Having followed this thread since about page 20, it is time to share and give back to all those ideas I was inspired by or just plain copied. I had a couple of Kawasakis when I was a teen living in the boonies and always missed it. Motorcycles are no fun for me in the city, the electric trail bike is perfect. People are always muttering disparagingly about the Ego kit but it seems to me Bosch has been making motors since there has been motors and the planetary reduction is probably better made. It is more of an out of the box thing where mine was more labour of love. GNG got me rolling and I love the DIY part. I have upgraded here and there and I am pretty happy with my bike.
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I started with this Kona I found locally because I liked the shape of the frame and I wanted the massive brakes and suspension, reminding myself that this project was instead of getting a motorcycle. I initially installed the GNG with the L-Rods upper and lower sheets. I developed a good system for tensioning the upper and got the belt as tight as I dare but it would skip even in the lowest gear. After 164km the belt was too shredded so I swapped in the original GNG sheets with the "dreaded" serpentine wrap. Recently, when I tested a set of pads I threw in the rear brake, lifting the back wheel off the ground, I applied full throttle and gradually squeezed the lever.I could slow the wheel down to barely moving and the belt did not skip.
When my GNG kit arrived, I first plugged it in on the bench just to test it. It was unusable. The bolts on the jack shaft holding the freewheel sprocket and the belt pulley were so tight I could barely rotate it. It used so much power even under no load I can't imagine it lasting very long. Plus, it chewed the edge of the belt after running for about ten seconds so the alignment was off too. When disassembled, I filed the edges of the teeth on the pulley and on the motor too. I tiny hobby file worked well on the motor. It actually had a burr on the edge. It took a while, but I only did one edge of each tooth because it only ever spins one way. Then I put them both to the polishing wheel with the most aggressive polishing compound I had. Now after almost 600 km on the current Goodyear belt, it still looks new. Reassembled the jack shaft properly, with lock tight, I can spin it with my pinky.
I went with the nano-tech lipos for the high energy density. At 16Ah, I never use more the 85% so on a typical ride of big hills, trails and paved path, the pack usually lasts longer than I do. I like the stealth and safety of the back pack arrangement. One of the best bits of advice I would give to a new builder is to not cheap on batts and charger. A great bike is no good without battery power. They are expensive. Less weight on the bike is good for me as I often take it down the narrow basement stairs. My charging station is on my desk where I never take my eyes off them while they charge. Good excuse to surf ES. I cringe when I see pics of bikes with batteries cable tied to them. These batts are very fragile naked and puncture easily. Ever fallen off your bike? A short can cause a chemical fire you will never put out. I modified a big computer power supply for my chargers but don't recommend it unless you you confident with electronics. The whole deal has very high potential energy and should be with respect and a bit of fear. This can burn your house down easily.
I shortened up all the wires and put the controller and bits in a baby pelican case. After some muddy trails, I power wash it to within an inch of its life at the car wash on the way home. It also makes it look tidy. Ahhh! you are thinking it will get too hot. No, only a bit warm. I leave it ajar on super hot days but don't need to. The breaker is for common sense but it is nice to shut it off to (dis)connect the umbilical. I got rid of that GNG yellow piece of poo the motor wires are coupled in and used bullet connectors sealed in heat shrink.
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The fender on the front is made from ABS plastic. I love that material. I have made all kind of things from it. It is super easy to work with and is cheap and available. I even carved a shifter trigger as I had to cut the original off to clear the throttle.
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Curious how others get their kit to work at all without a torque arm. This was the first mod I did. This one is adjustable as are my lower sheets.The Cycle Analyst is neat but overkill for my purposes. All that is required is a Ah meter.
The GNG bottom bracket short falls are well documented. These I can confirm. The roughest riding I do is hopping on/off curbs but the spindle bent in short order and the free wheel got sloppy and grindy. Plus, the right side left side sticker was backwards. Took me a few minutes to figure that one. Installed the cyclone bits like every one else.
No mods to the controller yet. Some people are putting 2,3,5K into the motor...it is a bicycle after all. I have already ruined the rear wheel bearings and the forks need to be rebuilt. It has to last a season anyway. I don't want to have to push it home. 5K for how long? O.K. in some dragsters they don't even give it a radiator because the race is only seconds long. 1000 watts stock is fine for me. I don't even know what my top speed is. A big road is the only place to wind it out and my inclination is to avoid cars and people. Its about hill climbing and muddy trails. It is so unnatural to go up a steep hill on a bicycle its a blast.
Has any one else found that bike mechanics are weirdos? Tool kit and a god complex? The guy that services my Mercedes is down to earth, friendly and treats me like his son. I went to a local bike shop in Toronto and was told "We don't sell downhill bikes" sniff sniff. They did however have two nice 2.5" downhill tires on sale for $10 each. I buy the Park tools and fix things myself.
Wow I live in a city that really hates bikes. The car is King. Our lousy mayor commenting on a recent cyclist fatality said "My heart bleeds for him but its his own fault". In High Park or on the waterfront "multi use" trail, pedestrians stink eye anyone on two wheels. In their minds they aren't walking, they are drivers that just have their cars parked for twenty minutes. I do find it surprising how unnoticed I go as an EV. Totally illegal but most people just see a big mountain bike. I actually had a traffic cop stop traffic to let me cross the street. Shocked-I have issues with authority.
I like to think of my bike as the SUV of bicycles. This is so much fun, have put 900 km on so far. I find myself laughing while I ride. Peace.
