Sportsman Electraflyer
- Thread starter sportscarpat
- Start date
Here is an attempt at an exhaust pipe. I looked at old photos seeing how it was typically done and it looked like every original boardie did it differently. Some came out the side of the heads, some were exiting the cylinders front and rear. I will do some the other way, front and rear, next to see what I like better. Oh, by the way this is OBVIOUSLY a flat heat engine.....
Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
Here I have my wife holding a carb (and no doubt rolling her eyes) in place to see how it looks. Was going to make a dummy carb but then found this china two stroke carb laying around. I am going to make the cylinder fins larger diameter so the spacer seams between each fin will no longer be visible. Sometimes the little things make a big difference.
Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on FlickrHere I have my wife holding a carb (and no doubt rolling her eyes) in place to see how it looks. Was going to make a dummy carb but then found this china two stroke carb laying around. I am going to make the cylinder fins larger diameter so the spacer seams between each fin will no longer be visible. Sometimes the little things make a big difference.
Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on FlickrHi, Pat
i think the quality and aesthetics of what you are doing is fantastic, BUT, I am afraid I have to be the one dissenting voice so far...
Electric vehicles, at this point in time (still limited by battery capacity, when compared to gas powered vehicles), are extremely sensitive to weight, drag, rolling resistance, aerodynamics, and anything else that 'sucks power' or otherwise adds resistance, weight, or reduces range. Doubly so if some element of human power is involved.
EVs' of all kinds are also negatively impacted by price...batteries are improving all the time, but still, putting enough batteries into an EV to try to replicate range offered by any similar gas powered vehicle almost always makes the EV considerably more expensive than the gas powered equivalent.
So, it is already difficult to offer equivalent range, and equivalent performance for anything resembling an equivalent price...even IF the prospective customer is savvy enough to include reduced maintenance and fuel costs in their buying analysis (most do not do this comprehensively, at this point in time)...
While I applaud your work in terms of aesthetics, unfortunately I think it will have a negative impact on both price AND performance of the finished vehicle, by adding unnecessary weight, complexity, and aerodynamic drag to the finished product.
It's just my opinion, but I think there is very little room to add any of these to an EV. There is already 'range anxiety' of some degree in every prospective buyer; you are inadvertently making it worse with added weight, complexity and drag.
I am TOTALLY sensitive to the need / desire to try to make a modern electric drivetrain somehow 'blend in' to the vintage aesthetic of your Sportsman machines (which I LOVE BTW), but respectfully, I think you are on the wrong track trying to achieve a 'fake internal combustion engine' look...to me, this is thinking 'inside the box', where 'outside the box' thinking is needed.
I am not the designer, but FWIW my suggestion is to think more in terms of "what would an electric drive bike actually made in 1920, for board track racing, have looked like?'
Of course none of us can truly know, because lack of battery technology back then made the idea a non-starter. BUT...they DID have electric motors back then, and they DID have a sense of style and aesthetics...and in my opinion, if they HAD been able to make such a bike back then (an all electric board track racer), they would NOT have tried to fabricate a 'fake' internal combustion engine shell to cover it up.
Instead, I believe the designers and engineers of the time would have styled the electric drive components to look as good as possible, and congruous with, the rest of the bike, in the style of the time.
Perhaps they would have made a cover (or several covers) over the electric drive components, but not tried to make it look like any existing internal combustion engine, but instead used general style motifs typical of the time.
I do not try in any way to suggest I know any more about this than anyone else, including you, I am just trying to give you a different perspective to consider in the styling department, that just might result in the creation of something more original, more unique and maybe, just maybe, more authentic to the style and time your beautiful bikes are replicating.
I would be most interested to see what you would come up with in terms of styling the various electric drive components to match the bike, WITHOUT trying to disguise them as something else...just instead making them into BEAUTIFUL, but obviously electric, drive components!
