Originally Posted by
Chuckles1
REAR hub drive, Bafang SWX02 500W, 48V geared motor. Don't know model of controller. It acts like cruise control, in that each power level setting seems to have a top speed, and the system accelerates pretty quickly up to that speed. So starting out from dead stop, or low speed maneuvering, is best done with throttle, which applies as little power as you want. Noticed the safety issue first time I approached an intersection and gave it one last pedal to get closer before stopping. Pedal assist kicked in; thank goodness brake cutoffs work. Not a problem once you're aware of it, but dangerous for newbie!
Don't know about your specific model but all of that is programable on many Bafang controllers. One of the true benefits of Bafang. For each assist level you can set the maximum power and top speed. You can also set the rate at which it gets up to that full power setting. I downloaded a configuration file from a bike blog, it is set up really nice. Motor starts out pretty slow then smoothly builds up to full power. I can really feel this "soft start" when I stop and restart pedaling.
If yours isn't programmable the solution to fast starts is to switch to a lower assist level before starting off. Motor won't come on as strong that way. I constantly adjust the assist level with speed anyway. Makes it work like a torque sensing unit. throttles for me are for fast starts or merging into traffic.