Sportsman Electraflyer

GoldenMotor.com

nomorefours

New Member
Oct 16, 2016
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Victoria, BC
Just IMAGINE what you could do with a latex glove!!

1 glove + 1 balloon = Honda CBX (straight six)

2 gloves = Lamborghini Diablo (V10)!!

Anyone care to demonstrate?

:)

Doug
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
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california
After assembling the first electric motor case I found I didn't like the seams between the fin spacers. This was actually cased by a design change mid stream. I draw this stuff up first, spend hours doing it, and sometimes assemble what I am dreaming about only to realize it can easily be improved.

Second attempt.

Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

This looks a bit better. Used better fasteners, too.

Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

Here is a standard Flyer pedal bike just asking for the v-twin upgrade.

Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
83
california
Put in some shop time this weekend. I messed around with another design on the exhaust. It's been pretty fun trying different configurations. This configuration mounts front and rear on the cylinders and fills the frame in a bit more. It also allows you to see the pipes from both sides of the bike. Trying to keep it as simple as possible with a minimum of fittings.

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

Trying to keep costs down I cut three motor cases instead of just one. Anyway, I added brass fasteners everywhere to dress things up a bit. Added a nicer air cleaner, too. Not sure which exhaust I like better but leaning towards the Rams Horn design. I would sure like to hear peoples opinions on which looks better.

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

Smaller batteries can fit in a standard size tank like this one, but bigger batteries will require a wider tank with removable bottom. The bigger batteries just won't fit through the panel tank door.

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 
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sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
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california
So I carefully just balanced one of the cases in my knock around the neighborhood pedal bicycle just to get a feel for where this is all going. Man, it just completely changes the personality of the bike!

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

I can tell I am going to have fun with these crazy things! I said this before but plan to make a super light duty non structural case out of 16 gauge sheet to knock all the weight out of it. Something that will never see a motor and make a comfy cruiser.

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 

culvercityclassic

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2009
3,115
177
63
Culver City, Ca
I must say the evolution of the sportsman flyer is just amazing. You have killed it with your R & D on this bike. Brass accents look great and I tend to like the first exhaust better. I have a feeling your going to enjoy this ride...I know I do
 

wret

Active Member
Feb 24, 2014
355
65
28
Maryland
The right side exhaust looks a lot more authentic. Besides, you were going to fill that frame space with a magneto, right?
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
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california
Thanks for the input, guys. So now I need to make a magneto, too? I went on line and saw what they look like. It wouldn't be too difficult. I can see a few other changes that I can make in the future, too, mostly around the shape of the crank case plates. At this point I better move forward and get one of these running as I see I can spend a lot of time fiddling with details.
 

nomorefours

New Member
Oct 16, 2016
20
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Victoria, BC
Great work, Pat!

I prefer the look of the front and rear pipes personally, only because it fills in the frame more and is visible from both sides. Also less likely to interfere with your RH leg, or pedalling...

I also prefer the look of the 'all black' air cleaner...it just looks more vintage and blends in better, IMO...

:)

Cheers,

Doug
 

KeithSeymour

Active Member
Sep 23, 2013
174
30
28
Northern Virginia
As always, looking awesome! I'd be interested in the fake sheet metal motor as well for a sweet display bike for a man cave. Love to see the development of both of these and can't wait to see how it turns out!
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
83
california
Quick update. I finished up the gas tank/battery box and oil tank/controller box today. I had measured out the various components and drew them up on my computer, fit the sheet metal around them and then fit them into the frame drawings. From there we laid out the sheet metal flat patterns, laser cut, formed and welded. Easier said then done, right?

Here is the controller box with side door and thumb screw.

Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

And mounted to the bike, door open and controller squeezed inside. This is a pretty large controller designed to flow a lot of current. I am building this bike to carry the largest components out there.

Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,839
471
83
california
Now for the gas tank/battery box. I tried to keep it simple by taking my existing flat side gas tank and making it wider but not changing the profile at all. No gas cap of course, and added a removable bottom.

This is the bottom of the tank with the access panel removed. Battery will attach to the removable panel, then panel is installed to tank and tank fitted to bike. The hole will get a grommet for the battery leads to feed through to the controller box. The recepticle is the charging plug.

Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

This is just a sample battery. It's a 52v 17ah.

Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 

indian22

Well-Known Member
Dec 31, 2014
4,722
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Oklahoma
Very slick setup Pat. I like the idea of a gas cap you could install a charging (fuel) plug under the brass cap. Rick C.
 

Robertzep

Member
Oct 3, 2016
51
3
8
Akron, Ohio
Very slick setup Pat. I like the idea of a gas cap you could install a charging (fuel) plug under the brass cap. Rick C.
X2, I think that is a great idea. Looking forward to seeing more Pat.

I love this hobby more and more. It is the perfect therapy from my withdrawal from the Hotrod world. It excites to see all the options. Build your bike enjoy it, change it, modify it, it's never really done!
 

nomorefours

New Member
Oct 16, 2016
20
0
0
Victoria, BC
Beautiful work, as always, Pat!

I think a 'fuel cap' would look nice but I would not put the charging port (or any other receptacle) under it. That would mean the charging port would face up, and be susceptible to getting water in it (use gravity to your advantage, not your detriment)!

Definitely the right idea to have it on the bottom, or side. Have a look at marine components - you can get that style of receptacle with a sprung cap that has a seal, to keep it clean / dry when not in use.

You DO want to be able to secure the battery with a strap, or friction fit with foam padding, but maybe consider NOT attaching it to the lid...instead anchor it to the tank itself. This way you can use a larger battery - stick one end in first, then the other, then strap into place. It can be longer than the opening in the tank. Strapping it to the lid might reduce that possibility.

Just using the 52V 17ah battery shown as an example...my suggestion (to achieve your stated goal of being better than the other ebikes presently available), is to aim higher. 72V 20ah is about what I would call a 'minimum' (if your chosen motor can handle it)...hey its just my opinion, but pretty much EVERYBODY who starts riding an ebike ends up wishing for more battery (range, or acceleration, or both).

EVEN IF you (or your customer) does not end up wanting more range / power, having a larger battery means each trip will use a smaller portion of its capacity, (shallower discharge), which will extend battery life considerably, with the added bonus of having more 'reserve range', reducing 'range anxiety'...which is a factor to some degree for almost every EV owner, especially at the beginning. This factor alone will improve marketability and satisfaction with your product.

Conversely, pretty much nobody is likely to complain 'this bike has too much range / too much power', unless it is actually popping violent wheelies (which it will absolutely NOT be doing)...and in any event, with the right controller you can always program limits to the performance anyhow, while preserving all the range benefits.

The ONLY downsides to a larger battery are weight and cost, but the negative impacts are pretty small relative to the performance increase, up to a point...and the 'sweet spot' stops at 72V (at this point in time), and 20 to 30ah.

I guess it all depends how you and your customers will use the bike, but given the look of it and your company's background in motorized bikes, I am betting in most cases it will be closer to motorcycle / scooter use, than to 'get a good workout, with a little help up the bigger hills'. In other words, the buyer for this particular ebike, IMO, will be less concerned about weight and price, and more concerned about range and power, than other ebike buyers who may want to ride something lightweight, and closer to a true bicycle.

Anyhow, all I am really saying, is as you design the various parts of this beautiful machine, don't make a design decision that might limit battery size (if a different approach would cost the same, but leave more room for the battery), even if at the moment you feel that you have 'more than enough room' for the battery. If you leave yourself 'room to grow' that is only a good thing :)

Cheers,

Doug