The Motor Wire Guard Thread

[MDG]

This is a big topic that a lot of folks deal with. Minimal space between your swingarm and brake rotor. I know QS has a brake rotor spacer which I have on order, not sure when it will show up.

But I’m curious how others mitigate this situation? The newer motors come with this extra thick wire cover compared to a few years back when they had a more pliable sleeve.

I’m running a standard 4T 205 and a enduro e-bike kit frame from NB with the 150/55mm drop out option.

Everything fits great but those motor wires are extremely close to the rotor. I countersunk the rotor and bought some stainless steel dishes screw which helped.

Do most people just zip tie the bell out of this? I was thinking about using wire tie like what you see to secure fasteners and things. Slip it through some thick shrink tube so it’s not going to cut through the wire sleeve and then twist tie it to the swingarm. It could be pulled much tighter than a zip tie.

I think the spacer I have on order will be key but those are seemingly harder to find.

 

[neptronix]

Nice design, QS

I'm going with zip ties here.. but i don't know if this problem is even solvable if you have a disc mounted.. that's way too close

 

[MDG]

Nice design, QS

I'm going with zip ties here.. but i don't know if this problem is even solvable if you have a disc mounted.. that's way too close

I agree 100% I’m half way tempted to remove the res r brake and setup regen honestly but don’t want to add more wear and heat to the motor.

This is for a customer as well so I’ll leave the rear brake but will just have to let them know to seriously keep an eye on this, especially if they need to remove the rear wheel for maintenance.

I was able to lightly heat the cable up a bit to make it more pliable and then got two good zips on it while I wait for that brake spacer.

I modeled and 3D printed a test spacer while I wait for the metal one to arrive.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

From what I can see, your motor cable comes out of the motor and is routed upwards. I expect this will channel water down into the motor.
The designs I've seen all intend the cable to go downward to prevent this, which also means the cable is in the drop-out slot and thus not pressed so severely towards the motor.
You'll still need to deal with the individual bike and motor combination, but I would not route the cable upwards. Water will pool there and enter the motor. Routing it downwards means the problem you need to solve will change.

 

[neptronix]

^-- good thinking. you need kind of a downward loop ideally.. downwards or backwards would be helpful

 

[MDG]

From what I can see, your motor cable comes out of the motor and is routed upwards. I expect this will channel water down into the motor.
The designs I've seen all intend the cable to go downward to prevent this, which also means the cable is in the drop-out slot and thus not pressed so severely towards the motor.
You'll still need to deal with the individual bike and motor combination, but I would not route the cable upwards. Water will pool there and enter the motor. Routing it downwards means the problem you need to solve will change.

Thanks! So the cable actually faces forwards, not up or down. I have vertical drop outs that go up and down, not a horizontal slot that the wheel can slip into from the rear.

On others I’ve done yes, you are 100% correct to suggest pointing the cable opening downward. I’ve tried the cable facing forward and rear then looping it around the drop out and zip tied back to the frame but forward yields the greatest opening.

I’m going to test my 3D printed spacer tomorrow and see how it fits while I wait for the metal one to arrive. If it fits I may look into having this CNC cut or metal 3D printed.

 

[MDG]

Ok my first 3D printef guard was too thick so made the walls a bit thinner. Now it can slip into the relief on the hub and through the rotor opening and honestly it works pretty darn good! I may source some metal and make one extra too. I doubt the 3D print will last. With heat and wear and tear I could see it eventually cracking. Maybe if I reprint out or ASA or Nylon. This is a PLA prototype.

I then drilled a small hole below where the motor wires come out so I can get a clean zip tie close and tight to the bend.

 

[99t4]

You'll still need to deal with the individual bike and motor combination, but I would not route the cable upwards. Water will pool there and enter the motor. Routing it downwards means the problem you need to solve will change.

Often referred to as a "Drip Loop," commonly seen in commercial and residential wiring applications.

Often, I have to twist the motor wire bundle while strapping it down to help get it to lay properly. I use a combination of zip ties and velcro straps but am trying to change to all velcro straps, to make for easier tube or tire changes.

 

[MDG]

Thanks all! So I just happened to have some aluminum tuning that was nearly identical in OD and ID as the 3D printed test spacer. Cut it down and ground the ID out a bit. Cut a little notch with my Dremel tool and it works great! Then did 2 zip ties to keep it against the frame.