It's being dropped of Thursday night.....I'm thinking 30" forks, bobber seat, ape hangers, dual friction drives (AWD !!), suicide clutch for the drives, 50-cal ammo cans for the battery packs at the rear and a faux HEAT or mortar storage canister on the top rail to hold the controller, bluetooth box,and such. Decent 250w-350w motors are under $50 each on Amazon, so the whole build should come in under $500, including batteries. Put folding peddles on it to stay legal (and the hell out of the way) and folding floorboards under them on a sub-frame. I can get a couple sets of wheel-chair foot pads with frame mounts for $10 that should work perfectly.

No, I have NO idea where the hell I am going to store it until the fall when I can get to it, but I had to grab it. Hard-tail frames like that are a RPITA to get hold of at a decent price here.

YES, I need professional help



End up kind of along the lines of this

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 06-26-2022).]

With the way the laws are here, eBikes are basically "motorcycle light"

The peddles must be there and functional (nothing says they have to be used, be ergonomic, or even practical...just there) and on public roads (in theory) it has to be governed for 32 (25mph),,,,which is why you install an over-ride switch in the grey wire

And legally, its a bicycle. no taxes, no plates or inspection, no insurance (unless you want it and then its about 100 bucks a year. Think I paid 109 last year). Thats it. jump on and go, modify what you want, no hassles and no BS.

Even a little 500 cruiser of some sort would be costing over 5 grand a year, these are under 500 including battery.....for the same use and speeds. I aint going racing or touring, I am going out for a coffee and an hours peace and quiet.

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 06-28-2022).]

quote Originally posted by MidEngineManiac: With the way the laws are here, eBikes are basically "motorcycle light" The peddles must be there and functional (nothing says they have to be used, be ergonomic, or even practical...just there) and on public roads (in theory) it has to be governed for 32 (25mph),,,,which is why you install an over-ride switch in the grey wire And legally, its a bicycle. no taxes, no plates or inspection, no insurance (unless you want it and then its about 100 bucks a year. Think I paid 109 last year). Thats it. jump on and go, modify what you want, no hassles and no BS. Even a little 500 cruiser of some sort would be costing over 5 grand a year, these are under 500 including battery.....for the same use and speeds. I aint going racing or touring, I am going out for a coffee and an hours peace and quiet.

All my bikes (motorcycles) combined insurance was less than $100 a a year if I recall, so that seems high to me given that your property will have 0 value in an accident. We aren't talking about a 5k plus road bike.

Is $500 cheap for one of these? I don't know your cities layout, but aren't you always trying to be away from people? It isn't practical in my area except for me to take to work and then it'd be an expensive way for me to get there compared to feet or just taking my vehicle. Can you tow a trailer and use it for grocery runs? Is it just to go to friends houses?

The laws governing them are goofy here too. I don't see it lasting long if they get very popular. Gas ones I see being driven are easily more popular though. I don't know the laws. I am guessing like the glorified electric golf carts they are skirting the rules at best.

Speaking of, I have never seen one of those in person, even though a friend bought one specifically to sell after he got all his money back from the credit.

[This message has been edited by ls3mach (edited 06-30-2022).]

It will do anything a small gas bike would on the road, except range. 2 people (NO, I drink ride alone ), trailer, saddle bags, whatever. Insurance for gas bikes here is crazy. Actually, all insurance is. Just got my renewal for contents/liability condo policy for double what it was last year. Excuse is I went from rural to urban. Yeh, I'm going shopping.

Speed-wise, there is a video around somewhere (I'll try to find it again and post) of a guy going past 200kp/h on one so super-bike speeds are possible if you are that dumb Comfort-wise, usually you get a standard bicycle seat of some sort up the crack. I've learned to ditch those for a real motorcycle seat. Plus install highway pegs, or at very least split crank so you can get both arms in the same direction and use that as pegs.

A similar factory-built bike will run $3-5,000 depending on power and battery options and I've seen a guy in Michigan custom-building them for over $12g, so yeah its worth building yourself, riding a bit then selling. More than that, it's gotten to be the challenge of doing it on-the-cheap. Kind of like Fiero's were at one time. Yes I can afford $50 for that side-scoop. HELL NO, I am gettin one for $20 !! . Plus the fun of modding in a way we haven't been able to do with cars/trucks for 20+ years....and those Lithium fires ya hear about every so often DO keep ya on your toes . WHEN is this thing my nuts are resting on going to toast-up ?

This town is split in quarters by rivers. Actually in the summer people do get around by canoe . Lots of places to dock, jump out and walk. One side of town to the other can be walked in 30 mins or less. I did it this morning for some exercise, 1/2-way across town to walmart pulling an empty wagon then back pulling a new air conditioner. All those bridges you see are lift bridges. I found a REALLY nice place this time and one of those places electric is a perfect fit, just because of the size of the town. A place like Toronto, you wont make it across the city without needing a charge.

It's basically a toy bike meant for an hour or so "alone road time". Electric is still impractical for real use due to range, especially on bikes since battery weight is severely restricted. The real attraction though is the "no rules" freedom. There is 1/10th the legalities to deal with "regular" bikes have.

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 06-30-2022).]