Nothing for sale

[RC-Monster Mike]

I made them for myself, but could certainly reproduce them in various sizes now that I have the process somewhat figured out - there is a bit of labor to actually assemble the packs inside the modules, but the module parts themselves aren't so bad.

[suicideneil]

I think with the correct marketing & options, those modules would certainly sell well to guys getting into the e-bike world.

The annoying thing for me is that in the UK, we are limited to 200watt motors ( 250 for tandem/tricycles ) & 15mph on the road; offroad/on private land there are no limits. Given I weigh between ~170-220lb ( I'm getting down slowly but surely ), a 200watt motor and steep-ish hills is kind of a deal breaker; ofcourse, I also have no morals and the local police are near non-existent, so....

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by suicideneil

I think with the correct marketing & options, those modules would certainly sell well to guys getting into the e-bike world.

The annoying thing for me is that in the UK, we are limited to 200watt motors ( 250 for tandem/tricycles ) & 15mph on the road; offroad/on private land there are no limits. Given I weigh between ~170-220lb ( I'm getting down slowly but surely ), a 200watt motor and steep-ish hills is kind of a deal breaker; ofcourse, I also have no morals and the local police are near non-existent, so....

I am guessing if you would be caught with a "over 200" motor you would be charged some sort of "over-powered bicycle" tax, then required to go to court as well. That is some serious BS, glad I am not stuck over in the UK... But you guys do have free healthcare so that makes all of that communist stuff ok.

200 watts? That is like 1/4 of a horsepower. My garage door opener is more powerful than that. I bet an xl5 rustler can push 200 watts. Hell, my cordless drill pushes way more than that. Do they have a power limit on cordless tools over there too? This is what happens when you let the gov't into everything, alot of bs laws that do no good to anyone. I bet the person who passed that law has no idea what a watt is let alone what 200 of them are capable of. Even my home vacuum cleaner is rated at 1800 watts (right before it melts I am sure).

[snellemin]

200W is crap. How about putting a bogus 200W sticker on your motor.

[suicideneil]

^Exactomundo.

Unless I did something like speed through the center of town at ~40mph, I doubt they'd have any reason to pull me over, but a nice little engraved or printed sticker from a lesser motor over the original one would fool the police around here if they questioned the power output.

Reasoning being that if I get the job I applied for, it's a good ~20 minute walk, and mainly uphill on the way home, so an ebike powerful enough to propel me up the hill at 10-15mph with pedaling would be just fine, wouldn't need it for long distance travel as such either so I'd only have to recharge once a week or so, if that. Downhill I doubt I'd even bother with the motor as it levels out more of less half way to the place I need to go.

Regards power limits, if I wanted something better & to use it onroad, my understanding is that I'd have to pass at least my CBT ( compulsary Basic Training, lets you ride upto a 125cc scooter or bike for 2 years before you have to pass your full bike test ), and also get the bike insured like a regular motorbike ( could be rather difficult to say the least ), and possibly even get it tested by the SVLA ( Single Vehicle Licensing Agency, they test and evaluate one-off car/bikes/trikes etc to make sure they meet safety standards before they are approved for use onroad ).

I understand the reasoning ( hardly fair to let someone drive a bike that fast & powerful on the road with no restrictions vs what petrol powered bikers have to go through to gain a license ), but 200watts is only any good for about ~15-20mph tops on a level road as it is with a light-weight setup, add a fat git like me and steep hills and it just becomes pointless...

[mistercrash]

Originally Posted by RC-Monster Mike

I made them for myself, but could certainly reproduce them in various sizes now that I have the process somewhat figured out - there is a bit of labor to actually assemble the packs inside the modules, but the module parts themselves aren't so bad.

Going lipo on an E-bike/scooter/motorcycle requires some sort of labor. That's not a problem. How about safety? Is the material used for the modules fire retardant? In case of a flame out of one of the packs. I'm asking because where the modules would be in my scooter, it's pretty much buried underneath the seat and side panels. Or maybe have a bit of room inside the modules to wrap the lipos in some kind of fire retardant material.

[Overdriven]

I may be from across the pond but I'm a bit of a moped/scooter and small bike aficionado, and Europe has some way cooler small bikes than the US. It used to be the UK basically had no special liscense for mopeds/scooters that are under a certain power level and don't exceed about 30mph, but you still needed registration and insurance. Any faster or more powerful than that and you need your Learners (CBT) which is limited to 125cc. But like you said you can ride (with the big red "L" below the plate) before getting your full liscense.

