1969 Raleigh Sports Restoration/ Ebike Build

At least the flex has been found. It is amazing the torque theses little motors can produce. Get that end of the reduction shored up and let it rip.

Clay
 
It is good to see another home-build up and running.

The ear to ear grin will not likely go away any time soon, unless you have many problems to sort out. But, it looks like you are on the right track to problem solving everything just fine.

As far as losing interest pedaling, you may regain that interest. I have found myself enjoying pedaling just as much with the motor as without, now that I have several thousand E-miles under my belt.

Matt
 
It's great to hear from friendly people during this struggle. I feel like I'm not alone in this endeavour. Hope I can return the favor soon. In the mean time, others can learn from my mistakes.

Ordered more stuff from TNC Scooter:
  • 13 Tooth Dual-D-bore Sprocket For 8mm (T8F) Chain, Item# 106009 $5.00
  • 63 Tooth Sprocket for 8mm (T8F) Chain, Item# 103280 $10.00
  • 8mm (T8F) Chain Sold By The Foot, Item# 105450 $3.50, 4' $14.00 Total
  • Chain Breaker Tool For #25 and 8mm (T8F) Chain, Item# 105300 $12.00

The bike's going to look like an industrial monstrosity with the extra bracing. No choice though :?
 
Good News: Received new 8mm chain, 13 tooth sprocket & 64 tooth sprocket.

Bad News: Couldn't install them, because 13 tooth sprocket is too hard to machine. Will wire EDM a hole in it tomorrow...

Good News: Beefed up the gearbox from twisting by attaching a 3/4" angle iron. Managed to attach old #25 chain.

Bad News: Still jumps teeth on larger sprocket under load.




Good News: Rode it to work today for first time. Despite chain jumping under load, it was reasonably pleasant and quick.

Bad News: Stupidly rode on sidewalk for a small portion of the trip home. Dodged sidewalk repair and jumped off an 8" curb. Battery tray jumped off rack and got tangled in spokes.



Good News: Called wife, who quickly came to my rescue.

Bad News: When I picked the bike up off the ground to load it in the car, I accidentally twisted the throttle, which not only broke the chain again, it mangled the shaft that had just been welded!



So, how was your day? :?
 
Heeey that sounds like one of mine!!!!! Lol! Don't worry we all have them! If you feel bummed, at least your dog who is your best friend is not starving himself for some reason! :(
 
Yeah, that puts things in perspective. I love my dog FAR more than that rusty old bike. It would tear me up if he were sick. Hope your pup gets well soon.
 
Thanks! He is going to the Doc today and I finally got him to eat a little hamburger last night, he won't touch anything else for the last few days and is looking pretty thin but hopefully it'll be ok...

On another note, how is the power of the bike if it does not break? I am curious about the motor. Also how wide is it in inches?
 
Finger's crossed for your pup's visit. I'd gladly cook our dog a burger everyday, if that's all he'd eat. I spoil the hell out of him!

The motor has plenty of torque, but I do have to use the bike's gears to get it up to 25MPH. Takes about 15 seconds to do it. It sticks out the left side about 3" and the right about 2". No way to mount it lower without hitting your feet while peddling. It ain't stealthy by a long shot. Not too noisy, but certainly not silent.

Get this. Just found out today, our HR gal and her husband were turning right on the street I crossed just before the mishap. She asked why I didn't look before crossing the street, because they could have hit me. I said, the light turned green, I had the right of way, what's to look at? She said, "You mean I'm supposed to watch the sidewalk as well as the road?" :roll: Granted, I shouldn't have even been on the stupid sidewalk, but damn!
 
I have enjoyed reading about your progress and efforts to sort out problems. About the "right of way" - in another post on ES someone pointed out that on an ebike you should consider that either you are invisible to cars or that you are wearing a target. I am afraid it is good advice, whether you are on the street or the sidewalk. It certainly doesn't apply to most motorists, but just one bad event is one too many. It is good idea to look over your shoulder before crossing an intersection to see if anyone is making a right turn. I also have a mirror mounted on my handlebars and check traffic behind me a lot and certainly when I am about to go through an intersection. Could save you an unfortunate meeting with a 2 ton vehicle. Best wishes,

Rich
 
I hear you Rich. I'd LOVE to own a motorcycle, but have avoided them because of the danger. Matter of fact, I purchase full framed, four door, large, V8 cars, not only for ease of repair, but for safety concerns. Usually only ride bikes leisurely around the neighborhood, and once in a while a park. I find riding through traffic is an adrenalin rush, and I'm very aware of every car within striking distance. Trusting no one.

