Electric Bike Speed Limiter Removal

Electric bikes typically have speed limiters that won’t allow you to go past a certain speed. This is to ensure the rider’s safety and comply with the local regulations regarding electric bikes’ maximum speed.

With that in mind, you may want to unlock your e-bike’s true potential and allow yourself to go faster than you normally would.

This article will explore how e-bike speed limiters work and how to override them.

Things To Consider Before Removing Speed Limiter On E-bike

himiway-ebike-dashboard-showing-speed

Before bypassing your e-bike speed limiter, you should keep a few things in mind.

Safety

E-bike injuries are quite common, more so than regular bike injuries. Derestricting an e-bike can increase the likelihood of injury and its gravity. Speed limiters reduce the risk of injury and help you ride safely.

Should you decide to remove your e-bike speed limiter, it’s highly advised that you do not overly exceed the speed limit. You must also have the necessary experience and road awareness to ride fast and safely.

In addition, it’s less risky to exceed your e-bike speed limiters on well-maintained roads and roads with little to no traffic. 

Where there is traffic, ride responsibly and do not put yourself and others in danger. Good roads will help with your balance and your e-bike’s stopping distance. This way, you’ll have the thrilling experience you want while maintaining your safety.

Regulations

Rules sign created with scrabble chips

Be mindful of e-bikes’ speed limit regulations in your state or country. Going past the speed limit may result in hefty fines. Additionally, speed limiter removal is illegal in many countries as it alters an e-bike’s classification.

Warranty

Once your e-bike’s speed limiter is removed, your warranty becomes null and void. If your warranty has already expired, this won’t be an issue. Otherwise, think carefully before proceeding to derestrict your e-bike.

Battery Consumption

E-bikes have speed limiters for reasons other than laws and regulations. Electric bikes are rarely designed to go faster than they were intended to. Your motor may not provide the necessary power for an increased speed.

Outlet dashboard showing mains and ebike battery status

Even if your bike manages to go significantly faster, your e-bike battery performance decreases significantly. This will affect your battery range and lifespan. 

If you derestrict your e-bike, don’t exceed the speed limit very often if you want your battery to last.

Tools Required to Remove E-bike Speed Limiter

Derestricting your e-bike is fairly simple if you know what you’re doing. This mostly depends on your e-bike model. You may or may not need these tools to remove your e-bike’s speed limiter.

No Tools

A couple of ways to remove your e-bike speed limiter do not involve tools at all. 

The trick is to manipulate the way your e-bike’s sensor receives data. When you exceed your bike’s speed limit, the sensor sends a signal to the motor, which will shut off. The sensor will no longer be triggered by breaking the connection between the sensor and the wheel.

Many e-bike owners prefer this process as it takes less time than other methods. Be aware that this doesn’t work on all kinds of e-bikes. We’ll explore this in more detail later on.

E-bike Tuning Kit

VOLspeed V3 for Yamaha PW-X/PW-X2 / PW-SE/PW-ST/PW-TE eBike Tuning kit Speed Removal
  • Tuning kit is compatible with Yamaha PW-X / PW-X2 / PW-SE / PW-ST / PW-TE and PW-CE motors up to…
  • The tuning module only works with e-bikes that have an electric motor support of up to 16mph…
  • After the dongle is installed, your eBike display will show real data, such as maximum and average…
  • The tuning kit can be activated directly on your bike’s display. After pressing the arrow keys…
  • It is possible to set a “softer curtailment behavior” (dynamic mode). This significantly softens the…

If your e-bike doesn’t allow the previous method, you’ll need a specific e-bike tool kit to alter the speed limit. These tuning kits achieve the same thing—they tamper with the signals sent by the sensor to the computer unit, allowing you to exceed the speed limit without triggering a motor shutdown.

Plenty of different tuning kits are available for purchase and have varying performances. Some may increase your speed limit to a certain extent, while others will derestrict your bike and let you go as fast as your e-bike allows.

Tuning kits may or may not require electrical disassembly. They typically come with detailed instructions that you’ll need to follow carefully to avoid damaging your e-bike circuitry.

How Does The E-bike Speed Limiter Work?

The speed limiter puts a cap on your e-bike’s maximum speed, preventing the motor from accelerating further once a certain limit is reached. The cap varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but is usually around 20mph.

The way this works has to do with sensors, magnets, and controller units. 

The magnetic device, usually found by the e-bike’s rear wheel, measures the wheel’s circumference. The sensor reads this information and sends it to the computer unit. The latter interprets the data and regulates how much electrical assistance is provided.

This is key to understanding how e-bike de-restriction works. In short, by altering the sensor’s data transmitted to the controller unit, the controller will read at a lower speed than the actual one.

How To Derestrict an Ebike

The best method to unlock an e-bike depends on the e-bike model and what it allows you to do.

One way of de-restricting e-bikes is by moving the magnet and sensor from the rear wheel to someplace else, usually the pedal bracket. The sensor and the magnet need to face each other to work.

As a result, your controller unit will no longer detect the actual e-bike’s speed from the wheel circumference.

This handy method won’t work with all e-bikes. With many e-bikes, the magnet or sensor is hardwired into the e-bike and can’t be accessed or moved. If this is the case, your best bet will be tuning kits.

Below are methods to derestrict a couple of popular e-bike models.

Bosch Electric Bike Speed Limiter Removal

The best way to unlock a Bosch e-bike is by using an appropriate tuning chip. This will remove the speed restriction and set a higher speed cap. These tuning chips need to be compatible with your motor gen.

