Himiway to Bafang conversion

[Hambone1]

I have just installed a new Bafang 750 watt hub motor onto my Himiway Cruiser. After finishing the hard work, I went to connect the hub cable to the controller cable and discovered that there is a small but impossible difference between the two. Does anyone know of an adapter to connect the Himiway controller to a Bafang hub motor? Thanks, Hambone

 

[Hoggdoc]

Woo that's a tough one. Rather than using an adapter I would replace the connector on the Bafang cable to one that matches the one on the Himiway.

Look at the connector on the Himiway does is look like the one in my attached photo? If it does it is made by a company in China Called Mutual Connectors and is their model # L914A. The link to the connector on their site is: https://www.mutuallc.com/Motor-connector-pl3989834.html

I'm not sure if you can buy just one from them as I think they are OEM supplier but it would hurt to ask. If that doesn't work you would need to replace both ends. If you take the route be sure the connector can hand the current (amps) you will be putting to the motor from the controller.

While on the subject of controllers have you checked with Bafang to see if the Himiway controller will work with their motor. This is extremely import as it could result in un doing all your hard work.

You may want to contact Kyle at Bolton E-bikes in Apple Valley CA as he has done a lot of work with Bafang and Himiway bikes.

If I were to do what you have attempted to do, I would use the Bafang motor, controller and display as a complete system.

Now for the big quest why did you make the swap in the first place? My Himiway All Terrain is peaking at 1200 watts input with a few changes to the programming of the controller via the display. It is very powerful.

Did you have to re-lace the rear wheel with the new motor or have to inserted the Bafang motor in the Himiway center hub?

I have been giving thought to make a conversion to Bafang Mid-Drive on my Himiway a little later down the road. That would require a re-lace of the rear wheel to a standard hub or maybe just pulling the motor guts out of the Himiway motor and using external housing as the rear hub.

I don't know if this helps at all but I'm very interested in hearing how the project turns out.

 

[Hambone1]

Hoggdoc--


Thanks so much for the input.


I agree that just changing the Bafang connector to match the Himiway would seem to be the easiest way through this gumbo. I had already looked at trying to get the Mutual Plug (actually the L915A) when I found a solution that would work through a US vendor saving time and $$.


Electro Bike World is shipping me a cable (about $20) that matches the Bafang hub cable connector. It then ties directly into the Himiway Controller using a harness that, visually, is identical to the original Himiway harness. Same # of wires, wire sizes, and wire colors, etc. I probably have to take this with a grain of panic and won't know for a few days until the cable arrives.


The communications with Electro Bike has been excellent and total time and cost are terrific as opposed to trying to do things through China. They are confident that this will work. And yes--I did have to do a re-lace, but that was due to the warranty. It did fit perfectly into the Bafang appearing Himiway hub though.


It's a long story on why I had to change out motors. Let's just say that I love my Himiway bike but working with the company's customer service has been a 1 year nightmare.

I will let you know how this works out early next week.

View attachment 2378

 

[Hoggdoc]

Hoggdoc--


Thanks so much for the input.


I agree that just changing the Bafang connector to match the Himiway would seem to be the easiest way through this gumbo. I had already looked at trying to get the Mutual Plug (actually the L915A) when I found a solution that would work through a US vendor saving time and $$.


Electro Bike World is shipping me a cable (about $20) that matches the Bafang hub cable connector. It then ties directly into the Himiway Controller using a harness that, visually, is identical to the original Himiway harness. Same # of wires, wire sizes, and wire colors, etc. I probably have to take this with a grain of panic and won't know for a few days until the cable arrives.


The communications with Electro Bike has been excellent and total time and cost are terrific as opposed to trying to do things through China. They are confident that this will work. And yes--I did have to do a re-lace, but that was due to the warranty. It did fit perfectly into the Bafang appearing Himiway hub though.


It's a long story on why I had to change out motors. Let's just say that I love my Himiway bike but working with the company's customer service has been a 1 year nightmare.

I will let you know how this works out early next week.

View attachment 2378

Well it sounds like you’ve done your homework very well. Hope the cable works out for you. Is it a plug and play with the him Himiway controller and the Bafung connector?

