BBS02 on Recumbent Tandem Trike! RUNNING WELL!

RWP

1 kW
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Dec 19, 2008
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463
Location
SoCal, USA
I have a friend with a handicapped wife and a TerraTrike Tandem, IPS version [ http://www.terratrike.com/tandem.php ]. They love to ride but my friend is experiencing some issues with his knees and wants an electric assist.

I am thinking about mounting the BBS02 on the machine for them. It's almost 500 pounds for the tandem and two riders. My friend will pedal most of the time just wanting the assist for more strenuous riding. The passenger will assist some but not too much.

Do you think this unit is up to this kind of load? The tandem trike has lots of gears and my friend is a strong rider who will do the steering and powering - he is well versed using the gears and can watch the temp.

Most rides will be generally flat and slightly hilly (2-4% grades), but there are a few steeper grades.

Your thoughts are much appreciated
 
It'll be up to the load if you're willing to accept lower speeds and have the correct gearing.

imho 750w does seem like a very meager figure to haul two people with. I would get something much stronger.
 
neptronix said:
I would get something much stronger.
That's our neptronix :mrgreen:
Now you post! How about a week ago when I first posed the question? :roll:

My friend is aware of the load issue and is not a speed freak like some [ http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=57025 ] ! He knows what gears are for.
 
Sorry. I didn't see your post earlier :/
 
The BBS02 mounted in a TerraTrike Tandem Pro. What a machine! Runs great - has done a 10 mile and 18 mile outing and all is well. Motor gets warm but not hot. GPS says 30mph - in high gear and pedaling!

Had to extend the wiring harness and speed sensor because the tandem trike has a different configuration from a regular bicycle. The increased distance between the brake levers and the mounting location of the display required some surgery to the wiring harness.

The speed sensor was easy - I just cut a speed sensor extension in half and added about 10' of 4 conductor wire (only 3 are required and the wire colors exactly matched what the sensor extension had - so this was an easy job). The harness was more of a challenge because there are more wires and wire colors did not match - I used some cat5 cable to extend the harness connection to the display.

Finally I ran the sensor and power cables through a sheath to tidy up the wiring from front to back. So the picture of the battery pack that shows the power cable that goes to the motor unit has been combined with the speed sensor wire and covered by a black sheath. It was a bit of a chore to get both cables through the sheath but the end result was clean and professional looking install.

The battery is an AllCell 48v-20Ah monster. It fits snugly into the rack pack. Power connections are Andersons and the charge connector just plugs directly into the charger. Looks to be very well made and comes with a 2.5A charger. Looking for a 5A charger - any ideas?

Enjoy:
TTT+BBS02-1.jpgTTT+BBS02-2.jpgTTT+BBS02-3.jpgTTT+BBS02-4.jpgTTT+BBS02-7.jpg
 
neptronix said:
It'll be up to the load if you're willing to accept lower speeds and have the correct gearing.

imho 750w does seem like a very meager figure to haul two people with. I would get something much stronger.

My daughter and I use an e-scooter with a 650W direct drive as our primary transportation. When fully charged it seems to work fine, we normally ride between 35-40kph with both of us on it and 40kph (top regulated speed) if we are alone.
 
Fantastic ride. Well done! I'm searching down and looking at trikes. I didn't know this bike even existed. WOW!
 
RWP said:
The speed sensor was easy - I just cut a speed sensor extension in half and added about 10' of 4 conductor wire (only 3 are required and the wire colors exactly matched what the sensor extension had - so this was an easy job).

Do you have a link to the speed sensor extension you used? I need to extend the speed sensor on my Bacchetta Giro.

Thanks
Andrew
 
Aushiker said:
RWP said:
The speed sensor was easy - I just cut a speed sensor extension in half and added about 10' of 4 conductor wire (only 3 are required and the wire colors exactly matched what the sensor extension had - so this was an easy job).
Do you have a link to the speed sensor extension you used? I need to extend the speed sensor on my Bacchetta Giro. Thanks Andrew
Contact http://www.LectricCycles.com
 
Nice install.
My Terra Trike had quite a large turning circle until I fitted an adapter plate to the steering pivot. I can only imagine that two seater must have the turning circle something akin to a 4WD ute! :shock:

One thing I note about the install is that the motor has not been fitted with the rubber pad hard up against the frame tube, as per the install manual, so if you find the BB comes loose then it may be an idea to loosen it off and rotate the motor and mount clockwise until it presses against the frame. (then re-tighten the BB nut / lock ring).
 

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RWP said:
Aushiker said:
RWP said:
The speed sensor was easy - I just cut a speed sensor extension in half and added about 10' of 4 conductor wire (only 3 are required and the wire colors exactly matched what the sensor extension had - so this was an easy job).
Do you have a link to the speed sensor extension you used? I need to extend the speed sensor on my Bacchetta Giro. Thanks Andrew
Contact http://www.LectricCycles.com

I have a sensor extension coming but I thought from your comments that you may have come up with a solution which I could have sourced locally. No worries I will wait for the extension.

Andrew
 
jateureka said:
One thing I note about the install is that the motor has not been fitted with the rubber pad hard up against the frame tube, as per the install manual, so if you find the BB comes loose then it may be an idea to loosen it off and rotate the motor and mount clockwise until it presses against the frame.

Good catch. Missed that with my own install as well.

Andrew
 
I have a greenspeed tandem trike that I would like to add a mid mount motor to. Your conversion with the BBS02 is intriguing as I was considering the ecospeed conversion. How does the BBSO2 do on hills? What is the longest trip so far? Noise?
 
Please pardon this newbie for resurrecting this old thread. I am thinking of going down a similar path with a Greenspeed tandem. Any developments to share?
 
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