Light electric motorcycle Clutch development

[Josh K.]

Hi Folks,

I just got back from riding dirt bikes around in Moab Utah for a few days. While I do enjoy running a modern dirt bike, I am
more interested in the development of light electric dirt bikes these days.

While riding on the slick rock trail, and climbing some amazing stone walls, It occurred to me how useful the clutch is.
When using a 350 four cycle in first gear, and going almost straight up, we develop a method of feathering the clutch,
to modulate the power output, for a smoother climb. I can't help but think that a smooth integration of a clutch, and a six
speed gear box, is going to revolutionize the electric motorcycle riding experience.

Furthermore, I believe that the electric motorcycles will also benefit from a gearbox, to be able to go further on less fuel.
Empowering the rider to be able to use a low gear for take off, and jockey gears around town, and to use a high gear for
passing on the highway, will improve the rider's experience as well. like a mid drive efficiency improvement on an e bike.

Soo, I am wondering where is the best clutch development happening in the electric motorcycle world these days?

Is there a bolt on gear box, with an actual clutch, that can go in between a large ac motor, and the rear wheel?

Thanks, Josh K.

 

[amberwolf]

I haven't kept up with this thread
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=104472
but IIRC clutches have been discussed in it (if it's not that thread, I'll have to find the right one later).

 

[Josh K.]

Thanks Amberwolf, I have joined that other thread with the development of the trials bikes.

 

[scianiac]

You may also want to read up on some of the threads discussing gearboxes (a quick search of gearbox will bring some up and they may have links to previous ones). To save you a lot of reading though they generally don't make sense except for very specific applications and I would guess the clutch is in the same category for the same reasons.

The weight and inefficiency vs just adding more power with a larger motor, battery and controller. I can see it having some potential maybe in the trials use case because you can use the motor as a flywheel and maybe some other niche use cases same as with gearboxes.

For fine control through you can control an electric motor as finely as the laws of physics allow, you can control the power, torque, rpm or some mix and map of all of them with millisecond precision, you could put a lever on a bike that mimics a clutch like response so accurately nobody could tell the difference in most situations.