Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Motobecane Hal6 Expert Assembly and Info

10K views 36 replies 12 participants last post by  OldTimer1950 
#1 ·
Just got my Hal6 Expert from BD tonight. I wanted to take some pictures and post an assembly guide specific for the bike, however my phone broke so no camera :( Still, some may find some guidance useful so here it is.

What you will need:
T25 Torx bit
4mm, 5mm Allen wrench/bit
Phillips head screw driver
Inch lb torque wrench/screw driver
Pedal wrench (different wrenches may work but must have a thin enough head to fit between pedal and crank)
Padding to lay stuff on (the box will work)

1) Remove bike from box and inspect for any damage. My box showed up pretty banged up from UPS but I was happy upon inspection that nothing was damaged. Others have reported similar results so don't freak if your box looks the same. If there are problems like scratches or damaged parts, contact BD as they seem to take pretty good care of their customers.

2) Start by carefully unwrapping all of the components, clipping zip ties (careful not to cut any of the ones that hold the cables down! :thumbsup:), undoing the rubber bands, etc. Leave the bags holding the front brake rotor and mounting bracket for now, as well as the rear derailleur.

3) Attach rotors to wheels. My rotors came attached to their respective wheels, so there shouldn't be any guessing involved as to which rotor goes to which wheel. Lay the wheel flat on the ground with the rotor mounts facing towards you. The rotor has a directional rotation arrow, so make sure it is pointed in the right direction, which is counter-clockwise. The rotors will be on the left side of the wheel once the wheel is mounted to the bike, so that should be able to help you visualize if you need. There are 3 locking washers that cover 2 holes each that look like little box end wrenches that should be in the bag with the screws. These go between the rotor and the bolts. Each locking washer has a marking on it that says "top". Make sure this lettering faces out towards you as you assemble. Start by threading each bolt by hand, though they probably wont go in very far. Once all 6 are started, VERY LIGHTLY snug them down in a start pattern. Since there are 6, start with one and then move to the one on the opposite side. Move back to the first bolt and go to the next bolt clockwise from it and snug it down, then move to the opposite bolt. Repeat with the last two. Once that is done, get your torque wrench out and tighten them down to 18-35 in-lbs (2-4 nm). I like to split the difference and tightened them to 25 in-lbs. See this video here if you need some illustrations

2) Remove the 4 stem bolts and mount the handlebar. Snug these up for now, you will torque them to spec later on once the bike is assembled and you are ready to start adjusting the cockpit.

3) Remove the seat and post from the box. Keep the plastic on if you want to help protect it. Loosen the seat post clamp with the 4mm allen bit, slide the seat in, then snug it down.

4) With the seat and handlebars installed, flip the bike upside down. Remove the front brake assembly from the bag, being careful not to drop any of the pieces or let them come apart. If you do, refer to the diagram on page 9 of this manual: http://si.shimano.com/php/download.php?file=pdf/dm/DM-BR0006-00-ENG.pdf Tighten each bolt evenly and then torque to 52-70 in-lbs. Again, I split the difference and went with 60.

5) Remove the front thru-axle by pulling back on the lever and placing it in the groove of the axle hub. Rotate counter-clockwise to loosen and then remove once fully disengaged. Install front tire into drop out channels and then insert thru axle and tighten down.

6) Mount rear derailleur to rear drop out using 5mm allen. The bolt to attach them should be inside the derailleur itself, so no need to go looking for it. The hole that it mounts to on the drop out is the one just above the wheel axle . Start tightening the bolt, but before you get too far, rotate the derailleur clockwise so that it bumps up against the drop out. Once you get the bolt most of the way but still loose, release the derailleur and it should rotate itself into proper position and stop. Torque to 70-90 in-lbs (I used 80). See this video here for additional details:
7) Remove rear thru axle and install rear tire. Make sure the rear derailleur cluth lever is in the off position in order to relive chain tension. This part can be confusing and unfortunately I don't have a good way of describing it, so my best advice is to look at pictures to see how the chain routing goes. You will basically pull back on the derailleur and then drop the tire in with the other hand, wrapping the chain around the small cassette cog as you drop it in. Re-insert the axle and tighten. Don't forget to switch the derailleur clutch lever to on.