Really, I guess I am just talking about the electric motor. I have ZERO issue with hiding the battery and controller inside the existing 'fuel' and 'oil' tanks. IMO the original bikes would have done the same thing with these components, if the technology had existed at the time...
Respectfully,
Doug
''
i think the quality and aesthetics of what you are doing is fantastic, BUT, I am afraid I have to be the one dissenting voice so far...
Electric vehicles, at this point in time (still limited by battery capacity, when compared to gas powered vehicles), are extremely sensitive to weight, drag, rolling resistance, aerodynamics, and anything else that 'sucks power' or otherwise adds resistance, weight, or reduces range. Doubly so if some element of human power is involved.
EVs' of all kinds are also negatively impacted by price...batteries are improving all the time, but still, putting enough batteries into an EV to try to replicate range offered by any similar gas powered vehicle almost always makes the EV considerably more expensive than the gas powered equivalent.
So, it is already difficult to offer equivalent range, and equivalent performance for anything resembling an equivalent price...even IF the prospective customer is savvy enough to include reduced maintenance and fuel costs in their buying analysis (most do not do this comprehensively, at this point in time)...
While I applaud your work in terms of aesthetics, unfortunately I think it will have a negative impact on both price AND performance of the finished vehicle, by adding unnecessary weight, complexity, and aerodynamic drag to the finished product.
It's just my opinion, but I think there is very little room to add any of these to an EV. There is already 'range anxiety' of some degree in every prospective buyer; you are inadvertently making it worse with added weight, complexity and drag.
I am TOTALLY sensitive to the need / desire to try to make a modern electric drivetrain somehow 'blend in' to the vintage aesthetic of your Sportsman machines (which I LOVE BTW), but respectfully, I think you are on the wrong track trying to achieve a 'fake internal combustion engine' look...to me, this is thinking 'inside the box', where 'outside the box' thinking is needed.
I am not the designer, but FWIW my suggestion is to think more in terms of "what would an electric drive bike actually made in 1920, for board track racing, have looked like?'
Of course none of us can truly know, because lack of battery technology back then made the idea a non-starter. BUT...they DID have electric motors back then, and they DID have a sense of style and aesthetics...and in my opinion, if they HAD been able to make such a bike back then (an all electric board track racer), they would NOT have tried to fabricate a 'fake' internal combustion engine shell to cover it up.
Instead, I believe the designers and engineers of the time would have styled the electric drive components to look as good as possible, and congruous with, the rest of the bike, in the style of the time.
Perhaps they would have made a cover (or several covers) over the electric drive components, but not tried to make it look like any existing internal combustion engine, but instead used general style motifs typical of the time.
I do not try in any way to suggest I know any more about this than anyone else, including you, I am just trying to give you a different perspective to consider in the styling department, that just might result in the creation of something more original, more unique and maybe, just maybe, more authentic to the style and time your beautiful bikes are replicating.
I would be most interested to see what you would come up with in terms of styling the various electric drive components to match the bike, WITHOUT trying to disguise them as something else...just instead making them into BEAUTIFUL, but obviously electric, drive components!
Really, I guess I am just talking about the electric motor. I have ZERO issue with hiding the battery and controller inside the existing 'fuel' and 'oil' tanks. IMO the original bikes would have done the same thing with these components, if the technology had existed at the time...
Respectfully,
Doug
''
Hi Doug,
Thanks for the comments. Is that really your first post on this forum? If so, welcome. It's a good idea to go over to the newbie section and introduce yourself and give others the opportunity to welcome you as well. You sound as though your familiar with the electric bike industry and I must admit I am not.
In regards to your concerns I have not set the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) as a bench mark for my build. I have looked into voltage and amp hours offered by the various electric bike builders just so I know what would be reasonable for my own build. What I quickly discovered is one of the bigger problems faced is where to put the batteries and how to do it cleanly. Adding range means adding amp hours which means bigger batteries and suddenly the battery storage problem grows. Looking at my "vintage" style bike I quickly realized I had a distinct advantage in that between my gas tank and tool box I had a huge amount of nicely styled real estate available for storage. It seems most people feel the mid drive is far superior to the hub drive, but mounting the motor in the middle of the frame was more difficult and then the issue of designing a drive system to feed power back to the real wheel added still more complication. For my bikes this is simply not a problem. I already have mounted numerous different engines into my frames and standardized those designs. Adding a 3000 watt motor, which is huge from what I am told, into my current platform was fairly easy.
