Any experience with Moterra SL out there?

TheKaiser said:
Wow, that seems like a big oversight on Shimano's part! So what are you supposed to do to ensure that the motor stays on for successful firmware updates via the app?
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Spin the cranks I guess. Not really sure. The app warna you not to let your phone screen turn off and I set my timeout to 30 minutes. But it really didn't occur to me that I would have to keep the motor awake.

When I called Shimano pissed. They were just like " yeah, that happens. We don't recommend you update via the app. A bike shop should be able to fix it by plugging it in."

I said maybe you should update your app so you cannot update firmware if this is a known issue.

Shimano "It's been discussed."

Sounds like Shimano US complaints are falling on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, for me the bike shop is also getting an error message.
 
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Rhitter said:
I have noticed that also. I went into the app and upped eco slightly to make it feel like me on my better days.


Be very careful updating firmware via the app. I wrongly assumed that the update would force the motor to stay on. The motor turned off and my motor is bricked. The bike shop cannot recover it.

So need to warranty claim a new motor.
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Yeah i use the interface with my laptop, some updates also seem to have to go directly into the motor, it’s not bricked, drop the motor, remove battery power cable to the motor, plug in the shimano cable direct into the first port on the side of the motor then open Shimano etube, it will say your software is corrupted and do you want to repair, answer yes and it will fix it, note you’ll be on the latest software with no way of going backwards
 
Rhitter said:
Spin the cranks I guess. Not really sure. The app warna you not to let your phone screen turn off and I set my timeout to 30 minutes. But it really didn't occur to me that I would have to keep the motor awake.

When I called Shimano pissed. They were just like " yeah, that happens. We don't recommend you update via the app. A bike shop should be able to fix it by plugging it in."

I said maybe you should update your app so you cannot update firmware if this is a known issue.

Shimano "It's been discussed."

Sounds like Shimano US complaints are falling on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, for me the bike shop is also getting an error message.
Click to expand...
Being plugged in on a laptop with Shimano’s interface cable keeps it awake, only use the app for minor stuff.
 
GeordieDownSouth said:
Yeah i use the interface with my laptop, some updates also seem to have to go directly into the motor, it’s not bricked, drop the motor, remove battery power cable to the motor, plug in the shimano cable direct into the first port on the side of the motor then open Shimano etube, it will say your software is corrupted and do you want to repair, answer yes and it will fix it, note you’ll be on the latest software with no way of going backwards
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I am getting the "firmware file is void" and "EP801 may be faulty"

Those same errors?

And you are able to perform the update with no power to the motor?
 
Rhitter said:
I am getting the "firmware file is void" and "EP801 may be faulty"

Those same errors?

And you are able to perform the update with no power to the motor?
Click to expand...
Yes your laptop needs to be plugged in via the primary port (from memory the one on the far left of 4 if the bike is upside down) as mentioned earlier with the shimano interface tool SM-PCE02, this will only work if the battery lead connector has been removed from the motor, this will allow you to fix the corrupted firmware and it will update it to whatever is the latest version
 
I tried a friends for a day. I actually preferred it in the steepest setting as for a lot of stuff I thought the super slack head angle made it worse, obviously I don’t live in Morzine or Whistler but for FOD felt the steepest setting worked best. (And I normally always run my bikes in the slack/low setting).
 
Zero cool said:
I tried a friends for a day. I actually preferred it in the steepest setting as for a lot of stuff I thought the super slack head angle made it worse, obviously I don’t live in Morzine or Whistler but for FOD felt the steepest setting worked best. (And I normally always run my bikes in the slack/low setting).
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I put mine in the steepest setting and left it in the 27.5 position and use a 29 rear wheel.

All that made it feel a lot more balanced and trail bike like.

The stock set up probably works well for the riding in the release video.

I don't ride like that.
 
GeordieDownSouth said:
Yes your laptop needs to be plugged in via the primary port (from memory the one on the far left of 4 if the bike is upside down) as mentioned earlier with the shimano interface tool SM-PCE02, this will only work if the battery lead connector has been removed from the motor, this will allow you to fix the corrupted firmware and it will update it to whatever is the latest version
Click to expand...

I got the SM-PCE02 and went through all the steps all works now. It's a lot of steps though. Shimano ships the motors out in the most conservative setting so the motors don't work well.. At least not in the US market.

Warranty replacement involves for repeated e914 errors.
1. Remove old battery and properly dispose of it/
2. Ship back old motor
3. Install new battery and new motor
4. Update new motor - directly connect to it using the SM-PCE02. I was told to connect to any port but the speed sensor.
5. Call shimano and get them to remote into your computer so they can change the wheel circumference so you can go faster than 15mph.
6. Connect to the headunit and update any of the peripheries just because.

