Sportsman Electraflyer

So, the boardie lives and breaths. Turned it on last night and made a few full throttle pulls. Bike feels strong. Sounds strong. It sounds really cool. Just ripps along nice and smooth. I mounted the GPS today and ran it to full speed. 41.8 mph was max on a very slight slope. Rolled out onto the flat and it holds 40-41 mph. I was in full tuck. Riding gloves, leather jacket, helmet, goggles. For whatever reasons its faster than the cruiser by a fair margin even though both bikes use the same components. .

Sportsman Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

Brakes are solid. Mechanical discs. The forks work nice. No free play. Good feel. I would say the 52v 30ah battery is a good match for the bike. Powerful and good range. Seriously, I couldn't be happier.

Sportsman Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 
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Pat I went to your Flickr link and spent the last half hour viewing just the electrics. Both bikes are far beyond any of the electrics I've been seeing & reading about over the past couple of years, especially in the area of presentation. This is not hating the work of others because I really admire the modern, sleek road bike look and the Mountain bike full suspension designs of the powerful mid motor offerings, but come on seen one and....with the two bikes you put together, they are memorable! It seems many are willing to spend $6,000. plus for name brand bicycles that all look the same but weigh a few ounces less...maybe. Others spend as much or more on motorized electrics that look very much like a $1,000. bike. I can't help but think that there is a significant number who want electrics that really want to stand out when they pull up...the fact that they are buying competition "proven" frame, forks & components is icing on the cake. Sure I'm a vintage & board track fan, but I know from experience that pulling up to a coffee shop full of motorcycles on a cruise or poker run on my Copper gator or one of my 2 strokes and all the non bikers are gathered round my bikes with inquiry's they know from sic 'em about cycles, but love the vintage simplicity. Many of the bikers also break the macho code of displacement and give hearty approval as well.

The market is there and it's good.

My 2 cents, but mean it! Rick C.
 
Hi Velo,
Thanks for asking. Between the blue bike and the black one we have put on many miles. I have learned more about charging, too. Turns out the charger that came with the battery has three settings. I charge to the low setting to store the bike and can charge to the middle setting, where the charger came preset, or to the highest setting. Charging to the highest setting adds a couple more volts more to the battery and gives me a max speed of 42 mph. I find I run typically at 32-35 mph as a comfortable cruising speed, although range decreases. My wife ran between 32-35 mph for 24 miles on a long ride before the battery started cutting out on low volts. I have yet to test low speed range, say 20-25 mph to see how far it will go.
I'll update this thread soon with more photos or start a new thread as I have some more developments on the electrics that I am still working on.
Pat
 
Pat,

Can you send me a PM. Tried contacting you on your Sportsman Flyer site and it is rejecting the message. I need a sprocket.

Steve.
 
That is probably the best looking and well made examples of a V twin style ebike I've seen! Your talent is undeniable. I'd love to see what you would come up with if you created a ebike that is free to look like one but still showcased your love of vintage aesthetics.
 
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There are a few ebikes on the market that have a decent look but Pat is the only one in my opinion that has truly captured the look of a motorized bike/motorcycle. There is a definite engine there that looks the part.
I'm sure the average member of the public would wait to hear the engine start up when you got on it and would be baffled when you pulled away without a sound or passed by with just a whisper. Worth every penny to see the looks you'd get.

Steve.
 
I figured the guys following this thread would want to know I also built out a 72 volt bike and the owner of that bike has it up and running. Aside from the increased voltage the bike is identical to the black 52 volt bike in this thread . The 72v bike does have a CA (cycle analyist) so it can record info from a ride.

Here is a picture I was sent today.

Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr

Max speed was 53.2 mph, very fast for an electric bike, and average of 24.3 mph for a 22 minute ride. 163 and 133 represent motor and controller temps. Speed is impressive and temps show the bike runs cool. Well I think that's cool but really don't know what is normal. Anyway, it does show how voltage equals motor rpm and all other aspects identical the 72v bike adds 11 mph over the 52v bike. The one trade off is range as the 52v has 30 ah and the 72v as I recall is 22ah.
 
I'd think 52 mph would put a smile on his face and yours as well...heck I'm smiling too! Looks like your black tracker & fast to boot = happy customer. I'd think. Rick C.
 
Just a quick bump with latest changes. I did another bike, a boardie in orange. I took some time to update the engine changing the crank case plates to more reflect vintage designs. I added a flat to the bottom of the cases. My only guess is that early designers did this so the engine could be set level on a work bench and not roll forward or back. Reverse engineering? Anyway it solves the problem. I also added a cam case cover to dress things up a bit and painted the cylinders black. Otherwise all things are the same.

Sportsman Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 
Next design change is the rear triangle of the frame. I Wanted more room in the tool box for wiring and controllers and the only way this could happen was by stretching the frame to get more space between the seat post frame tube and wheel. I copied the longer wheel base of my Bonneville frames, which we did for added high speed stability, and solved the problem. This change uses a 3/4" upper frame stay tube over the earlier 5/8" tube and adds about 1 1/2" to the wheel base. I also increased braking performance with 180mm rear and big 203mm front rotors and hydraulic calipers. This is a HUGE performance gain.

Sportsman Electra Flyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 
So here it is, the updated electric bike. Basically a light weight version of our land speed race bikes. Longer frame, better brakes, and next generation engine case. Still 52v 30ah. I am also messing around with controller programming. Right now the bike easily handles the electric drive system but there are setting changes to allow higher low rpm amperage draw for short bursts to increase bottom end performance while not overheating the battery or controller. Anyway, this is one fun machine!

Sportsman Electraflyer by Pat Dolan, on Flickr
 
Velodrome said:
I smell a trip to Bonnaville... Just sayn.
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I have been considering an electric race bike for land speed racing. My battery/electric motor guy has the parts and I have verified I can make them fit. Getting into the 70 mph range would be easy enough but the battery alone, a volatile high voltage fast discharge rate one, would be pretty expensive and have little use on the street. It would basically be drained after one run and need to be recharged for a backup run to certify a record. Recharging on the lake bed would present a challenge so then it might require two batteries. Might still do it, though, just comes down to money and logistics.
 
Nice bike. Come show us that long distance confidence and ride out to San Jose! Got a small crew of gas bikes here and we ride maybe 2-3 times a week.... my buddy will do over 70mph and I'm still close behind lol
 
Tony01 said:
Nice bike. Come show us that long distance confidence and ride out to San Jose! Got a small crew of gas bikes here and we ride maybe 2-3 times a week.... my buddy will do over 70mph and I'm still close behind lol
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Sounds like fun and I live close enough to you guys. 70 mph is pretty fast. Gas or electric? Been doing a lot of testing on my gas bikes lately, but that's another story.
 
Pat the latest rendition of the V twin electra motor is quite realistic and the black really draws the eye to the motor...just nice! Rick C.
 
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