Hi from the UK - INDIAN Board Tracker tribute, my first build

[fasteddy]

Pete, I just converted the bike battery to Canadian dollars. For $932.00 dollars I can get a very large bike battery.

I wonder if all the castles near you were to keep the Scot's in or to keep the Scots out? I was following Sarah Millican quite easily without sub titles. Perhaps some things are ingrained no matter how many generations removed you are from the source. Great looking bike and the price was excellent.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Tom I've bought quite a few leather bags from India and have thought them quite nice & price dependent they can be exquisite and rival the obra of best work bar none. I favor our saddle makers and those extraordinary artisans of Mexico, but your own English fine leather work is also top shelf as is displayed in your best auto coach work interiors. Handwork of high quality is still availible at a price throughout the world.

Rick C.

 

[PeteMcP]

Good news! Munro bike arrived safely this afternoon. Extremely well packed in super-thick cardboard carton, ratchet-strapped to a pallet. Weighed a ton. Took two of us to unload it from the delivery truck and forever to open. But once unpacked, the bike weighed a lot less and is easily lifted. Came with everything needed including separately boxed mirrors, pedals/chain/tensioner and bespoke charging dock for the battery. Pleasantly surprised to see it has hydraulic brakes. Battery and charger already arrived separately. Extremely pleased with my purchase. Definitely the high quality product I was hoping for. Looking forward to a first ride. Just need the weather to co-operate this weekend!

Mischa went into her act soon as she saw the camera....little diva that she is!

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

I do think Mischa is jealous. You need to get Munro out in the broad daylight for our critical drooling.
Thanks for the Mischa photo Pete. Always had a soft spot for Calico's.

Tom

 

[indian22]

I sure miss my miniature Persian calico she was great. Her markings were so much like your Misha Pete.

 

[PeteMcP]

A few initial impressions regarding the MUNRO bike.

First, I have to say I've always been impressed with the overall design concept of this bike. It's quite clearly been a proper design exercise. Definitely something that's been thought through from start to finish with virtually every part being bespoke - rather than resorting to robbing the common parts bin.

The Munro's aluminium frame/tank and those beautiful sprung 'girder' forks are works of art. To be honest, I wish these were sold separately 'cause I'd be up for buying these parts for one of my future builds in a heartbeat.

After fully charging the battery overnight I fitted it this morning to familiarize myself with the Munro's electronics. Sadly, the comprehensive instruction booklet - itself a quirky item which opens out from a folded flower-shape, like some clever origami puzzle - is entirely in Chinese. However, I'm guessing there's nothing here to deter anyone who's familiar with the basics of eBikes. The seller had already e-mailed me a link to a Munro instructional video showing how to install the pedals (which anyone could figure out to be fair) so maybe if I run into any snags elsewhere he can provide other links or a Chinese/English translation.

Thoroughly impressed with the bike's security features. With the alarm set via the supplied 'plip' fob, the bike is triggered should anyone try to roll or lift it. It's alarm would wake the dead. As a further deterrent, should anyone decide to illegally roll the bike away, the electric hub motor automatically rotates the rear wheel in the opposite direction, both backwards or forwards. Pretty smart.
Pedals/chain and separate bottom bracket with its bolt-on mount will only take a half hour to install, then the bike will be good to go - but the debut ride will have to wait for now. It's 11 degrees and raining....and the weekend is forecast to be a wet one. Aahh, the English summer. No surprise why this place is such a "green and pleasant land"...

 

[indian22]

Pete beauty is in the eye of the beholder & I concur with your evaluation. The bikes a truly vintage beauty. Styled retro with modern electronic features give it a futuristic look as well. The internet touts wear us out with how beautiful every new bike design is, when anyone with eyes can see it's just a slight twist of what's been done thousands of times before. Nothing new to see just hidden electrics in more or less traditional frames. The frame material may be different and weight less perhaps, but the material is covered by paint, so again who knows by looking...nothing new to see. Weight isn't a big deal on an electric unless you live upstairs in the city, but you sure pay plenty for light weight and you can't see just how lite anything is. Still nothing to see, but with the Monroe anyone can see it's quite different and it's well done design leaps out, like a bespoke bike. It's a good addition to your stable.

I liked it at first glance!

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

I looked up the Munro2 and they were designed as a stand alone bike by a Chinese artist who is a motorcycle enthusiast. He made a retro motorcycle and then turned his talents to an Ebike. a 500w Bosch hub motor and they weigh 35 Kilos or 77 pounds. Named after Burt Munro.

A beautiful bike indeed. Pete, the features you mentioned certainly show that they tried to cover every eventuality like the anti theft. They said the bike didn't come with pedals but to sell it in a lot of countries they would have had to add them.

