How to drop motor of YT Decoy?

[kre62]

I need to access the speed sensor cable on the motor for....reasons....and it seems that the motor needs to be dropped to get access to that due to the decoys super stealth design.

Anyone have a walkthrough on how to do that?

 

[R120]

This is my Vitus with the cover removed - I know not the answer you are looking for but might help you see/figure out where the bolts are tucked away on the YT. Looks like you would need to remove battery, then the bash guard to get access on the YT, remove the chain ring, and then from the looks of it you would have access to the bolts

 

[Pabs]

I was looking closely at mine today actually. It appears that the Decoy does not actually have that cover fitted to the motor and relies on the frame to protect that side. Its not actually sealed fully either. As such though if you pop your battery out and look toward the BB area, on the opposite side that is moto foamed, you can see the main plug furthest left in the picture above. I didn't unplug so not sure how much access there is while fitted.

I do also recall seeing a photo on this very forum a few days ago of a Decoy with the motor dropped, so somebody has done it. I'd imagine its along the lines of unbolting all chassis mounting bolts and unplugging connectors.

 

[rb.]

I was looking closely at mine today actually. It appears that the Decoy does not actually have that cover fitted to the motor and relies on the frame to protect that side. Its not actually sealed fully either. As such though if you pop your battery out and look toward the BB area, on the opposite side that is moto foamed, you can see the main plug furthest left in the picture above. I didn't unplug so not sure how much access there is while fitted.

I do also recall seeing a photo on this very forum a few days ago of a Decoy with the motor dropped, so somebody has done it. I'd imagine its along the lines of unbolting all chassis mounting bolts and unplugging connectors.

Yeah, I took my motor off my bike before I even rode it. One thing to note is there are a few cables without much slack, so be careful when dropping the motor you don’t rip those out of their connections. It’s really a horrible design that you cannot disconnect the main power cable before you yank the motor out of the bike. (At least on this first attempt I wasn’t able to).

It will help to have a stand that holds the bike by the seatpost. When I did mine I was messing with the seatpost routing so I could not use that stand, nor could I use the stand that goes through the “bb” area.

No special tools are required. Just start pulling bolts out until it falls off. At least that is usually my technique.

 

[R120]

Wow that amazes me that the decoy doesn't have the cover, that's one of the main areas you need to make sure no crap gets into on the Shimano, does the frame form a seal around it? Water and muck settles around those connections and your asking for trouble

 

[rb.]

Wow that amazes me that the decoy doesn't have the cover, that's one of the main areas you need to make sure no crap gets into on the Shimano, does the frame form a seal around it? Water and muck settles around those connections and your asking for trouble

No cover, the connections are hidden behind the frame. I am definitely scared to ride it in the winter.

 

[Hugh-Jazz]

The frame covers the power and Di2 connection pretty well. I have my Decoy and a bike with the Shimano plastic covers. I can’t saw one provides much more protection then the other. Shimano seems to be reliving one the connectors themselves for the ingress/electrical protection. It’s very dry where I live but I do fear stream crossings. I had to lift the bike up and walk through a deep creek today.

 

[Sapientiea]

Hmmm will have a look today at the motor connectors. I checked in december after 2 week in the French mountains and they were clean. No way dirt can get in via the top since the frame is completely sealed off. Water and dirt need to come in via the bottom and or when you submerge it in water.
I actually think water is less likely to be trapped in the Decoys design since it is more open than the cover design, especially if you remove the battery after each ride as I do.

