Electra Ghostrider from a newbie

Weeman77

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Jul 13, 2020
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Hello All!
Ive searched through and havent found any recent chats about this...
My bike is an Electra Ghostrider and its begging to have an ebike conversion... theres so many options/ possibilties.. i was wondering if anyone here has specifically converted one?
https://images.app.goo.gl/3akfSo53hR16JN6N9
I am open to whether it should be front hub mid or rear..?
Also wondering on where to get a big old fat round motorbike front headlight and best way to mount and power etc...
My initial thoughts are maybe a satchel on the front ape bars for a light battery.. and talking of batteries i was hoping to sort a bafang conversion kit... and i am looking at the battery and how im going to get it on the cruisers frame. Not a massive fan of paniers at the rear..?
Any info is greatly appreciated!

Ian
 
First thing that comes to mind, before adding a motor to this bike, first equip it with a front brake. That probably means replacing the fork, for I can’t see any brake mount on the pic.

I would build with a rear hub, but you don’t spec any requirements. I presume it will be riding on the street, yet it would be useful to know the inclines that you might ride and the top speed that you’d like to be able to attain.
 
Whats the turning radius on that "thing"
Sure its cool to look at, but practicality wise, not for me, but it is for you. So you ask what to do with it, gosh who the f knows bro, you dont state nothing in terms of the terrain, so we can assume pavement princess, residential roads, paved multi-use pathways. Anything will do bro, get the cheapest anything, which will be a direct drive hub motor.


Honestly, you cant beat this one here, 45mm stator. Hopefully your not scared of some power, we will see.
https://www.ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/motors/direct-drive/dd45-fst.html
There are some 30mm's, and some 40mm's, I like the 35mm's like the Leaf 1500W.



Where you from? United Kingdom? Australia? USA?
 
Weeman77 said:
i was wondering if anyone here has specifically converted one?

Some posts about them that may help:

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=+Electra+Ghostrider&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
 
Weeman77 said:
My bike is an Electra Ghostrider and its begging to have an ebike conversion... I am open to whether it should be front hub mid or rear..?

I'm generally more favorable to front hub motors than most participants here. But your bike is an exceptionally poor candidate for a front hub motor. Almost all the weight is on the rear, leaving little available traction for a front motor to use.

A single speed bike like that has no benefits at all to be gained from a mid (crank) drive, only drawbacks. Plus, a mid drive would take away the one brake your bike has now. So don't do that.

You could use a Manic Mechanic-style sprocket mount on the left side of the coaster brake wheel, and drive it with a small block Cyclone motor or the equivalent. If you're a machinist, that's an approach worth looking into. If not, it's an expensive way to go.

That leaves rear hub motors. For your bike, that's the low hanging fruit. The most effective result for the smallest outlay of money and problem solving.

You have to have better brakes that what your bike has now. The easiest, but not necessarily cheapest, way to get a good front brake on your bike would be to get a drum brake front wheel with a Sturmey Archer XL-FD hub. It doesn't require any kind of brake mounts on the fork, and it provides strong, consistent all-conditions braking. It's pretty much a drop-in solution.

In the rear of your bike, you can probably fit a long reach caliper brake attached to the fender mounting hole. Or if you like, you can use an electrical brake in the rear (using the motor as a brake), as long as you have a good strong mechanical brake in front.
 
single speed bike like that

Which means a normal rear hub motor will be too wide @ 135mm

https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
"110 mm Rear older track, coaster brake and other single-speed hubs. Also, front hubs for Downhill bikes with 20 mm axles."
 
Agree with some of the above. The only easy way is a front motor. If you put a rear motor on it, one with a freewheel, you will have no brakes at all, since the bike has coaster brakes. So that's not easy. Front motor will have poor traction, but that beats no brakes in my world.

But what that bike is begging for is this. Weld disc brake mounts to it, front and back. bend the frame out to fit a 135 mm hub motor, then put a cheap 7 speed derailleur on it. Now you have a badass 7 gear cruiser, with good brakes and a powerful rear motor. But catch 22, none of this works if you have an aluminum frame. Electras are good bikes, so bet its aluminum frame. If so, no welding, no bending, all you can do is put a front motor on it. You might be able to bolt on a caliper rim brake, but likely it does not have the mount for them, or the mount for v type rim brakes either.
 
Yep, aluminum frame. But it looks like the 3i model has a front disc brake. Yours appears not to. But that means a fork change is possible.

Also, betcha the fork is steel, meaning you can weld on the fork to put a disc brake up front. You'd still have no brakes in back,, and you'd still have to find a narrower motor than usual.. Pain in the ass that..