8) Attach both pedals. Each pedal is marked with an R or an L. Pretty self explanatory, but don't forget that the bike is upside down so they will actually be reversed. Start by finger threading in the pedals (L pedal will be reverse-threaded) then switch to the pedal wrench and hold it in place while backpedaling the bike with your other hand. It should tighten down rather quickly.

9) Put some air in the tires, whatever you like to ride with, then flip the bike back over.

10) Loosen the stem bolts that hold the handle bar, just enough so you can rotate it. Either with a helper or up against something to balance you, saddle the bike and rotate the handles until they feel comfortable to you. Once they feel like they are in the right spot, snug the bolts, then torque to ~45 in-lbs.

11) Using a 4mm allen, loosen the bolts holding down the brakes and shifters. Both should be adjusted so that your hands are at a natural angle when riding, without feeling like you have to twist them downwards or bend your wrists back. The brake levers should be set up so that your index finger reaches the end of the lever and can comfortably pull it while your other three fingers remain on the bar. You may need to adjust the reach of the lever using the finger nobs on the front of the brake levers. Your shifters should be set up so that your thumb and index finger can reach them without having to move your hands. For me, this meant switching the brake levers from the outside to the inside of the gear shifters. See here for more details:
12) Adjust front and rear derailleurs for proper shifting. This is one good video, but there are many so if you are still confused, keep searching until you find the one that works for you.

I think that pretty much covers everything but if I missed anything let me know! After all was said and done, my bike weighed 31.8 lbs. with full stock components. Tomorrow I will try and get some pictures in the day time with my crap camera. This bike really does look tight in person, better than on the website. Moral of the story, this bike is absolutely worth the price and if you are worried about assembling it, don't be. It's fairly easy with a reasonable level of skill, and if not, you can always take it to your LBS.

Tomorrow I will be setting up the wheels tubeless using the WTB TCS rim tape and valve stems along with some Stans sealant. I will post an updated weight once that is done.
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Some crappy pics of the bike. The welds are nice, and the tubes are nicely shaped with a good flowing design.

Additional weight info (fyi, using my bathroom scale with rounds to the nearest 2 tenths):

31.8 lbs fully assembled as delivered including stock pedals, reflectors, etc.
19 lbs with wheels, pedals, and reflectors removed
29.8 lbs with wheels converted to tubless, no pedals
30.6 lbs with tubless wheels, stock pedals

Tubless set up was fairly easy. I used WTB TCS valves w/removable core, WTB TCS i25 rim tape, and stans sealant. Biggest PITA about the whole thing was getting the tires to unset from the rim bead... man they hold in there tight! Best thing I found to do was just stand up and grip it with both hands and push down over the rim away from you. Most like it won't pop up right away but keep doing that along the tire, moving over a couple inches each time and it will eventually start to separate. After I got the rims taped and valve stems in, I did have to use an air compressor to get the rim beads to seat, jacked it up to 40 psi until I heard the loud popping coming from them seating. Once I did that, I deflated the tire and removed the valve core, then used the stans injector to inject the sealant through the valve stem. I was able to pump the tire back up with my Topeak Mini Blaster hand pump as the rim beads stayed seated the whole time.

So far it seems to be holding tight. No bubbles or noticeable leaks anywhere.
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Some crappy pics of the bike. The welds are nice, and the tubes are nicely shaped with a good flowing design.

Additional weight info (fyi, using my bathroom scale with rounds to the nearest 2 tenths):

31.8 lbs fully assembled as delivered including stock pedals, reflectors, etc.
19 lbs with wheels, pedals, and reflectors removed
29.8 lbs with wheels converted to tubless, no pedals
30.6 lbs with tubless wheels, stock pedals

Tubless set up was fairly easy. I used WTB TCS valves w/removable core, WTB TCS i25 rim tape, and stans sealant. Biggest PITA about the whole thing was getting the tires to unset from the rim bead... man they hold in there tight! Best thing I found to do was just stand up and grip it with both hands and push down over the rim away from you. Most like it won't pop up right away but keep doing that along the tire, moving over a couple inches each time and it will eventually start to separate. After I got the rims taped and valve stems in, I did have to use an air compressor to get the rim beads to seat, jacked it up to 40 psi until I heard the loud popping coming from them seating. Once I did that, I deflated the tire and removed the valve core, then used the stans injector to inject the sealant through the valve stem. I was able to pump the tire back up with my Topeak Mini Blaster hand pump as the rim beads stayed seated the whole time.