 

[R120]

Yes I think the thought that has gone into the housing of the motor on decoy is very good, and Shimano obviously wouldnt warranty the motors if they hadn't ok'd the design

 

[Hugh-Jazz]

Back to dropping the motor. I put the bike in a repair stand, clamped to the seatpost. I just finished by service so I won’t be able to provide step by step pics, but the procedure is as follows:

• Remove the cranks. The non-drive side can stay on if you like, but it will be flopping around in the way.
• Remove the chainring spider. Use Shimano tool and turn Clockwise to loosen (left hand threaded). Hold the wheel as you loosen the spider
• Remove the chain guide
• Remove the 4 screws for the lower cover and remove cover
• Loosen all 6 screws that hold the motor in place. You will need a long 5m wrench to get to a couple of the screws.
• Remove all but one of the screws, then while holding the motor pull the last screw out. It probably wouldn’t fall but hold the motor up incase
• Disconnect the power cable by pulling out on the connector outer sleeve to release and then pull the cable free straight out (no turning)
• Disconnect speed sensor and Di2 wires by grabbing on the plastic as the end of the wire or use the Di2 cable removal tool.
• Once cables are off you are free to wiggle out the motor.

 

[kre62]

Back to dropping the motor. I put the bike in a repair stand, clamped to the seatpost. I just finished by service so I won’t be able to provide step by step pics, but the procedure is as follows:

• Remove the cranks. The non-drive side can stay on if you like, but it will be flopping around in the way.
• Remove the chainring spider. Use Shimano tool and turn Clockwise to loosen (left hand threaded). Hold the wheel as you loosen the spider
• Remove the chain guide
• Remove the 4 screws for the lower cover and remove cover
• Loosen all 6 screws that hold the motor in place. You will need a long 5m wrench to get to a couple of the screws.
• Remove all but one of the screws, then while holding the motor pull the last screw out. It probably wouldn’t fall but hold the motor up incase
• Disconnect the power cable by pulling out on the connector outer sleeve to release and then pull the cable free straight out (no turning)
• Disconnect speed sensor and Di2 wires by grabbing on the plastic as the end of the wire or use the Di2 cable removal tool.
• Once cables are off you are free to wiggle out the motor.

Thanks. The other poster has a picture that seems to have the cranks still installed. If thats possible, thats what i'd prefer as I just need to access the cables. Any thoughts on not pulling everything apart and still being able to pull it down a bit?

 

[R120]

On most shimano bikes you can remove front and then leave the back bolts in, loosen them off a bit, and swing eh motor down.

 

[rb.]

Thanks. The other poster has a picture that seems to have the cranks still installed. If thats possible, thats what i'd prefer as I just need to access the cables. Any thoughts on not pulling everything apart and still being able to pull it down a bit?

Cranks don’t need to be removed.

 

[kre62]

Cranks don’t need to be removed.

Thanks, any other tips? I just tried to drop it, and was not able to access two of the bolts holding the motor, as the chainring was in the way. Did you do something special to get access to those? Using a special tool with very low clearance? Or is removing the chainring the only answer?

 

[R120]

If you own a steps motor its worth investing in the correct tool to remove the spider, it comes in handy for giving the bike a deep clean one in a while aside from anything else. Depending on what components make up the spider/chainring you may not need to remove them if you can get clear access to the motor bolts.

I have the Park Tool version. Its actually a lot easier and quicker if you have the right tool to remove the spider, than removing the chainring off the spider.

LRT-2 Lockring Tool — Shimano® STEPS® | Park Tool

Again not on a YT, but here you can see my motor with the spider off

 

[rb.]

Thanks, any other tips? I just tried to drop it, and was not able to access two of the bolts holding the motor, as the chainring was in the way. Did you do something special to get access to those? Using a special tool with very low clearance? Or is removing the chainring the only answer?

Mine came with a 36t chainring and I was able to rotate the cranks to access the bolts through the largest gap in the chainring.

 

[R120]

Also, and this is VERY important, if you are using a bike stand or have the bike any distance off the ground when removing the motor, make sure you have either something under the motor, or a helping hand from a mate, because if you remove all the bolts without thinking then its just going to drop on the floor and crack - this is especially so in the case of the YT, since you cant unplug the connections before dropping the motor, as that access panel on the LHS is covered by the frame, and you dont want to drop the motor and have it pull on the cabling and potentially break a wire.

Best way to do it is to remove all but the last two bolts, and then loosen them enough that you can wind them out by hand, with your other hand under the motor.