In regards to the vintage aspect, that is not a necessity. The basic aluminum case that carries the electric motor is no more than a structural support to carry the motor and counteract the torque load. If you don't like the look of cylinders then don't add them. For me I plan to carry additional batteries in there for added range. Yes it will add weight. I look at the cylinders no different than the gas tank or tool box, they are simply hollow areas to add additional storage if I decide to use them.
What you see here is a design study and what will be a personal bike for me to ride and enjoy. I am sure what you also see is a 3000 watt monster electric bike that has the potential to out perform just about anything out there, carry more amp hours (range) than other bikes, and do so for less cost. The fact that it happens to be able to be configured as a vintage looking machine when a few potentially functional dress up items are added only adds to its appeal, at least to me anyway.
Thanks,
Pat
Thanks for the comments. Is that really your first post on this forum? If so, welcome. It's a good idea to go over to the newbie section and introduce yourself and give others the opportunity to welcome you as well. You sound as though your familiar with the electric bike industry and I must admit I am not.
In regards to your concerns I have not set the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) as a bench mark for my build. I have looked into voltage and amp hours offered by the various electric bike builders just so I know what would be reasonable for my own build. What I quickly discovered is one of the bigger problems faced is where to put the batteries and how to do it cleanly. Adding range means adding amp hours which means bigger batteries and suddenly the battery storage problem grows. Looking at my "vintage" style bike I quickly realized I had a distinct advantage in that between my gas tank and tool box I had a huge amount of nicely styled real estate available for storage. It seems most people feel the mid drive is far superior to the hub drive, but mounting the motor in the middle of the frame was more difficult and then the issue of designing a drive system to feed power back to the real wheel added still more complication. For my bikes this is simply not a problem. I already have mounted numerous different engines into my frames and standardized those designs. Adding a 3000 watt motor, which is huge from what I am told, into my current platform was fairly easy.
In regards to the vintage aspect, that is not a necessity. The basic aluminum case that carries the electric motor is no more than a structural support to carry the motor and counteract the torque load. If you don't like the look of cylinders then don't add them. For me I plan to carry additional batteries in there for added range. Yes it will add weight. I look at the cylinders no different than the gas tank or tool box, they are simply hollow areas to add additional storage if I decide to use them.
What you see here is a design study and what will be a personal bike for me to ride and enjoy. I am sure what you also see is a 3000 watt monster electric bike that has the potential to out perform just about anything out there, carry more amp hours (range) than other bikes, and do so for less cost. The fact that it happens to be able to be configured as a vintage looking machine when a few potentially functional dress up items are added only adds to its appeal, at least to me anyway.
Thanks,
Pat
Pat my comment on a reply. Excellent 1st. post Doug very well written and interesting points brought out. I certainly hope you continue to post and participate. This category of vintage/board track pretty much sums my view point that classic styling is extremely important in our designs, regardless of which motive technology is utilized and electric is not exempt.
The forum has many bicycle categories to select from & each attract those with similar interests & goals with some overlap for sure. This is represented in the types of bikes we design and build. In this forum category 2 strokes, 4 strokes, multi speed, single speed and electrics are great choices for power & transmission, not to replicate a particular year,make and model necessarily but still retaining a feel for the early and simpler age of motoring on less than 4 wheels.
Pat I'm loving where your taking this bike & 3,000 watts is two thousand more than I've been contemplating. Your reasoning is also solid as regards design and utilization of what you've proven to be an extremely successful lineup of bikes, moto bikes & motor cycles with the sales and speed records to prove it. I've yet to read a post from anyone claiming to be a disgruntled owner of anything that you've built & that wraps it up for me. Rick C.
