Thanks for this review - very well done and thoughtful. Brought up good points and presented both sides without being combative, etc. Again, well done! 👍

Stay with BBSHD !!! The Main Factors for me is the CAN bus communication is locking up modification possibilities forcing the customer to buy from Bafang. Main draw back is the Bulky Battery which is Bigger than the Regular size. But the biggest TURN OFF is you can not use the Battery from your Existing Bafang kit, buy a REGULAR BATTERY or even make your own Battery without having a CANBUS PROCESSOR and the required communication protocol, which i can gaurantee they will not release. Another point is the Bigger Battery may not be able to mounted be within the bikes Triangle !!. So you are now forced to buy their Ugly/Bulky Batteries which may not fit within the Triangle and pay more !!!. For this reason i'm sticking the BBSHD !!!.

I've looked at 15 vids same topic, really enjoyed yours thanks!

Great watch dude and a great video!

The M625's untweakable proprietary nonsense is a dealbreaker for me. The whole reason I liked the BBSHD was because I could put it on anything with whatever battery I wanted. The M625's battery doesn't fit in small frames (I'm very vertically challenged), and not having the full 9 PAS settings is dumb. I like the fine control and the ability to reprogram the BBSHD for smoother power delivery.

Great information. I agree with others, I do not want my battery paired to my motor. I have that problem with my old BIONIX. Thank You.

Great review and video of an important kit👍

The ring on top of the motor for hose clamp to frame is genius. 10:48

New sub. Thanks for the very informative video!

Got a Bbshd last week ,my 1st one & love it,I just ordered another 2 motors another bbshd & Bbs02 from Aliexpress $100 off sale ,cant wait to try the 02 ,lighter & almost same power,I have a 52v 20a battery & ride on mostly 1& 2 occasional bump it up to 6 & this thing hauls,Im very impressed & happy I looked into the diy motors,shoulda did this long ago,what some dont know is u can put it on 0 & just pedal & get the same workout or do what I do & do the trail 2-3x's with assist on 1,Im a hardcore roadie/mtn biker

Excellent review of this motor. Thank you. I'd like to see you build a mid-drive mtb ebike from from scratch using something similar to the Bafang M600 motor style.

Pretty cool. Still needs a torque sensor. Would also love to see a kit that includes a LiFePO4 battery to eliminate fire risk and cobalt usage, while also giving more charge cycles and better cold weather performance.

That hose clamp setup to hold the motor from spinning in the frame is really MICKY MOUSE! No wonder they have an image problem. Dah!

great information, new sub here!

You are wrong my man all bafang has done is take away the end users ability to fix the motor them selfs hence bafang wants to be like bosh brose ect which the will never be. What bafang should have done is made their new 2 new motors end user friendly not oh dear my motor has broken down no i have to take it to a shop to get fix. Why oh why i ask myself....money goes to money I guess sorry i forgot to say excellent video by the way keep up the good work good job.

I have used different motors from bafang250, bafang750w hub, bafang 750w mid drive and the M625 1000w. The m625 gave me the best feeling/riding experience. So smooth and the 21700 battery cell is the best 👌

Save your money and your sanity Buy a bbs02 or bbshd, more power, reliability not restricted using only a bafang battery and programmability

Awesomeness 👍

Seems like a step back in some regards for the Bafang series. BBS02 and BBSHD are still favorable to me.

I've built 4 ebikes using the BBS02 and none of them came with the shift sensor, although there is a cable and plug coming out of the motor to plug one in. They are about $25 and worth adding.

still cant find a way to get hold of the newer bafang mid drive kit in the uk only bbs02s are available.

Great thanks

will the m625 kit work on a hardtail made for 26 inch wheels? Assuming the frame triangle is big enough for the battery to fit into. I ask because I read somewhere it is only for 27.5 inch wheeled bikes.

Do these have to be mounted in front of the down tube? Can it go between downtube and seat tube?