Still voting for slap a front motor on it, and let the wheel spin till it grabs, then zoom off. Just run cheap enough tires to replace them often.
 
Mounting the battery on the front of that triple tree fork would buy a little more grip for a front motor to use.
 
The geometry is setting rider weight on the rear. Not best for front grip IMO. I would replace the fork with an old DH fork, mount my best brake on it, and put the motor on the rear, mounted in custom steel dropout plates to make the motor width, with integrated brake mount.
 
An option - Front hub motor, with a fixed gear bolted to the disc mount, bolted to the rear of the bike. Still sucks having only one gear.
Another option - Get a better bicycle to build upon.
 
I would do a custom battery enclosure, like Nick's E-Townie https://www.electricbike.com/nicks-etownie/
 
Yes, that is the good option for making that frame take a rear motor.

kind of like a mega torque arm, a long piece of steel plate would be bolted to the rear dropouts on the outside of the frame. Up front, it would be wide enough to also attach to both rear stays with U bolts. Or maybe there is enough metal there to just bolt to holes drilled in the longer than usual rear dropout plate. To the rear, it would extend just long enough to fit the motor, perhaps 5", with new dropouts cut in the plate. Bolting it up on the outside makes the dropouts wider, since you can't bend that frame out very much. And of course, it would have a derailleur mount on the right, and disc brake mount on the left. Lastly, it would also have a convenient hole to bolt on a simple torque arm too. It might chain rub on the outer gears though on the original frame, limiting your choices to the inner, larger gears. Its depends on the frame, and its hard to predict ahead of time if it will. I have lengthened a few bikes, and sometimes you get a surprise where the chain actually lands, including a bit of sag, or when the sag comes out.

But if I had that bike, I'd just slap a front motor on it. People go on and on about shitty traction, but once you get it rolling its fine. You only spin the tires starting up from a stop. Sure, uphill and parked on wet leaves or mud its a big problem. But in general, you just ease into the throttle a bit, get rolling, at 5 mph two or three brisk pedal pumps, and now you can run WOT. That's a ride it on a sunny day kind of bike anyway. You can build a beater for winter, with rear hub.

Bear in mind with my comment, I commuted for years front hub, and built a 50 mph front hub bike for a race. A bit of wheel spin is just not that big a deal on the street.
 
MadRhino said:
First thing that comes to mind, before adding a motor to this bike, first equip it with a front brake. That probably means replacing the fork, for I can’t see any brake mount on the pic.

I would build with a rear hub, but you don’t spec any requirements. I presume it will be riding on the street, yet it would be useful to know the inclines that you might ride and the top speed that you’d like to be able to attain.
First off, thank you ALL for the input!!
The bike shown was a stock picture from online not my actual bike... there are stock shimano caliper/rim brakes at the front and a drum brake in the 3 speed hub at the back...
I got the bike to get some mobility back after sports injuries, it was never intended to go onto mega long road/hill/offroad rides at all... plus the bike is way more awesome in the flesh to ride, and to me at least, looks v cool. Super laidback riding on it... however hitting any hills (on the road) goes from leisurely cruise to near impossible from the riding position.. so i am looking at a motor assist.
Its mainly promenades and flat-ish roads for me at the moment, and I'm in the UK for info..
Mot expecting super speeds, hopefully will be able to commute if and when needed to the office for work...
The turning circle on it is fairly wide but can be done approx. 2 car widths...
Bafang keeps popping up (seem quite popular?) when i search.. apologies for the vague question/enquiry i have seen on youtube an electra townie with a conversion... from a dealer here in the UK i looked at ebikes (Electra/Cruiser types) and they are anywhere from 2-4,5K in price...
The comment about weight is fair.. it is all on the back really especially with my fat ass on it!!
:bigthumb: Thanks so much again to ALL for the replies... :bigthumb:
 
Ah the United Kingdom, so you wont mind a 1000W or power then would you, thats about the minimum to even consider, even with promenade cruising.
 
Brakes up front a plus. But to look good, put a smaller geared front hub on it. Not a tiny 250w, but a 500w rated motor, with 1000w of peak power available. It will look a lot better than a larger, cheaper, direct drive hub motor on it.

I'm assuming by the bike choice, looks is almost the most important thing, after perhaps, cost.
 
dogman dan said:
Brakes up front a plus. But to look good, put a smaller geared front hub on it. Not a tiny 250w, but a 500w rated motor, with 1000w of peak power available. It will look a lot better than a larger, cheaper, direct drive hub motor on it.

I'm assuming by the bike choice, looks is almost the most important thing, after perhaps, cost.

The front hub options are all direct drive tho? (from what ive seen on searches?)
I guess being on the front will murder tyres pulling all that weight..
 
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