The forum has many bicycle categories to select from & each attract those with similar interests & goals with some overlap for sure. This is represented in the types of bikes we design and build. In this forum category 2 strokes, 4 strokes, multi speed, single speed and electrics are great choices for power & transmission, not to replicate a particular year,make and model necessarily but still retaining a feel for the early and simpler age of motoring on less than 4 wheels.
Pat I'm loving where your taking this bike & 3,000 watts is two thousand more than I've been contemplating. Your reasoning is also solid as regards design and utilization of what you've proven to be an extremely successful lineup of bikes, moto bikes & motor cycles with the sales and speed records to prove it. I've yet to read a post from anyone claiming to be a disgruntled owner of anything that you've built & that wraps it up for me. Rick C.
I recall that motor from the photo posted by Harold B. My youngest son was only 3-4 years of age when those motors were around. I got a small child's pedal car, cut a hole in the middle of the hood. Painted it orange with a black racing stripe and mounted the motor in the hole in the hood, with most of motor sticking out. Placed button on steering wheel. My son was the hit of the small kids in the neighborhood, when he'd pedal by, and make the Vroom noise. He liked this Vroom car better than any other Xmas present that year.
Pat, I'm not sure which all electric car has the aural feedback, but it was developed as the result of owner feedback and some surveys of interested buyers that had road tested one or more electric cars. The results were in favor of added sound feedback to enhance the driving experience, with the dual option of silence on demand...husband sneaking in late after a few brews with friends cones to mind as some real world marketing. Rick C.
Not an electric but perhaps this is what you're thinking of Rick?
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept
Hi, All
Thanks for the welcome!
I have done as you suggested, and posted an intro in the newbie section...if you take a look, you will see I do have a fair amount of knowledge and experience to share
Regarding setting the benchmark for your build, I can appreciate that you have done some research to try to determine some reasonable targets for your build, based on what other builders are doing / have done...but I will take a moment to point out a couple of things:
1. Your customers, for the most part, WILL use an internal combustion powered 'equivalent' as the benchmark to evaluate your e-bike. This is not exactly fair or reasonable, but in most cases, it is simply the familiar frame of reference. 'Range anxiety' is a HUGE issue for most folks considering any type of EV, simply because 'refilling' (charging) any EV takes a lot longer than just filling a gas tank (AND, range is usually less). Even if the batteries can be easily swapped out, you can't just drop by the nearest gas station to acquire a fully charged battery. Any experienced EV owner will tell you in practice, this is a non-issue, but it takes most folks some time to 'adapt'. My point is, when it comes to selling your final product, the closer it performs in all regards to the 'closest internal combustion equivalent', the easier it will be to close sales with prospective customers. Educating the entire world, one customer at a time, is exhausting!
2. In the research you have done (and continue to do), be very aware there is a tremendous amount of 'hype' out there...in my own experience, almost nothing in the e-bike realm achieves real-world performance even remotely close to the published specs. If manufacturer 'X' claims their product has a top speed of 35mph, a range of 35 miles, and carries a 17 AH battery powering a 3000 watt motor, in all likelihood:
i) Top speed can be achieved by a 110lb professional jockey riding the product naked, on completely flat pavement on a windless day, with a brand new battery, overinflated tires, everything lubed and adjusted absolutely perfectly (both the jockey and the bike), in a tuck with one hand behind his back;
ii) A range of 35 miles is possible with the same conditions as above, except never exceeding 1/4 throttle, or 15mph;
iii) the 17 AH battery capacity is theoretical, and actually is reduced to closer to 13 AH in the 'real world' once a good battery management system has been set up to ensure reasonable battery life;
iv) 3000 watts is the maximum rated power the motor manufacturer has stated the motor can handle, for no more than 1 minute at a time...in reality the controller being used is a 20 amp unit that can actually only handle 10 amps continuously, so actual maximum power is more like half what has been claimed...
