I am restoring this and converting it to electric as I think it would be a fun winter project. I know I would be better off buying a Super73 or even Radrover or something along those lines….but something draws me to this minibike. I’ve had it forever and would just love a unique project like this. I have an e mountain bike with a TSDZ2 and a cargo bike with an eZee geared hub motor. So I have experienced those types of ebikes and love them as my daily bikes. This would just be something different to cruise around on or maybe even take on some rail trails. I could see maybe building a side car for it as well.
However I am stuck between doing a MY1020 type motor/sprocket combo or doing a dual hub motor set up. I did a list of some pros and cons of each set up below.
This is the sort of hub motor I was thinking.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mswOw6D
Mid drive Motor
Pros
- Classic looking (keep the original wheels etc.)
- Easy to change gear ratios
- Lots of mounting options
- Many other examples and resources available for this conversion
- Lots of wheel tire combos
Cons
- Nosey chain
- Loss of space for storage and battery
- Loss of efficiency through chain
- Maybe power to cost ratio perhaps not as good
- Have to figure out rear brake upgrade
Hub Motors
Pros
- Clean looking
- Lots of space in the middle for batteries, controllers and storage
- Quiet
- 2wd (lots of weight on the front wheel)
- Regan braking on the front
Cons
- Hub motors don’t look as nice and classic to me…but maybe done right they can
- Less examples of conversions to reference so I have no idea how it will perform
- Weight?
Can anyone add to my Pro and Con list to help me make my decision and get the ball rolling? Or maybe send me in the direction of similar builds?
Thanks!
Pic of bike currently
However I am stuck between doing a MY1020 type motor/sprocket combo or doing a dual hub motor set up. I did a list of some pros and cons of each set up below.
This is the sort of hub motor I was thinking.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mswOw6D
Mid drive Motor
Pros
- Classic looking (keep the original wheels etc.)
- Easy to change gear ratios
- Lots of mounting options
- Many other examples and resources available for this conversion
- Lots of wheel tire combos
Cons
- Nosey chain
- Loss of space for storage and battery
- Loss of efficiency through chain
- Maybe power to cost ratio perhaps not as good
- Have to figure out rear brake upgrade
Hub Motors
Pros
- Clean looking
- Lots of space in the middle for batteries, controllers and storage
- Quiet
- 2wd (lots of weight on the front wheel)
- Regan braking on the front
Cons
- Hub motors don’t look as nice and classic to me…but maybe done right they can
- Less examples of conversions to reference so I have no idea how it will perform
- Weight?
Can anyone add to my Pro and Con list to help me make my decision and get the ball rolling? Or maybe send me in the direction of similar builds?
Thanks!
Pic of bike currently