e-Beast

[lowracer]

This bike has been with me for quite a few years and has undergone many gas powered transformations.
Its been front drive, rear drive, mid drive & even dual engine drive. This is the 1st time its been electric & I gotta say I really like it.
I recently installed a Bafang BBSHD mid-drive kit onto my KMX Venom trike and was blown away by the performance and silence of this drive. I went and bought another kit from Luna Cycles to convert 'The Beast' from gas to electric. 'The Beast' was driven by a Tanaka 47R mounted on top of the top tube via some angle aluminum & a DIY shift kit.
In its current form, with the 42T chainring it'll do 35 mph and the battery lasts throughout my normal spirited neighborhood romps usually within 40 miles (I may install a 52T just to see what kind of speed it can pull).
It charges back up quickly, or slowly depending on the amp setting I choose on my Luna smart charger (1-5 amp settings). I also chose to use the 80% instead of 100% charge setting to hopefully get more cycles out of the $500 battery pack (52V Panasonic GA cells).
I think I'm sold on electrics, and can imagine building an even more powerful 72V setup in the future.
Pics below
-Lowracer-

 

[Deleted member 12676]

I like electric. they're so stealth and maintenance free.
what was the total cost?

 

[bakaneko]

The Panasonic battery is probably key. Chinese batteries are sometimes suspect as I heard. How long does it take to recharge on 5A? I just wish Tesla is able to sell their batteries/technology. They have really revolutionized the range, discharge rate, and recharging in Lithium-ion batteries.

 

[lowracer]

 

[Neufcruz]

Very nice bike.
I buit an electric after I built my motor bike and to be honest, I like the ebike way better. I currently am running a 48v/1000w rear hub. Unfortunately my battery is its weak point as I made a 48v batt from some battery boosters. Runs great but limited to about 10 miles.
I also plan on a 72v -3000w. System,
Question I have with mid drive is, does it run through the bikes gears?
What are the most powerful mid drive and or what is best, mid or rear hub?

Mike

 

[bakaneko]

from my knowledge the mid drive run on a free wheel that uses the bikes gearing similar to the jackshaft shiftkits on gasbikes. this is fundamentally better than rear hub because there is no resistance when free pedaling/coasting. i remember with my rear hub there was some resistance from the coils when not in use, which made for a good light workout. sickbikeparts has a 48v mid drive; i guess you would really want the 72v if you are planning on going faster than 30mph which i mean imo is fast enough for a bike but many people want higher speeds. also for the battery, besides getting a lithium polymer, i heard the chinese ones are not that great and degrade faster than a japanese one (panasonic).

 

[wheelbender6]

Been a while since I'veseen an Rm7. Cool.

 

[lowracer]

Thanks guys,
I'm not familiar with all the different mid-drives on the market but pricewise the Cyclone kits and Bafang BBS02/BBSHD kits seem to be very popular with many great reviews. This e-Beast is BBSHD powered, but I just ordered the lower priced BBS02 kit for my Optima Baron lowracer since I wanted it to be lighter & didn't need all the extra power since the lowracer has less high speed wind resistance (street luge). I just finished building it enough to take it on its 1st e-ride test drive today & all I can say is 'WOW'! I'm thinking of getting one more electric mid-drive for '2-High', my DIY motorized Tall Bike that currently is powered by a Tanaka TC-47cc.
Cheers,
-Lowracer-