Hyena's e-bike builds (now with HD video)

[Timma2500]

Fantastic news on the medical front Jay! You'll be around Highsiding for alot longer yet

Speaking of which, how'd you manage that?!!! Any GoPro evidence? Your leg sounds painfull but atleast your hands are still intact

Hey the frame looks good in red, how'd you go with the head tube repair?


Paul

[sico]

Glad the stack didn't do any damage and fingers crossed your over the hump on the other medical dramas.

I had a low speed speed fall the other week (lost the front wheel on wet very sharp corner) and definitely would have lost skin without my gloves ... always worn. 45kph is a scary speed to come off at though

What actually caused the stack?

Simon

[RallySTX]

Geez! I get all ready to jump for joy about the tumor, and then you pull a highsider! Well, at least it wasn't worse, did the bike live? What was the girl's name you was lookin at when you hit the wall! I'm not worried, I know you can't keep a bad Hyena down! Speedy recovery, and best wishes from a US wanker fan.
Brian L.

[veloman]

Sounds fun..... It's always good to walk away. The only time I come close to tossing it is on dirt, like these crushed granite dirt paths they lay out. I made a thread about it last fall, how they make these trails meander aimlessly. Well yesterday I was pushing it pretty good through the S's and the sharpest one had a bit more loose stone than I would of liked. I got the rear end of the bike pretty low on the left side, *just* carrying it out barely. That's what you get for pushing nearly 100% slicks on dirt trails. Had I dumped it, the phase/hall wires would have been damaged likely. Made me laugh pretty good, woke me up.

[Hyena]

Speaking of which, how'd you manage that?!!! Any GoPro evidence? Your leg sounds painfull but atleast your hands are still intact

No gopro footage unfortunately! Spewing! The case was on the bike but the camera wasn't it in. The new lens arrived yesterday actually so I'm tossing up whether to actually install it on or. As it is the camera still records OK just with that smudge on it. If the replacement lens doesn't work (and it may not, its not designed for the gopro) then the camera may as well be binned
Leg is still sore, I'm limping a bit but it's getting better. Still no visible brusing so must be all internal soft tissue injury. Like when someone gives you a dead leg, but instead of it being pinpointed it's my whole thigh!

Oh, as for the source of the crash, it as electrical - same bloody throttle gremlins that have caused me to nearly come off before, only this time I did...
I thought I'd solved the issue last week when I replaced the other throttle which had a loose and corroded signal wire. It was randomly breaking contact causing the bike to suddenly surge WOT. I fitted a brand new throttle and for the last week it's been fine, but on the way to work the other day I must have squeezed the wiring with my leg as I was leaning the bike and it suddenly did it again. I was already braking as I leaned into a corner going fairly quick when it surged, lifting the front wheel, twitching and promptly throwing me off! Similar incident this this only imagine it when cornering and more wheel twitch (and the wheel lifted of the ground with the sudden application of 5kw!) http://youtu.be/A3PsVFDxupI?t=19s
The bike has been crashed a number of times so it must be multiple issues with the throttle. Given the one I have on there now is brand new I think there must be a loose wire or dry joint on the controller end.

Hey the frame looks good in red, how'd you go with the head tube repair?

Yeah it came up nice, not sure how durable it'll be with just spray paint but I'll ride it as is for now and can always get it done properly later. The quotes I got to do it were $300+ so I thought I'd hang off for now and see how happy I am with the ride of the bike etc.

And yeah I got the headtube pretty well sorted (for those not aware the box Timma send the frame to me in got bashed around in the post and the headtube had a big dent in it making a flat section on the ID of the tube and making it impossible to get the headset it) I got the guys at work to turn me up a steel tapered cone that was slightly bigger that the hole at one end and .5mm larged than the OD of the headset cup and the other. Bashing it in rounded the tube back out nicely

I'm hope to get the frame assembled over the rest of the easter break but I've got a few other projects on - finishing off 2 kits I'm making for other guys and also still finishing off the fighter.
On that note, I got the opportunity to duck out few a few hours yesterday and it was a nice day so took it down the beach. Being a public holiday the place was packed and probably 1 in 5 people walking along the esplanade stopped to ask me about the bike. I really should become a stealth dealer, I reckon I could have sold 5 that morning Then I took it for a spin along the waters edge, opening it up once I was away from the heavily congested areas. There were still people around finshing and sunbaking etc but I had plenty of room to ride fast without steering around people or being a nuisance. I don't think I could have turned any more heads if I was sprinting along the beach naked while shouting into a megaphone
Power consumption was high on the sand as expected but only around 1500w at 50km/hr. She was a bit twitchy on the soft sand to ride any faster than that anyway!