Shimano reimburses shops $60 for this. I guess maybe that's fair if you know exactly what you are doing and have the right tools it's about an hour of work.

I also replaced the rear brake cable / caliper with everything apart. The chainstay routing is a real pain and I was glad I had an internal frame kit to make it a little easier. I did end up disconnecting the main pivot and shock yoke to I could manipulate the rear triangle a little to get the brake line out of the CS by the BB (this is probably the hardest part). It took about two hours to fully strip (including remove fork), replace rear brake line, rebuild the bike and bleed.

So far though, the new motor is so much quieter. The old one rattled non-stop. This motor doesn't have that (yet?).
1745942000817.png
 
Rhitter said:
I got the SM-PCE02 and went through all the steps all works now. It's a lot of steps though. Shimano ships the motors out in the most conservative setting so the motors don't work well.. At least not in the US market.

Warranty replacement involves for repeated e914 errors.
1. Remove old battery and properly dispose of it/
2. Ship back old motor
3. Install new battery and new motor
4. Update new motor - directly connect to it using the SM-PCE02. I was told to connect to any port but the speed sensor.
5. Call shimano and get them to remote into your computer so they can change the wheel circumference so you can go faster than 15mph.
6. Connect to the headunit and update any of the peripheries just because.

Shimano reimburses shops $60 for this. I guess maybe that's fair if you know exactly what you are doing and have the right tools it's about an hour of work.

I also replaced the rear brake cable / caliper with everything apart. The chainstay routing is a real pain and I was glad I had an internal frame kit to make it a little easier. I did end up disconnecting the main pivot and shock yoke to I could manipulate the rear triangle a little to get the brake line out of the CS by the BB (this is probably the hardest part). It took about two hours to fully strip (including remove fork), replace rear brake line, rebuild the bike and bleed.

So far though, the new motor is so much quieter. The old one rattled non-stop. This motor doesn't have that (yet?).
View attachment 159587
Click to expand...
Glad you got the motor sorted 👍 i’ll be honest i bought a Bosch Motored bike as i got sick of the noise on my EP801 😂
 
Rhitter said:
So far though, the new motor is so much quieter. The old one rattled non-stop. This motor doesn't have that (yet?).
Click to expand...
Glad you got it worked out. That is interesting about the lack of rattle now. Same model motor, exact same frame, but no rattle.:unsure: I'm not aware of any running change to the ep801, so it might just be the noise damping qualities of a fresh grease fill, but please keep us updated as you get some miles in on it, and things break in a bit.
 
I am thinking about a new rear shock.

Any experience with the DH air cans? I have pretty much ridden coil exclusively over the years and the Float X on the Moterra SL is my first time sticking with an air shock for longer than two rides. I am not really happy with it. Primarily because it's not coil.

However, I have not ridden a DH air shock before. Any experience with something like the X2?

For coil, for those who have switched how heavy are you and what coil spring did you end up with? I am 215 lbs and any calculator I find puts me at like a 650-700lb spring. In general I prefer the rear suspension to be on the firmer side.
 
I kept the Float X for about 300 miles. I wanted more support from the rear, so I put in the largest volume spacer but still wasn't happy. I have always wanted to try a coil, so I purchased a NTO 2024 Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil HBO. I am quite heavy at 265 lbs. I purchased the Sprindex 650-760 coil spring. Most calculators recommended 750, but I settled on 740. I have about 175 miles on it, and I am much happier overall. The rear is so good that I am having to play around with the fork settings now. Good luck in whatever direction you go.
 
202507 moterra SL.jpg

Finally made it to a state when I'm willing to post the bike, haha :) Although it is a never finished project.

Base for the build was the Moterra SL2 2024 Tiger Shark (XL) but looking at it now not much has left from it - the frame, motor and the battery (and the saddle!). I used a lot of parts which I had from a previous bike.

- RockShox ZEB Ultimate 3.1 160mm
- Mix of DT Swiss rims and hubs, Kryptotals DH (SuperSoft + Soft), 29/29 on both ends
- Mudhugger Evo bolt-on
- Renthal Apex + Fatbar 35 + Odi
- Sendhit's
- Code RSC's (200mm F+R)
- display delete
- RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate air 210x55
- Shimano XT crankset 165mm
- Stamp 2 pedals
- YT dropper 200mm, stock saddle
- GX T-Type RD, cassette and chain

I ride it with the flip chip in 29/29 and the headset in steep position.

We're looking at around 23kg (50-51lbs) weight like that.