Yesterday, I was aware of the cars making a right. I saw their vehicle out of the corner of my eye, itching to turn. I don't hesitate, so there's no mistaking my intentions. Did I say riding defensively? Perhaps offensively is a better description. Riding on the sidewalk is passive, and probably requires even more attention. Seems like 50% of the people exiting or entering drives don't see you on the sidewalk. I see 'em all, and purposely try and scare them if possible. Guess how many are yapping on their damn phones? I couldn't even scare one old lady yapping away recently, she never saw me ever!

After all this trouble, I was actually kicking around the idea of buying a 250cc motocross, or something along those lines. Fast enough to get, and stay ahead of traffic, and highly maneuverable. Didn't realize how much they cost! Well, I got over it. Going to give my bike some more thought, and get it functioning solidly. Gotta take a break from it for a few days, though. It's been all consuming till now, but It will get done eventually. Plenty of people here, and at work willing to help. I certainly appreciate it!
 
No, I didn't parish in tragic ebike accident. Been regrouping and gathering parts. Had to machine a couple, and weld a cracked dropout.

Here's where I'm at:





The rear wheel had spokes replaced and re-trued, but is out of round. When it gets up to speed, it starts "bouncing". A new rim and tire have been ordered. Still waiting for a head badge from England.

If I had it to do over... NO FLIPPIN' WAY! Way too much money for too little return. Here's a spreadsheet for most of the parts purchases. If you have any questions about particular parts, they are listed and linked there.

I'm going to have to ride this rain or shine for years to recoup the costs in fuel savings. $1,200.00 is at least twice the amount I was reluctant to spend when I started this topic!
 
LOL! I know what you mean! I don't even want to know what I have spent! Looks real nice though!
 
Wow! Sharp looking build, dude!!
 
It's nice to have a friendly ear to listen to my woes. Thank God my wife hasn't given me any grief for the massive expense. Still have my eye on a $100.00 rack and alloy handlebars. Gotta buy or fabricate chain guards as well. Ripped the bottom right leg of my jeans last night, so there's another $30.00 gone...

Worse than that, I let my dad try to ride it before our cookout. Showed him how heavy it was and warned him to be careful, etc. He started peddling and flipped the throttle wide open. Did a two foot wheely and got thrown off. There's my 75 year old dad in a ditch with my bike in a heap, handlebars sideways, chain derailed and front light laying in the road. My dad was OK except for his dignity. Bike was OK after a few wrench minutes. Later that night it tried to eat my jeans. Looking forward to my commute Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... rain or shine till winter, and maybe then too!

Again, I have to thank everyone for posting their trials & tribulations. I had sufficient information at my fingertips before starting this project. And, I will admit it's a sh**load of fun when it's rolling. I totally understand the attraction now, but this is going to require me to get a second job to fund! In a way, it's worth it :)
 
I had a potential customer swing by yesterday to ride two of my bikes. I have known him for years. When I told him a bike (even a basic bike) setup with my RC system is going to set him back over $2,000, he was pretty shocked. I think few people truly recoup their expenses in gas savings. This seems to be a hobby that is more a matter of "It is partially paid for in gas savings, but a LOT of fun!"

Matt
 
Matt,

I partially agree. I certainly have spent a fair amount on my bikes as well, but i can see a difference at the end of the pay period when I ride my bike everyday vs driving. Of course I drive a landcruiser.

I think a lot of the cost for many of us comes from each bike we build being a prototype. Each one is unique and individual, which means trial and error to get it right. That always costs more than if you were to buy a mass produced product.