I seem to be unable to find an extension cable for the battery communication line. Power side, no problem but system doesn't function without the communication cable connected

Since BBS02 and M625 are both cadence sensor, what model is torque sensor?

Can you add a second battery in series, to double the range?

I wonder if I’ve done the right thing buying the hd kit .

You can use a shift sensor even if the motor doesn't have a plug for it there's an adapter to the break

That hose clamp around the frame is terrible. It looks like the made the mounting point of the motor for some other attachment they haven't released yet.

QUESTION: I am looking into purchasing a BBS02 and in some videos, they mention I can do away without the battery, I assume if one only want a pedal-assist and no throttle then that's ok? (be kind, ok!)

Been thinking about one of these mid-drive for an older beach cruiser [ bottom 73mm L and the hole is 43mm ] wondering will these M625 fit correctly? It seems that the crack shaft is more diminutive. Can everyone help? Will this mid-drive work for me?

The separate power versions are simply different battery voltage levels... Some people used a 52t chainring instead, got rid of ghost pedaling, at least with the bbso2...

What if I'm out riding and it starts to rain? Is it going to break?

I wish to add a mid drive electric motor to a titanium road frame. The shifting is done with a first generation DI2. Is BOSH the only motor and accessories? Can you help? I am forced to electrify as old age and hills are a lot more difficult. Thank You: John

Do you know of a supplier for an adapter when the bike has a larger diameter bottom bracket ie.41mm

There a dude that swapped the controller for a bbshd one and he can use it with any battery with the 625 that's what I'll look into cheers

I just put a bbs o3 on my cxs fat tad trike ,1000 watt. I have a extra wire that says shift sensor. No wire or sensor and no instruction.it has a speed sensor that I hooked. What is a shift sensor and how do you hook it up

With respect I think you forgot to mention that you have to pair bafang's horrendous looking battery with it's motor no third party batteries can be used with the system Bumba Bafang is what i call them for bringing out this kit why on earth didnt the bring out a torque sensing crank unit makes no sence to me but then again why would they if they want to be like bosh,brose ect what a disappointment. Once again excellent video and review 👍🏻✌🏻💯

I run a BBS 02 running 52v with an ASI BAC855 sinewave controller with field weakening it runs like dream almost silent and smooth compared to the stock controller the difference is like day and night and the latest 02/HD has already been hacked to run on an external controller 😀

On another topic - Mike what do you think of the Triot trike?

Could you add two batteries?

This just makes me appreciate my two TSDZ-2s all that much more. "Builders" popularized e-bikes' culture and built its economy, while the greater economy was often uneven and distressing. For Bafang to cut these people out of the loop now seems disrespectful and unwise, given that sales of pre-made e-bikes, a luxury item to be sure, will fall dramatically during the next economic downturn. But builders and makers will have moved on to new and superior resources, and developed same.

Can you order directly from bafang? Or do you have to order from a vendor?

I own m625 for a year by now - one downside : THERE IS NO SPARE PARTS AVAILABLE!!! speed sensor broken? - no way to purchase a new one(different to BBSHD) Still wondering what will heppened when gear ring wears out. Rides great and smooth but lack of parts availability makes me not to reccomend it

So which one do you feel is the best one for a 200pound person on a factory bike going long distance and trying to pull a trailer ?

What is the name of the bike you are using?

How long are the cranks, can't seem to find any specifics anywhere (hoping for 170mm)

Makes me wonder why have they have not fixed the wiring on the controller they are crossed on my bbshd the yellow should be where the blue wire is and blue where yellow is. Hmm

I use Dewalt 54v (fully charged 62.5v) It only 2Ah. It last for road race bike in pedal assit mode about 15 miles....

If you can manage to do so buy up as many old controller for the bbshd and the bbs02 as possible. Baafang took a totally beautiful and buildable system and ruined it in my opinion.

