Sidewinder Jerry
Well-Known Member
Here I'm talking about dirt not pavement. With a 1.6 hp gas engine that had a max torque of 1.6 ft/lbs it took a reduction of 55:1 to climb 25% grade hills with no pedal assist on a paved surface. The total weight (bike & rider) was 350 lbs.Anything over 750W is no longer a Class-1 ebike and virtually worthless to me. I want an ebike, not an electric motorcycle. With the right gearing that's still plenty of power to move even a heavily loaded ebike and trailer. Move up to a pair of 58.8V 35Ah lithium packs they are available now and will take you further than you will want to ride in a day. Although I have a total of 70Ah it's split between two 17 lb. packs. Remember that you will only want to use 65% of the pack's total capacity... don't charge past 85% or deplete past 20%. This will greatly extend the life of the batteries. That gives me 45.5Ah (2084Wh) without stressing the packs.
Some of the trails here in Tennessee the hills are so steep riders are advised to walk a bike down the hill instead of riding down it. They aren't going to care if the bike has a 3000W motor if it can't go any faster than 10 mph on level ground. The only reason electrics are allowed is because of 0 emissions and no noise pollution. What I'm talking about building is for nature trails and people who can only provide a small amount of pedal assist.