I have so far ridden it for about 600 km (400ish miles), from a MTB perspective it is very balanced, predictable, rides like on rails really. I don't think it is super comfortable though, more a supportive, active ride than a couch. I don't think it lacks any agility which is surprising hence the wheelbase and the long chainstays.

From an e-MTB perspective the EP801 is just fine performance wise, it can out-climb most of us on technical climbs anyways. I have customized my modes, was lacking some more powerful eco and detuned boost, etc. The display with its functions is nearly useless, for me I use it only when I need to connect to the bluetooth, other times it sits in a shelf.

I am a tall rider (190cm/6'2.8″), about 86kg (189lbs) and usually I ride technical uphills and downhills. I could not manage to get more than 1000 vertical meters (3280ft) from the Darfon battery. I don't really ride for efficiency but so far it seems that whatever I do I end up with a similar result (range).

Reliability wise it has not really prooved well. I got the E194 error which needed a warranty fix after 400kms (pick-up, shipment to the original shop abroad, swap of the motor and battery and shipping back). This whole experience took the bike from me for nearly two months. Now I have ridden 200 more km's and a strange knocking sound started to appear somewhere from the motor/clutch mechanism (it is not present when the speed limiter cuts off the motor).

And it is noisy, I can live with that but a silent bike is a silent bike...a better bike. Interestingly the original motor was quiter than the replacement one.
 
Boxmonkey said:
I kept the Float X for about 300 miles. I wanted more support from the rear, so I put in the largest volume spacer but still wasn't happy. I have always wanted to try a coil, so I purchased a NTO 2024 Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil HBO. I am quite heavy at 265 lbs. I purchased the Sprindex 650-760 coil spring. Most calculators recommended 750, but I settled on 740. I have about 175 miles on it, and I am much happier overall. The rear is so good that I am having to play around with the fork settings now. Good luck in whatever direction you go.
Click to expand...
Beware that Sprindex does not fit to the frame - the plastic element to change spring ratio, once up, will scratch your frame from the bottom. It did to mine, I cut the plastic element from Sprindex and it is OK now. I have 560 sprindex, my weight 90kg and it could be stiffier a little bit.
 
hajpr said:
View attachment 163789
Finally made it to a state when I'm willing to post the bike, haha :) Although it is a never finished project.

Base for the build was the Moterra SL2 2024 Tiger Shark (XL) but looking at it now not much has left from it - the frame, motor and the battery (and the saddle!). I used a lot of parts which I had from a previous bike.

- RockShox ZEB Ultimate 3.1 160mm
- Mix of DT Swiss rims and hubs, Kryptotals DH (SuperSoft + Soft), 29/29 on both ends
- Mudhugger Evo bolt-on
- Renthal Apex + Fatbar 35 + Odi
- Sendhit's
- Code RSC's (200mm F+R)
- display delete
- RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate air 210x55
- Shimano XT crankset 165mm
- Stamp 2 pedals
- YT dropper 200mm, stock saddle
- GX T-Type RD, cassette and chain

I ride it with the flip chip in 29/29 and the headset in steep position.

We're looking at around 23kg (50-51lbs) weight like that.

I have so far ridden it for about 600 km (400ish miles), from a MTB perspective it is very balanced, predictable, rides like on rails really. I don't think it is super comfortable though, more a supportive, active ride than a couch. I don't think it lacks any agility which is surprising hence the wheelbase and the long chainstays.

From an e-MTB perspective the EP801 is just fine performance wise, it can out-climb most of us on technical climbs anyways. I have customized my modes, was lacking some more powerful eco and detuned boost, etc. The display with its functions is nearly useless, for me I use it only when I need to connect to the bluetooth, other times it sits in a shelf.

I am a tall rider (190cm/6'2.8″), about 86kg (189lbs) and usually I ride technical uphills and downhills. I could not manage to get more than 1000 vertical meters (3280ft) from the Darfon battery. I don't really ride for efficiency but so far it seems that whatever I do I end up with a similar result (range).

Reliability wise it has not really prooved well. I got the E194 error which needed a warranty fix after 400kms (pick-up, shipment to the original shop abroad, swap of the motor and battery and shipping back). This whole experience took the bike from me for nearly two months. Now I have ridden 200 more km's and a strange knocking sound started to appear somewhere from the motor/clutch mechanism (it is not present when the speed limiter cuts off the motor).

