Xtreme XB-600 (electric scooter mods)

[captainslug]

Electric bicycle are just not an option available to me due to physical handicap.
Electric is significantly easier to ride and maintain, but this will be the cheapest way for me to get around, and the least expensive way for me to learn how to service gas engines.

The roads on the routes I frequent also tend to have 30mph, 35mph, and 45mph speed limits.

[Frank Lee]

Too bad Honda has decided to exclude us from what the rest of the world gets: Super Cubs.

[order99]

I'm not even fond of motorcycles-but I want a Super Cub.

[Joe_Bloe]

A Taiwanese company is selling Super Cub knock-offs -- http://sym-usa.com/line%20up/symba/line_up_symba.html. They look pretty cool.

[Frank Lee]

That may be pretty cool- but it's not "identical"- fer instance the engine is twice as big. But that hasn't hurt fe- might be a good thing. I'd roll it!

[order99]

That's actually a good price on those Symbas-over three times what I paid for my used '93 Festiva back in '03, but still good for factory-new. Maybe those of us with too much empty air in our wallets can find a Demo model, or wait a few years for some gently-used ones on Craigslist or something...

Of course in a few years Gas prices could ensure that nobody ever lets them go. Oh well.

[captainslug]

Originally Posted by MazdaMatt

It may be a lot of number crunching and speculation, but I'd love to see what you figure the costs are with a "premium" battery. You'd have less weight, higher efficiency and longer lifetime.

I managed to find some cycle life charts that compare cheap SLA batteries to deep-cycle models and the result is

Deep-Cycle (50% more cycle life, 1.2kw)
Cost per 2,000 miles: $187

Low-cost SLA pack (1.2kw)
Cost per 2,000 miles: $190-225

LiFePO4 pack (400% more cycle life, 1.4kw)
Cost per 2,000 miles: $250

[ProDigit]

Late reply, but nevertheless, hope the original poster still reads this thread...

I bought the XB-700Li, with 700W motor.

I had a couple of things to say to this thread:

1- try to tap the 12V power straight from one battery instead of using a voltage convertor

2- Use led strings in series, and get rid of resistors. The 2 blinkers left front and back, 2 blinkers right front and back, and 2 headlamps with backlights, each are connected. You could wire them in series, to have 2 to 4 strings of LEDS burning at the voltages, and get rid of the resistor.
Run them at 12/24 volts from 1 or 2 batteries.

3- Install a LiFePo4 battery instead of SLA.

4- to go faster, you need a better controller. The motor has more than enough juice to go 35MPH, you're just limited by the controller. The controller feeds the coils inside the motor. It could be tuned to go faster. Overvolting is one way, another is to be able to find the source of the thing that controls the coil frequencies and phases.
If you could accelerate that, you could accelerate the motor.

I have a 700W motor, and have the same speed limits as you do... Only a pitty I got my bike a couple of years after you; otherwise I'd love to work on my bike too, and do some mods too!

I also looked at motorcycles, and it makes no sense to buy an electric one.
Only with LiFePo4 batteries you're cheaper than gas. Otherwise just get a 300cc scooter, but then again, you can drive without insurance and drivers license with the electric one.

IMHO each ebike should by default drive at least 5mph faster! In fact, 35MPH makes sense for these bikes, but if not, let them drive 30MPH at least!
It's too dangerous to drive on the road at 20mph, when everyone is passing you by at 35-40MPH!