Clay
 
I mentioned my dad popping a HUGE wheely, which didn't break the one way clutch bearing, 17 tooth sprocket, it's drive shaft or the chain, but it did cause the chain to wrench its way off. This morning, I took off from a light a little too aggressively, and the chain ripped off. If I lay into the throttle too hard, it will skip teeth. Rode it home this evening mostly in third gear, IE flying, and it was great. Just made sure not to torque it too hard. I do want a permanent solution though.

Can't believe it twists so far, but it does. The offset of the gearbox is the problem. Solution will be hideous, I'm afraid.

One other troublesome issue is the weight in the rear. Makes it squirrelly when maneuvering around potholes etc. Speaking of potholes, that weight is hell on the rear tire, especially when hitting rough pavement near the edge of the road. A decent size pothole could be catastrophic now. Before the conversion, it wouldn't have been so much concern.

Other than that, I made it down the avenue as quick as some cars this evening. I've taken to sifting on the right. Didn't used to do that. I always waited my turn, but no more. When I'm peddling a normal bike, it's upright and at a leisurely pace. Waiting isn't a problem. Not so on this bird. The adrenaline kicks in as the throttle rotates, and doesn't let up till I've been home for ten minutes. As a rule, I won't pass moving cars on the right, because it's a good way to get right hooked, but passing them sitting at a light will be the norm from now on.

Lord, if I get the chain derailling issue solved, she's going to out accelerate most cars from the light. Talk about adrenaline, wow! :D

Good points Wheazel, of course I do, but I'm the most frugal person you ever met. This whole project was an extravagance from the start, and now it's almost insane. I actually paid $100.00 for a fairly uncomfortable saddle, just for aesthetics. I feel like an Apple fanboy or something!

Being green is not me, nor do I believe it's the case for most people. Folks buy tiny puddle jumper cars to save money, not be environmentally friendly. My solution to slowing our gasoline use, is to give every driver the same quota for fuel usage per year. All fuel used beyond that quota could be heavily taxed. That's 100% fair for everybody, no matter what they drive, or where they live. Nothing green about it, just making it costly to use more than your quota. Not getting too off topic, eh? :mrgreen:
 
What I love about this hobby is that you can eventually recoup your cost and still have a lot of fun. That is what it is all about.

I am even looking into building a cargo bike for running errands and what-not. :)

Matt
 
Whew boy, I could write a novel... and probably will.

Starting with my ride home from work on Thursday. Pull up to a light normally and wait. When the light changes, I give it throttle, and it starts slowly and putters to a stop. Now, I have to peddle, and OMG it's HEAVY. Every once in a while I hit the throttle hoping the batteries will give a little more, but no. Had to peddle about 2.5 miles with my legs turning to rubber.

When I got home, I threw it on the charger, and it registered 24 Volts on my VOM. Strange. I suspected the cheapo charger, so I pulled it apart and saw a big capacitor was loose due to shaking. Tried to re solder it and shorted something. Yeah, it was still charging while I tried to solder it :oops: It blew a fuse in its circuit, so I soldered a new one in. Promptly blew that one when I plugged it in, so a canned it. Put one of the batteries on my 4 amp auto battery charger. Told my wife to pick up another charger at Walmart. I was actually bummed that I may not be able to ride to work on Friday. When she arrived with my new
Schumacher XC6 charger, I hooked it up to another battery and let 'em charge. I calculated I'd have to switch it over to the remaining battery at 1:00AM, in order to have all three adequately charged for my Friday commute.

That's how much I want to ride this thing! Unreal, I know. There I was at 1:00AM, in my underwear, switching over the new charger to the last battery, and it wouldn't start to charge. I connected my old 4 Amp to it, and it still wouldn't charge. Checked voltage with my VOM and it registered zero volts. It was broke. How would I get to work without it? My car? Unthinkable! When I got up a few hours later, I jumped past the dead battery, and road it down the street on 24 volts. It was slower, and I helped by peddling, but I made it to work that way. Charged the batteries with our portable charger while there.