And it is noisy, I can live with that but a silent bike is a silent bike...a better bike. Interestingly the original motor was quiter than the replacement one.
Click to expand...
Good effort on the bike there, and the write up. I’m just not sure you have convinced to keep it on my possibles list though…
 
Fascinating thread this! Been quiet since March, so everyone's Moterra SLs running ok?
I bought an SL1 a few months ago, took the risk on a second hand, though the guy was a 'Dale rep, so passed the warranty over. Deal was too good to pass up!
Only issues I've had was creaking BB area in dry & dusty conditions, removal and cleaning of all the crank parts sorted that.
Thing I found interesting on the thread was the removal of the motor, is this accepted practice without voiding the warranty? Reason is, I want to install rear a mech cable, cos I really don't like the AXS rear mech and it looks like the only way to route cabling is to drop the motor out to get at the internal cable guides. Maybe changing rear brake hose requires the same, if I want to change brakes?
thanks guys.
 
dezb said:
Fascinating thread this! Been quiet since March, so everyone's Moterra SLs running ok?
I bought an SL1 a few months ago, took the risk on a second hand, though the guy was a 'Dale rep, so passed the warranty over. Deal was too good to pass up!
Only issues I've had was creaking BB area in dry & dusty conditions, removal and cleaning of all the crank parts sorted that.
Thing I found interesting on the thread was the removal of the motor, is this accepted practice without voiding the warranty? Reason is, I want to install rear a mech cable, cos I really don't like the AXS rear mech and it looks like the only way to route cabling is to drop the motor out to get at the internal cable guides. Maybe changing rear brake hose requires the same, if I want to change brakes?
thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Yep, you need to remove the motor to install rear brake hose. Don't see any reasons this would void the warranty. I did mine. Make sure to torque the bolts per spec.
 
hajpr said:
Yep, you need to remove the motor to install rear brake hose. Don't see any reasons this would void the warranty. I did mine. Make sure to torque the bolts per spec.
Click to expand...
Thanks, reason I mention warranty was because my last Cannondale had a Bosch motor that started rattling and was told they were tamper free bolts, voiding warranty if touched. So had to drop it into local dealer just to get the bolts tightened.
 
dezb said:
Thanks, reason I mention warranty was because my last Cannondale had a Bosch motor that started rattling and was told they were tamper free bolts, voiding warranty if touched. So had to drop it into local dealer just to get the bolts tightened.
Click to expand...
Personally I think the dealer was trying it on, you definitely will not void any warranty by dropping the motor to get to the cables
 
Mark24 said:
Personally I think the dealer was trying it on, you definitely will not void any warranty by dropping the motor to get to the cables
Click to expand...
Not sure why they would do that! But anyway, that was my last bike. Moterra with the Shimano EP801 is what I have now and there's some really useful stuff on here about motor/battery errors (not had those, touch wood) and cabling. So I'm glad I found this thread (y)
 
Thinking of buying a SL2 as it appears to be the best SL bike out there, but the motor/battery reliability issues are worrying me, especially as my "local" dealer is 100 miles away.

Are the 2025 bikes any better?
 
It was a run of first "run" issues. I think it's all ironed out. But would be curious to hear from others.
 
SCZ4 said:
Thinking of buying a SL2 as it appears to be the best SL bike out there, but the motor/battery reliability issues are worrying me, especially as my "local" dealer is 100 miles away.

Are the 2025 bikes any better?
Click to expand...
The main issue i’ve found with mine is how easily water gets into it and i have to clean out the connectors, love the bike and handling, but Shimano really need to up their game when it comes to noise and water ingress, i also have a Cube One44 with Bosch Gen 5 and it’s significantly better in terms of noise and it’s reliability in bad conditions is 100% better than the EP801
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I feel like I can get over the Shimano motor noise\clunks, but not if it also proves to be unreliable. Will keep researching... So difficult to find a mullet SL ebike with a reliable setup.
 
Mine's been perfect. There's no noise/clunks with the Moterra SL. It's quieter than my Bosch powered Moterra was.
 
dezb said:
Mine's been perfect. There's no noise/clunks with the Moterra SL. It's quieter than my Bosch powered Moterra was.
Click to expand...
Good to know. I always worry you only read the negative stories online. How many miles have you ridden on it?
 
Think it's done about 500. First 100 from the initial owner, rest by me.
 
SCZ4 said:
Thinking of buying a SL2 as it appears to be the best SL bike out there, but the motor/battery reliability issues are worrying me, especially as my "local" dealer is 100 miles away.

Are the 2025 bikes any better?
Click to expand...
2024 Moterra SL1 with Ep801/Darfon has shitty engine/battery. After about 6 months riding there is E914 error.Shimano changes motor and battery for new, and after 6 months, when you think it's finally working eror comes back.
 
Toms11 said:
2024 Moterra SL1 with Ep801/Darfon has shitty engine/battery. After about 6 months riding there is E914 error.Shimano changes motor and battery for new, and after 6 months, when you think it's finally working eror comes back.
Click to expand...
You got the error message again?! How many miles? Are you riding in wet conditions?
 
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