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Author Topic: Hub vs Frame mounted BLDC  (Read 2300 times)

lowerlattitudes

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Hub vs Frame mounted BLDC
« on: December 15, 2020, 06:48:25 AM »

Hi Folks,

New to the forum, planning to convert a 77 Triumph Tiger to electric and biggest decision at the moment is whether or not to go with a Hub Motor. Enertrac has a 10Kw hub motor that will get me close to 50MPH which is about all I am looking for.  I am a bit concerned about axle diameter and being able to bolt the rear disc to the new hub/wheel assembly but it seems like a far simpler solution for a first time build. Would love to hear any thoughts on the Hub motor option from the forum. Happy Holidays and nice to meet you all!

B
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Frank

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Re: Hub vs Frame mounted BLDC
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2020, 07:15:38 PM »

Hub motors leave more rooms for batteries, controller, but are heavier so impact handling.  There's also an advantage not having to worry about motor mounting, chain run, etc.  I remember seeing a Buell Blast with an Enertrac and the guy was happy with it.  Re axle diameter, brakes, etc. - you'll have to figure all that out.  Maybe contact Enertrac for their advice?
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lowerlattitudes

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Re: Hub vs Frame mounted BLDC
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2020, 07:14:57 PM »

thank you,

Sounds like good plan.
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caza

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Re: Hub vs Frame mounted BLDC
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2020, 11:42:01 PM »

Hub motors give you a really heavy rear wheel and a lot of unsprung weight.

Make sure the hub motor is going to fit your swingarm well before you buy it, but you'll need to make modifications either way.

Mid Drive Pros:
 -Weight is sprung so leads to better handling characteristics
 -No modification of the swingarm
 -Easier to set your own gearing

Mid Drive Cons:
 -Chain maintenance
 -Takes up space that could be used for batteries and other components.

Hub Pros:
 -Very space efficient
 
Hub cons:
 -Heavy unsprung mass in the rear wheel gives worse handling characteristics.


I don't think mounting is a problem with either motor type, they just have different challenges. Oh a mid-drive you have to make sure your in the right spot and your alignment is good. You need to be accurate, but on a hub you're modifying the swingarm to both accept the motor and deal with the torque, and you're mounting a new disc brake. Either way you're fabricating, though depending on your comfort level one might feel more intimidating than the other. No matter which way you go I would get good measurements and have at least a rough mounting plan before ordering the motor.

I think at the end of the day the question is do you want your bike to handle better or have a bigger battery. These are the biggest tradeoffs.

If you haven't, check out endless sphere and elmoto.net, they're much more active forums for conversions. This community is mostly owners of production bikes.
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2015 Zero SR + Power Tank
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