Totally have to have the shift sensor it makes a big difference it's cheap too it's like 19 bucks I don't know why they don't give it to you

Im gonna buy the bbshd

What's the name of the display?

It would be good to see more options in the 250W range for Europe at some point

Not crazy about the hose clamp. It could damage the frame if not installed correctly. If this were a substantial upgrade, they would move towards a splined bottom bracket, as seen on the Bosch.

Ive had a bbs02 for 4 years and never not let me down in 13000km

Can you fit a non bafang battery to the M625?

Some people will not like the new M625. Being able to use only the Bafang battery will p*ss some people off as will the reduced programmability and no gear sensor... But one basic design for the 500W 750W and 1000Watt motor design is pretty cool... The size of the battery may be an issue for some small framed bikes and full suspension bikes... But for a first time Bafang user it could be okay...

If your a tech geek like me (also about to buy a bafeng) I would assume you can buy an extra battery and with some engineering... splice them in parallel. This would give you twice the battery life / runtime.

The canbus and requiring their battery is a deal breaker for me and I like bafang.

I'm new to this e bike game , can you recommend a reliable bafang kit for.my MTB conversion, mostly for off road 20-30 mile treks.

Add torque sensor, better quality crank arms with lekkie offset on them and Shimano compatible tool locking.

It's a shame the battery connectors always look so DIY on these. A local seller of Bafang kits here in New Zealand (Most famous for his "Lekkie" branded accessories he designs) always had a rubberised sealed 2 pin connector fitted to the kits and batteries he imported, and they always looked slick.. You'd think in the case of the Canbus stuff, Bafang would have one multipin connector doing both power and canbus, especially since they're trying to market this as a complete system.

The gear sensor is NOT from BAFANG, other companies produce it. Pasion E-Bike, another company in Czech and so on. This could be the reason why the gear sensor is not included.

The hose clamp wasn't installed correctly. That hole has a hard plastic cap slotted to fit that metal harness. It would at least look a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Bbs02 can be programmed to be as smooth as you want in 10 minutes with $20. This new motor has very thin motor phase wires. Big red flag that they are skimping on quality.

What happen with you and Triot?

but larger butom bracket fit, could go on fatty with rear hub gearing. wil be more pricey but cool

I have a bbs02b i reprogram it by using the same programming-Software like on bbs02. Now it's run smoothly no high torg ramps. The stock settings are really bad for city driving. And installing a gear sensor is a must have thing. But don't change the numbers off power levels/steps on the motor-controller, after changing it, i was not abel to switch levels O_o#, even when I matched the numbers on the display.

IS THIS A NEW VERSION OF THE MOTOR OR CONTROLLER? IS THE CONTROLLER MORE PROGRAMABLE ? I DONT HAVE TO SOMEBODY HACK IT?

I looked ad the motor, but you need to use a bafang battery and you can't mount other batteries that aren't bafang. Then the price is higher than the bb02. It will be probably smoother, but the battery and the price make that I don't want it. The only nice thing that I would love to see on the bb02 and HD is the speed limit adjustment. Just turn of your bike and give it to the police to test it ad they stop you. Then it us legal again. Turning it on each time is then not a problem. They had to use a torque sensor. I have also a tsdz2 and that ond is just great. It rides easier. You can change speed by just puting less force on the pedals Still I switched to hub motors. Less torque, but it rides smoother than the bafang and no chain and shifting problems.

The bbshd and bbs02 you can change power settings and you do not have to use only there battery. Obviously Bafang took a great motor and made it not as good by not allowing any other batteries to work with it and by not allowing you to buy a cheap program cable to change all the parameters of the motor. As far as the m625 being better I don t see how maybe better for bafang but not the consumer.

I like mid drive motors but biggest cons about them are that they put tons of tension on the chain and cassette. The result is that the chain and cassette gets worn off quickly and constantly needed to change them.

