NEWBIE QUESTIONS

I searched and got either no specific answers or several so I apologize for going over possibly covered ground. I just received my first eMTB this week. It's a Perry's Power Bikes M1 Pro Mountain with the Bafang Ultra motor and has a throttle. It looks like it was made by Kaiyi in China. My first ride up my street was an eye opener.

I really did search for some answers on this and other sites but my questions are as follows, any help appreciated.

- Dealer suggested that I remove the cranks, clean threads with brake cleaner, then locktite back on. Necessary?
- Easiest way to tell if you have a BBS???? motor?
- The throttle was essentially Off or Full, can an incremental throttle be substituted?
- I've read about insufficient grease in the Bafangs from the factory. Should I wait until I hear noise or should I add grease now and what type (I've read Mobil 28)?
- It has a Shimano rear gears. Should I look at upgrading?
- Is there a preferred chain for use on eBikes and should it be cleaned more often than normal MTB chains?
- Is there a good video on how to program the DP C18 Bafang Controller? I've seen a couple and read the manual but still a little lost.
- Catastrophic failure "get home" protocols? If the controller gets trashed in a crash will the motor still work?
- Do people put cell phone glass protectors on the controllers?
- Are there people, companies able to rebuild a battery using the original battery container if you fry it?
- Are similar "looking" batteries at all interchangeable if I am unable to buy a replacement from my original OEM?
- Any downside, other than power drain, to using the throttle a lot?

THANKS for any advice.

eltee said:

- Dealer suggested that I remove the cranks, clean threads with brake cleaner, then locktite back on.

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Why?

- Easiest way to tell if you have a BBS???? motor?

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Markings on the label.
Compare to pics of others (lots of pics of various versions here on ES in threads that contain BBS* )

Other than that, you'd have to open it up to be sure.

- The throttle was essentially Off or Full, can an incremental throttle be substituted?

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It's unlikley to be the throttle; you'll need to check the settings in the manual to see what can be changed. It may not have any user-alterable settings, in which case you may have to replace the controller and display to change the behavior.

- I've read about insufficient grease in the Bafangs from the factory. Should I wait until I hear noise or should I add grease now and what type (I've read Mobil 28)?

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You'd have to open it up to see what amount/etc there is, to know for sure. If there is no grease, then there's no lubrication to prevent wear / damage.

- It has a Shimano rear gears. Should I look at upgrading?

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why? Meaning, what do you need that it doesn't already do?

- Is there a preferred chain for use on eBikes and should it be cleaned more often than normal MTB chains?

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There's some discussions about chains and wear that may help; there is no one answer. Cleaning--it's good to at least wipe dust/dirt off a chain and all the chainrings/sprocket whenever you can, to prevent excess wear caused by it. There's also discussions about different lubrication methods for chains that may minimize the amount of stuff that sticks to the chain/sprockets in the first place.

- Catastrophic failure "get home" protocols? If the controller gets trashed in a crash will the motor still work?

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No. It's brushless, so the controller is needed to run the motor. But since the controller is likely built into the case with the motor, it's unlikely a crash would break the controller without also breaking the motor (and possibly pedals/etc).

- Do people put cell phone glass protectors on the controllers?

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I don't understand the question--its' inside the motor case, so why?

If you mean on the display, I guess you could, but it's not a touch screen so it wouldn't do anything for it, if you mean the little stick on things.

- Are there people, companies able to rebuild a battery using the original battery container if you fry it?

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Sure--you can actually do it yourself, if you like, with help from the forum if necessary (There's a lot of threads about that).

Companies would probably charge more than a new battery would cost. Individuals--depends on who and where; shipping can get expensive.

- Are similar "looking" batteries at all interchangeable if I am unable to buy a replacement from my original OEM?

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Depends on their mounting plates, cell type and number of series and parallel, and rating, and the connecctor on the battery, vs the one you have. If any of those is different enough, it won't work like yours did. (or won't fit at all).

by controller he means the display, in this case a DPC-18. You can put a glass protector on it, if you don't find a suitable size amongst smartphone models, look at reflex cameras protectors.

Don't bother with the crankarms, they should be affixed correctly from the factory... They are ISIS splined so they shouldn't come loose as easily as the square tapers...

If the display is damaged in a crash, you can still run without it but you'll need to short P+/- leads in the higo connector it is attached too. A premade pigtail cable that does just that can save the day.

You said you have a Bafang Ultra, aka. G510 1000W mid motor. Just as on the Frey bikes. This is not a BBS (BBS01/02/HD) motor which are aftermarket normal-bike retrofit kits.

The G510, like almost all bafang motors, is undergreased from the factory. However, for this motor I would recommand Mos2 (moly) infused greases as it does not have a plastic gear risking damage by this kind of lubrication (which is why Mobil 28 is recommanded for BBS-xx motors which do have a Nylon gear)

Your bike, again like the Freys and some FLX for that matter, has a Reention Dorado ID-xxx battery case. This is not specific to this bike and can be rebuilt or purchased from other dealers.

If you want to upgrade the chain for a stronger one, look at KMC X10e, however Perry's list the M1 Pro with a KMC stock chain (no specific model) so i'll probably not look into upgrading until worn out.

If you want to not break chains and ruin your drivetrain in no time, DO NOT EVER shift under power, if you have brake cutoff sensors learn to use them as a makeshift clutch when changing gears. Otherwise look at having / or installing a gear/shift sensor. The G510 has an input for it. However do know that manual "clutching" with ebrakes is the most effective wear-preventing way to use a geared high power ebike.

Most programming is not happening on the display, but on the motor itself which needs to be tied to a computer through an UART to USB cable & a dedicated programming software. Look at the Frey thread for some insight as well as this article

THANKS for the input.

I plan to take a semi long ride this week to put it to a test and to ge myself used to riding it.

Thanks again.