I used liquid electrical tape to fix the wires on my motor. Protects the wires and secures it to the motor so it’s not moving around as much.
Can anyone else that does the fix video it and post link.
Good job!.. however It is better if you mount the motor with the wires coming out the side nearest the trucks baseplate.
The way you have it now put more strain on the wires.
I also have the same issue with my R-Spec.I was wondering if it’s necessary to rewrap the wires around the top of the motor or if it’s possible to use the excess wire and have it exit the motor extending the length?
yes, you can just make the exit the motor sooner. but still suggest insulating the excess
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Damn. I wish I had been informed about this common problem before this happened:
WARNING to everyone who has bought an r-spec recently. This issue has not been solved yet…
I shorted my non-rspec and went down at at least 25mph. Every motor put on a skateboard should be potted at the phase wires or something.
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Heat is a big problem if you pot the wires.
I don’t think necessarily. Talking top tech stuff. Tesla car motors are potted
Even a conformail coating, as they call it , of something strong would be nice.
I still think if it’s done right it could be a help.
I tried it with some pretty good stuff and it was a failure as far as transferring heat. Gets hotter by ten to twenty f. But that was about half an inch thick. Maybe thinner would be good and a small concession to safety and confidence in the ride
I don’t really hear many people have issues with shorted cables (besides a couple on the r spec when it had a design flaw). Not sure the benefit would outweigh the additional heat from potting.
Other than shorting the windings there aren’t many ways I see a motor dying. Eventually the enamel deteriorates and that’s a short, or friction rubs the enamel off and that’s probably much more common. Or u can break a magnet or it come loose but that’s rare. A potted motor and potted magnets, rarely rarely done, I’d prefer it even if it’s a bit hotter. If there was some good screening too then I’d have peace of mind. Motor failure seems to be instant ejection
but how much friction is there in the motor? The copper shouldn’t really move at all. the thing that moves the most are the phase wires when fiddling around with them or turning on a skateboard.
I had to fix 2 r-spec’s on my board recently (bought in dec '15) I hit a bump and they both just “died” right there and then. Doesnt seem to take much to knock them out, but with new heatshrink on them they’re running great again.
Well I’ve also had the same problem with my rspec. After just going through the steps of trouble shooting and repairing the problem I can safely say the following:
The reason for this shorting is due to insufficient insulation/separation of the phase wires in the factory. Heat shrink only protects the first 30mm and on mine you can clearly see where the wires cross during the finishing wraps in the factory.
The wires are wrapped well but somewhat loosely inside the cage, so, after about 80 miles the wires have moved into in enough to make full contact with each other. This isn’t a result of wear and tear or improper routing of the wires. There is a small section of pavement that was rough right before the first short happened so imagine it rattled in place to make the contact.
I think I’ve got this bad boy all sorted now and will add some epoxy to help hold them in place.
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Does almost every RSPEC have this flaw or have they been fixed after a certain order number? I’m planning on buying a used one, is there anyway to see if I should take it apart and insulate the phase wires or not?
Yes, they still have this problem no matter what Jason says. You should definitely insulate them asap or risk injury. You might be able to see if they are properly insulated without taking the motor apart. Personally I would recommend taking it apart anyways and really try to get it properly done.
Are you guys just heat shrinking the exposed phases wires inside the motor?
That’s what I did and it seemed to work. But I haven’t done proper testing yet because there is about 1m of snow outside. 
. I guess it would be better if you secure the wires in place with hotglue also.
We now believe there were 100 in that batch that may have excess wires inside the barrel. The problem is most commonly appearing if there is lots of movement occurring with the wires when the trucks pivot during turning. A sturdy cable restraint can also prevent the problem.
The recommended fix is super quick.
- Remove one circlip on shaft.
- Carefully remove the barrel.
- Unwind/unravel the phase leads.
- Cover the excess motor wires with tube insulation.
- Wrap wires back into position.
- Install barrel and circlip.
If you need further assistance please contact [email protected]
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One of my motors just died after an 8km ride yesterday. I have one of the first batch Raptors #1350. Only about 200-300km on it so still pretty new. Crashed at full speed, big rock I did not see threw me, which put me off of riding for a while. Thanks everyone for your posts and pics. I will be disassembling and if it is the same issue I will also video it so it will be up for all to see.