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deacon · #51 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 08:32 AM

I have been struggling with a bike all week. I went back to the controllers so that I could use the 36battery pack for trips out in traffic. The throttle is nice to start the bike and also to match traffic speed.

So I put the 25v 500 watt controller on one of the 600 watt motors and the bike ran magnificently on my 36v battery pack. Then I put the 36v 800 watt controller on a second bike with the same motor configuration. It ran like dog do. Changed out every part of the system and even the rear tire. I finally narrowed it down (by trial and error) to some kind of drive wheel skip.

So thinking the first bike doesn't skip so it must be the tire. I changed the tire and struggled with that for a while. Last night I just gave up and went to bed. In the middle of the night it came to me. AS the TV show would say it was all in the numbers.

The 24v 500watt controller is running the motor as 750 watts. Better speed but not its full capacity. The 36v 800 watts is running the motor slightly faster. Enough faster to evidently break the contact between the drive wheel and the tire. I have tightened the drive wheel so much, that I can barely push it around. Today I am going to ride it again to be sure that my last adjustment didn't make some miraculous change. If not then I am going to pull the controller and run that bike without a controller but on 24v and see if it does okay.

I'm just glad my weak old brain could figure it out after a week. I should have known the first day, but hey I'm old.

deacon · #52 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 06:53 PM

So I spent the day changing the sprocket on the drive wheel. It was a fiasco but I have something that might give me an idea of how it will work. I am reusing a sprocket that is warped so best I can hope for is a couple of days riding to get an idea of how the larger sprocket works out. I have a new one on order from tnc.

deacon · #53 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 10:06 AM

Well I did some swapping out of parts and the 65 tooth sprocket is superior to the 44 on that bike with the 36v controller. not so much drive wheel skip and it climbs the hills a little better. I think that or maybe even the 72 is the way to go.

deacon · #54 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 08:06 AM

If it stops raining the big bike can be tested. The big bike had a heavier frame, and the designated 36v controller system. It is also the one I have been struggling with of late. I rode it in the morning yesterday when the pavement dried for a few minutes. It rode pretty well. The chain was binding a bit. So I took a good look and found a small correction that I could make before the new sprocket arrived.

The larger sprocket I tried to stop the skip wasn't aligned but I managed to reset everything and get it pretty well in line. I hope it doesn't skip at least not as bad as the small sprocket did.

There should be enough clearing today to dry the pavement off long enough to test it. The ground will be soaked for sure, but maybe the pavement will dry with the traffic of the cars and the better run off characteristics of a city street.

deacon · #55 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 05:16 PM

After trying to make the chain drive fit with a sledge hammer adjustment to the frame, I scraped it. I moved the rhino drive to a 26" bike I had been using for the hub motor. I never did like that hub motor, so I just put it in a corner. I might resurrect it one day but not right now.

I have a very hard time mounting the 26" bike. It does ride good though. I still think there is something terminally wrong with the controller I bought. It just shuts down for seemingly no reason. now it is possible that it the motor is trying to draw more amps than the controller is designed for but I thought that it would just supply the max amps it is designed to deliver regardless of the demand. I don't know but I'm going to do a lot of testing before I take this thing more than a mile from home. I wonder if it has a defective part since it seems to do it after it has run a while and I guess heated up a bit.

deacon · #56 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 10:17 AM

After that 26" mountain bike threw me on the ground then jumped on me, I junked it out today. Sob should known I would have the last word. I am off to buy a 20" junk bike at the thrift shop. This time I'm going to try to see if the rear wheel turns easily. I can fix everything but a bad coaster brake wheel. I have taken a half dozen apart recently and even got them back together but they just weren't any better. I think when they have a lot of wear on them they run just freewheel poorly. With friction drive I depend on the freewheel being free to get the max from the friction drive.

At least that is how it seems to me.

deacon · #57 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 11:28 AM

I am giving some thought to finding some used tool batteries and rewiring the best cells to make one lithium pack. There are some for sale on ebay. I wonder if anyone has given rewiring them a try.

deacon · #58 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 05:44 PM

so at about 2pm I went to buy a 20" bike. I stripped parts off the 26" evil bike which threw me down then jumped on top of me. Yes I think it was trying to mate with me.

At about five I took a test ride on he new bike. Okay it isn't new, it's new to me. I changed out the front fork and the handle bars. I also chanced the seat and seat post. That was a bit of a nightmare but I got it done.

I put on the motor then the electronics and tied everything down. The trailer hitch proved to be a glitch but I got it all done by the five pm ride.

I took off down my test track in the clouds. I saw three teenagers on real bikes about half a mile ahead of me. The bike was humming and I caught them before the end of my test ride. They were truly impressed. Kids love motor bikes even my rhino bikes.

deacon · #59 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 03:04 PM

I took the new bike out for a test ride today. It was early so I hit the trail dressed like the michelin man. First I rode it with the 24volt battery pack and it did surprisingly well. it was slower but it climbed every hill on my test track. There are bigger ones on my ride to the walking trail but I expect it will climb them slowly as well.

The later I took if for a 36v trip and man it hums. I don't think I will build any more 24v battery packs. I love how that 36v pack pushes the bikes along. Strange but I think the 24v 500 watt controller actually does better than the 36v 800 watt one. Both bikes are about the same setup wise.