So far it seems to be holding tight. No bubbles or noticeable leaks anywhere.
Nice looking bike! Black with white accents... Now change the ugly seat and you're all set!
 
#5 ·
I went for the first trail ride last night. This is my first dual suspension so I don't have much experience to compare it to, but it felt very tight. Handling was excellent and felt much more nimble than my HT 29'er. The suspension was definitely confidence inspiring and I found myself hitting obstacles and riding over terrain with a lot more speed than I usually do. Climbing wasn't too bad but I did feel the front end had a tendency to lift easier than the 29'er, but that is expected. The old bike was more of an XC style geometry. I definitely noticed the difference on steep descents and with the rear suspension, my weight wasn't being forced forward as much.

A side note on the shifter and brake lever set up... I had swapped mine to locate the brakes on the inside of the handlebars relative to the shifters, but because of the gear indicators I wasn't able to slide the shift levers as far away from my hands as I would have liked while still being able to reach the brake lever for 1-finger braking. With the advice of another forum member, I looked into removing the gear indicators and found that for $5 a piece, you can buy a blanking cover plate for them and remove the indicators, allowing me to move the gear shift levers further in away from my hands and where I like. If you don't ever look at the gear indicators anyway and aren't completely happy with the lever locations, it's worth a look.
 
#9 ·
No, just something I fell into when trying to set up my old bike for 1 finger braking. The brake levers were a 2 or 3 finger length lever so I had to swap them in order to get the end of the lever far enough away. I got used to the resulting position of the shifters which, even though the SLX brakes are a 1-finger design, wasn't the same on the hal6 and felt weird to me.
 
#13 ·
Hopefully this Thursday. Between work and vacations I've only had a chance to ride it twice but both times have been great. It's very confidence inspiring and I find myself attempting a lot of things I hadn't before, like riding over difficult skinnies and hitting some drops. My buddy should be coming with me on Thursday and I'll ask him to bring his go pro. We ride a lot together so he will be able to give some impartial validation as to how my riding has changed, but regardless I love the way it feels. CC needs to do his comparo with his buddy on the stumpjumper FSR comp. Both of the guys I ride with were looking at getting those but after this bike, they are considering an Hal6 pro instead so it would be interesting to hear what he has to say.
 
#14 ·
Finger Joint Wrist Employment Thumb
Finger Bicycle accessory Bicycle part Bicycle tire Automotive tire


Gear indicator deletes installed. I like having my index finger right at the end of the brake levers and the shift levers far enough away that I can grip the handlebars without them getting in the way, but close enough that I can reach them with my thumb/index finger without moving my hand.
 
#18 ·
View attachment 1078959 View attachment 1078960

Gear indicator deletes installed. I like having my index finger right at the end of the brake levers and the shift levers far enough away that I can grip the handlebars without them getting in the way, but close enough that I can reach them with my thumb/index finger without moving my hand.
.

Nice cockpit setup with the levers...and great thread. I am contemplating getting a Hal6 Expert myself. I have heard varying information regarding the sizing however. Some say the Hal runs larger, and some say they are about the same to other manufactures. I am 5'8" and currently ride a 17.5 labeled Trek Xcaliber9. I'm on the fence as to if I should get the small or med Hal6. Any advice you could offer regarding the size?
 
#16 ·
Any update on bike thinking about getting one

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
No real updates on the bike other than it still rides great and I have no complaints or regrets. My buddy never ended up getting his stumpjumper so I didn't have an opportunity to do a comparison to that. I did borrow a GoPro and took some videos but they came out like ****... I hate how underwhelming mtb videos are with a GoPro as you don't get any feel for terrain, climbs/descents, obstacles, etc.
 
