Cyclotricity weather resistance

[Jakeo1989]

I recently installed a 250w front wheel geared hub made by Cyclotricity and it works well enough, however my return journey was in some heavy rain today. This included a 30 (or so) meter stretch of flooded road which was shallow enough to cross slowly, but deep enough to splash the hub motor. (I won't use that route again). When I got home I dried off the battery pack as the instructions say to, as well as the handlebar display and thumb throttle. The guide does not mention the motor but I tried to dry it as best as I could, though it was very difficult reaching through the spokes. How waterproof are hub motors and is there anything I need to do to keep mine working in bad weather or should I just not worry about it?

 

[Nealh]

Hub motors are usually pretty good if you don't submerge the axle.
Always make sure if you have to remove the hub wheel to ensure the motor wire/axle slot points down and the wire then loops up to form a drip.
Disc brake fixings can allow water in via capillary action, some holes are blind some thru holes. If you have thru holes seal the disc screws with a thread lock.

I have never had any issue with wet and hub motors in over at least 8k miles, I commute in all weather and have ridden thru flood water not deep enough to cover axle.

 

[Geoff Sleath]

There's not a lot can go wrong with brushless motors normally. My wife and I both have similar Cyclotricity systems as do several of our friends. I'd love to have a look inside our hubs to examine the gearing and the motor but as they're working OK I'm leaving well alone. The main potential problem will be the gears rather than the motor as total immersion could affect the lubricant.

I use a lot of brushless motors to power model aeroplanes and the only problems I've had on one motor was the magnets coming loose but that was years ago. 250 watts is quite modest power (most of my models are far more powerful) and with a 36/42v battery the current is also quite low.

Obviously it's better to avoid riding through floods and if you do it's probably a good idea to dry out the wheel hub as thoroughly as possible.

 

[Nealh]

Any moisture that does get inside will cause heavy rusting over time and eventual failure, opening then becomes abit of a task.
I have opened my Q128, BPM & CST and all have been immaculate inside, the BPM & CST were opened for maintenance to replace rough running bearings.

 

[vfr400]

Neal's said it all. It's absolutelh essential that you install the motor the right way up with the cable exiting downwards. I always put sealant on my disc screws to stop water getting in. You never know when water has got in. If you use your bike regularly, it's not such an issue, but what's inside the motor is not protected against corrosion, and if you leave your bike unused for a long time after water gets in, it'll do substantial damage. The bearings and clutch are the first things to go. Salty water from winter roads is very bad news if it gets in.

 

[Jakeo1989]

Thanks for everyone's replys! I do have my phase wire downwards with a loop but will have to check the disc screws. Thanks!