a question for you. I've seen lots of Videos on You Tube recommending packing the Bafang pinion casing with grease. What's your view on this? Should we do this and how much should we put in? Many thanks, Rob

Brilliant information...it begs the question...in a fairly hilly area what size /teeth chainring would you recommend? TIA

Thanks for this great advice! Some people recommend lubricating the BBSxx motors even when they are brand new. What do you think about that? I just bought one and will put it into the bike soon...

Hi. great to see info on Bafang motors out there - here's my problem and your diagnosis would be gratefully received. The battery is old but still functioning, with range greatly down but with frequent charging it's fine... frequently now however the motor does not engage (the assist is zero bars) and sometimes this is accompanied by the screen going dead. Sometimes I can have it on, get no assistance for 10 minutes or so and then suddenly the motor kicks it and we're back to normal. An intermittent problem! What to do? Many thanks J

I did 2000 miles on my first motor before it failed through loads of salt water corrision, I had it sealed like you said. My second motor has done over 20,000 miles and the only two issues I had were harness failure and gear sensor failure so replaced though. The motor is working in fine order. Thankfully this winter has not been so bad so less water, salt water entering it.

Excellent video, thank you. Can you please give details of the socket type and size used for the torque wrench. I need to buy one of these. Many thanks.

Hello thank you for this video. I’m looking at bafang and CYC or hub drive motor. I like mid most. The kit I’m looking for to fit Scott aspect 950 but unsure what front gear I need.

Thanks Felipe, quick question. You mentioned replacing the bearing on the pinion with one 2mm larger? Could you post the link or part number?

hi Felipe, thansk for the amazing video, so easy to understand and enjoyable. i have a question, currently my bafang motor does not run and i suspect it is the nylon gear. if i pull back the bike i can hear loud clicking sound from the pedal. just like your feedback if my diagnose is correct

Nice videos you make about Bafang. Shifting gear to a lighter gear is almost impossible, the rpm of the Bafang is to low. You have to use the torque to get to speed

Great informative video thanks. Question my bafang mid drive 750w runs good then after 30 seconds it turns off. Continues to do this. Any suggestions where I can troubleshoot? Thanks

Thank you for producing a very good video about common problems with Bafangs. I have been installing Bafang & Tongsheng Mid Drives for about 5 years now & any problems that were brought to my attention were nearly always customers not using their gears & relying on the motor like an automatic transmission. For this reason most of the kits I sell are without the throttle. This is one way of reducing the stripped out gear problem. Do you think it is possible to combine the torque sensor from the Tongsheng with the Cadence Sensor of the BBS02? If this is possible, it would open up a whole new market for a much improved Mid Drive.

thank you for this video. amazing.. my torque wrench only has up to 60 nm.. anyway.. so far my motor is holding up with lekkie one nut. knock knock.. who's there.. 4:46 ;) amazing video

Good video! So I noticed a squealing sound coming from my BBS02. I took the plastic cover off, and it sounds like it's right where the pinion is. The sound only comes when i'm pedaling WITHOUt assist. So once assist or throttle is engaged, there is no squealing sound. I regreased it all today because I figured maybe it was rubbing or something? Not sure what to try next to fix it.

Thanks for the great video. Is the damage from over-torquing the motor shaft instant? The "second time" tightening that nut I may have exceeded the spec by a lot. Other than loosening the nut to 80N-m is there anything I should be watching out for? Its a 750W BBS02 with only about 200km so far. Regards, Randy

at last some really serious stuff

Great Video mate. very imformative. I build one bike with 750w 52v 20ah system and second kit is on the way. It was logical to use this Ebike just like a manual shfiting car. low gears at hills and startups higher gears on cruise. I am glad that i confirmed my intutition. My question is do i need to service bafang motor like lubing the gears or coating controller etc? Our first bike only made 200 km so far and runs extremely good. Do i need to take it apart and apply grease? If so when should i do it after 1000 km? Thanks

Great Video -- Very Informative on the Bafang Motor! Do you recommend every like 2500K to open and clean the motor internal gears and add synthetic grease?

