500W Electric Bike Kit Motor E-Bike Conversion - Part 2

[justinboy08]

F the law

[xenbay]

Sorry I have to say it's a very bad idea to ride on the road with a 500W motor and break the 15.5mph speed restriction under power. This law exists for a good reason despite what people seem to think. It ensures that bicycles remain firmly in the bicycle category and don't require licensing or safety checking. Riding above 250W is irresponsible and puts the whole industry and freedoms we enjoy at risk. Imagine if you're involved in an accident what the consequences for yourself could be?

[realistromeo]

I'm kinda dissapointed that regulations in Canada allow only bikes capable of 19.2 miles per hour unassisted or 500W total output to be road legal. Thats only half the speed you were doing here.. what you did in 5.49 minutes would take me 11+.

I'd totaly accept a speed of 23mph or (38km) it's not so bad, it would be hard for cops to tell (except the mass produced ones that have labels) just how fast and poweful the bike actualy goes.

[edstar83]

3:29 That person should not be behind the wheel of a motor car.

[8bitstargazer]

Dear god Didnt know you were in Europe at first, thought you were going to get ran over for being on the wrong side of the road lol

[459am]

I gave up on my electric bike stuff and went to a 66cc two stroke mortorized kit. Its way better than any of my electric bikes plus it only cost me 140 bucks vs thousands and thousands that i wasted. All of my electric stuff has now been sold cheap and im sticking to these gas powered bikes from now on. As long as you wear your helmet the cops leave you alone.

[QuiksiIver]

@459am How loud is it compared to the electric system?

[insaneflipboy]

hi all... i have the 720w cyclone 3wheel kit on a giant bike and ran it temporarily on 3x12 w 12ah lead acids and with pedaling i get 36mph on a flat it caned the batteries and i only got about 4 miles. currently changing them for 36v 20ah lifepo4 which will be here next week. your vid here seems really good and i know you get 25mph no prob good vid tho

[insaneflipboy]

@insaneflipboy now changed my batteries, using vpower 36v 20ah lifepo4, i also changed the rear gears from 14 tooth 36mph to 11 tooth but had to change the wheel to rear cassette to do it ! it now goes as fast as 44mph!. i passed a scooby in a 30 zone! in his rear window it said " catch me if you can " so i did !!!.... he then kicked back a gear and burnt passed me after i overtook him that was hilarious.

[insaneflipboy]

@insaneflipboy now changed my batteries, using vpower 36v 20ah lifepo4, i also changed the rear gears from 14 tooth 36mph to 11 tooth but had to change the wheel to rear cassette to do it ! it now goes as fast as 44mph!. i passed a scooby in a 30 zone! in his rear window it said " catch me if you can " so i did !!!.... he then kicked back a gear and burnt passed me after i overtook him.... that was hilarious !!

[lexam55]

how many volt that motor?

[msconfigexe]

It seems the english are full of beurocracy (judging by the comments I'm reading) and that is why my country is so beurocratic since it was settled by convicts :D!

I'm of the belief if you can build it, you can ride it. I'm gonna do the 1200w with 48v :D! SUCK ON THAT BEUROCRATS!

[davidmccaffery]

@ebike100 .... No problem, can I exceed 15.5mph whilst doing so?

[EBIKE100]

@davidmccaffery

No. And you can't exceed 15.5Kph either! HAHAHAHAHA

[dixiejon]

i also add airless inner tubes for sick traction and I have wiped out at 30 mph with blown tube though you lose some range all fun though

[Bungle1052]

Unfortunately this kind of attitude seems to be a national trait. British people are far more interested in what everybody else is doing and pointing out what's wrong with it. I have to be careful who I tell about my 750W e-bike 'cos there are several people I know with beards just waiting to inform on the likes of me. C'est la vie!

[manor1730]

dude, your on the wrong side of the road!!

[shitstainedballs1]

@davidmccaffery yur a dork, fag and a killjoy, if thats what he wants to do with HIS bike who gives a fuck

[davidmccaffery]

@shitstainedballs1 No-one. A bit like when you talk. But if he wants to do it on the roads we all pay for, abide by the rules.They exist to keep the cost of uninsured damage down, and medical costs down.