I have a shift sensor and it is crap. I had to remove it after 2 days of usage. Every road hole or bump would trip it and disable the motor for a couple of seconds. Very annoying in a very bumpy road, the motor would turn off all the time. Just gently press one of the brakes to disable the motor when you change gears. Thank me later.

Yamaha makes a great mid-drive.

Why would someone compare the M625 to the BBSO2, instead of the BBSHD? #fail

From what I understand and saw other KZfaqrs day that you can't program the new bafang mid drives.

With a $12 cable, you can customize all of the controller power settings in the BBS02. I'm a little offended that you said the 625 was smoother because of the factory programming. Please compare optimize systems, and tell people how they can get there. That way you're comparing hardware to hardware.

I when with the bafang ultra m620 and one of the smoothest motor used to date. Issues is definitely it being locked down and when they switched to CanBus. Thankfully was able to still custom built the battery pack using Samsung 21700 cells to get a 20AH pack. I hate on this new m625 that they lock that down as well and can only used there packs. So didn’t buy it and when with the m620 Ultra instead. It not a DIY motor. So when with a custom frame had built from aostirmotor as wanted a s17 frame but without a hub motor and when with the Bafang Ultra m620 instead of which is the 1500w version. You don’t need the torque shifting sensor as the torque sensor actually give you smoother power delivery and more like a normal bike instead of dumping all the power at once. So you don’t tear up your cassette/freewheel and derailer when shifting.

Very evident a review that was bought and paid for. There are many negatives to this limiting system and none were mentioned ...biased to the point of embarrassing. Enjoy your free ride, you paid for it.

I’ve recently bought a BBS02B kit and the default programming (11/23) is now approximately linear across all levels. The response is now much more civilised than earlier incarnations. Personally I wanted to program the motor to fit my needs so really a no brainier. The M625 does not offer that flexibility so not for me thanks.

Hopefully someone in China will produce a better copy without the blocks 😁👍 I nearly bought one but found out about the battery. ,😤

W

I'm sorry, I'm not ever going to install a motor that is locked to a specific vendor's batteries.

M625 Is the BBSHD with different controller with proprietary bullshit and little difference outside but inside it is the same!

You might want to do your future recordings where there is less background noise such as babys crying and people talking

Change all that on the original motor but not on the older motor you can change how much power it comes on with and how jerky it is

The CAN Bus limits the programming of the system by the user.

About to buy, but the battery is proprietary. So like so many things today, your forced to purchase their batteries at their price.

The problem is, is that they also included the battery in that canbus system. So no more DIY batteries, or even off the shelf batteries. You are forced to buy whatever bafang offers. Absolute BS.

4A charger...i quess its ok but ill charge my DIY ebike with around 40 A..

Old one you can program the new crap you can not rubbish ! BBSHD all the way !

No shift sensor? No explanation? What's with the odd voltage? Don't forget your customers, BBS02 and particularly the BBSHD DYI builders have made Bafang the go to kit for the common man to make a bike that is cheaper and can usually out perform factory ebikes with proprietary b.s. that cost a lot more. Is Bafang more worried about their image or their reputation? Do not insult us with boasts about how this questionable product is supposed to be good for us. Bosch and Yamaha have a good thing going with their stuff they learned from Apple, Tesla and the rest who go against "freedom to repair". So you guys at Bafang should show some respect or TONGSHENG will.

I think you can't change the battery you could only use the battery they give you their software inside of it I know it also I don't think you could change the pedal assist they've locked you out the new version is crap

So long as they don't take away from the model lineup, this is a win for some. Most will find this new style clunky & unattractive in the diehard diyer group. It's really inching close to becoming an anti right to repair model. That would be a death blow to bafang.

Mate, u need to compare to HD motor, not BBS02!!!

The jubilee clip looks ugly af. Surely they could have come up with a better solution than that?

no its so you have to buy their battery obvs

Just set aside about £300.00 per year for a new controller and display unit. As unreliable as the motors on the Specialized e-bikes, but at least you can fix the Bafang yourself…