I love Misha lying there looking at you as if to say, never mind the bike, the beauty is right here.

Our summer is forecast to be very English this year. Cold and wet but at the moment that is half right. Sunny and 55F. Forecast was for 10 days of rain. Typical Wet Coast weather.

Steve.

 

[PeteMcP]

Steve, ever since I first saw the Munro 2 on AliExpress way back in 2017, in only one or two pics was the bike depicted with pedals. And none of the videos I've watched showing the Munro in action show it with pedals. You had to search long and hard in the Munro's specification blurb on AliExpress to see that pedals were an option. Despite this, all the reviews I read said the Munro didn't have pedals. Which is surprising, because as you say, eBike regulations vary from one place to the next and if the Munro is to be classed as a moped, which it will be in certain places, pedals are absolutely necessary. It makes sense for the Munro to have optional pedals so I can't see the designer overlooking something like that. It was a condition when I bought mine that it must have pedals and the seller confirmed they are supplied in the bike's shipping carton. In fact there were a couple of high-end boxes of parts in with the bike. All the parts such as pedals, chain, 3 x reflectors, mirrors, battery charging dock, are supplied neatly embedded in moulded styrofoam cartons inside bespoke carboard boxes with carrying handles. All being a nod to the designer having a hand in the whole project, from the bike itself to the packaging it is supplied in.

Incidentally, after I dismissed that ridiculously expensive second battery for which I was quoted UK£580 by the Munro's seller in London, I contacted the bike's maker, Secutronic, via AliExpress to enquire what their cost would be. They responded with a just as over-the-top price of US$650 - asking if I could confirm whether I'd prefer air or sea shipping so they could estimate the freight cost on top of that! Must surely be the world's most expensive battery. No thanks!

 

[fasteddy]

Shipping, taxes and duty are the responsibility of the purchaser. Samsung cells are top of the line and they have a nice designer priority case of course that fits the bike so they want all the money. Not that it's an oversized battery.

I'm sure when your out and about you will be stopped repeatedly to talk about the bike. It is a beautiful bike for sure.

Steve.

 

[PeteMcP]

You need to get Munro out in the broad daylight for our critical drooling.

Tom

Here you go Tom. Shot a couple more Munro pics yesterday in the open air before riding to Amble over on the coast.

 

[indian22]

This is the best of the factory retro offerings by a long shot Pete. I read an independent review on the Monroe sometime back and remembered them mentioning both the pedal bracket kit and the lower upgrade hack as well, but for the life of me I can't find it. I thought it was just a jumper wire disconnect, but perhaps it was a programmable, I just don't recall. I do remember it was a significant wattage increase. On my current e bikes the jump from 500w to 750w is noticeable, as is the increases to 1kw to 1.5kw on either 48v or 60v. It will be worth the research to double your wattage using only factory designed settings.
You've got terrain to ascend without undo strain involved!

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Thank-you for the sunny day photos Pete. That is a lovely Art-Deco-esk rendering of two wheeled art. I am going to copy one or both photos and post on a boating forum that likes special motor bikes.

Tom

 

[PeteMcP]

Back to work on the ACE. Tank installed into frame. I guess this is The Money Shot. Reckon this is the first pic showing the painted tank fitted to the bike. Very pleased how it looks.
I've drawn up the rear motor mount which has been sent off to be waterjet-cut from steel. Rear mount is also designed to be underslung beneath the motor's crankcase so it bolts to the front motor mount, adding to the frame's integrity.

 

[indian22]

Pete your "Ace" looks the part, well done!

 

[curtisfox]

I say the same, love this bike...............Curt

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Are you providing the fabricator with a Cad CNC program or just a dimensioned drawing?

Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Outstanding build, Pete as always. Absolutely perfect.

Steve.

 

[PeteMcP]

Put half a tank of diesel in my DS5 today - price just hit the UK£2.00 per litre mark as of yesterday. Heard on the BBC news last night the price of a fill-up for an average family car will now cost UK£100.
Weather here is still in the doldrums. 19 degrees C here today - best it's been here in Alnwick so far in '22. Hoping for a warm, sunny couple of days next weekend when it's the Mighty 'Dub Fest held in Alnwick Castle's pastures. Normally a great gig with a dozen or so live bands, bars, food and trade stands, and a VW themed car show, plus bikes and motorcycles. Should be a decent weekender if the weather plays ball.
Got an e-mail today advising the pair of waterjet-cut rear motor mounts for my ACE build should be ready to collect sometime next week. Made my day!

 

[Oldbiscuit]

WOW that thing really looks sweet with the tank installed !! Great job Pete !!