[davidmccaffery]

errrr..... exceeding 15.5mph under power means the bike becomes a motorcycle. It therefore needs tax, MOT, insurance, a full set of lighting and type approval; as well as a motorcycle license. Kind of pointless isn't it ?

[epedalpower]

Well we haven't bothered with all that to be honest. The 15mph limit seems rather crazy considering you can beat that speed under pedal power alone. So far haven't been stopped and the kits are quite discreet so hopefully shouldn't have any problems.

[niceboy60]

@epedalpower Great Video , as E-bike user I agree with you the 15.5 speed limit is impractical and impossible to be enforced

.

It almost discriminates E- bikes users for having a Electric hub when some Cyclists can reach 30 mph legally .

If the E-bike user keeps peddling is impossible to determines which percentage of power the E -bike is producing

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 The problem is not the speed itself, it's the fact bicycles are not designed or intended to travel that fast and there's a whole load of safety issues (standards enforcement and licensing) come into play once you start operating a bicycle on power alone at speeds that moves into the category of a vehicle. It's for this reason that the speed is limited to 15.5mph if you're not pedaling and it makes perfect sense when you consider that bicycles can be ridden on pavements.

[xenbay]

If you should be unlucky to get an accident with a car and cause damage or even worse, with a pedestrian, you could find yourself in real serious trouble facing criminal convictions and maybe facing a expensive personal injury compensation claim with no insurance to cover it.

[GrimlyKK]

@davidmccaffery so what? Jeez, some people were born old.

[davidmccaffery]

@GrimlyKK ... And others born ugly and stupid. Some even cry about how unfair it all is when their toy gets seized and put in the crusher. Maybe a jet engine on reheat would be a good idea for the top rack?

I make the point that an illegal electric bike is only of use if you have a big private track to ride it on, unless you want to run the risk of losing your investment.... The idea is great, the practicality is limited.

[epedalpower]

@davidmccaffery I once had a police officer pull along side me when I was flying along using the kit who said 'best get yourself home now it's getting dark and you don't have any lights on'. He was totally right as I didn't expect to be out so long and was a safety issue though not a mention of the kit. As stickers can be removed would be very difficult to prove the power of the kit without taking the bike away for testing. I personally think the police have a lot more important laws to enforce

[davidmccaffery]

@epedalpower Couldn't agree more matey. But if you sell one of these or lend one and someone dies on that bike, you're liable. Again, I really hope the law is changed, but the risk with things like this is that it becomes a 'menace' that legislation actively seeks to prohibit. A few muppets riding these make for an unfortunate incident which sees them banned.

[epedalpower]

@davidmccaffery We do state that motor kits which are over the legal limit of 250 watts are meant for off road only so it is up the individual to decide how they are used. Have only ever heard of one incident of an ebiker being a 'menace' & that was in London when a pedicab fitted with a high power motor kit was going too fast & went through a shop window. Think the majority of ebikers are just looking for a cheap & efficient way of travelling from A to B whilst having a bit of fun!

[Vince62965]

I race bicycles on road and 40-50 mph is a possibility

[davidmccaffery]

@Vince62965 Hi vince..... Of course it's possible..... the WR is 83mph, unpaced on flat surface (and speed limits are a bit ambiguous for bikes :D). I regularly use Road, MTB and Electric bikes and wish that the 15.5 mph limit could be higher, or have a higher power output (or both?) but unfortunately it is what it is...!

[EBIKE100]

@davidmccaffery

Go away.

[niceboy60]

@davidmccaffery the 15.5 MPH speed limit is completely impractical and impossible to be enforced

.

If you are police officer and see a cyclist over 20 mph in E-bike how do you determine which percentage of power the bike producing compared with its user

.

Is not unusual racing bikes reaching 30 mph without any Electric hubs , I have a electric bike and I have been

overtaken by some really Fast Cyclists

.