[Kepler]

What rear shock are you running Hyena? Interested to know what the centre to centre measurement is also.

Bike looks great by the way.

[Hyena]

Thanks mate,
The shock is a fox van R - 220mm eye to eye. I thought they'd be a bit sturdier than the standard air unit if I end up running a heavier motor. As with the H40 the ride is super smooth and plush

[Kepler]

Thats a nice shock. The standard shock is 210mm eye to eye. I was wondering how the bike would sit with a 220mm shock. Obviously not an issue. Do you think that shock would be a good choice for a heavier rider?

[full-throttle]

There are no shocks in 210 and 220mm. The Fighter comes with a 215.9mm (8.5") and he's got a 222.3 (8.75") eye-to-eye. While 1/4" difference may not sound like much, multiply it by the attenuation ratio and you'll get 20mm extra at the bottom bracket which is noticeable. However, the advantages are - you can run more sag what will make the suspension feel plusher and the overall rear travel will increase by 10%

[Hyena]

I defer to your obvious expertise here full throttle!

I had a few hours today to work on my frame and made some good progress
Nearly there

I think I'll go wtih a black anodized controller case to match the rest of the black on the bike. I'm tempted to paint that suspension linkage and the forks black too, although I left the linkage that colour because it sort of matches the forks and I thought it breaks up all the red and black.

H-DB1.jpg (99.88 KiB) Viewed 377 times

H-DB2.jpg (196.94 KiB) Viewed 377 times

[RallySTX]

Nice lookin bike Hyena, I like the wide rear rim. Not a fan of Red, but good engineering speaks for it's self. The wide handlebars look good too. Wish I could afford to have you ship one my way.
Brian L.

[oatnet]

That bike looks great Hyena!

-JD

[newb]

Oh, well done.

I like that, very discreet and well balanced.

Got an idea of what your gonna want for those you will put into production?

[Whiplash]

Looking great Hyena! How many 6s packs can you get in there? I really want to do the same thing on my bike!

[Hyena]

Thanks guys. It holds 6x6S packs and a DC-DC converter as shown (plus probably a magic shine headlight battery) But when I make the custom version from scratch I'll probably oversize the top bar slightly to hold 3 mode 6S packs single file. So that's 9 in total for 1000 watt hours which is not to be sneezed at
15ah at 18S or 20ah at 12S.

As for production, it won't be anything major or on a large scale and I have no idea what things will actually cost all said and done. If I had to ball park it I'd say around the $1000 mark but there's too many variables to say for now. If I was to do it on a larger scale it'd work out cheaper but I'd say I won't end up buying things in bulk - unless there's demand up front in which case I can get better unit prices on things and bring the price down and make it a better deal for everyone.

What I'd ideally like to do is offer a good quality kit with a schlumpf 2 speed drive +/- forks to suit the geometry of the frame and depending on interest I might even make a few turnkey ebikes. As anyone who's built a bike from scratch will tell you though, there's a heap of work in it, especially with all the electrics. I'd have to add a premium for it but it's something that might suits the lazy / noobs. It'd also have to probably buy 10 units of each item to get any sort of half decent price break.

I'm happy for any and all thoughts - chuck em up over in the thread here if you're interested
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38418

[Hobbit]

On that note, I got the opportunity to duck out few a few hours yesterday and it was a nice day so took it down the beach.Being a public holiday the place was packed and probably 1 in 5 people walking along the esplanade stopped to ask me about the bike. I really should become a stealth dealer, I reckon I could have sold 5 that morning Then I took it for a spin along the waters edge, opening it up once I was away from the heavily congested areas. There were still people around finshing and sunbaking etc

Oh thank god for the vid of this,( please,please,please ) there's been a distinct lack of "upskirting" style vids lately, even with a dirty great scratch on the lens. Oh and I think the stealth dealer thang is a perfect fit for ya jay.

[unsane]

Hi Jay, has been a long time since I was on ES last so I'm glad to hear you are beating the illness and still riding hard!
Just spent the last 30 mins cruising thru your videos and there is some awesome footage, both on-road and off - but after seeing them I can't help but worry...

