Jonathan1981
100 W
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2011
- Messages
- 180
@ admin, could we get a MOD/DEV specific Thread started for the surron? I think this thread is probably best left for general discussion.
Jonathan1981 said:@ admin, could we get a MOD/DEV specific Thread started for the surron? I think this thread is probably best left for general discussion.
fechter said:Jonathan1981 said:@ admin, could we get a MOD/DEV specific Thread started for the surron? I think this thread is probably best left for general discussion.
Anybody can start a new topic. I would love a separate place for Sur-ron technical information. I'm reverse engineering parts of it already.
3DTOPO said:Jonathan1981 said:Here's a pic of my gas bikes,
http://www.dirtforcemotorcycles.com/gallery.html
![]()
OMG! Dude, I would kill for a snow setup like that for my Sur-Ron. I think that would pretty much be the ultimate snow machine!!!![]()
What a fun project it would be to build one too. I won't have nearly enough time before the snow flies though.![]()
Did you build it, or who built it? If you built it, can you make me one for my Sur-Ron?!?!
macribs said:3DTOPO said:Jonathan1981 said:Here's a pic of my gas bikes,
http://www.dirtforcemotorcycles.com/gallery.html
![]()
OMG! Dude, I would kill for a snow setup like that for my Sur-Ron. I think that would pretty much be the ultimate snow machine!!!![]()
What a fun project it would be to build one too. I won't have nearly enough time before the snow flies though.![]()
Did you build it, or who built it? If you built it, can you make me one for my Sur-Ron?!?!
Using a bike like a snowmobile is not an easy task. Take a look at the snow bike kits available. Those are expensive and for a good reason. To really get the power needed to work in powder I think you will need a whole different drive setup. Might need dual motor and dual ASI 8000 or even more power. Remember when they put these kits on 450's dirt bikes they use all the power all the time, in addition to the gearbox. And the more you tune up the motor, the better the kits work. Some sort of blower or even nitro bursts works wonders on 450's mx bikes.
macribs said:You would drain your battery within minutes because you need max power almost all the time, totally different from a bike on a trail.
macribs said:If you like to explore winter fun on a bike, go for mx and a snow bike kit. I don't think batteries are yet up for the taks yet.
macribs said:Just by looking at the kit in the pic, it seems to be, well home brew to put it nice. I wouldn't even consider such a kit. No shocks? And the width of that kit? Will it even be able to stay on top of the snow or just dig in deep and get stuck? Anyway put such a kit on a sur ron and I think you wasted your money. Battery is too small for the task, motor is no way near powerful enough and the kit itself is well, under engineered.
Jonathan1981 said:fechter said:Jonathan1981 said:@ admin, could we get a MOD/DEV specific Thread started for the surron? I think this thread is probably best left for general discussion.
Anybody can start a new topic. I would love a separate place for Sur-ron technical information. I'm reverse engineering parts of it already.
Oh ok, I'll initiate it then.......
and we're off, not really sure if that's the right way to do it, but anyway.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=96292
macribs said:3DTOPO said:Jonathan1981 said:Here's a pic of my gas bikes,
http://www.dirtforcemotorcycles.com/gallery.html
![]()
OMG! Dude, I would kill for a snow setup like that for my Sur-Ron. I think that would pretty much be the ultimate snow machine!!!![]()
What a fun project it would be to build one too. I won't have nearly enough time before the snow flies though.![]()
Did you build it, or who built it? If you built it, can you make me one for my Sur-Ron?!?!
Using a bike like a snowmobile is not an easy task. Take a look at the snow bike kits available. Those are expensive and for a good reason. To really get the power needed to work in powder I think you will need a whole different drive setup. Might need dual motor and dual ASI 8000 or even more power. Remember when they put these kits on 450's dirt bikes they use all the power all the time, in addition to the gearbox. And the more you tune up the motor, the better the kits work. Some sort of blower or even nitro bursts works wonders on 450's mx bikes.
You would drain your battery within minutes because you need max power almost all the time, totally different from a bike on a trail.
If you like to explore winter fun on a bike, go for mx and a snow bike kit. I don't think batteries are yet up for the taks yet.
Just by looking at the kit in the pic, it seems to be, well home brew to put it nice. I wouldn't even consider such a kit. No shocks? And the width of that kit? Will it even be able to stay on top of the snow or just dig in deep and get stuck? Anyway put such a kit on a sur ron and I think you wasted your money. Battery is too small for the task, motor is no way near powerful enough and the kit itself is well, under engineered.
Berd said:Sur Ron Lite Bee arrived today!
Fed Ex dropped it off at around 3PM.
The battery was at 75% and I put it on the charger while I put the bike together.
Before even riding it I changed out the bars for some 3" rise protapers.
Everything went together easily and intuitively - other than the front axle.
The lock nut was super tight and ultimately it took a little persuasion with my small Dewalt battery powered impact driver.
In the online support FAQ Luna talks about how you have to be careful about stripping the axle so I was a bit nervous about "leaning on it"
I used Luna's chat support window and Tony quickly walked me through it including sending me a link to an assembly video.