All e-bike users have to do is keep peddling

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 I wouldn't bank on that at all. If the police believe a bike is going too fast on a flat road and the cyclist is not pedaling they can easily pull you over for a check, and if they believe the bike should be licensed as a motorcycle they can impound it for further tests and checks. It would be fairly straight forward to test the speed using the standard speed guns the police have. You risk a fine and points on your license.

[niceboy60]

@xenbay fellow the police can pull over a electric bike , but they will catch nothing . When was the last time you have seen a police officer , With a voltage meter ? to check if the battery voltage is legal . How in earth the police will determine Watts of a Hub . Even if the police watch a bicycle going at 30 mph which is the speeds this bikes can reach . he wouild have to proof the speed is all down to the Bicycle and not the rider . The police is simply not equipped to do this tests

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 Yeah but they don't need to do all that on the spot, they can simply say they believe the bike is a vehicle not a bicycle and then seizure it for further testing. Their mechanics and experts back at the station will do all the testing and if necessary bring in outside people knowledgeable about ebikes. All they need to do really is prove the bike is capable of going faster than 15.5mph without pedalling for an offense to be committed. They can prove that with a speed gun.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 The police don't have to prove the bike WAS traveling at a speed above the legal limit without pedaling, only that its CAPABLE of is sufficient for an offense to be committed if you're riding it on the road. With a 500W motor they would surely have no problem determining that with a simple speed camera test back at station and one of their officers riding it.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 If the bike is seized and determined to be an unlicensed unregistered vehicle, they can destroy it in addition to bringing all the various charges for traffic offenses.

[niceboy60]

@xenbay Imagine a Parent saying to a 14 year old teen : you can bring your boyfriend to sleep in your room , but you are not allow to have sex with him .

.

This is how Electric Bike Law stands

.

Contrary to the combustion engines which are strictly forbidden in bicycles.

Once Electric hubs are allowed police has no control regarding the power out put

.

A police officer can inpound a bicycle for speeding however he will be entering in a unconformable grey area of the law .

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 I agree it's somewhat difficult to regulate and see which bikes are in compliance and which are not just by glancing at bikes on the road. But when you have a 500W motor fitted to a bicycle that clearly moves it firmly out of the pedelec category and into a powered vehicle category. It's obvious from the speed its moving its going faster than what you would expect a legal pedelec to be moving, if the rider is going full pelt on the road. A

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 At the moment we enjoy a great of freedom with our ebikes (i own one too) and the government and police are very relaxed about it..but that could all change and be taken away if someone with a 500W motor or higher, causes a serious accident or people start riding them on roads and getting stopped by police regularly. We just need to take care I think and look at the bigger picture here. This is a new industry and it would be a shame to see it regulated and all bikes being licensed.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 I'm not sure what you makes you think its a "grey area". It's merely a case of establishing whether or not the bike is capable of traveling faster than 15.5mph under power. It's incredibly quick and easy to establish that to the satisfaction of the courts using existing standard police speed detection equipment. Once a bike is capable of exceeding 15.5mph under power alone, and has a throttle, it becomes an illegal motor vehicle.

[niceboy60]

@xenbay its a grey are because your 15.5 mph does not take in in consideration terrain Inclination where a normal bicycles can reach 30 mph even without pedalling or without any electric assistance

.

don't confuse 15.5 mph assisted , with a speed limit

.

you can reach 30 mph legally on a e- bike provided you also do your share of the work

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 Yeah but you're either missing the point or not understanding the law. The law at present states that a powered bike cannot legally be on the road if the MOTOR is capable of going faster than 15.5mph (either pedal assisted or unassisted). You're right tho that it would be difficult to tell if this is the case from seeing a bike, but if the road was perfectly flat and/or the 500W+ bike was not being pedaled and it was clearly moving faster than you would expect a normal bike to...

[niceboy60]

@xenbay the max speed on this hubs is around 28 mph . If you pedal you might reach about 30 mph . Which means around 14.5 mph over the legal speed , You must be a real bored police officer you start stopping Bicycles for speeding . When there is video of Motorcycles showing of doing almost 200.mph . This bicycles does not pose a risk to the public as other vehicles do

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 I'm reasonably fit and I've never yet been able to pedal my ebike (which is very light compared to off-the-shelf ebikes) 30mph on the flat. Just not possible on a legal bike. What you seem to be ignoring is that at present the law doesn't allow the motor to continue providing power above 15.5mph once you start pedaling. So once the speed hits 15.5mph you're on your own and pedaling without any power assist.