The above is all fictional, and not slandering only one particular individual or manufacturer, but it is unfortunately based on reality - just an observed 'state of the industry' on my part.
And guess what? NOBODY rides their e-bike this way, so EVERYBODY gets WAY less range and performance than 'promised'!
My point is the ONLY way to know for sure is to test things yourself, especially when combining all the different components involved in an e-bike build.
My advice is to 'set your specs' 25 to 50% higher than you think you will need to achieve the desired performance, in which case you have a reasonable chance of actually achieving the results you are looking for.
I completely agree your bikes have a built-in advantage with the fuel and oil tanks proving a place to install the battery and controller - this is precisely what led me to your site, and to contact you about an e-bike build - it is a natural! Besides, they look incredibly cool
As fas as mid drive vs a hub motor, well there are definitely pros and cons, that's for sure...that's a big topic. I don't want to dive into that in this post, but I will say this much: if you want reliability, durability, and simplicity (and what manufacturer offering warranty wouldn't want that?), then a hub motor is the way to go.
Then there is the question of power, most often expressed in watts...
A simple rule of thumb is 750 watts roughly equals 1 HP. There is more to it because of the relatively high torque electric motors put out at low RPMS, but this is still a useful rough guide.
So, a 3000 watt motor output divided by 750 = 4HP. Add a 200 lb rider and at least 125 lbs of e-bike, and you get a power to weight ratio of 81.25 lbs per horsepower. Throw in some drive train losses, and this is not going to be a very exhilarating ride, and depending on the motor and controller combination (and gearing), there may well be some hills it cannot climb on motor power alone.
Hey - the above is totally fine, if that is what you wanted and expected, but what a bummer if you thought it was going to perform better!
I recently bought a Stealth Bomber B52 e-bike, which is widely regarded as the 'King' of e-bikes with its 'hugely powerful' 5500 watt motor, 72V 21AH battery, and reported top speed of 50mph, and 50 mile range.
It is great machine, truly, but if you ask me the performance is 'meh' and 'adequate'. Yes, it will pull me (275 lbs) up a steep hill...slowly...but I am not at all sure 3000 watts could do the same thing.
It largely comes down to your expectations, which in part of course are based on your personal experience, preferences, and background.
Being right in the middle, some people look at a motorized bicycle through the 'bicycle' lens, and others look at through the 'motorcycle' lens. This perspective can make all the difference in terms of whether or not an individual is satisfied with a given machine.
You mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you recently rode an electric motorcycle as well as as an e-bike - it might be worth comparing the power to weight ratios of each of those machines to the one you are designing, to make sure your design is in the ballpark you want it to be.
I applaud your idea to put additional battery capacity in the 'cylinders', but be aware that combining multiple batteries of different capacities (even if all the same voltage) is unlikely to charge and discharge in a properly balanced fashion when separated by long lengths of wire ...and this is critical to the lifespan of all lithium battery chemistries. So if you put small batteries in the cylinders and a large one in the tank, your batteries will not last as long. You may be able to 'sidestep' this by treating the smaller ones as 'reserve batteries' that are disconnected until the main battery dies, then you switch from the main to the reserve...always charging and discharging them totally separately.
OK, my last two bits for now, is to really think about water-proofing the components and connectors as you complete your design and build. The e-bike industry is terrible in this regard...almost all e-bikes CANNOT be ridden in the rain - even a puddle crossing on a dry day can destroy an expensive controller, or worse. It's a lot more critical to pay attention to this on e-bikes than it is with internal combustion machines. here is one poor guy's unfortunate experience in this regard:
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...lth-electric-bikes-and-the-stealth-bomber.34/
Cheers,
Doug
Thanks for the welcome!
