Motors

[gphil]

Hi guys, Saw kit advertised on the ebay for a motor kit for 400.00 which included the batteries. I have seen them before called Wilderness Electric. Brushless wheel type etc. One sees so many things out there and I sure do not want to get taken on something which would be easy to do . Not afraid to pay a price just want the thing to operate for a while. Give me a clue if you can. Thanks. gphil

[Radical Brad]

My kit (on the plans) is a Wilderness Energy BL36 if that helps. Great system.

Brad

[gphil]

Then must be reliable if you like it. Thanks for the input. gphil

[Big Moe]

That's the answer to my next question. I'll be ordering soon. Any more opinions on battery packs? I'm leaning toward using the gel acid for pedal assist and lower price.

Big Moe

[Singleshot]

I installed a Wilderness Energy 450 watt brushless motor on my Wife's bike about 3 years ago and it works just fine. The 7ah batteries that came with it are a little short on capacity to what I would like, but that's an easy upgrade.
I have another identical kit that I intend to put on the Loderunner II I'm in the process of building.
Go with it. No worries.

[Big Moe]

OK! Even more info. Thanks Slingshot.
Let's keep this thread going a little longer. When my legs were a little stronger I rode my trike about 150 miles a month. Most rides were around 10 miles with some relatively short hills. The longer rides with my Freakbike Nation buddies are around 20 miles and usually flatland runs. I weigh 300 lbs. Going to start by powering my EZ3 USX trikes 20" front wheel and pedalling when I can. Do you think gel cells will work or would an upgrade be wise. I know these things are pretty subjective but hands on experience can be better than engineering data.

Big Moe - three wheels and an old crank. (soon to be electrified):gossip:

[TheKid]

FWIW, I have 15ah 36v SLA's I use for the tadpole, which get about 10 miles with no pedaling, and have gotten close to 20 just pedaling when starting and going uphill. For the DR, which I use most of the time, I have a 20ah 36v LiFePo4 pack, which will get me about the same range, but the brushed 24v (running on 36v) motor on the DR draws about 27 amps, compared to 12-15 amps drawn by either the 9C or Golden Motor hub motors.
I also have a 12ah LiFePo4 pack for the tadpole, and even though it's 20lbs. lighter than the SLA's, the range is about the same. With the LiPo's, regen braking doesn't work, which is why I use the sla's. I don't use the controller that came with the 9C kit, because it doesn't feature regen braking. I like regen because it really adds to stopping power. The small amount it recharges the batteries is so negligible, I don't consider it a standout feature.

[airjnke]

Howdy folks;
Gphil, have you considered getting one of the refurbished kits from We R Electrified? A refurb kit is how many people got into the pedal assist thing without a big investment. One problem with the W.E. hub motor is that it’s made for a 26” wheel. If it’s put into anything smaller torque will increase but speed will decrease. To max out the speed at full throttle it will really suck amps.
Take it EZ;
Dave
http://www.werelectrified.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=27

[Radical Brad]

Since the only wear parts in a brushless motor are the small axle bearings, a refurb would be as good as brand new. I will definitely be keeping that link.

Brad

[graucho]

Ive bought 2 kits from these guys in the last year. Free shipping. With battery packs. Complete kit.
Great kit to get your feet wet with electric. http://www.myebike.net/

Here is a vid with the kit installed on my fat tire bike. The bike weighs 90 lbs and it
pulls it great for about 16-18 mi. graucho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPGkndMuvuo

[gphil]

With all that information all I have now to do is read and choose. Going on the D R so it will need a little umph. Guess the batts would be positioned on the rear. Thanks guys. gphil