A fortnight ago I was on a ride with some mates from Mudgee to Bathurst thru the windy roads of Sofala when I came tailed out and lowsided on a gravelly corner - lay the bike down and slid under an armco at about 50-60kph, the bike dug in and it ejected me down the road. The bitumen tore into the armor on my leather suit, ground down the tips of both boots, gouged the carbon fiber plates in the palms of my gloves and left a massive crack and huge scratches in my helmet.

Although I have ridden like an idiot many times, this time I wasn't - we were just flowing thru the road at the speed limit and shit went wrong, but I got up, walked away and lived to type this post because I was wearing the right protective gear. Needless to say the 500 was destroyed in ten different ways and was written off - you will be pleased to know I am not perturbed accident and will be buying a replacement shortly.

All I can say is - take it easy mate! I don't want you to end up like this

Warning graphic content
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7xOPTBaTbY
I'm sure your bike is much faster than a scooter!

[Hyena]

Hey Cam,
Glad to hear you walked away from that one. Sounds nasty! I hope the silver lining is a better bike ?
I actually got off pretty light this time too, last time I went over the bars at this speed I broke both wrists. Almost 2 years ago to the day actually!
I guess the angle that I went off and skidding along the road on my hands instead of pounding down in a heap is what saved me.
You're right though, protective gear makes all the difference. I've been looking into kevlar jeans lately and I think it's time to make a purchase. As you say it's one thing to bust up when you're riding dangerously yourself but it's usually the unexpected that takes you out.

Back to riding like this

riding-gear.jpg (111.59 KiB) Viewed 607 times

Oh and sorry hobbit, no gopro footage sadly.

[Timma2500]

Cam, its always good to hear of a fellow motorcyclist walking away from an accident
Accidents aren't always caused by silly riding or other motorists - years ago i witnessed a Ducati rider go down hard around a sweeping bend on a country road outside of Brisbane.
We picked up his bike and went to move it only to find a rock had flicked up and managed to get stuck between his LH front brake calliper and disc rotor, locking up the front wheel which caused the front end wash-out. A very freaky accident indeed... He was bruised and very sore but ok.

+1 to wearing all the right gear all the time, just incase

Any updates on the Stealth DB Jay?

Paul

P.s. Cam, you mentioned your bike was a 500, not a good old 500 2 stroke RG, RGV or something similar?

[veloman]

The frame looks great. 1000wh inside the frame with a normal triangle look is amazing. Definitely stealth (I'd go with matte black color).

[unsane]

P.s. Cam, you mentioned your bike was a 500, not a good old 500 2 stroke RG, RGV or something similar?

I wish the RGV was on the LAMS list! Nope its just a lowly GS500F - makes about 45hp but still cracks the ton in about 6 seconds (faster than most cars )

I've been looking into kevlar jeans lately and I think it's time to make a purchase.

I have a pair of jeans made by Hornee - they are look exactly the same as your white cammo pants. They're quite soft and don't feel as strong as they actually are!
From what I've read, normal jeans will protect youi for about 0.5 seconds of sliding before they start to burn into your skin - whereas kevlar pants last around 6-7 seconds of sliding... you would have to be really hook'n to slid for that long though!

Definately a silver lining with the new bike... Insurance has paid up and my open license ticks over on the 20th so I have my eye on one of these!

Just a few more (maybe 130 more) horsepower

[Hyena]

Nice new bike. Pity the only electric motor on it is to start it

I have a pair of jeans made by Hornee - they are look exactly the same as your white cammo pants. They're quite soft and don't feel as strong as they actually are!

I was watching almost that exact thing on ebay this afternoon, only in green camo and they were just down the road from me too (new but didnt fit the guy) I ended up getting distracted at work and the bloody things sold 30 seconds before I logged back in to check. They went for $55 too

Speaking of needing protective riding gear, 2 cars nearly took me out this arvo within 10 minutes. Both only fairly slow but at any speed a 2 tonne car and a soft body don't mix.

Any updates on the Stealth DB Jay?

Nah not yet, had a few other projects and jobs on.
But here's a short video showing it after it left you

[Phoebus]

I am surprised that you don't take the lane!

[RallySTX]

Looks like that second one would have got me. Nice heads up riding on your part. I would have bitched at him for crossing a lane of traffic so quickly, and not looking before parking. They seem to have about the same regard for bikers as they do for dogs huh.
Brian L.

[full-throttle]

Hyena is on the news tonight