YT Decoy NOT Serviceable by Shimano and YT Customer Service Fail

[Steve940]

Well had you read it at all then you would have come to a different conclusion.

The motor can be replaced in the UK by Madison.

YT are as we speak opening a service center. So your online only comment is 100% wrong now.

I cant wait for YT's next gen bike with the likely new shimano motor. Ill pick one of those up on closeout even though i have only just got my current YT Decoy.

The Decoy is the one of the few gravity focused bike that isnt a Kenevo. Im doing 3-4 foot drops already on this bike and it just eats them up. The high end Fox suspension is superb and not even dialed it in yet. The ability to climb any slope and then go back down and do the jumps in a loop is game changing.

Ebikes will see rapid improvement over the next 5 years. Im not going to buy a £8000 bike when the tech is still so rough. You only have to talk to my mate who is on his 7th Brose motor to see how much of a lemon you can end up with. You do not get any extension of warranty either and he has been without his bike for weeks at a time as no stock of motors/parts and the bike shop isnt much help when he was stuck at the bottom of a mountain with no power and a 23kg bike to pedal back up. 3 times this has happened to him.

I like the YT brand. Its marketing is clever and its bike designs are slick with seriously good spec. They set the company up to sell a bike that gives you what you pay for rather than focusing on max profit penny pinching like Santa Cruz or Specialized.

Im glad they exist and will support them especially now the UK service center is coming.

I certainly would not of come to a different conclusion,everything the op went through,feeling he was was totally screwed and had lost all of his money was purely because of yt..just because the final result changed does not alter what yt did to him.and yes,because I'm up In the north east I would still have to order online.

 

[Zero]

The biggest issue with the YT IMO is that the design of the frame means you cant easily remove the the cable cover on the LHS side of the motor, which is one of the areas where a lot crud can collect, and clean it out. Lot of historical problems with the shimano motor come from crap collecting in this area and causing electrical problems.

As i said all these early ebikes are rough with some likely issues that we will have to deal with.

It remains to be seen if the YT has this issue. I see very few issues on the facebook group right now. In fact the only one of ive seen is the one on this thread.

Ebikes are "good enough" right now as long as it doesnt come with a lemon motor. I expect in 3-5 years the bikes will be game changing with serious downhill shuttle bikes and superlight weight weenie bikes for trails.

 

[R120]

Yup the YT is a great bike, and its really good they are opening the service centre, but its the only brand I can think of where you potentially have to drop the motor to access one of the areas that with a shimano you need to keep an eye on. This isn't an uncommon sight after a few winters rides, though I suspect the lack of access may also help a bit with this. If you have a shimano motor you should regularly check behind and clean out the area if needed. If you cant pop off the panel then you cant tell if you have the issue.

 

[Zero]

I certainly would not of come to a different conclusion,everything the op went through,feeling he was was totally screwed and had lost all of his money was purely because of yt..just because the final result changed does not alter what yt did to him.and yes,because I'm up In the north east I would still have to order online.

Welcome to dealing with companies 101. If you think dealing with a bike shop and different brand is going to be smooth sailing then good luck. Go on Pink bike and read all the bad reviews on broken frames that are refused replacement. Turns out companies dont like replacing frames costing thousands of pounds when they can wiggle out of it with a clause like "crash damage" in their terms even though it was never crashed.

I dont think you seem to understand the model. Direct sales = better spec and lower price. UK service center = Serious problem gets fixed without shipping to germany. That is a big deal as you get the best of both worlds. This is why YT USA gets such good reviews.

Future service is not guaranteed to be good by any brand or bike shop. Saving money in the pocket and getting high end spec IS guaranteed today.

Bird in the hand.

 

[Zero]

Yup the YT is a great bike, and its really good they are opening the service centre, but its the only brand I can think of where you potentially have to drop the motor to access one of the areas that with a shimano you need to keep an eye on. This isn't an uncommon sight after a few winters rides, though I suspect the lack of access may also help a bit with this. If you have a shimano motor you should regularly check behind and clean out the area if needed. If you cant pop off the panel then you cant tell if you have the issue.

View attachment 30556

Thanks for this ill keep an eye out for that. Ill check my bike later and see how that area looks.

 

[R120]

It may actually be that the fact the frame overlaps the side of the motor helps - its very hit and miss how crap gets in there, it tends to track down the cables behind the cover - I have done months with nothing getting in, then randomly stuff gets in when I next check. The photo is a bit of an extreme example but illustrates the point.

A lot of us with various bikes have put motofoam between the underside of frame and top of motor, and also put some tape over the joint on the top of the panel to help.

 

[Steve940]

Welcome to dealing with companies 101. If you think dealing with a bike shop and different brand is going to be smooth sailing then good luck. Go on Pink bike and read all the bad reviews on broken frames that are refused replacement. Turns out companies dont like replacing frames costing thousands of pounds when they can wiggle out of it with a clause like "crash damage" in their terms even though it was never crashed.

I dont think you seem to understand the model. Direct sales = better spec and lower price. UK service center = Serious problem gets fixed without shipping to germany. That is a big deal as you get the best of both worlds. This is why YT USA gets such good reviews.

Future service is not guaranteed to be good by any brand or bike shop. Saving money in the pocket and getting high end spec IS guaranteed today.

Bird in the hand.

I've had frame issue and replacements with orange,and I can tell you they were absolutely superb,intact they went above and beyond what anyone could expect..welcome to dealing with decent companies.

 

[Zero]

It may actually be that the fact the frame overlaps the side of the motor helps - its very hit and miss how crap gets in there, it tends to track down the cables behind the cover - I have done months with nothing getting in, then randomly stuff gets in when I next check. The photo is a bit of an extreme example but illustrates the point.

A lot of us with various bikes have put motofoam between the underside of frame and top of motor, and also put some tape over the joint on the top of the panel to help.

I'm not even sure how that would happen on the decoy?

Looks like a different angle so should not be an issue and well covered?

 

[R120]

the crap can get though the top of the motor when the cables go in - like I said its hit an miss and very random, but worth checking once in a while because I have seen motors fail due to corrosion on the connections in there - a lot of the time its caused when washing the bike and it forces stuff in there. This pic is from a different thread, so ignore the comment, but you can see the cables coming down into the area.

 

[R120]

It isn't really a YT issue, more a generic Shimano thing to look out for.

 

[Zero]

It isn't really a YT issue, more a generic Shimano thing to look out for.

I think the YT should be ok the the motor looks well covered like its tucked up in to the frame. The bottom is foamed but I think the wires run along the top. I think some foam is good idea around the battery where it meets the frame though I've seen some people do that.

 

[Lee Dove]

The biggest potential issue with the YT IMO is that the design of the frame means from what I can see you cant easily remove the the cable cover on the LHS side of the motor, which is one of the areas where a lot crud can collect, and clean it out. Lot of historical problems with the shimano motor come from crap collecting in this area and causing electrical problems.

Yep, It takes about 5 mins to remove the cover.

 

[Sapientiea]

If you take out the battery of the Decoy you can with a flashlight see the main connector of the battery. Looks pretty clean with my 2 Decoys after 1 year. Think the motor is covered by the frame from the top. Is almost impossible to have dirt getting in. Must come via the battery compartment and that is sealed from at least particles.