Ebike or Emotorcycle?

[mvly]

Would it be cheaper to build an ebike with this specs:

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/features.php

Or just buy one?

Specs: 88mph top speed - I am sure someone here can do it (maybe using greyborg motor + his frame + his fork + a shit load of nanotech lipo battery with Lyen's highway Speed controller?)
63 miles range sustained at 70mph. Not sure if the greyborg motor or Lyen's controller can handle that kind of power sustained for almost an hour (54 minutes by my calculation)
114 miles in city?

What are your thoughts? Is it practical or even possible to build an ebike with those kind of specs?

Looking at those specs, the stealth bomber is not looking too good of a deal... 50mph top speed with 80km range?
I guess you have to pay for the stealth bike look.

 

[gensem]

Not practical... but should be doable. If you can get watercooling inside the greyborg motor. But you wont have much room for batteries, maybe 2kw of energy is doable inside the borg and batteries is where the Zero excels, 5KW of quality cells.
Btw if I was aiming for 80mph I would do an e-moto, not an e-bike.

 

[nuevomexicano]

Have you test ridden the Zero? Have you ridden a regular motorcycle or a scooter at your proposed speeds for an hour straight?

I ask because I've done all and wouldn't push a bicycle to 80mph. The Zeros rode pretty much like any regular 250 to 500cc motorcycle during my test rides. I felt as safe and smooth as any other motorcycle. It felt smoother and handled better than most of the 50 to 250cc scooters I've ridden over the years.

Any bike truly capable of 80mph for an hour straight is no longer a bicycle. You'd need tires, suspension, brakes, and frame to handle the speed for sustained use, not to mention the DOT compliant lights, signals, etc... if this is a street ride. That means using motorcycle or scooter components (I've owned fully street legal, from the factory ICE scooters that didn't have tires rated for 80mph!). Your observation that "I guess you have to pay for the stealth bike look" is only partly right. It'll cost you a bundle of cash and it still won't look anything like an average bicycle.

I'm not suggesting you don't build your dream monster, but I am doubting that anyone would confuse it for a bicycle.

 

[El_Steak]

This was addressed here:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=33596&start=30#p489273

In shorts, if you want those specs, better buy the real thing.

 

[Doctorbass]

Yes it is possible.

I already can sustain 113kmh on my Giant ebike with the 5303 motor at 130 celsius and 12kW of power ( the motor is in the right efficiency spot curve at that speed ( rpm per volt) and battery voltage. ( around 75-80%) so it's 2.3kW of heat.. and at that speed the motor cooling work pretty well.

Note that my max speed was limited bu the continuous current limit.. that limited the total power... not the voltage

Now i can imagine that with a 5400 motor i can probably do 140km/h at 18kW if it rotate in the right sweet spot of efficiency curve.

But.. het.. even though the motor and controller can sustain that, the battery will not last so long... 18kw with 1.7kWh mean 6 minute of run :lol:

yeah.. 6 minute at 140kmh on an ebike.... well.... i just wonder where i could do that.. i'm not really close to Bonneville :lol:

Doc

 

[el_walto]

Maybe you could build one, but you'd have a VERY hard time getting insurance for it.

 

[markcycle]

Yes it is possible.

I already can sustain 113kmh on my Giant ebike with the 5303 motor at 130 celsius and 12kW of power ( the motor is in the right efficiency spot curve at that speed ( rpm per volt) and battery voltage. ( around 75-80%) so it's 2.3kW of heat.. and at that speed the motor cooling work pretty well.

Note that my max speed was limited bu the continuous current limit.. that limited the total power... not the voltage

Now i can imagine that with a 5400 motor i can probably do 140km/h at 18kW if it rotate in the right sweet spot of efficiency curve.

But.. het.. even though the motor and controller can sustain that, the battery will not last so long... 18kw with 1.7kWh mean 6 minute of run :lol:

yeah.. 6 minute at 140kmh on an ebike.... well.... i just wonder where i could do that.. i'm not really close to Bonneville :lol:

Doc

Thing is on a bicycle going 113 Km/h is a one time scary event one brags about.
On a E motorcycle I jump onto the highway and do it almost every day. To brag about speed on a E-motorcycle you have do over 300 Km/h.

Just saying its like comparing apples and oranges there both round but the comparison ends there.
motorcycles and bicycles both have two wheels but the comparison ends there.

I'm not saying which is better that depends on what you want, just saying there just to different in real world usage to compare.