09 Norco aline build. Any help appreciated

[Robman11]

Hi there, This is my first ebike build and I was hoping some of you fellow aliners out there could help to guide through this process with your experience before I start dropping cash on parts. I just picked up a 09 aline (not a park ED) that my sister in law won in whistler a couple of years ago. It has only been ridden 3 times to the liquor store so its a complete brand new bike other than that its just been in storage. Picked it up for $1500. I have a 31KM commute to work one way but access to 220V in our shop and at home for daily charging, Should be fine. Here in the lower mainland of BC we pay the highest gas taxes in North America at about $0.51/L looking at a pump price this week at $1.44/L I just can't do it any longer. Our government is treating us like an ATM so I'm getting off the gas. Should save about $400/month after gas, insurance, and repairs are gone.

My plan is to order a Magic Pie 3 and link it up to a 48V-20/ah battery or maybe a 30/ah if I need to. Any advice would be appreciated on parts that have worked well, suppliers or just your general knowledge.

My first questions are:

Can I use my 9 speed hub because of the 150mm frame with?

Is a twist or thumb throttle better? I want a thumb but don't think there is room with the shifter

Tires?

Drop out rebuild any advice?


Thanks in advance for you support
Cheers.

[zappy]

Hi robman, I have a 2009 A-line with a magical pie and my brother in law is just starting to build the same but with a cro Toolman2 was 1st but with a slightly older model norco. Like most modern downhill bikes they have very good handling characteristics for e speed and 4 piston hydraulic brakes standard. The main problem is there is no space for a decent amount of battery down low to keep the bikes CG exceptable,its all shocks and chassis. You can strap lipo all over with bags or duct tape but it is not suitable for down spills, shocks, jumps and harsh vibrations. Use Grins very good motor calculator to pick your thrust in pounds (most important!) and speed less important than u think on single trackfor your intended pace. For off road use smaller wheels and overvolt(or better really overvolt!) to keep the motor out of the death zone. A-lines have through bolt axels on the back so the rear swingarm has to be welded or modified to suit to slip in a hub motor. The Basic A-line is over 20kg. Mine with a pie has 4 - 8kw (depending on use) input and 1300W/h of A123 prismatics and weighs 42kg. It need s a fair bit of fabrication for everything. I occasionally ride with yz450s and 2 stroke KTMs, Gas Gas etc and i can ride in amongst them but they can roost me on open roads. Its quick on the single track stuff dosen't stall and need re kick starting and you can battle your mates into a corner and still talk to each other its quiet. The biggest benefit is riding in places you can not on a dirt bike because the noise dosn't upset anyone
Have a look at this link of my bike, collect some bits, do some drawings, don't give up

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=38231

Zappy

[MattyCiii]

Look up A-Line builds by:
Adam333
Oatnet
Fractal
Sn0wchyld
Andje
Me

Lots of information & inspiration.

I had extras made of my custom dropouts, if you're interested let me know. (But these are probably not the right dropouts for you.  They're not designed for hub motor, they're intended for use with RC power. )

You can expand the tiny amount of frame triangle space by a little by turning the shock upside down and having the reservoir face downward.  I tested the full range of the suspension (removed shock coil & press till it's bottomed) and the reservoir clears - barely.