First, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the immense amount of knowledge on the site. I can be a bit hard to sort through at times, but it has definitely been worth the effort.
I placed the final order on the big parts to my first build last night.
Trek 7.2 FX (onhand)
Cyclone 3000w (LunaCycle)
66V 32ah Lipo battery (Hobby King)
Cycle Analyst (Grin)
The parts might seem a bit odd. The primary goal the the bike is a learning project with a secondary goal ending up with a useful means of transportation that is somewhere between a pedal bike and a motorcycle.
I live in the driftless region of wisconsin which consists of several hundred square miles of semi-rural gently rolling hills. I expect that 90% of my riding time will be in the 500-750 watt range but I wanted the extra low end torque of of the Cyclone mid drive to help deal with the hills.
The DIY Lipo pack is primarily because I wanted to learn to build and maintain a lipo pack. I've done a few 24 volt SLA and 48 volt 18650 projects but this will be my first 72 volt lipo project. Phase one will be experimenting with various configurations of 6s bricks using plug and play looms. Phase two will be disassembling the bricks to create a 72 volt 20s pack with BMS.
The cycle analyst for its current and speed limiters. Informal discussion with a local police officer said that if I could prove that I made a reasonable compliance with the 750W and 20mph regs the local police would not bother me unless I was being stupid.
This brings me to my question. Has anyone gone through the process of registering their high powered ebike as a moped in the US?
At least in my area, it was surprising easy to register an electric motorcycle which I rebuilt from an existing motorcycle. Having a Existing VIN on the vehicle frame made it simple. The inspector asked a few questions. He looked at how the motor was mounted, and then checked to make sure all the safety features like headlights, taillights, mirrors, and horn were fully functional. I paid my money and was on my way. $23 registration every other year and $45 annual insurance and I am street legal.
Wisconsin Law is a bit foggy on ebike. We don't have any comprehensive ebike laws. Instead, we have a CORRESPONDENCE MEMORANDUM from the DOT. Sadly, the document only tangentially touches on ebikes. The gist of the regulations seem to be less than 750W, less than 20mph, don't ride on "bike paths" while under motor power.
Talking to car guys, mostly old-timely hot-roders, the common knowledge is that building from scratch is not worth the hassle because of the of inspection and insurance issues. But, I have not met or talked to anyone first hand that has actually tried to register and insure a from scratch vehicle so I don't how true it is.
Anyone have actual experience registering a ebike as a moped for higher speed street use?
I placed the final order on the big parts to my first build last night.
Trek 7.2 FX (onhand)
Cyclone 3000w (LunaCycle)
66V 32ah Lipo battery (Hobby King)
Cycle Analyst (Grin)
The parts might seem a bit odd. The primary goal the the bike is a learning project with a secondary goal ending up with a useful means of transportation that is somewhere between a pedal bike and a motorcycle.
I live in the driftless region of wisconsin which consists of several hundred square miles of semi-rural gently rolling hills. I expect that 90% of my riding time will be in the 500-750 watt range but I wanted the extra low end torque of of the Cyclone mid drive to help deal with the hills.
The DIY Lipo pack is primarily because I wanted to learn to build and maintain a lipo pack. I've done a few 24 volt SLA and 48 volt 18650 projects but this will be my first 72 volt lipo project. Phase one will be experimenting with various configurations of 6s bricks using plug and play looms. Phase two will be disassembling the bricks to create a 72 volt 20s pack with BMS.
The cycle analyst for its current and speed limiters. Informal discussion with a local police officer said that if I could prove that I made a reasonable compliance with the 750W and 20mph regs the local police would not bother me unless I was being stupid.
This brings me to my question. Has anyone gone through the process of registering their high powered ebike as a moped in the US?
At least in my area, it was surprising easy to register an electric motorcycle which I rebuilt from an existing motorcycle. Having a Existing VIN on the vehicle frame made it simple. The inspector asked a few questions. He looked at how the motor was mounted, and then checked to make sure all the safety features like headlights, taillights, mirrors, and horn were fully functional. I paid my money and was on my way. $23 registration every other year and $45 annual insurance and I am street legal.
Wisconsin Law is a bit foggy on ebike. We don't have any comprehensive ebike laws. Instead, we have a CORRESPONDENCE MEMORANDUM from the DOT. Sadly, the document only tangentially touches on ebikes. The gist of the regulations seem to be less than 750W, less than 20mph, don't ride on "bike paths" while under motor power.
Talking to car guys, mostly old-timely hot-roders, the common knowledge is that building from scratch is not worth the hassle because of the of inspection and insurance issues. But, I have not met or talked to anyone first hand that has actually tried to register and insure a from scratch vehicle so I don't how true it is.
Anyone have actual experience registering a ebike as a moped for higher speed street use?