How to get to install Speedbox 3.0 to get to speeds of 70km/hr with your ebike
  • Bosch Models Excluding 2022 Smart System

Tuning chips such as Speedbox and VOLspeed are good options. These are suitable for most Bosch e-bikes, including Active Line (Plus), CX Line, Cargo Line, Performance Line, and even the 2020 Performance Line CX, which features a smart system and the eBike Flow app. 

Click image below to get your own speedbox:

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If you’re going with either of these, Volspeed V4 and Speedbox 3.0 are recommended as they are the latest and most inclusive models.

  • Bosch 2022 Smart System

If you have a Bosch e-bike with the newer 2022 Smart System, these models won’t work. The good news is that Speedbox 1.0 and Speedbox 1.0 B.Tuning were released earlier in 2022 and are confirmed to work around the new Smart System.

Remember that Speedbox 1.0 and Speedbox 1.0 B.Tuning will display real values on your monitor up to 22.2km/h. The last two digits (separated by a decimal point) will be your actual value. For example, an actual 23km/h speed will read 22.3, 24km/h will read 22.4, and so on.

The installation process can slightly differ depending on the tuning kit and your e-bike’s model. Generally, it goes like this:

  • Remove the cover. For this, you’ll need at least a hex key or something similar. Get whatever tools necessary to remove your e-bike’s cover safely.
  • Remove the original connectors. This is fairly easy, but make sure you don’t unplug them abruptly. The interior will have two connectors that you need to remove carefully.
  • Install the tuning kit connectors. Speedbox and VOLspeed have two connectors that should replace the original ones.
  • Connect the original connectors to the tuning kit junctions. The tuning kit connectors that you just connected are linked to junctions. Attach the two original connectors to their respective slots in the junction.
  • Reattach the cover. Now that the tuning kit is set up, tuck all the wires and the tuning kit inside and place the cover back again. You can wrap table ties around the wires so everything is neat.
Installation process for Speedbox 1.0 for Bosch

Once the tuning kit is in place, all you need to do is activate it. The activation process can vary depending on the tuning kit model, so you’ll need to check how your particular model works.

Your tuning kit will come with detailed instructions. Make sure you carefully follow these for both installation and activation.

Bafang Electric Bike Speed Limiter Removal

Several Bafang e-bikes can be de-restricted using the same method. For instance, the M-300, M-400, and M-420 models can easily be unlocked using tuning kits such as Speedbox (for Bafang) 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3.

Removing the speed limiter in more recent models can be quite tricky. Other good tuning kits, such as Badass Box 4, have been successfully tested on the M500 and M800 series, but these aren’t widely available or easily shipped worldwide.

Speedbox installation for Bafang ebikes

There are more advanced methods to derestrict Bafang e-bikes. These involve programming cables that allow you access to firmware where you can tweak your e-bike’s settings, including the speed limiter. Sadly, these haven’t been extensively tested and are not guaranteed to work properly for all Bafang motors.

To conclude, if you have an M-300, M-400, or M420 e-bike, the process is very straightforward with the help of a Speedbox tuning kit. You can safely and effectively derestrict an M500 or M800 using Badass Box 4 if you manage to get hold of it. 

Unfortunately, few tuning kits are available for e-bike Bafang motors. Hopefully, more tuning kits will be on the market soon.

Other Ways to Increase Your E-bike Speed

If you feel your e-bike’s speed is restricted more than it should, you can do a few things about it.

Whether or not you go along with the de-restriction, here are a few tips to help you make the best of your e-bike’s speed.

Upgrade The Motor

Black-ebike-with-bosch-mid-drive-motor

For your e-bike to go faster, your motor needs to be powerful enough. 

Upgrading a motor with a higher KV rating will significantly enhance your e-bike’s speed. Even if you derestrict your e-bike, an upgraded motor will support an increased speed.

You can start by checking out your current motor’s specs and go for a better one. Depending on how the motor is built into your e-bike, you may have to replace the rear wheel or the mid-drive along with the motor. In addition, the new motor needs to fit your e-bike.

Replace The Battery

Battery voltage directly affects your e-bike’s motor speed. Upgrading to a higher voltage will significantly increase your e-bike’s speed. There’s little point in de-restricting your e-bike if your battery can’t handle it.

woman-removing-battery-pack-from-ebike

Before proceeding, you must see whether your controller unit can support the new voltage. While you can slightly over-volt most controller units, the latter can be fried if the voltage difference is too large.

Install New Tires

Keep in mind that thick tires have their advantages. If your tires are too thick for your e-bike to go quickly, go for thinner ones. Only do this if speed is your main concern.

different-sizes-of-bicycle-tires

By minimizing your tire’s contact patch, there will be less rolling resistance resulting in a couple of extra miles per hour of speed. Another way to reduce this resistance is by keeping your tires properly pumped. The higher the tire pressure, the less bumpy your ride is.

Set Up A Windshield

Besides rolling resistance, wind resistance does hinder your e-bike’s speed, particularly in harsh weather conditions. The way we usually sit on the bike doesn’t help either—the body’s frontal area acts as a big sail, affecting your speed.

A windshield will greatly reduce wind resistance by curving the air around your e-bike. Windshields are not typically designed for e-bikes, but you can easily find motorcycle windshields that will fit your e-bike’s handlebars.

Final Thoughts

Removing your e-bike’s speed limiter or working around it will allow you to enjoy faster rides. With that in mind, be sure not to damage any of your e-bike’s components and ride responsibly.

Choose among the several listed ways to derestrict your e-bike according to your preferences, your e-bike model, and required tools.

It’s possible to derestrict most e-bikes one way or another, but recent models have become more difficult to unlock. Make sure you go for a method that won’t damage your e-bike and is perfectly compatible with your model.