#19 ·
Can't really offer much advice as far as comparisons to other manufacturers, but I will say that I was surprised at the standover height of the bike. I was definitely thinking it would be less than advertised given the aggressive downward slope of the top tube, but it was pretty true to their measurement specs. I was right on the cusp between M and L, so I went with the L. Its not too big for me, but I'm guessing a M would have been big enough for me as well. I would say follow their sizing guide, and if you are in between, make the call based on whether you'd prefer more stability with a large frame and wheelbase or more maneuverability with a smaller frame.
 
#20 ·
Finally got off my lazy but (well kinda, I sat on my but the whole time while doing it) and put together the first video of my ride. It's mainly the ride, I don't focus on the bike at all, but you can see the type of terrain I ride on and I'd say the bike handles it like a rockstar.

 
#21 ·
#22 ·
Thanks jrglenni!

Hey jrglenni thanks a lot for taking the time to post all of this great info! I should be getting the Hal6 Expert in tomorrow so all of this will help a lot! :thumbsup:

Just curious, what tire pressures are you running in your tubeless setup and what sort of terrain do you mostly ride in? Thanks!
 
#23 ·
Grats guys! That Lava Red looks sick! Kinda wish they had the team 11/12 when I was looking as I think I would have opted for one of those, but then again kinda glad otherwise I would have spent even more money!

I run 28 psi up front and back, never tried to get fancy with different pressures yet. I mainly ride on tight, rocky terrain. Take a look at the youtube video a few posts back if you want.
 
#24 ·
Hmmm, I saw a video on Youtube where someone said they were running:

Wtb Trail boss 2.25 tires. Tubeless 18.5 front 20.5 rear


Maybe you have yours a bit high? Don't know... :confused:

It seems most of the "pros" run the front tire a couple pounds less than the rear for sure though. Maybe someone else can chime in?
 
#25 ·
Hmmm, I saw a video on Youtube where someone said they were running:

Wtb Trail boss 2.25 tires. Tubeless 18.5 front 20.5 rear

Maybe you have yours a bit high? Don't know... :confused:

It seems most of the "pros" run the front tire a couple pounds less than the rear for sure though. Maybe someone else can chime in?
That seems wicked low... maybe for smooth trails where you aren't hitting many rocks or drops, but I wouldn't risk running that low on my trails. Seems like you'd be asking for a bent rim from hard contact with a rock, or some burbing on hard corners.

This may help you decide:
What tire pressure should I run in my MTB? | ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine
 
#28 ·
jrglenni, one thing you might want to change is too leave the front brake assembly with enough slack in the bolts when installing so that you can install the tire and make sure the rotor lines up correctly inside the pads before tightening the bolts (there is some play in the bolt holes for adjustment). One way to do this is to squeeze the brake lever so that it self aligns to the rotors and hold it while tightening the bolts. Then spin the wheel to make sure the rotor isn't rubbing on the pads and spins freely. If not, redo the procedure. Hope this makes sense.

By the way, I noticed you have your front brake cable routed on the outside of the fork. I got all of this info from a video where the guy said it was safer to route it inside the fork so that there is less chance of it getting snagged on something and breaking the cable or causing a crash:
 
#29 ·
Got my Hal 6 Expert in a couple of days ago and went for my first ride yesterday. The box arrived in great condition as well as the bike inside. Gotta say that I love it so far! Nothing to really compare it to though as my last bike was from 2000 and this is my first FS bike. The only thing I found kind of strange so far is that the seat post seems to maybe be a tad too long for the frame as it can't go any lower than what you see in the photo. Might have to cut 1/2"-1" off. I ordered a 44cm/med. frame and I'm glad I did as it is a big bike (I'm 5'10" with a 32" inseam) and there's only about 1" max. stand-over clearance.

Anyway, I thought some of you considering buying one might like to know that mine came with a BLACK rear shock mount and not the silver one shown on the BD website and in the photos posted above. Personally I like the look better although the silver one would have been ok.