Easy mistake to make!

 

[kre62]

Mine came with a 36t chainring and I was able to rotate the cranks to access the bolts through the largest gap in the chainring.

Well, damn. I have a 34t. Makes this super duper annoying.

I guess I'll try to buy the tool and go further down this rabbit hole. Talk about commitment.

 

[rb.]

Well, damn. I have a 34t. Makes this super duper annoying.

I guess I'll try to buy the tool and go further down this rabbit hole. Talk about commitment.

Can you share a picture of your drive side motor? I really don’t think you should need any special tools.

 

[kre62]

Can you share a picture of your drive side motor? I really don’t think you should need any special tools.

Trust me, the allen key does not quite go in straight, so cant get any leverage on it without potentially stripping the bolt

 

[R120]

Mine wouldnt clear with the stock OEM 34t shimano Chainring and spider.

 

[Hugh-Jazz]

Thanks. The other poster has a picture that seems to have the cranks still installed. If thats possible, thats what i'd prefer as I just need to access the cables. Any thoughts on not pulling everything apart and still being able to pull it down a bit?

Yes, I think you could probably get the tough to reach bolt near the chain guide out. You can remove the top of the chain guide to give a bit more room and you may have to loosen the two CG adjuster bolts on the motor. It would probably be a big time saver. I'd probably remove the battery to give a bit better view while wiggling the motor.

 

[Hugh-Jazz]

Well, damn. I have a 34t. Makes this super duper annoying.

I guess I'll try to buy the tool and go further down this rabbit hole. Talk about commitment.

You could remove the chain ring from the spider. Just normal chainring bolts on a 104mm BCD spider.

 

[ichauchtt]

Great thread and posts! I probably have moisture in my wiring... The last ride was a bit wet...

Symptom: The speed sensor shows crazy speeds between 0 and 50 kph. Sometimes error W011 pops up and then the motor cuts out. I checked and cleaned everything at the sensor end and all looks good, it also gets a signal. But it is wrongly transmitted to the motor, so in the next step, I need to remove it and check the plugs there, really lot of effort for this. Anyhow, thanks to the instructions here, I think I will manage...

One more question - what torque did you use to screw the bolts back in?

If any other hints - I am happy to hear them

 

[R120]

The Shimano service manual is here, has all the info on working on the bike and the torque values

Official Shimano Service Manual for all Steps motors - EMTB Forums

 

[rb.]

One more question - what torque did you use to screw the bolts back in?

If any other hints - I am happy to hear them

Medium tight.
Coming from someone who used to work at a manufacturing company, torque values are set very arbitrarily.

 

[Lee Dove]

My wife has a Canyon with E8000 and the cover does not do any different job to my Decoy frame. I in fact today took off the cover to clean the dirt from behind it.

We live in Scotland and have ridden nearly every day all winter so water is not an issue, at least for us.

 

[R120]

I would be interested to see a photo of the YT motor dropped and if any crap gets in that area - it tends to get behind the covers, so interested to see how well the YT frame overlap works. For me I regularly check and clean those connections so dropping the motor each time would be a PITA, but if the design means less or no crap gets in there then that's a moot point.

 

[Sapientiea]

Medium tight.
Coming from someone who used to work at a manufacturing company, torque values are set very arbitrarily.

Generally I would agree, but on my Jeffsy I broke a shock bolt by over tightening to 20+ Nm instead of 10, because I was not paying attention with my torque wrench.

 

[Armeniandave]

I would be interested to see a photo of the YT motor dropped and if any crap gets in that area - it tends to get behind the covers, so interested to see how well the YT frame overlap works. For me I regularly check and clean those connections so dropping the motor each time would be a PITA, but if the design means less or no crap gets in there then that's a moot point.

I'll be replacing my motor this week so I'll try and take some pictures. I live in San Diego so I'm not going to have any roots or mud like there seems to be in the UK but I'm sure it will be dirty.