Worksman Caution-cycle

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Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
Allright! I feel kinda like a Neglectful Forum Starter, what having created my Micargi Ebike Topic... and then never touching it again :(
Well Good thing! Apparently Those Micargi Bikes are prone to crack Under stress. Ive put about 600 miles on this one and no problems thus far, but better fix that problem now before It happens while Im trying to get somewhere :p

Thanks To a Lead, Legwork, and then straight donation From LabRat (I dont know why those damn Washingtonians wont take my money!) It Looks like this Fine Beast will be my next upgrade


oh boy! am I getting the red one?



... nope, Guess Rolling hazard stripes it is till I paint it all green :D

Ive recently been Informed of a Faux Gas tanks that are available, so I may have storage for the bicycle cover Im currently Hanging in the frame on my current bike


Now Just to help keep myself Focused, a list of things that need to happen for this bike to become complete:
1. Brakes- on their way ( I hear they are Important.)
2.Sound for safety (Horn)-check-here and LOUD- HONK HONK!
3.Brooks Saddle
4.Front Fender-ckeck-here, just need stays for it, reinforced stays.
5. Better Headlight-check- wired it myself, awaiting testing for a final doubble check.
6. Tail Light(only the break light works currently)- ive got the concept down 100% now, just need to do some drilling on the beak levers
7.Blinkers- still need front blinkers and a blinker relay
8. Sound System (For GWAR, Cause I want people at the lights to hear about it... thats right. Im gonna be one of those guys )
9.Energy Return Wheels-NOT, having to talk the guy into trying to sell me some of these tires was a big turn off, Im not gonna drop 1600 bucks on an unenthusiastic "yeah, it will work for that" and end of conversation -_-'

10. Sidecar- Needs lighting.- probably will also be in its own build thread @_@ I guess.
11- Hub Motor For the Sidecar
12-welding machine and bits for said welding machine
13-second bike to chop up :3


OK. Next step is to wait for it to come here, and then Assess Stopping capabilities, So I may Build my new bike or scramble to figure out breaks for it. Will Update, I promise!
 
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Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
Thanks to a few members on this site I know know what I want to do to this worksman bike frame.


Full suspension Worksman Ebike-
Inspired Entirely by:
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=20757

I figure If he can do it to a beach cruiser, I can do it to a worksman.
I may have to alter where that tube goes due to my rear seat/rack, But I think I can make it so the back seat actually clamps to that bit instead of the seat post.


Ill use this bike for the back swing arm bits and spring.

Electrical Update-
Picked up a 12V 4ah SLA Battery from a local Hobby town shop.
Horn is on its way,
Still Need front blinkers and an led blinker relay, Ive got most the bits I need for making the rear blinkers,
After hooking the battery into the system I think I may have burnt out my two cree leds in the front headlamp, Ill be doing tests on it later to find out if this is the case, but just in case ive got some other bulbs coming in to replace them.


I also need to add a welding machine to the "To get" list, Unless I can befriend a local welder :3
It will be handy for fabrication of the sidecar frame and potentially the body of it too.

After my rear spokes came undone after a week of riding I have some serious suspicions that My Solid foam tires may be to blame, So at least for the rear one, Ill be upgrading to some sort of pnumatic tube, Feel free to give any advice on Prefered Brands of tires and tubes, Guy at the bike store suggested Schwalbe Big apple Tires but couldnt say what to use for the Tubes :S
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
It means a lot to me that someone with such eccentric tastes in motorized Vehicles would take an interest in my project :3

OK, So according to the Mech at the bike shop The Rear swing arm I wanted to pick off that Schwinn pioneer bike is Garbage, alledgedly it will Fold on me if I tried doing what I want to do to it (Kinda doubtfull... but what do I know, No one pays me to work on bikes all day)

Suggestions from him were pretty much restricted to-
Take measurements to a shop and have them make it for me out of 7/8" cromealloy, Said I was probably look at 3-400 bucks IF I had the measurements I need. obviously the price would go up if all I did was take them some Ideas.

More hickups-
The wheel I got back from the shop is bent beyond Vbrake capabilites, and I can not fit the disk break assembly into the front forks because the Flat bolts that were, according to the tracking info, Delivered 2 days ago were in fact not delivered at all. and if they were they certainly didint come here.
Also, The bike mech suggested dubble wall aluminum rims, Thats what I thought I had when they started tearing the spoke nipples out, Guess thats worth more looking into.