Thanks for the great support Tony!
I really just needed some confirmation that I was heading in the right direction.
(clockwise to loosen the lock nut then anti-clockwise to loosen the axle)
I had to "rock it" back and forth a couple of times with the Dewalt and then it broke loose and all was normal.
I added anti-seize on the axle and on the lock nut before reassembly - just in case.
I was able to get in about 20 miles of back and forth on some of the local roads/trails as a shakedown ride before dinner.
I climbed up some pretty good hills (lots of them around here) and took the battery from full down to about 25%.
Loads of fun and looking forward to another ride tomorrow.
Pictures coming soon.
Marksteamnz said:Jonathan1981 said:fechter said:Jonathan1981 said:@ admin, could we get a MOD/DEV specific Thread started for the surron? I think this thread is probably best left for general discussion.
Anybody can start a new topic. I would love a separate place for Sur-ron technical information. I'm reverse engineering parts of it already.
Oh ok, I'll initiate it then.......
and we're off, not really sure if that's the right way to do it, but anyway.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=96292
I have no desire to follow multiple threads. This thread sits in its own tab on my machine and I refresh it each day. Nice and simple.
3DTOPO said:macribs said:Just by looking at the kit in the pic, it seems to be, well home brew to put it nice. I wouldn't even consider such a kit. No shocks? And the width of that kit? Will it even be able to stay on top of the snow or just dig in deep and get stuck? Anyway put such a kit on a sur ron and I think you wasted your money. Battery is too small for the task, motor is no way near powerful enough and the kit itself is well, under engineered.
I think it appears to be using the same suspension of the motor bike? I understand additional track suspension is very nice, but I am just looking for something to give me better traction in the snow than a tire could possibly give me. Because I plan to do some riding in snow no matter what!
I figure I should be able to ride under almost as deep powder as I can with my fat bike which is as a bare minimum good enough for me. If I could get a bit better than that would be awesome! One of the limiting ride-ability factors for me is having sufficient traction on ice (that's far more important than riding in 2+ feet of powder for my conditions). Once the base roads ice up, that pretty much limits me to my Fat Bike. So I am thinking with my Sur-Ron as is, once the roads ice up it will be done for the season - unless I do something!!!
I think I am going to either build a track (probably require a custom swing arm), or just build a custom swing arm for 5" fat snow tires. Would also need a new fat fork. Man, 5" fatties on a Sur Ron would HAVE to be a fun ride - hell - even year round! Either solution will probably require a fatter swing arm, and thinking that might be a nice product to offer at some point.
macribs said:3DTOPO said:macribs said:Just by looking at the kit in the pic, it seems to be, well home brew to put it nice. I wouldn't even consider such a kit. No shocks? And the width of that kit? Will it even be able to stay on top of the snow or just dig in deep and get stuck? Anyway put such a kit on a sur ron and I think you wasted your money. Battery is too small for the task, motor is no way near powerful enough and the kit itself is well, under engineered.
I think it appears to be using the same suspension of the motor bike? I understand additional track suspension is very nice, but I am just looking for something to give me better traction in the snow than a tire could possibly give me. Because I plan to do some riding in snow no matter what!
Suspension is not just nice, it is mandatory. Go to a snowmobile dealer and see if you can find an early 80 vintage snowmobile. Take it for a spin and then compare to modern day snowmobile. Ain't no fun being beaten to death without suspension. Also the added mass of the kit requires suspension way past the original bicycle shock on the sur ron.
Before you sink your hard earned cash into a no return pit hold back a little and do some test riding of snowbikes. On hard surfaces they suck! No fun at all. Unusable on streets, even if street is covered in snow and ice. You need deep snow for the track to dig into to be able to lean during cornering, and after all, riding a snowbike like it is a regular dirtbike is what snowbikes are about. And when you do ride in deep snow I can ensure you we are not even talking 1/4 of sur ron run time. You said 8 miles would be great. I say maybe you if you are lucky will manage 2 miles. You have to understand how these kits works. There are so much losses in the kit themselves and also in the snow, every yard ridden in the snow is like going full throttle up a the steepest hill your sur ron can climb, while using both front and rear brake.
I figure I should be able to ride under almost as deep powder as I can with my fat bike which is as a bare minimum good enough for me. If I could get a bit better than that would be awesome! One of the limiting ride-ability factors for me is having sufficient traction on ice (that's far more important than riding in 2+ feet of powder for my conditions). Once the base roads ice up, that pretty much limits me to my Fat Bike. So I am thinking with my Sur-Ron as is, once the roads ice up it will be done for the season - unless I do something!!!
You can't in any way compare a snowbike to a fat bike. A fat bike has so much less resistance. And the same for losses. When you add the track you are adding rotating mass, mass that are battling the snow.
I think I am going to either build a track (probably require a custom swing arm), or just build a custom swing arm for 5" fat snow tires. Would also need a new fat fork. Man, 5" fatties on a Sur Ron would HAVE to be a fun ride - hell - even year round! Either solution will probably require a fatter swing arm, and thinking that might be a nice product to offer at some point.
