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E-Bike Maintenance at bottom of this page.
Gas Bike Maintenance Lets start with the chain. It is the sorce of most problems with your a motor-assisted bike --- Why do I say that?
Chordal action!!!
This is because there is a pitch length in chains, and they can only bend at the pitch point. In Figure 1, the height of engagement  (the radius from the center of the sprocket) differs when the chain engages in a tangent position and when it engages in a chord. Figure 2 The Height of Engagement Therefore, even when the sprockets rotate at the same speed, the chain speed is not steady according to a ratio of the sprocket radius (with chordal action). Chordal action is based on the number of teeth in the sprockets. Figure 1  Figure 2. Shows the result. In addition to the number of teeth, if the shaft center distance is a common multiple of the chain pitch, chordal action is small. On the other hand, if shaft center distance is a multiple of chain pitch + 0.5 pitch, chordal action increases. Manufacturing and alignment errors can also impact chordal action.
You will find that the position in which the chain and the sprockets engage fluctuates, and the chain vibrates along with this fluctuation. Even with the same chain, if you increase the number of teeth in the sprockets (change to larger diameter), vibration will be reduced. Decrease the number of teeth in the sprockets and vibration will increase. Figure 2.
 What dose all this mean? It means that a bad chain alignment and tension, or the wrong chain size --- will shake your bike apart !!!
Effect of Normal Chain Wear on your chain.
When a chain is operating, the outer surface of the pin and inner surface of the bushing rub against one another, wearing little by little. (Proper lubrication reduces the amount of wear but does not eliminate it.)
The problem is the wear of the pin. As the surface of the pin is reduced, the rigidity of the pin decreases and eventually fatigue failure may result. The question is how much wear is acceptable and at what point should you be concerned.
Testing shows that when wear elongation is less than or equal to 1.5 percent for transmission chain, there is almost no risk of fatigue failure.
NOTE: This replacement limit applies to situations in which every pin and bushing wears equally. If one part is subject to greater wear, the system should be examined and repaired. Chains should be replaced at the same time.
Inspection
A chain is a very reliable part . You can expect very long life from a chain if you've followed the selection and operating guidelines properly.
However, it is important to inspect a chain periodically to make sure it is operating correctly. During long-term use, pins, bushings, and rollers gradually wear. An unexpected shock load or the operating environment may cause problems. To avoid any accidents caused by these factors, you must regularly inspect the chain , and address any problems as you see. Plan at least monthly inspections. If the chain is used in harsh conditions, inspect it more frequently.
Chain Tension
Gently lift the chain at the driven end behind the driven sprocket (where the chain tension is minimum). You should be able to move the chain slightly. This provides adequate play when the chain is running.
|  Here are the parts of a transmission chain as it is called. (AKA Bike chain).
The connecting link, sometime called the master link,  has a proper way to be installed. Installing it wrong can may cause to come off.
E-Bike Maintenance   There is not a lot you can do in side the motor. The hub motor image is only to satisfy your curiosity.
There seems to be no power getting to the hub motor.
First, check to see if the key switch is "On". Are the lights on your thumb throttle lit? (Assuming you have a lighted thumb throttle, not an unlighted thumb throttle.) If the lights on your thumb throttle are lit, your battery pack is probably okay. If they are not lit, open your battery pack and make sure the batteries are connected properly - to each other and to the end power supply/charger port wires. Plug the smart charger into the battery pack charger port. If it goes amber, it means that the batteries are connected and the pack needs to be charged. If the light stays green: either your pack is okay and fully charged, or the battery cables inside the pack have become disconnected. Did you drop the battery pack recently?
There is a spark when I plug my battery pack into the controller. Is this normal?
Yes. There is a lot of power consumed by the capacitors in the controller. When the battery pack is plugged in, the capacitors refill themselves quickly, drawing a current and causing the spark. However, this spark cannot hurt you.
My motor will not shut-off, not even when I let go of the throttle.
This could be caused by one of two things: either the throttle is bad, or the timing circuit in the controller has failed, in which case the controller will need to be replaced.
Isolate the problem by the following steps: first, put the bike on a stand so that the motor/wheel can spin freely. Next, unplug the throttle from the controller, then plug the battery pack in. If the culprit is the controller, your motor will begin to spin the moment you plug the battery pack in. If it doesn't spin, your controller is probably okay. Now, verify that the culprit is the throttle by plugging it into the controller. The motor should immediately start spinning, e.g. - you have a bad throttle.
 Is there a way to do an isolation test of the motor only, to make sure it is good?
Yes. You can bypass the controller and throttle and connect your battery directly to the motor. However, this test is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for a big spark and a strong lurch when the motor jumps to life. If you want to minimize the spark and motor lurch, you can open the battery pack and disconnect two of the three batteries from the circuit, ( Providing you don’t have only one battery be it 24 or 36 volts. ) but make sure that your 2-plug battery power supply cable is connected to the positive and negative terminals of your remaining battery. Disconnecting two batteries will reduce the voltage down to 12 volts, and the spark and motor lurch will be greatly reduced when you perform this test. If the motor jumps to life when you touch the battery cable to the motor cable --- it's good.
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