You can also get into trouble hopping up any of the bikes that are supposed to be "limited" and I've heard that some metro areas that have portable dynos to measure output and will hand out tickets for excessive output. I'd have to assume a basic e-bicycle would fall into some sort of "assisted power" category of bicycle not requiring registration and insurance due to low speeds. A moped/scooter that can't go over 30mph would need registration and insurance but no special liscense. Of course anything not manufactured and already certified to meet the requirements of a certain registration class must be inspected by the govt. It's basically the same here. We don't get the CBT with the 125cc restriction though. Here you get your learners but can only ride with someone who has a full liscense (they can be on a separate bike) until you pass the test for a full liscense.

[RC-Monster Mike]

I don't think the material is necessarily fire retardant, but it isn't flammable, either. The actual packs are almost sealed within the module, too - not much air = not much fire. The packs could be wrapped in flame retardent material by the end user easily enough - that is up to the end user though. The pictures don't show it, but the 1/16" thick sidewalls completely wrap the packs and are sunk into the sidewalls on the upper and lower pieces(there is a recessed shelf on the upper and lower pieces for the walls to sit on). These modules were made to these specific packs, so the packs are snug and the top and sidewalls are also snug(with 1/16 foam pad on top of packs) so nothing moves. About 5 minutes with rtv silicone or shoe goo and the packs could be completely sealed from the elements. With proper care and charging/discharging, the chance of a fire is quite slim. They will mount semi-permanent on my bike as well(off road machine, so they need to mounted securely) and I really don't want to burn my bike(or my manhood) any more than anyone else. I am not terribly worried, though.

[mistercrash]

Thanks Mike. All of what you said makes perfect sense and I shouldn't worry so much. I have been wanting to do some work on the scooter this winter when it's in storage and getting rid of the SLAs would be the first thing I'd want to do. I looked at many options for new batteries and there is good stuff out there, many plug and play options but sometimes a bit expensive. Nothing can compare to Lithium Polymer though for power and weight saving. These modules you created are really tempting me to go lipo on my scooter. I'll be in touch if I go ahead with the conversion this winter. Thanks Mike.

[sikeston34m]

Originally Posted by RC-Monster Mike

I don't think the material is necessarily fire retardant, but it is flammable, either. The actual packs are almost sealed within the module, too - not much air = not much fire. The packs could be wrapped in flame retardent material by the end user easily enough - that is up to the end user though. The pictures don't show it, but the 1/16" thick sidewalls completely wrap the packs and are sunk into the sidewalls on the upper and lower pieces(there is a recessed shelf on the upper and lower pieces for the walls to sit on). These modules were made to these specific packs, so the packs are snug and the top and sidewalls are also snug(with 1/16 foam pad on top of packs) so nothing moves. About 5 minutes with rtv silicone or shoe goo and the packs could be completely sealed from the elements. With proper care and charging/discharging, the chance of a fire is quite slim. They will mount semi-permanent on my bike as well(off road machine, so they need to mounted securely) and I really don't want to burn my bike(or my manhood) any more than anyone else. I am not terribly worried, though.

It would be a shame to lose the boys to a Lipo Fire!

[mistercrash]

Hi Mike,
Have you thought about one last part to your module? A cap to cover and protect the balancing tabs from dirt and water. Something easily removable, maybe a cap that snaps on?

[RC-Monster Mike]

The balance taps could be tucked under the top cap(removes with 2 screws) - not a huge concern for me personally so I left the taps out to make module balance charging easier(plug and play). A snap on cover would be cool, though. I may use that idea. :)

[_paralyzed_]

e-bikes, e-shmikes.

WHEELCHAIRS is where you guys need to focus your talents.

[snellemin]

Morgan Freeman just made a movie using Goldenmotor hubs on a wheelchair.

[_paralyzed_]

Originally Posted by snellemin

Morgan Freeman just made a movie using Goldenmotor hubs on a wheelchair.

I've got a manual wheelchair with rear suspension (rock-shox!) that I've been contemplating doing this to.

How to steer? Skid steer? Add spindles and an ackerman? Someday...