Building a fat bike version I can understand and that makes so much sense. Then you can have your winter fun without draining the battery within minutes. Thumbs up for a fat bike sur ron.
![]()
In the early days of snowbikes there where a lot of various attempts to make snowbikes in the back yard. Bikes like this does not work. Track is too short, not aggressive enough and that front ski? Snowbikes are tons of fun but still so expensive you can get a couple of decent snowmobiles for the price of a kit. And then you soon realize you will need more power. Turbo? A blower? Nitro? Whatever you choose the money vanishes quickly.
Spend your time and equipment making something that will work well for you and your needs rather then getting all hooked on the idea of an electric snowbike. When that day comes that we do see an electric snowbike I am sure the battery will be several times bigger then the sur ron, it will have 2 or 3 times the power of a sur ron and the fun will likely run out to fast due to battery depletion.
Jonathan1981 said:Just for clarification, this is not a "kit" that I sell. It's just a fun, one off prototype. That's it, that's all. Works great too in deep snow, anything 2+ feet well it's not enough so unfortunately no boon docking. You need TONSSSSS of power for that. Even this requires a descent amount of power, I have the 160cc pinned most of the time to get momentum going in the deeper stuff...
"under engineered"? lol
I should show you all the pictures of how much thought went into it. And close ups, there's a system to adjust the track tension. You mentioned no suspension, it works with the bikes rear suspension AND the track itself does have suspension to control the track pitch, I had to develop a custom pull shock. That's what that aluminum thing is on the side of the track. That actually broke so I designed an upgraded version out of 1/8" steel tube with a spring inside. It's CRAZY strong but heavy...
I suggest you guys give up on the snow conversion kit right now, just not going to happen with electric power atm. There's video's of people ripping just with wheels and studs, sometimes that's all you need. But I think you could get away with a fat tire conversion that would do hard packed groomed trails and light snow really well tho.
Offroader said:Jonathan, I know with my Fox shocks they recommend only a few turns max on that adjustment. They actually warn that if you go to much you can cause damage. Just a heads up. Obviously if its loose you should tighten it, but just make sure there is no limits on how tight you can make it.
I also believe that adjustment is to set the sag on the bike, and if its not setting proper sag you need another spring.
Rix said:Offroader said:Jonathan, I know with my Fox shocks they recommend only a few turns max on that adjustment. They actually warn that if you go to much you can cause damage. Just a heads up. Obviously if its loose you should tighten it, but just make sure there is no limits on how tight you can make it.
I also believe that adjustment is to set the sag on the bike, and if its not setting proper sag you need another spring.
As long as the spring isn't coil binding, preload coil compression can be turned down without drama. I am betting thats why Fox warned you. That said, increasing preload on the spring isn't as good as respringing. But I have found that even at 245# with proper preload set up, the stock shock is adequate.
dirkdiggler said:Comparing an mx snowbike to the sur-ron is absurd. They weigh about half as much. I think it depends on how deep the snow is. An electric snowbike will happen sooner than later. To a point you get the weight and torque advantage with electrics. I bet the Alta motor bike would manage as it currently stands.
dirkdiggler said:If you really want to try, I'd test the track kit for mtb bikes that Luna sells.
![]()
https://lunacycle.com/k-trak-tank-tracks-conversion-kit-luna-new-and-improved-version/
Maybe it's junk, I don't know. I ride an electric fattie in winter, but I have researched using a front ski with it.
[youtube]pYT09YZG38A[/youtube]
dirkdiggler said:Comparing an mx snowbike to the sur-ron is absurd. They weigh about half as much. I think it depends on how deep the snow is. An electric snowbike will happen sooner than later. To a point you get the weight and torque advantage with electrics. I bet the Alta motor bike would manage as it currently stands.
If you really want to try, I'd test the track kit for mtb bikes that Luna sells.
![]()
macribs said:dirkdiggler said:Comparing an mx snowbike to the sur-ron is absurd. They weigh about half as much. I think it depends on how deep the snow is. An electric snowbike will happen sooner than later. To a point you get the weight and torque advantage with electrics. I bet the Alta motor bike would manage as it currently stands.
If you really want to try, I'd test the track kit for mtb bikes that Luna sells.
![]()
That is not a snowbike and will not ride like one. That will ride like mtb with a tiny track.
macribs said:You can't just put a track on things and believe it will become a snowbike. The track length and width just won't work in the powder and it won't allow for the snowbike feel of riding. Don't go chasing the the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, if you like a fun winter ride turn your sur ron into a fatbike and you will get rewarded every time you ride.
Aebrennan said:Today we received our shipment of X version bikes.
I can confirm that the bike comes factory fitted with sine wave controller, x version graphics, number board and rear plate, grey grips, new bars, different colour calipers, different brake pads, gold o’ring chain and DNM suspension.
The bike has the same 48T rear sprocket as standard and the increase in seat size is not obvious.