I have done as you suggested, and posted an intro in the newbie section...if you take a look, you will see I do have a fair amount of knowledge and experience to share
Regarding setting the benchmark for your build, I can appreciate that you have done some research to try to determine some reasonable targets for your build, based on what other builders are doing / have done...but I will take a moment to point out a couple of things:
1. Your customers, for the most part, WILL use an internal combustion powered 'equivalent' as the benchmark to evaluate your e-bike. This is not exactly fair or reasonable, but in most cases, it is simply the familiar frame of reference. 'Range anxiety' is a HUGE issue for most folks considering any type of EV, simply because 'refilling' (charging) any EV takes a lot longer than just filling a gas tank (AND, range is usually less). Even if the batteries can be easily swapped out, you can't just drop by the nearest gas station to acquire a fully charged battery. Any experienced EV owner will tell you in practice, this is a non-issue, but it takes most folks some time to 'adapt'. My point is, when it comes to selling your final product, the closer it performs in all regards to the 'closest internal combustion equivalent', the easier it will be to close sales with prospective customers. Educating the entire world, one customer at a time, is exhausting!
2. In the research you have done (and continue to do), be very aware there is a tremendous amount of 'hype' out there...in my own experience, almost nothing in the e-bike realm achieves real-world performance even remotely close to the published specs. If manufacturer 'X' claims their product has a top speed of 35mph, a range of 35 miles, and carries a 17 AH battery powering a 3000 watt motor, in all likelihood:
i) Top speed can be achieved by a 110lb professional jockey riding the product naked, on completely flat pavement on a windless day, with a brand new battery, overinflated tires, everything lubed and adjusted absolutely perfectly (both the jockey and the bike), in a tuck with one hand behind his back;
ii) A range of 35 miles is possible with the same conditions as above, except never exceeding 1/4 throttle, or 15mph;
iii) the 17 AH battery capacity is theoretical, and actually is reduced to closer to 13 AH in the 'real world' once a good battery management system has been set up to ensure reasonable battery life;
iv) 3000 watts is the maximum rated power the motor manufacturer has stated the motor can handle, for no more than 1 minute at a time...in reality the controller being used is a 20 amp unit that can actually only handle 10 amps continuously, so actual maximum power is more like half what has been claimed...
The above is all fictional, and not slandering only one particular individual or manufacturer, but it is unfortunately based on reality - just an observed 'state of the industry' on my part.
And guess what? NOBODY rides their e-bike this way, so EVERYBODY gets WAY less range and performance than 'promised'!
My point is the ONLY way to know for sure is to test things yourself, especially when combining all the different components involved in an e-bike build.
My advice is to 'set your specs' 25 to 50% higher than you think you will need to achieve the desired performance, in which case you have a reasonable chance of actually achieving the results you are looking for.
I completely agree your bikes have a built-in advantage with the fuel and oil tanks proving a place to install the battery and controller - this is precisely what led me to your site, and to contact you about an e-bike build - it is a natural! Besides, they look incredibly cool
As fas as mid drive vs a hub motor, well there are definitely pros and cons, that's for sure...that's a big topic. I don't want to dive into that in this post, but I will say this much: if you want reliability, durability, and simplicity (and what manufacturer offering warranty wouldn't want that?), then a hub motor is the way to go.
Then there is the question of power, most often expressed in watts...
A simple rule of thumb is 750 watts roughly equals 1 HP. There is more to it because of the relatively high torque electric motors put out at low RPMS, but this is still a useful rough guide.
So, a 3000 watt motor output divided by 750 = 4HP. Add a 200 lb rider and at least 125 lbs of e-bike, and you get a power to weight ratio of 81.25 lbs per horsepower. Throw in some drive train losses, and this is not going to be a very exhilarating ride, and depending on the motor and controller combination (and gearing), there may well be some hills it cannot climb on motor power alone.
Hey - the above is totally fine, if that is what you wanted and expected, but what a bummer if you thought it was going to perform better!
I recently bought a Stealth Bomber B52 e-bike, which is widely regarded as the 'King' of e-bikes with its 'hugely powerful' 5500 watt motor, 72V 21AH battery, and reported top speed of 50mph, and 50 mile range.