[niceboy60]

@xenbay 30mph on the flat. Just not possible ???

.

please refer to this video women's cycling

.

Perhaps you are not as fit as you think

.

/watch?v=MH_WVmSrKHM&feature=r­elated

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 Those cyclists don't look like your average cyclists to me. They look proper fit and into racing cycling with appropriate bikes no doubt. I'm telling you, 30mph is just not possible on the flat on a mountain bike or normal pedelec style bike. I run 2km every day and work out in a gym so I'm probably above average fitness.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 You're making light of situation. It's a serious matter when you have bikes on pavements and roads with 500W and higher motors. The police have a duty to make sure that doesn't happen to protect the public. And if that starts happening regularly it will reflect badly on all of us. The law is the law, it's not there to be got around or ignored. It's there for a reason. The restrictions were put there by consultation with experts and have a very sound safety reasoning behind them.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 That would be grounds for the police to pull it over. Another thing to consider too..the law is going to change soon for eBikes to bring it inline with EU law..then you will have to pedal to use power, it will be illegal to buy or use bikes with a throttle-only mode on UK roads.

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 It's not really possible to reach 30mph on a flat road on a legal 250W bike that cuts out at 15.5mph. I don't see how that is possible unless you're very fit and have a racing bike. 

[niceboy60]

@xenbay you see fellow ?

.

You and law have allot to learn

.

The Hub watts does not mean nothing please refer to my video with ( my tuned 250w Stock )

.

watch?v=8Jgd2iQsU1g

[xenbay]

@niceboy60 If you need for some reason to go 30mph under power, then its not a bicycle you need, it's an electric moped and for that you need to get a license.

[dkw12002]

@xenbay In the US, our national law is not more than 750 watts/36 volts, and no faster than 20 mph by motor power alone on a level road. 15.5 is certainly safer, especially if you hit a pot hole, but the bigger motors and more watts allow you to climb hills much better. For a steep hill, many people would still not be able to pedal up the hill with a 250 watt motor. Most can with 36 volts and 750 watts using a 500 watt motor though. I have both a 250 and a 500 and the difference is dramatic. 

[xenbay]

Just to clarify, here is the law at present on UK ebikes... maximum motor power rating is 250W..maximum speed is 15.5mph... power is allowed on throttle-only up to the limit, and on pedal assist the motor must cut-off when the speed of the bike reaches 15.5mph.

[guitarmatt94]

how fast can you go on that thing? hows the acceleration? i have a 24volt motor and dont know if i want to get a 500w controller and batterires it or get a more powerful motor. i want to make more of an electric motorcycle or mini bike

[cunrah]

epedalpower this is a brill piece of kit, Unfortunatly the eclipsebikesdotcom site is down. Do you know where i can find this said kit else where?

And do you know if there is a more powerfull version? Im wanting to to get an average of 30mph over a 30 mile distance. If not that's not a problem. Just wanted to know if it's out now as this video is 2 years old.

[epedalpower]

Hi not sure what operating system you're using but website is working fine with internet explorer. There are more powerful versions going up to 36v 900 watt and 48v 1200 watts. To achieve the fairly high performance & distance you require you should be looking for a good quality LifePo4 pack minimum of 20ah I would say.

[cunrah]

@epedalpower Cheers for the reply, Its working now. There was an include error yesturday, So i think the website was having issues.

Thanks for the info! I shall be sure to look into what you've recommended a bit more! Do you still have the same kit you had 2 years ago? Or has the motor packed in since? :)

[AwesomeAlvin]

wow, how much did it cost?

[stormywindmill]

Couldn't you have spent just 1 minute on a view of the motor and controls and explained its instalation ?, You could have been riding around the block on a skate board for all i could see.

