So to start off, this is my first attempt at a moped beyond a AIY kit (assemble it yourself), and my knowledge of electronics is rudimentary at best (working on it). Phase amps from the controller are still over my head knowledge wise and were not considered. What I do think/know (please correct me if I am wrong) are the basic assumptions below:
Battery Voltage x kv = unloaded motor RPM, loaded rpm is ~70% of unloaded RPM.
It’s better to underload a big motor than overload a small motor for lifespan/function.
For best responsiveness I need a sensored motor.
Targeted top speed would be 50-60 km/hr, my average speed over entire trips should be ~ 30 km/hr. It is hard to say about power levels as I need to compare it to a front DD hub; I would like decent acceleration from stop, and better hill climbing power than what I have. Easier wheelies would be a perk

.
I plan on using single stage reduction, with a 150T wheel sprocket, 15T motor sprocket, and a 25H chain, for a 1:10 ratio. Since the wheel sprocket is custom made, I went with 150T to have more wiggle room with off the shelf smaller motor sprockets.
Planning to use a 48v battery, and ride on 700x44 wheels. The largest wheel that I might use is 29x2.6 which drops the required Kv for 60km/hr to 125. Controller will be a baserunner, and ideally I will be using my CAv3 for throttle input. Please see below "calcs".
Equipment | | |
---|
battery | 48 | Volts |
circ 700x44 | 2.23 | m/Rev |
ratio | 0.1 | motor to wheel |
loaded factor | 0.7 | |
Speed to Kv | | | | | |
---|
30 | 50 | 55 | 60 | km/hr | |
500.0 | 833.3 | 916.7 | 1000.0 | m/min | |
224.2 | 373.7 | 411.1 | 448.4 | Rev/min | at wheel, loaded |
2242.2 | 3736.9 | 4110.6 | 4484.3 | Rev/min | at motor, loaded |
3203.1 | 5338.5 | 5872.3 | 6406.1 | Rev/min | at motor, factored unloaded |
66.7 | 111.2 | 122.3 | 133.5 | Required Kv | Kv = (Rev/min)/ (Volts) |
I think I need at least a Kv of 133.5 to meet my desired max speed, but what’s best for sizing a motor? I am leaning towards 80xx based solely off the experience of others posting here and other online sources (still working on learning these things). Any key posts I should read, there's like 15+ years of great info here!
For what its worth my current moped’s electric system is a 48v Battery, baserunner, grin all-axle motor(standard winding), and I use a Cav3. This set-up is awesome for practicality and maintenance, but I want to: have rear wheel drive, centered mass on the bike frame, something more done by me (although still just A-AIY, advanced assemble yourself).