 
#30 ·
Just received my HAL6 Expert Save Up to 60% Off 27.5 Six Inch Travel All Mountain Shimano DynaSys, 2017 Motobecane HAL6 EXPERT Edition 27.5 / 650B Full Suspension Mountain Bikes Shimano Deore / XT 20 Speed Shimano SLX Hydraulic Disc Brakes Rockshox Revelation 150mm Forks | Shima last Tuesday. I'm 6'0" 200lbs 59yo dude that is primarily a roadie since birth. This is my 2nd Moto BD mt bike & I have an Immortal Spirit cf road bike that I will ride til I die. I've had my first BD Moto Fantom 29er HT for 5 years and I've just gotten into off-roading in the last 2 years. With a bad back & neck, I feel I need a bike that will absorb the rocks roots etc when I go to a mt bike park as opposed to riding the local concrete bike trail.
My Fantom 29 HT is a pretty fast bike on & off road, but it's pretty hard on my backside when hitting the roots & stuff. So I bought the HAL6 46cm 2x11 27.5 FS rig. Not sure if this is an all-mountain or enduro as I'm not up to speed w/ the lingo yet. I do like a bike I can ride all out with my heart rate pretty much at threshold and hammer as much as I can, especially on the flats. I find that the HAL6 is a little harder to keep moving fast than the Fantom HT 29er and I get gassed a little quicker when I'm going all out. The HAL measures 3 pounds heavier than the Fantom 29er HT, and I think the rear suspension does soak up some of my energy. But the ride is really supple and comfortable when hitting the nasty stuff. The 27.5 is more nimble than the 29er even though both bikes have the same wheelbase (44") I might experiment with a 130mm stem to stretch me out alittle more to see I can open up my chest more. Hope it doesn't mess up the steering characteristics.
AFA quality goes, all 3 of my BD bikes are top quality machines. Yeah, they might look a little boring in the graphics and frame profiles dept., but hey, for the components you get, they cannot be beat. The customer service is top-notch even tho you can't talk to a live body, they are good about answering emails. I even ordered a Fantom 29 FS last month but wanted a larger frame in the HAL6, so I sent it back and they were more than gracious to do an exchange.
I guess I need to get used to this type of bike since it has more gear that adds weight and absorbs energy than a hard frame bike. You experienced mt bikers please let me know if my experience is typical of FS bikes vs. HTs.
 
#31 ·
You can easily lock out the front and rear shocks so that it doesn't bounce when you don't want it to by simply turning the levers. Definitely makes a difference. I noticed that the Hal 6 is a little slower than my hardtail when climbing but it really shines everywhere else. I think it's mostly because of the larger/wider tires and lower tire pressure.
 
#35 ·
ok, thanks for those YouTubes. So I pumped up my tires to 40psi, locked out both front and rear shocks and this HAL6 Expert is a decent street or bike path bike. I can stand and hammer and get some decent speed, but can't do it for long as you can feel the weight and drag from those knobbies. So now I realize that a FS bike is not made to stand and hammer due to the suspension soaking up all your pedalling energy. Gonna have to learn to downshift earlier before hitting a little pump hill and just sit and spin. Once I get used to doing a quick lockout for running on the hard flats, I'll be ok. I'm just not used to hammering hard and not going very fast (a la roadie or HT). But this bike is rock solid and I can tell it will take a lot of abuse. Right out of the box, all gears were shifting perfectly. I have the XT w/ SLX shifters and downshifting is easier than on my 5 year old Fantom that has SLX too. It feels like Shimano eased up the spring tension or something and made it easier and quicker to downshift. This bike is also dead straight when going no-hands down the street. That means the frame/axles/forks are all plumb and aligned. Motobecane #3 is a keeper.
 
#36 ·
Have you checked the air pressure in your shocks? You shouldn't need to lock the bike out completely just to pedal hard. Mine came with the rear shock setup as M/M which was a bit low for my body weight (225). Pumping both shocks up to appropriate air pressure (with the lockout completely off) should help a lot with pedal bob. Obviosuly the full suspension bike isn't going to sprint like a hard tail, but you shouldn't have to lock it out to hammer down either.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top