So the Bafung internal motor parts seem to fit into the Himiway hub, interesting.

I’m not sure if you know but there is a setting in the Himiway display menus that allows you to change the max amps from 20 to 25 which delivers 1200 watts to the motor make a big difference.

I haven’t had any issues with my bike that requires using customer support. Actually one of the reasons I choose the Himiway was because of it universal design figuring I could find replacement parts for everything but the frame.

Yes please keep me in the loop with your conversation.

 

[DocK 1]

How do you access the amp change mode on the Himiway? Thank you for your help.

 

[DocK 1]

I am thinking of converting my Himi to a 1000W Mid drive, is that possible or crazy? Everything looks as if it could be done. Any thoughts?

 

[Hoggdoc]

I am thinking of converting my Himi to a 1000W Mid drive, is that possible or crazy? Everything looks as if it could be done. Any thoughts?

I have been investigating the same thought. I wouldn't do it right now but if there was a failure of the hub motor I would definitely consider making the switch. I think the only real obstacle would be re-lacing the rear wheel with the proper hub removing the motor.

The Himiway battery should work fine, and the Bafang mid drive has a built-in controller and comes with a compatible display of your choice. You may need some cabling to connect the controller to your brake lever switches and the lights but other than that it should be a simple project.

 

[DocK 1]

Until I can find a suitable rear wheel hub and cassette, it seems possible to disconnect the himi rear hub motor, leave it in place and use it as a freewheel cassette. I have been searching for possible combinations to increase power/torque. I looked into front hub motors, new higher output rear motors and new controllers. The mid drive 1000W 160Nm motor set up seems the best, short of getting a new bike and starting over. Not to mention the $3500 and up price of mid drive ebikes.

 

[Hoggdoc]

How do you access the amp change mode on the Himiway? Thank you for your help.

Ok lets see if I can write this is a way that makes sense.

First you need to set the display to the Personal Parameter Settings:

On the Display Controller press the + & - buttons and hold for 2 seconds, release and press the + & - buttons again for another 2 seconds.

The display will show the first screen below.

Next press the + or - key to move forward through the list of screens until,you reach the third screen CU. To confirm that choice press the "I" key. This screen controls the Controller Over-current Settings. THe default setting should be 15 amps. To step through the available options press the + or - buttons. Depending on the production model you have the maximum can be set by continuing to press the + key until it goes no higher. To store the new setting press the "I"key again and then return to main menu.

In my bikes case late 2020 model it allowed me to set it to 25 amps. Confirm your setting by turning off the bike and restarting it and follow the same steps to the page where you made the changes to confirm your changes sere set.

Hope that helps. FYI from what I have heard the news bikes built this year 2021 have had changes made to the menus and ability to set things like maximum speed I don't know if they have made changes to the screen where you can adjust the controllers maximum amps.

 

[steve rackley]

Hoggdoc--


Thanks so much for the input.


I agree that just changing the Bafang connector to match the Himiway would seem to be the easiest way through this gumbo. I had already looked at trying to get the Mutual Plug (actually the L915A) when I found a solution that would work through a US vendor saving time and $$.


Electro Bike World is shipping me a cable (about $20) that matches the Bafang hub cable connector. It then ties directly into the Himiway Controller using a harness that, visually, is identical to the original Himiway harness. Same # of wires, wire sizes, and wire colors, etc. I probably have to take this with a grain of panic and won't know for a few days until the cable arrives.


The communications with Electro Bike has been excellent and total time and cost are terrific as opposed to trying to do things through China. They are confident that this will work. And yes--I did have to do a re-lace, but that was due to the warranty. It did fit perfectly into the Bafang appearing Himiway hub though.


It's a long story on why I had to change out motors. Let's just say that I love my Himiway bike but working with the company's customer service has been a 1 year nightmare.

I will let you know how this works out early next week.

View attachment 2378

I HAVE A HIMIWAY ZEBRA THAT SHIPPED TO ME NOT WORKING AFTER I PUT IT TOGETHER. PROGRAMMING OF CONTROLLER AND KEYPAD IS NOT CORRECT. HIMIWAY CUSTOMER SERVICE IS QUESTIONABLE AT BEST. BUT I AM STUCK WITH THE BIKE. WONDERING IF I COULD CHANGE OUT EVERYTHING , CONTROLLER ,MOTOR AND KEYPAD?