It is great machine, truly, but if you ask me the performance is 'meh' and 'adequate'. Yes, it will pull me (275 lbs) up a steep hill...slowly...but I am not at all sure 3000 watts could do the same thing.
It largely comes down to your expectations, which in part of course are based on your personal experience, preferences, and background.
Being right in the middle, some people look at a motorized bicycle through the 'bicycle' lens, and others look at through the 'motorcycle' lens. This perspective can make all the difference in terms of whether or not an individual is satisfied with a given machine.
You mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you recently rode an electric motorcycle as well as as an e-bike - it might be worth comparing the power to weight ratios of each of those machines to the one you are designing, to make sure your design is in the ballpark you want it to be.
I applaud your idea to put additional battery capacity in the 'cylinders', but be aware that combining multiple batteries of different capacities (even if all the same voltage) is unlikely to charge and discharge in a properly balanced fashion when separated by long lengths of wire ...and this is critical to the lifespan of all lithium battery chemistries. So if you put small batteries in the cylinders and a large one in the tank, your batteries will not last as long. You may be able to 'sidestep' this by treating the smaller ones as 'reserve batteries' that are disconnected until the main battery dies, then you switch from the main to the reserve...always charging and discharging them totally separately.
OK, my last two bits for now, is to really think about water-proofing the components and connectors as you complete your design and build. The e-bike industry is terrible in this regard...almost all e-bikes CANNOT be ridden in the rain - even a puddle crossing on a dry day can destroy an expensive controller, or worse. It's a lot more critical to pay attention to this on e-bikes than it is with internal combustion machines. here is one poor guy's unfortunate experience in this regard:
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...lth-electric-bikes-and-the-stealth-bomber.34/
Cheers,
Doug
4 HP? Thats fine. This mount system can handle plenty more. Really, I don't need to be better than an ICE engine, I just need to be better than the other electric bikes. Oh, and obviously offer more potential, which I do.
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
Here goes. I have now installed the intake and exhaust to my electric V-twin build. Up next is a set of spark plugs and vintage wire, then the screwing around is done.
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
I narrowed the pedal crank as the electric system doesn't require four stroke offset.
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on FlickrHere goes. I have now installed the intake and exhaust to my electric V-twin build. Up next is a set of spark plugs and vintage wire, then the screwing around is done.
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on FlickrI narrowed the pedal crank as the electric system doesn't require four stroke offset.
Electric Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
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As always looks amazing Pat. This was my go to Harley sound maker on my stingray as kid:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ALtuHZyYiN4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ALtuHZyYiN4
Harold the Audi program & the Porsche sounds were what I had read about and heard. Not the exact articles but close enough. Sounds are important sensory inputs that do make a difference...though I like an option of turning them off and on when I choose & altering the sound levels, but I've got to admit your inflatable sounds pretty sweet!
Rick C.
Rick C.
Wow, that totally sounds like a Harley and even increases and decreases with rpm. I should be able to make both a single cylinder and v-twin sound based on number of balloons. So a green balloon for Harley sounds and a red balloon for Indian, right?
An electric tri car with the new Sportsman Electric Flyer. The mind boggles with the possibilities.
As always Pat, an excellent, innovative and well thought out build.
Steve.
As always Pat, an excellent, innovative and well thought out build.
Steve.
Well I was always partial to the gray balloons and with respect to the Indian balloons like all things Indian those have been beyond my budget as long as I can remember. It seems like the theory could be applied in a more bit more sophisticated way using a rubber or latex diaphragm and a resonant chamber. Somehow I just can't picture balloons clipped on your BTR frame although it's funny imaging the bike from behind with a balloon on each side bopping back and forth as the bike rides away.
Time to play with the resonator calculator!
Edit - well I kid you not someone thought this was worth a patent application. Maybe they were less expensive in 2005 but I can't imagine investing in the legal fees for this now.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US20060105668.pdf
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