As the Hub Motor Turns and the Lipo Fire Burns. Special post. Title., Full circle.
New Ezip motor. chapter 2. Build #4 completed.
Build #1 was the original Currie ezip motor upgrade with the 3,000 rpm 1,000W 48V MY1020 motor.
Build #2 was the 48V 1,000W Hub motor installed on the Trek which runs both SLA and Lipo.
Build #3 is the Clear Creek Shwinn with the hub motor from the Trek.
Build #4 is a 20" Dimond Back Viper with the motor off the Currie installed on the back.
Build #3 and 4 were accomplished in the last three days.
I was up until dawn yesterday installing the motor on the Dimond back with the same bent up hardware from the Currie upgrade and any nuts and bolts I could scrounge up. I installed the controller, wiring and throttle from the Trek to the Schwinn Monday night with electric tape only as I had no zip ties.
I paid Ricky $30 to switch the 80 tooth sprocket from the Currie to the Dimond Back. It was not an easy job. The sprocket on the 20" wheel was severly rusted. We did not have the tool to do it the easy way so we had to pound it off with a hammer and chisel. A hammer and nail was used to shorten the chain and Ricky knew about the master link as grew up working on bikes and we got it going.
He is an execellent mechanic taught by his father. The threads were different and we had to find a different inner sprocket ( the part that screws on the axel) which bolts to the 80 tooth sprocket. We also had to file down The inside of the 80 tooth sprocket for the better part of an hour to get it to fit.
I installed the controller from the Currie inside the basket I mounted on the front of the Dimond Back. The 16 guage speaker wire was also the same color blue as the bike. It is doubled up. two 16 guage wires to each motor wire. The positive speaker wire has a white stripe the other is solid blue. both are spliced into one of the motor wires and the same thing for the other motor wire.
I taped up all the non sense wires ( brake sensors and other useless wires) I hooked up the negative power wire from the battery to the power switch that was on the back of the controller box of the Currie. a 14 guage wire comming from the switch to an alligator clip for the negative 36V connection.
The three throttle wires were hooked up red to red. black to black and white to blue. I did not know if the switch was in the on or off posistion. It was not marked. No sparks or power to the motor on the first attempt. It was then I asked Ricky to help.
I told him if we could get it going today I would give him $30. Ricky is above average mechanically inclined. If Ricky cant fix it then there is a good chance it cant be fixed. He works on everybodys car and is into all car electronics and going to college.
He looked at the controller and told me what I already knew. It was Chinese and he did not have a clue. I had a clue though as I was the one who unhooked it from the Currie. I knew that two of the plugs I taped off had red and black wires. They were brake sensors. Another plug was taped off when I unhooked it and there was a Candance sensor. Not it.
The plug I picked to be shorted was a red and blue wire going to an unmarked plug. I was pretty sure the plug connected to it went to the switch and I was right. I asked him to get a thin wire and short the terminals while I tried the switch and throttle. I had the switch right to as when I flicked it up the motor sprocket spun. All I had to do was switch the motor wires to get the motor sprocket to spin in the right direction. I cut off the plug and twisted the wires togeather and taped them up. We had to tighten the chain up twice but we got it rolling.
My night was far from over as I made a foolish mistake not switching the forks over that Dan sent with the kit already installed. The Shwinn actually had a hub motor installed as you will see when I post the pictures. The brake sensor wires were cut off and the original owner had a 50 mph hub motor I was told by Douge. I am doubting that.
I had to file the inside of the forks for at least 1/2 an hour to keep it from rubbing. I did not save the hose clamps when uninstalling the hub motor from the Trek and the Mozo shocks Dan sent. I have a feeling I may regret that and may find some shocks to trade Doug to get those Mozo shocks Dan sent back. There was defentally a hub motor on the Shwinn but I think it was smaller than the one I have and I seriouslly doubt it went 50mph. I think the Mozo shocks are better.
At first glance I did not notice any lawyers lip on the shocks on the Shwinn. However When I looked closer I noticed that there is a lawyers lip but it is very small. The Mozo forks were maby 1/8 inch Lawyers lip. The shocks on the Shwinn are mabye 1/16 or less. There is no way I could find a washer that thin. I did the best I could to get the job done.
The other thing I wish I could have done better is the motor bolts on the MY 1020 motor. When I installed it on the Currie I could not get the right size motor bolts at the right length and had to settle with threaded rod much smaller in diameter then the motor bolts which came with the motor. Only two bolts came with the motor and there were two holes for bolts to install the motor.
Both of these builds were done without the proper tools or the ideal parts. Improvising is an understatment to say the least here. Doug stopped by when me and Ricky were working on filing down the sprocket and he said "OH you got to go to the bike shop and spend $15 for the correct size sprocket and $5 for labor". Doug had a friend with him with a car and he needed gas money.
Doug was saying the sprocket was wrong. I asked Ricky and I also saw the sprocket was spinning in the right direction. I just kept on filing. Doug was not happy becouse Ricky was smarter than him and his friend needed gas money. That held us up for about a half hour but we still got the job done. If it were not for Doug though I would not own a classic Shwinn.
I did the best I could with what I had for the torque arm and reinforcing the forks without hose clamps and parts of a torque arm or 1/16" washers. The same goes for the MY1020 motor bolts and hardware. I just hope everything holds up until I can get better tools and hardware to redo it all better.
I have no idea where to get the right bolts at the right length for the MY1020 motor. However I will be looking harder and am also getting flat steel 1/3" thick bar at 3 foot sections and wide enough to drill holes large enough to run an axel through and extend the forks if I want to. I am also investing in better tools.
The 20" bike with the MY1020 motor only goes about 15mph with the 80 tooth sprocket. It should climb hills nice though and am soon going to test that. The 62 tooth sprocket is ordered and I will be reinstalling the motor with superior hardware soon and upgrading to a 48V controller and four 10 Ah SLAs hopefully in the next six weeks.
I did a lot of cursing and am sure my blood pressure went sky high with the level of difficulity doing these two projects. I am seeking a complete drill bit set capable of heavy duty drilling thru thick steel and lots of hardware. Extra nuts and bolts and a good hack saw with extra blades.
It is impossible to post photos and video right now but when I can it will show the work done. All is temporary and subject to major upgrades hopefully soon. We will now mention the Full circle thing and chapter two. The Currie is stripped out and needs a new motor. The pictures will show the rear framework of the Currie with no motor or battery pack in was intended for.
In all my years riding bikes I never saw a rear rack set up stronger than the Currie. However that white rear rack on the Schwinn is a close runner up. Very strong. If I could mount a seat I could probably haul the ol lady around on it. I will not be choosing anything less than 3 killowatts for the new Currie motor upgrade.
Thanks again and the pictures and video will be up soon hopefully. I have had no time to mess with computers. everything is on my Cannon camera. I installed a new hard drive but am not online and cant download and install the programs I need. I will need a day or so to get any video converter.
Everything is an improvise or a comprimize. My laundry is backed up and there is no food here. I have not made it to the gym in at least a week. I will have to use a shopping cart for laundry now and make five or six trips with a back pack to haul the same amount of groceries I could do with one trip with the Currie. The Shwinn and the Dimond back each have one small basket for batteries but no baskets for anything else. Thats why the Currie was still the best functional e bike. The batteries were mounted in the frame. I need a new motor for the Currie. This post lives on. Thanks again.
I wrote this just before dawn and am now at the library downtown. The Schwinn rides like a dream. It even has a shock under the seat. Now I know why they are so popular. It is the most comfortable bike I have ever rode. I am being extra easy on the throttle when taking off. So far so good. It should last until I get better hardware. Thanks
LC out.