[epedalpower]

The clue is in the video title....'500W Electric Bike Kit Motor E-Bike Conversion - PART 2' If you had watched 'PART 1' first you would have seen the full setup & a general run through the kit.

[jammy764]

@epedalpower Wow, firstly whats the law on these, and how much would it coast to convert a bike.

[magemager0]

wish these weren't so expensive..

[epedalpower]

Unlike some of the cheaper electric bike kits available for sale these are good quality kits & looked after properly should last thousands of miles.  Compare this against the ever rising cost of petrol/diesel, car maintenance & servicing, insurance, road tax and they work out very cheap indeed.

[magemager0]

I realize they pay for themselves because they dont need gasoline, oil, and parts for a generic engine but I just happened to have a engine from a friend's weedeater and this is something I've wanted to do for a while and putting an engine of my bike is the cheapest solution to what I want to do. I've always wanted an electrical system on mine but I've seen sets from $300-$2000, and to convert my bike I spent around $20, only because the engine was free.

Thanks for your input.

[epedalpower]

Nice one...just goes to show you don't always need to spend a large amount of money...just the right parts & some technical knowledge...both of which I lack :-)

[epedalpower]

I'm currently using a 24v 10ah LifePo4 battery on my bike which is light yet offers ok range. You can just use the bike in the normal way though with no motor power & there will be no drag from the motor.

[britelite2657]

Where did you get this electric kit converter? i am after one but in the uk we are restricted but i think you are from the uk am i correct?

[epedalpower]

Yes I'm based in the UK. You can buy the motor kits from eclipsebikesdotcom

[britelite2657]

how does a standard bike chain hold up to being used with such a strong motor do thet wear out and snap often?

[matisamd]

i just put the 650W on my PBW folding bike :D havent had a chance to try it yet though couldnt get pedals off :P will get a pai tommorow from shop by the park and try it out :)

[matisamd]

just had a go great fun unfortunately the PBw has somthing like a 56 tooth crank unique i think to its rolloff hub thing but this meant it had so much power i could only get about 11mph on flat but on grass up hill it still went 11 mph lol any way its going on my KMX kart i just wanted to try it on the bike first, mind you if it was 11mph it feels hellish fast like doing 45 in a car :D great buzz ;)

[epedalpower]

The chain has been really good & stood up well to the increased power. I'm using Sram chain which I believe is of reasonable quality.

[bizonspirit]

What is your battery spec? LifePo4 10A24v or 20A24v?

Is that possible pedalling the bike without turn on the motor? just in case if we run out of the battery

[zimant78]

That is NOISY!!!!! sounds ike a milkvan from here! it is louder than a guy talking!

A hub battery is almost completely stealth, no one EVER noticed i had a electric bike.

cool gear though.

[epedalpower]

They don't sound that loud to be honest however my camera was mounted directly onto bike frame which probably didn't help. Saying that a little noise isn't a bad thing considering this 500watt kit has a top speed of 36mph with a LifePo4 battery weighing only 3.4kg Look forward to burning past you sometime ;-)

[CADAVERHUSK]

I love this stuff.Whats the law regarding these things.How fast can you go ? How much ??

[luc59457]

32km/h (around this) is the law for many areas in USA and Canada.. BTW, I use 1000w and get much faster than this.

[arjayflansang]

I think your on the wrong side of the road, c",)

[gofish407]

morph755, you might taco your wheel or start busting spokes...that's the problem. With that much weight, I would invest in stronger wheels....or not using a motor and losing the weight.

[phaaurarlison]

how much did it cost please and where did you get it from im from blackburn

[ferreirapeixoto]

whre I can buy it in Canada?

[epedalpower]

Wow thats nearly 17kg, will you be able to mount ok on the bike? Based on weight guessing you might be using SLA batteries?

[epedalpower]

Never tried a hub motor to be honest however the feedback I've received about these motors it pretty good. How much will your 60v of batteries weigh in at?

[alampandatennisrack]

what website can i buy this from? im looking for a converstion kit for no more that 500 with everything included

[epedalpower]

Should have some more 500 watt kits & also 300 watt in stock in next 2/3 weeks hopefully. Just drop me an email if you still require.