 

[Member 4888]

I have just installed a new Bafang 750 watt hub motor onto my Himiway Cruiser. After finishing the hard work, I went to connect the hub cable to the controller cable and discovered that there is a small but impossible difference between the two. Does anyone know of an adapter to connect the Himiway controller to a Bafang hub motor? Thanks, Hambone

Have you ever ridden a mid-drive?

 

[Hoggdoc]

No haven’t had the opportunity. I will have to drive to Vancouver or Portland to find a dealer I suppose.

Maybe someone on the forum is in my area and has one I could try. I don’t want some factory job I would rather have a good conversion using a Bafung motor system.

 

[jhonmartin692]

I have just installed a new Bafang 750 watt hub motor onto my Himiway Cruiser. After finishing the hard work, I went to connect the hub cable to the controller cable and discovered that there is a small but impossible difference between the two. Does anyone know of an adapter to connect the Himiway controller to a Bafang hub motor? Thanks, Hambone

Himiway doesn't mention any compatibility with motor manufacturers other than themselves, so I would assume that this is only meant for Himiway motors.

 

[Member 4888]

Manufacturers use proprietary parts so that a buyer can't pick and choose the best setup for themselves. That's why I will probably never own a production ebike. That and the fact that I have never seen a production ebike worth 1/2 the cost. It's so easy to have a far better ebike when you find the perfect bicycle and hang a BaFang mid-drive on it. Pick the bike, pick the motor, pick the battery, pick the input control, pick the style of throttle, and then go ride while others are online discussing the mistakes they made buying production ebikes with no support system.

 

[jhonmartin692]

What are the benefits of using a BaFang mid-drive motor on an ebike?

 

[Member 4888]

What are the benefits of using a BaFang mid-drive motor on an ebike?

Literally everything.

 

[jhonmartin692]

please enlighten me. my curious mind asking for it.

 

[Member 4888]

please enlighten me. my curious mind asking for it.

The biggest advantage for me (and there are many) for using an after-market mid-drive over a hub motor is simply that you can couple them to an IGH... it takes any bike to the next level and doubly so for an ebike. It also moves the bike into a new price bracket, as does a full suspension so most riders don't even know what they are missing... like being able to ride single-track when you're stuck to playing in traffic. I'm not sure if a mid-drive will provide more range for the same watt-hours for an individual rider but I have never met anyone that can match my range loaded or unloaded... the bike, I'm always loaded.

Other advantages of mid-drives:

• Smaller and lighter than similar wattage hub motors.
• Gear ratio. Mid-drives are hands down better at applying torque.
• With a suspended bike all the weight is sprung providing better handling, less wear-n-tear, and fewer broken spokes.
• Far easier to remove the wheel for inevitable flats, especially on the trail.
• If the motor should ever fail it can be replaced in 20 mins with the right tools. Faster if you have a great bike stand.
• Mid-drives put the torque into the chain and are far better at climbing, pulling, and moving large loads.
• A properly installed mid-drive coupled to an IGH has a perfectly straight chain line reducing wear significantly.
• Far better weight distribution.
• The BBSHD can be easily serviced/maintained by an owner with a few basic tools, with the exception of the main bearings.
• Maintenance... not sure, but again I'd stack my mid-drive up against a hub motor with the same mileage any time.

Note: Many of these advantages still apply to production mid-drive ebikes but the downside of being stuck with a proprietary frame and motor is too much of a disadvantage to even consider.

If I ever use a hub motor it will be in my trailer wheel and used specifically for regen capability and the obvious reduction in brake wear.

These are just some of the reasons. Stay safe.

 

[jhonmartin692]

I learned a lot of new information that I didn't know before. Thank you for writing it.

 

[HumanPerson]

No haven’t had the opportunity. I will have to drive to Vancouver or Portland to find a dealer I suppose.

Maybe someone on the forum is in my area and has one I could try. I don’t want some factory job I would rather have a good conversion using a Bafung motor system.

if you're near charlottesville VA send me a msg and you can ride my mid drive Hoggdoc