[trikes] Fwd: electric assist hub motor

[mgta4 at aol.com]

Hi, I forwarded the request for electric motors to my friend here because I knew he had, had one and here is his response. Maybe it will be helpful to some wondering. Fran


-----Original Message-----
From: Walter Wermuth <wkennethw at hotmail.com>
>
Sent: Sat, Jun 13, 2009 11:46 pm
Subject: electric assist hub motor



this is walt at wkennethw at hotmail.com and a friend sent me a copy of your information request about hub motors.  let me tell my experiences and maybe it will help in your decision.  at 15 or 20 pounds the hub motor does hold the front wheel down enough to give you traction you need and pulls you straight, though your steering is changed and the weight of the motor makes the wheel flop to what ever side you steer but i overcome that ok.  i bought one, had a heavy duty tube and tire put onto the wheel, had the hub motor installed, loved it and it lasted 3 months. i was told no warrantees when things went sour. later i was told batteries don't last long time, that you can't leave them out in the cold or pull to much weight, or draw them down to much. i was told mine were shot in the spring and bought new batteries $145.  still not work.  was told my charger was shot.  a new one cost me $75. still not work, was told the controller was burnt out because i have my wife's ez-3 hooked onto my usx and burnt out the controller, so a new one was bought for $95, and still not work.  was told the thumb switch may be bad 
and was told the motor might have something burnt out in it.  i gave up and i stopped the cash flow and removed the motor and rest of the parts. 
 
wife and i are handicapped due to age, also arthritis for me and stroke for her so the want of a motor assist.  if i pedaled with it i got almost 2 hours on a charge.
 
if i were getting a hub motor again i would figure a complete new one each spring. $300 to $500 each for a few months of ease.
 
our friend and editor 'wo' of the errc magazine found and sent information to me about hub motor problems. in a nutshell the hub motor is designed for a 2 wheel bike and a 175 pound rider though many tell you different to sell them.  found that you cannot drain the battery down below a certain level and no gage was included in my package to know when i exceed that point.  found batteries don't last long, found you can't start up without pedaling first, found on long hills there is to much draw of power unless you pedal hard with it and not throttle it up to hard.  
 
i then was talked into putting a gasoline motor on my usx to help pull us and our trikes with accessories and loaded panniers, totaling out at 600 pounds, up our hill and on the level when tired.  i found a man who worked out of his garage installing bike gas motors, and one was put on my usx, it was to powerful, the job was to sloppy. the welds were not safe, the motor power curve is at high=2
0of speed, over 20 mph plus, in one test of the throttle it shot me up to over 30 mph and tried to pull the front wheel to the right during full acceleration, and was way to loud.  with the extra added controls, all run by hand,  the brakes, shifters, clutch, throttle and brakes really keeps your hands busy and unsafe. pedaling the usx with the clutch disengaged still made the engine chain to axle revolve, creating friction against pedaling when traveling with motor off so you can't run through the gears.  the motor is coming off and i have hired a man to weld my usx frame back that the engine installer notched out.
 
if i was ever to use a gasoline motor again it would need to be with a reduction gear box so you could have a real small, low rpm, well muffled,  quiet motor and have the power needed at a slower speed like 10 to 20 mph.
 
i found that lightfoot recumbents of montanna makes a bike trailer with a gas motor under it which will push you up the hills and ease your traveling when the trailer is loaded.  i would someday like to try one of these out or talk to folks that have one.
 
all is not lost though as i found you can have your small front cassette gear ring removed and a smaller one put in its place, then you can pedal up steeper hills with  much less effort, though at only half speed in that range.
 
i have a sun ez-3 usx, my favorite, a sun ez-3, my wife's, much easier to pedal, lighter, 
and just bought a sun x-3 sx, to be my solo traveling recumbent in hills as well as on the level.    wife and i go on health rides, errands, and pleasure rides.  on the usx i have a arnold adapter coupling so i can hook the front forks of wife's ez-3 into the coupling and off we go.  when she gets tired of pedaling she rest while i pedal us along.  this works out great for  handicap folk as well as in crowds of people as well because i can control the speed and steer through the crowds.  we ride right up to the super market to get groaceries, parking in hash marked areas, so we not walk so far across the parking lot that we are tired out in the store.
 
hope i have helped you,



Walt Wermuth




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