Nothing for sale

[mistercrash]

How about ''Mike E-Bike'' pronounced ''Mikeybike''. Kinda fun to say it many times really fast. MikeybikeMikeybikeMikeybikeMikeybikeMikeybike.
TexasSP, that scooter is scary, 30+ mph on a tiny thing like that is dangerous. Cool but dangerous

[_paralyzed_]

That bike does look sick Mike! I'm glad you got some wheel time.

And thanks for the kind words fellas!

[RC-Monster Mike]

Originally Posted by crazyjr

Mike -bike is pretty good, also the Chroninator E-bike, amybe even the BBM (Brushless blue monster) Mike, I never got an estimate on range with your battery setup.

One thing i noticed about this thread, Most start as good threads and turn to worthless chatter eventually, This one started almost worthless, and became constructive. Wierd

Range is hard to quantify, as I don't have an odometer. Range also varies greatly with terrain, speed, conditins, etc.

Zero(mfg of electric motorcycles) claims 26 miles on their MX bike, which is a close equivilent to my bike(was inspired by my bike, as was the Quantya). The Zero weighs 205 pounds, claims 57mph top speed and carries 1.7KWH nominal battery power - note it will not go 26 miles AT 57 mph.

My bike weighs 50 pounds less, carries 2.22KWH of battery power, and is geared for about 42mph currently. In theory if my bike weighed 50 more pounds and was geared for 15mph additional speed, it would have a 33-34 mile range. It should be better in its current state(lower gearing, lower weight). A lot depends on where and how you ride. At full speed, I would guess I could get perhaps 15-25 miles(all out down the road). Mixing it up in the trails, perhaps 25-35 miles, depending on the terrain. Perhaps an hour of all out off road thrashing(which would wear me out, too).

I ran it to the low voltage for the first time today(left me stranded a mile or so from home, actually). I charged it up to 82 volts last night(84 volts would be full charge). I took it to the local motorcycle shop last night and showed it off a bit - short smoke show burnout, some wheelies and ripping around the parking lot and I let the shop owner tool around for a few minutes before coming home(bike in the back of my van). Today, the voltage was around 81 volts(after last night's run). I did some romping around the yard(wheelies, etc.) for about 15 minutes or so late this morning morning and then made the 3.75 mile run down to the local convenience store for bread to make myself a sandwich for lunch(full speed all the way there and back). Voltage was at around 76 and change when I got back. After lunch, I continued off an on to run the bike - in between setting up the cnc from job to job so my operator could run parts, and answering some emails and phone calls. I rode perhaps a solid hour and change of riding spread over a few hours - mixed between trails and street, wheelies all around(fun) and 10 or so rips on my RC track(The wooden crossover is fun on dirt bikes, so I routinely hit the cross, burn down the straight and ride around the house to repeat). Voltage was now at around 66 volts. I then pressed my luck and it cost me. I decided to ride down the street to another local bike guy's place to show him - I had mentioned the bike when I met this guy about a year ago, but hadn't shown him the bike. He is a little over a mile down a main road, so full throttle all the way. I barely made it - limped into his place, actually. I showed him the bike of course, but couldn't impress him much aside from looking at it. I hung out for 30 minutes chatting and pushed it home(using the bike to push itself up the steep hills, coasting down and pushing the flats. Altogether I would guess I put around 25 miles on it - maybe a little more. Half of it was all out on the road and the rest was goofing off and playing around. I definately rode for a couple hours all in, though. The handling, power and runtime are exponentially better than they were on lead, though. I will install a cell analyst(dahboard basically) in the near future to allow some data collection and general info(speed, distance, voltage, current, etc.). I have the power limted to 80% on the controller(300 amp controller, so 240 amps or arond 24HP). Without the current limit, the peak draw can actually spike over 400 amps for a split second and it really is a BEAST - any full throttle pull in unlimted mode at 25-30mph or under will lift the front end and if you don't let go it will loop the thing. Runtime may have been a little shorter if the current limit was off(lots of wheelies), but it really is hard to put down the power, so my guess is runtime impact would be minimal in reality. Great day today, though. :)

[_paralyzed_]

I was wondering if you drove the bike on the r/c track at all. I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.

What are you using to charge 80+volts?

[RC-Monster Mike]

The RC track is too small/tight for any real driving - the bike is full sized(58" wheelbase). I sometimes(most times) over jump the crossover and can't make the turn onto the strait so I hop the 6x6 border and continue on. The crossover is fun and fairly easy to access on the bike. :)
I have been charging the bike with my lead battery charger(10 /5 amp selectable, 12-72 volt charger I used to charge the lead batterries). I monitor the voltage and switch to 5 amps when it gets over 80 volts and shut it off when it gets around 82 volts. I will balance charge the modules every 5-10 cycles, depending on how far out they are after a few cycles. I don't worry too much about the packs coming out of balance, as each pack only sees 40 amps peak with the current setup(25c 5000mah pack) - not even giving them a workout. Periodic balance charging is easy with the modules, too.

[BrianG]

If on a budget, a simple constant-current circuit designed to cut out at 4.2v/cell should be fairly simple to make given the adequate supply voltage (probably rectify straight AC) and you are charging at lowish amps (~3A max). It won't be the most efficient, nor will it get the pack up to full capacity (not doing the CV phase), nor will it be done in an hour, but function always trumps form when on a budget.

Mike, what did the cycle shop say? Were they impressed? Or were they close-minded about the electric aspect? Just curious...

[RC-Monster Mike]

I ultimately want to get a lead battery bank/inverter set up in my van, along with a high output alternator so I can charge in the field. I try to ride my gas bike most weekends when it isn't raining, but the place we go is in an hour away. If I can get a couple hours in, charge while I eat some lunch and go back out it will be a win. After 3-5 hours on technical trails, I am pretty whipped anyways. No need to get a full charge or discharge if I don't have time, either. If i stop for 30 minutes and charge during that 30 minutes at a decent level, it will add to my runtime/funtime. I would love a 60 amp charger setup, but i don't know if it exists and if it does I probably can't afford it. I have seen 15 amp chargers for a couple hundred bucks, and even the 10 amp lead charger I use works fine as long as I can power it - and i already own it - I basically need a power supply to provide 120 volts and 15+/- amps.

The cycle shop was indeed impressed. They saw it once before when it was a lead sled, too. I stopped by after a ride last year(short ride on a bike trail, basically as the Lead would give you 40 minutes if you rode like a girl). The batteries were recovered enough to get a wheelie or two in the parking lot, though they were pretty flat. The guys at the shop have been bothering me ever since that day, actually - I told them I was converting to a better battery setup and they have been anxious to see it. The shop owner was quite impresed with the performance even at 80% output(25% increase going to 100% power in theory, but feels like more in reality).