Blinker situation-
I would take this time to rig up the blinkers, but I still have no relay for it. I suppose I can run the wires and put everything else in place in the meantime though.

Tail light and break light-
I know I need a switch to run to my tail light for the break bits, but how does it glow brighter when the bulb only has two wires(pos and neg) coming off it? currently stimyed about this,
also need the screw in type of vehicle mount for the bulb or two I plan on sticking into the headlight bucket, the kind where you insert it and turn it half way to lock it in, has a spring pushing a plate with the pos and neg wires to the connecters on the bulb.

Shifting gears-
I also want to make the twist shifter a down tube shifter, or something that isint on the handlebars. Saw a pretty neat instructibles where they essentially added a bar onto the twist shifter and mounted it to the side of the bike frame, Might do that if I cant get the bits I need for a reasonable price.

Character building-
Kinda bummed im not riding at the moment :s
but I guess all the peddling is good for me.
 
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bluegoatwoods

Active Member
Jul 29, 2012
1,581
6
38
Central Illinois
Well, Semaj, you've got an interesting bike in the works there.

You've listed a number of things that I can't comment usefully about because I'm just not knowledgeable enough. But I did notice "12 AH SLA" battery.

It might be under-powered. I tried an electric bike once. Mostly, I thought it was pretty good. But I found the SLAs disappointing. And 12 AH ain't much.

I'm pretty sure that one day I'll do it again. But I'm also certain that I'll eat the cost involved in getting Lithium Phosphate batteries.

Best of luck with it and keep us posted.
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
Thanks bluegoatwoods , and thanks for the heads up,I do suppose I never included the stats for my bike in my first post. I'm running on 72 volt 15 aH lifepo4 batteries. They get me where I need to be that being said I do wish my range was longer, The cells are in the Big boxes I Bolted on the sides of the Rear seat

You should have seen the way they suggested Mounting them on a regular rear bike rack... Bungie cords and S hooks, any time I would hit a bump they would bounce up and slam into the rack. Pretty horrible. So I got some of these U Bolts and Just kind of bolted them onto my new (at the time) back seat,
The Fact that the S hook system wasint compatible with the seat made Upgrading to something more secure Pretty important very early on in this ebikes life

the 12 volt SLA battery is strictly for powering the lights and horn so they don't detract from the range When I'm using them.
The battery fits convinently in the trunk of the bike leaving me reasonable space to place all the other bits needed, Horn relay, blinker relay, mayhaps pnumatic tube repair bits now that im subjecting myself to that for a rear wheel now :s Gonna have to carry a toolbox with me too now I suppose.

Lighting breakthroughs-
I discovered that the side wall of the light bulb screw in it is the negative and the two terminals at the bottom are either the high or low beams, meaning that if I have one of the wires running to a switch that activated when I brake it will make it gLow brighter. I also figured out how to mount the lights in the front bucket without that other bit I was talking about. Unfortunately it would appear that one of the bulbs that is non operational but I think I've got a bright solution replacement for it

Now I just need the New frame So I can stop wiring stuff to this one that im just going to have to cut it off. x_x


Im going to be putting a bunch of the little round LEd panels Into the headlight bucket, I feel they may be brighter than the ones I got off ebay anyhow, we will see once it is all wired up.
 
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Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
quick update -

Horn came in, $#*% Usps! you can deliver a horn but my bolts cant make it to me?! this is frustrating. But at least they can hear me honking my breakless way into them XD


also a previw of what the headlight is going to look like-
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
2,830
61
0
Hauraki District, New Zealand
That horn looks like it will do the job nicely :)

Reminds me of the first Honda 50 I owned. I fitted a truck horn onto it which worked really well for scaring off tintop drivers who had failed to notice that I was sharing the road with them.
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
I was hoping so too IWW!
Sadly Untill I can figure out my multimeter and how to take reading with it (got one for class but we havent gotten to use it yet, just bending conduit so far) the horn will be Unoperational. The relay makes a click noise, But the horns produce no sound.