Called our local battery depot, called Bulldog Battery. They had in stock the very battery I needed, but at quite a markup. I originally bought three Powersonic PSH12180FR 12 Volt 21AMP/HR batteries from Sears / Surveillent for $40.00 each, and $15.00 to ship all three. Bulldog was asking $69.00! Gawd! I wrote to Surveillent using my Sears order number for reference, asking how I go about getting this three month old battery replaced. No reply so far, but I see the link has been removed from Sears.com: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM2785826902P. It was working Friday. Coincidence? Hah, Google's cache still has it: Powersonic PSH12180FR at Sears.

Anyway, after work, I peddled my crippled 24 volt rig to Walmart with a borrowed chain and padlock. Bought two more Schumacher-XC6 chargers, and headed off to Bulldog. They sold me the battery for $59.00 and no tax after I whined a while about the price. Yeah, and we get a company discount, because I order a LOT of batteries from them for our shop. So, I replaced the dead battery in their parking lot, (why I didn't leave it at home, I don't know) and headed home with an extra 25 pounds of cargo, including the chain & padlock, extra 13lb dead battery, two Schumacher chargers, my coat and leftover lunch. Rode a while slowly on sidwalks, finally got tired of the bumps, and pulled out on the avenue, where it took me home at an easy 25MPH. Took 4 hours on those chargers to get back up to fullpower, but she's there now. Rode it 9 miles yesterday morning, and 13 miles this morning. Both trips required about 4 hours of 6 amp charging before it went to the "Maintenance" charge rate. I think that means I dipped below 50% of the battery in those relatively short trips. Probably averaged about 20MPH for both.

So, my new adjusted expenditures spreadsheet is at $1,539.00. Oh well, I don't want to be without this bike, with or without its bugs. I now have it insured against loss by my insurance company for $2,000.00 and no deductible. That, two $800.00 Breezer Uptown 8's, and a $450.00 Raleigh Detour 4.5 for only $36.00 per year.

Here's the latest image:



It's linked to other images, that include the bank of Schumacher-XC6 chargers. And that's not all! Here's a shaky video of a ride around the block:



It was shot with an iPhone hanging around my neck. If anyone has suggestions of a better way to mount that camera for another try, I'm all ears. But wait, there's more!

 
You got it bad, lol. :lol:

I have some "smart" schumacher chargers, but prefer the stupid kind: the smart ones I have do not reset and charge after a power interruption, they need to be manually reset.

So, you might want to check the chargers you have... A blip in the grid might mean uncharged batteries in the morning.
 
If it was me, I would get some LiPo at my first chance, a nice balancer and a 36V bulk charger so it turns off when done (or one of the nice R/C balance chargers). You will be amazed at the difference in performance and WEIGHT! It will be a totally different bike I assure you! I bet you even get more MPH due to the huge difference in battery sag! If you are using the SLA's down to 50% or deeper, they will continue to die on you, they don't like it at all! They will do it, but they will not last long...

You know, if you have problems with the chain jumping teeth, if you get an Idler setup so that the chain wraps the sprocket more fully you will get that licked! Just make sure the idler is on the slack side of the chain!
 
I do have it bad. A couple days last week had a 40% chance of rain, and I rode anyway. Don't care! It's only water! :)

Without even shopping for 20Ah worth of LiPo, I'm guessing $700.00 with a charger. Am I close? When these SLA's finally die, I'll probably go that route, as well as a whole new build.

Do you think that battery died because of too much discharge? It was only three months old. I think the bouncing hurt it. It just quit suddenly, no fade out. Guess I'll see how the others hold up, but I like the way these chargers work. They'll have the batteries charged before I hit the sack, so I'll know if the charges get shut down.

I'm looking forward to 48Volts of LiPo some day, but that day is a LONG way off. I'm pushing my luck as it is money-wise.

I was kicking around the idea of an idler with a friend. He was wondering if a duel set of sprockets pinching from above and below, just floating on the chain, would work? I'll see if I can make a sketch...

Idler.jpg
 
I hear ya there! I have been fighting with my setup for some time just to find out when I made a simple mistake shorting the phase wires, I hurt the power limiting circuit in the controller allowing spikes to hurt the FETS. UGH, I got a new controller and WOW no more problems! LOL!
 
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