[luc59457]

500w?! Wow that is great, and fast for its watts!!! I have someone who recently messaged me and is looking for a well priced 500w conversion, perhaps I could send him your way for some help on that.

[epedalpower]

Unfortunately don't have any stock at the moment. Exchange rates £/$ sucks so will have to wait a while & hope pound will bounce back at some point...before next winter hopefully!!

[moss1transcendant]

have you ran yours in the rain yet often ? im concerned over water getting in the throttle shorting out the speedo or worse case cenario wrecking all the electronics. i raced electric  rc cars in past and found water a real expensive pain

[epedalpower]

Think the only advantage hub motors have over this kit is they are better suited to wet weather conditions. I did manage to temporarily damage my motor due to using in heavy rain however once it had dried out it luckily worked fine again. Am looking to mount my motor on the frame higher up & use a double chainwheel. This should help to reduce the water thrown up from the wheels from surface water.

[epedalpower]

Battery I use is 24v 10ah LifePo4 which weighs about 3.3kg

Only getting around 11 miles out of the battery however thats riding flat out with some pedaling.

My ride to work is just under 6 miles. Takes me around 14 mins with an average speed of about 24mph, hitting 30-35 mph at points.

[exaturbo]

thanks for the info...

i am in the process of installing the cyclone 500w kit this weekend. having some trouble with correct chain path...

my motor is CW, is yours CCW ?

i think my chain path will differ from yours (chain goes under then over motor) yours goes over then under ?

have not powered it up yet, as im not finished the install.

any help you can offer would be great.

[epedalpower]

My motor runs CCW however the setup is very similar to CW. As you mentioned your chain would go under motor sprocket then up & round white chain wheel. Full installation can be found on Cyclone website.

[exaturbo]

i am getting the same motor kit that you have delivered in a week or two.

it's going on a Diamondback 27Spd MTB.

obviously it will become 9 speed after the conversion.

i am running a 24V 18A Ni-Mh battery.

what is the AH rating on your battery, and what range are you getting on a charge ?

i am planing to commute to work and back, round trip of 33km (just over 20.5 miles)

im interested to know about your range, and battery specifications.

[mabseyuk]

Whats the typical distance on a fully charged battery?

[chronicmrmo]

if you could reach 36mph you would get flashed, captain gatso would be proud :-P

i have a 1000W kit but it drains the battery too quickly and seems alot slower that your currie drive setup. your kits are good vfm.

[epedalpower]

Is your 1000w kit a hub motor type? Would be interested to know how a 500w hub motor measures up again the 500w kit I use.

[blaster2012]

I am getting one of these kits at xmas.I recon you could get away with having a powerful ebike,you just have to keep an eye out for the police.If you see a cop car,slow down to 15mph,and i dont think they´ll bother you.its not like there are hundreds of people using them,so accidents will be rare,but if you pass a cop car doing over 30,there could be trouble.You just have to be a bit careful.

[epedalpower]

Did include some pedaling but nothing too taxing. Great way of getting fit whilst having fun...and getting to where you want to go.

[circuitdotlt]

Wow, that's better than I thought it will be! Were you pedaling or all of this power is just out of motor? Anyway very nice! I will get electrified really soon too!!

[epedalpower]

Ahh if only I had a horn! Might have gone for the overtake if it wasn't for sore legs from football the night before ;-)

[hotfreshrider]

I love how the car @3:29 pulled in front of you thinking "oh it's only a cyclist" and how you didn't slow down!!

[HecterPlasmic]

I must say I'm extremely impressed. I hope e-bikes catch on soon and the people in charge review the 15mph speed limit. If they do, I'm selling the car and moving to two wheels. Great video.

[epedalpower]

Thanks Odziz, think 15mph is a seriously unrealistic speed though that should be reviewed as this can be easily be achieved on a normal non motorised bike, especially as the government are supposed to be trying to persuade us from using our cars! Probably should have stayed within 30mph limit though :-)

[Odziz]

33mph, lucky you didn't get pulled. You are only meant to 15mph with pedal assist.

Awesome video though!