Headlight Bucket is complete, I ended up jaming a 5th smd panel into the space and pinned it in place to hold them all there.



At this point, All I can really do Is work on the blinkers, and continue to take the bike apart in preperation for the new frame, Ill update if I make any meaningfull progress or some sort of breakthrough between now and then.
 
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Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
I opened up the relay to see if that was the issue, they seem to connect to each other :s

open

closed

They do seem not 100% matched up but they do touch and even moving them around with power applied resulted in nothing.
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
2,830
61
0
Hauraki District, New Zealand
A quote from 'How does a horn work'.....
To produce a sound when the horn is pressed, an electromagnet is used to cause a steel diaphragm to move. As the current is applied to the electromagnet, the diaphragm moves toward the magnet. When the diaphragm is moved to its maximum point toward the magnet, a connection is released, temporarily disconnecting the current and allowing the steel to relax. Once this happens, the electromagnet applies current, again moving the diaphragm toward the magnet. This cycle repeats evenly and causes the diaphragm to oscillate back and forth producing the sound of the car horn.
I'm sorry Semaj I didn't explain myself very well. I meant the make and break contacts within the horn body itself. Either they aren't adjusted properly or the contacts may be dirty which will stop the horn from working,
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
Its Ok, thanks for explaining. I can take that apart too!
There is a connecter that does nothing at all when activated, and... im kinda at a loss on the rest of it :I



But how do I go about fixing that :s
I presume I just need to get new horns?
 

Intrepid Wheelwoman

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
2,830
61
0
Hauraki District, New Zealand
I wonder if there's an open circuit in the electromagnet coil windings? Or possibly the earth connection isn't good.

You've just bought these haven't you? - Do you think the trader you got them from will either replace them or refund your money if you send them back?
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
;) Only one way to find out, But in the end they can claim I didint ask if they were "WORKING" horns :p
 

kevyleven007

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
1,217
8
38
texas
I hate when that happens! good luck sorting it all out. so, uh, how fast is that 72 volter? alls I gots is 48. I wish I could help you out some but I don't have a clue about horns like that.
 
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Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
OK, So it turns out the body of the horns needs to be grounded as well... I Guess that would have happened automatically if they had been installed on a frame that was grounded to the battery say, like a normal motorcycle? :p

Picked up some bits to add to the horn line,

apparently the relay that came with the horn was not liked by my instructor in class (the guy who spent an hour teaching us how my horns work, and figuring out how I messed one of them up :p) So I picked up a better one.
Im also told that Fuses are a good Idea, But I dont know what to put in this, the relay says 30, So I guess 30?
Instructor Highly reccomends 5 amps for the fuse.

As for the speed, That depends largely on which side of the hill I happen to be on ;)
Ive reached a max speed of 42 miles an hour going down hill.
I tend to cruise between 25 and 33, I can peddle it up to 25 and do so to help it stay that fast going up steeper hills,

With a passenger of 140 and myself being 180 I was maxing out at 25 on a flater area
With passenger also knocked range down to half :s
must build side car to fill with batteries!
 
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kevyleven007

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
1,217
8
38
texas
Glad to hear it was an easy fix. I don't have a horn I just yell. LOL. " Who put that @##$%* dead cat in my way" or " run me over why don't you A-H@#*."
 

Semaj

Electric Enthusiast
Dec 11, 2014
299
1
16
Austin Tx
yeah, that last bit is exactly what im tired of -_-' I could totaly understand if they hadnt made it a law in austin that bicycles were supposed to in fact ride on the road and be treated as vehicles. But when the right lane of a 2 lane road (two lanes going each way) is actually marked with bike symbols every so often to represent that that is in fact the lane that bicycles are meant to ride in, there is no excuse for motorists to honk and yell profanities at me as they pass when im on a peddle bike, Its quickly becoming not only an appreciation builder, but a Firm re-bracing of my Distaste for People in general.

To avoid getting run over I now "claim my lane" or ride just about in the middle to the left tire mark, making vehicles move to the next lane, this is for the roads I ride with no bike lanes mind you. I got very tired very quick of these "Cagers" if you will... still need some explaining on that Derogatory term.... trying to pass me in the same lane when I was riding too far to the right of the road. Now they dont. they just call me names and honk.
 
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