@Cyberbikes. With the EggRider it is possible to create an E30. The only way for me to fix this was through firmware flashing

Dear Felipe, thanks for your video. Regarding your first problem, I covered the gaskets you showed with silicone and then painted them black. Since this was handmade, it does not look good, but I'm almost sure that water will not go in from there. (I cannot upload the pictures here). Is it common for the water to go inside the motor through the bearings? Of course, I'm not riding in the river. Now, regarding the motor effort that you referred to later, my granny has 36 teeth. Would you suggest a smaller front ring? BTW, my cassette is 11-36T. Thank you and please keep on with the good work. My Bafang is 36V 500W.

Hi ....thank you for your good and very informatif video , how ever i have a question , since I've got a heart problem i really can't keep up with a good cadence while pedalling , so i install a small chainring 36T to prevent the controller and other parts inside get damage quickly, i like to go ride at mountain side with a lot of very steep hill , is it my set up for the chainring is correct ? And i also keep the Watt meter on the display at around 100 - 350 Watt . Thank you a lot for your answer , best regard

Could you do a video on lubrcation of the Bafang BBS02 and HD a,s I see alot of conflicting videos on lubing your mid drive gears. Also what grease is best and non damaging to the nylon gears. Thanks Felipe...

I have a bike with a bafang motor and display on it but the speed is limited and I can't change the setting (according to the manual at least) it has the triangular type of plug so I can't use a phone to reprogram it either. If I get a compatible display and change out the one I have now, will it change the programming for the speed limit? Or would I need a new control unit?

Thank you for your video. Excellent explanation! I'm up to buy a Bafang 750W motor. I've seen that many people complain about the excesive resistance on the motor when pedaling alone. And that it hapends after some time, at first it was ok. Is maybe the problem of overtightening the bottom bracket nut that you mentioned in the video? That distorts the haul pipe and so afects the bearings. Thanks

Good mechanical intel ,thanks.No power by throttle or pedal.I have a red ! on the controller next to the batt.indicator.I disconnected the Brake and still get this alert...any trouble shooting ideas -1000 w.hd Bafang?

Hi Felipe, awesome tips and great delivery! Would please let me know what model of Pinion bearing you put as an upgrade? Also I use a 32T chainring and find myself ghost pedaling often. You say it is also bad to be light on the pedals. Is it really that bad?

Great video of the BB02 series motors. The last (8th) issue is something I am dealing with now. Foolishly let someone else ride my trike and I believe the magnets behind the granny gear are either broken or disrupted. I will know more once the motor is apart, but is there a replacement magnet available? I do have a spare motor - I will install that one - then tear this one down for diagnosis/repair. Thanks, Russ

@ellaochomogo5154 45 seconds ago I like how you get technical with your videos. They are very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I have a question... I recently installed a brand-new BBS 02 on one of my bikes. Everything functions as it should, but I have noticed that when the motor is maxed out at maximum speed under throttle, there is a slight vibration when the motor is under load, but the vibration goes away when I slow down by a couple of MPH. There is no noise just a slight vibration and all else functions normally. Is this vibration normal? Could this be the chain resonating? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I would definitely replace the grease I did on mine when it was new with a synthetic boat grease quiet as can be the stock grease is garbage

Hi Thanks for information, my bafang bbso2 locked the crank arms so it just kept pedaling and wouldn't free-wheeling I was out on a ride so I just forced it to not turn by standing up on both pedals, then it did free-wheeling but then when I went to pedal again there was nothing it would just pedal so I used the Thumb throttle. Do you have any ideas what I have done, I have not pulled it apart yet. But interesting to to hear what you would think it is.

