Yamaha PW drive: spot the wear parts and replace them in time
The Yamaha PW series is fitted in bikes from Haibike and Winora, among others. Giant's SyncDrive drives were developed together with Yamaha. Like every mid-drive motor, the PW also has wear parts, above all the crankshaft bearings.
How to recognise bearing wear
- Play at the crank: Grip both crank arms and shake them sideways. Noticeable play indicates worn crankshaft bearings.
- Clicking or grinding under load: Such noises can come from the bearing, but also from the pedals, crank bolts or chainring. Check these points first.
What you can do as a precaution
In its manual, Yamaha prohibits cleaning the motor with a steam cleaner, pressure washer or water hose. Water that gets past the seals into the bearing accelerates wear.
Repair or replace?
A worn bearing can be replaced, but the motor has to be opened to do so. This is work for a specialist workshop or experienced mechanics. As long as the statutory warranty or a guarantee applies, the first port of call is the specialist dealer. Our guide How much does an e-bike motor repair cost? compares the costs of parts, workshop and replacement motor.
Parts for each Yamaha drive (prices at bikely as of 10 October 2026):
- PW, PW-SE, PW-ST, PW-TE: crankshaft bearing left €19.95 and right €29.95, bearing set PLY00700 €59.95 (PW / PW-SE, PW-ST / PW-TE), lock nut €14.95
- PW-X / PW-X2: bearing set ENDURO €64.95
- Tool for the lock nut: Spider for Yamaha PW €29.95, Spider for PW-X / 2X / 3X €29.95
Matching parts: Yamaha PW and PW-SE · Yamaha PW-ST and PW-TE · Yamaha PW-X · All Yamaha spare parts
Sources: BIKE Magazin: Haibike SDuro, Yamaha PW-X · radfahren.de: Winora Yucatan, Yamaha PW-ST · E-MOUNTAINBIKE on Giant SyncDrive · Yamaha manual PW-S2 (cleaning). As of: October 2026.
