Beware of the dreaded motor mount breaking! EVERY EVOLVE OWNER PLEASE READ!!!!

So Ive recently posted I went on a 17.4 mile trip back and forth. I live in Northern Virginia and decided to go on a trip to DC solely on the board. One way is about 34 miles, which I previously discussed it had done completely on one single charge. (17.4 x2 ) You have to been keen on which mode youre in but it can definitely go a tad farther than the 31miles. However upon getting home hours later and doing routine maintenance on the board, I noticed that one of the motor mounts had begun to break. This is just days after one of the stock motors had completely stopped working after riding home from work and watching it smoke to the point of breaking. After some back and forth with Evolve via email, it was obvious they werent going to help me with either the mounts (which aren't covered apparently) or the motors. They refused both (figures). Essentially saying it's my fault and send it back so we can prove it. Yes the board is under warranty too.

The issue with my motor was one of them lost tension upon going over a crack in the road, I heard a loud grinding sound and stopped and re tensioned the belt itself immediately, I believe the damage was already done because ever since that occurred, the motor, the one that eventually did a smoke show and stopped working, was making this odd sound every revolution afterwards. Yes I did email Evolve the day it occurred and they said their "system" is fine and just re tighten and use loctite. I can supply that email too if you all need proof.

You can see in the picture that the slotted areas where the mount attaches to the motor is actually gouged all to crap, further confirming my suspicions that this isnt Chromoly, titanium, billet, steel or some type of stronger material.

After inspecting the mounts themselves, the mounts are made of a die cast aluminum or something ( the mount is super light, the break was clean, and the mount is not warped, meaning this isnt steel or billet, both of the latter materials bend BEFORE they snap + heavier) and if I really wanted to, I could put some force by hand to the one thats almost broken and snap it completely off.

Through Email which I will post a picture of their response, evolve says the mounts are in fact the component that takes the most impact and vibration. In my reply back to them I put them on the spot that if they really knew that through testing, then they should of overbuilt the mounts themselves with a stronger material, I reference Chromoly in the email due to my car racing and mechanic background.

It just sounds like they really didnt do their research on the subject and just slapped some crappy mounts on the board. They could of gone with a wide variety of materials instead of this cheap crap.

With my experience with Chromoly, and before I even purchased the board I knew the mounts and motors were a problem area for Evolve, not to mention the battery sag problems. Eventually I came across a small company called Skate Kastle, based in the good old USA, which is a company that specializes in stronger components for Evolve and boosted boards.

I called the number google provided and had a long discussion with surprisingly the owner of the company! He sent me some of their Chromoly mounts for my Evolve GTX. No modifications needed, in 15-20 mins they were on and you can tell these things were designed for strength.

The differences between the stock Evolve mounts vs the Kastle mounts are a bit shocking. First the weight is a difference, I can tell the Kastle mounts are truly a Chromoly material. Its not too heavy but not crazy light as the stock ones are. Second is the thickness, the stock Evolve mounts are thicker, but it's all machined down on the backside. Even though the stock ones are thicker, they arent heavier by a wide margin. Third, theres no machining on the backside of the Kastle mounts, with the exception of the drilling for the bolts that attach it to the axle and the motors. Fourth the length. The Kastle mounts are in fact longer so you can lean the board motorside on a wall without worrying about damaging or scratching your motors. Fifth, its made of a single block of Chromoly steel, and it isnt cast material which makes it that much stronger. Well worth the price.

 

RjodEvolve3297

Just wondering if your plate failed before you put new motors on or after? Also thanks for the site info, the upgraded mount plate looks to be a good option. Now all we need is some good weather in the DMV. Enjoy.

 

Just wondering if your plate failed before you put new motors on or after? Also thanks for the site info, the upgraded mount plate looks to be a good option. Now all we need is some good weather in the DMV. Enjoy.[/QUOTE]

It failed just before I put the new motors on. After the first incident occurred it became worse and worse. The "clicking" sound became more and more pronounced, and after a trip, it was noticeably hotter to the touch, not by much, but it was still noticeable, that temperature became too hot to the touch the day it smoked itself out. All of this occurred even though belt tension was equal on both motors.

I had ordered the Racestar motors about 2 weeks prior to it blowing, and the day they came it blew up lol.

 

If you noticed I also removed the belt covers completely, though I'm sure it served its function properly it was also a debris magnet, since removing the covers Ive had no issues with debris.

Also the stock mounts angled the motors slightly upwards if you noticed with your board, which I believe further added more wear and tear on the motor gear as well as uneven belt wear. The Kastle mounts doesnt do this, they attach the motors completely flat against the mount itself. It now has a much more even look to it.

 

Glad you had new motors to put on but it still sucks Evolve didn't cover the motors under warranty. I get why they would want it back in the shop but I also know it is a pain to be without the board for what could be a month or more. I also have had clicking but it has always been traced back to a loose motor gear. So far short of the battery my board has held up really well. I may get the plates just so I can lean the board up against a wall when I’m out. As for the belt guards I took those off after the first wheel change. I too ride the Washington metro area and carve just as much on sidewalks to reduce the click clack as when I am on the road. Take care and thanks for the info.

 

Swap to some skatecastle chromoly mounds and put this issue in the past! I've had 3 breaks, two of them resulting in injury. Swapped to skatecastle, no more issues!