👏👏👏

Hi, tnx for the video, I have a BBSHD and I have the magnetic disk problem but I am not able to remove the disk from the crankshaft, there are two rings with a little notch but i can't remove. What do you suggest me? And where i can find the compass for KM5 ring? TNX

Which Bafang motor and front chain ring (42T, 44T, 52T etc) would you recommend for a 2013 Diamondback Response XE29? I already have a two 20ah 48v batteries from my other hub motor bike. I am looking to make a 43 mile, somewhat hilly commute about 3 times a week. My state considers anything above 750w unlawful, so there's that. Thanks in advance.

Mine was buzzing like it was running out of batteries and now doesn't start with throttle or pedal assist. I think it's a bad connection but i hope the controller isn't damaged by the intermittent power. I was having to run it off a speaker wire with banana plugs in the battery as i need a new battery mount cable. The motor connection bottom bracket is annoying because it comes loose as there is about half a tonne of force trying to turn it at full power. My motor is now held up with a bungee. Otherwise it rises up and dents the frame under power. I might need a rubber washer between it and the bottom bracket.

Great video! Sometimes on long rides my motor completely stops working like it’s not getting power. This only happens for a short period then it comes back on. Is this this normal if I’m using too much power?

so what will you recommend to avoid those 8 problems? the bafang mid drive motor parts are available and where to purchase? thanks for giving us tips bro. more power.

A good advice and instructions of yours to avoid problems on the bafang mid drive motor. Sir just asking, how did you know a 1000w bafang mid drive motor if it is tampered or not? Thanks sir.

Hey man. My bbshd has stopped spinning. Most of the time I've been in the right gears. In level 4 of pedal assist. Any time in wrong gear would've been minimal and accidental. I still see the display. But the throttle doesn't give anything or pedal assist. Before this I did hear the throttle make a high pitched sound and a watt reading would show... But with no spinning. I did momentarily see an error message 09. But that has since gone. I've opened the controller and made sure all phase wires are connected but this hasn't fixed the issue. I've changed wiring harness and it hasn't fixed it. What does this problem sound like?

Hiya mate, this is a great video. Im wanting to convert my MTB with a Bafang 750. Could I ask you a question please? With regards to the gears being made of nylon and everything else you mentioned, would the motor last longer if we had stronger parts in them? The reason I ask, is because Bafang own the patent for this type of motor. If we are limited by design and can only use certain models that are patented. Then we can have big corporations buy the patents and use weaker parts. Leaving us no other option to buy durable parts, or to swap them out. Surely it would be better for the planet to make products last longer?

Where do you get the socket for the torque wrench? Can you provide a link?

I find that the power of my Bafang 500w is so great that I have to change up gears 2 or 3 at a time to keep up with the acceleration and spend most of my riding time in top gear averaging 35 kph for flat cruising. I guess that is exactly the way to wear out my gears? What if I could fit a CVT in lieu of derailleurs? Would that help keep my motor in good shape?

Thank you for a very informative video. When I pedal my BBS01 with a flat battery, the pedals turn the motor, making it very hard work is there a clutch which may be broken please?...thank you

Thanks! I've been trying to research the Bafang kits after realising I don't like the idea of a dedicated e-bike bottom bracket shell for a Shimano or Bosch motor (no future proofing). Are the Bafang motors kits actually different depending on which wattage you get or is it just the controller limiting the power available? I was looking at getting just a 250w kit, but if the gears are beefier in the high wattage kits I would go with those and limit the power to maximise lifespan.

Great video. My problem is motor stopped working mid ride. Charged up and would not turn on. Battery voltage is 51 on 48 v battery. Had a working new same system so i started replacing parts. Display was first choice and it worked. Then throttle. New throttle didnt fix. I tried my throttle on my bike and it does not work on known working system. Still no motor. When i try working system with my motor its no go. Could motor and throttle go out at once?. Thanks Steve

Do I need to add some grease to nylon gear bearing inside or is it dry bearing one way clutch with no grease

Can I ride it to work in heavy rain? I want to replace my car, but that's only possible if the bike will be reliable enough in all conditions.