mounting battery in the frame

[atcspaul]

attached are picture of what I used to get a rock solid mount for the battery in the frame. I did this because all the weight in the back using the rack mount the front wheel was off the ground when I put down the kickstand and also if you let go of the handlebars thier was a huge wobble which I think was because no weight in the front of the bike. here are the noticeable changes.

1.front and rear tire sit on the ground no movement. very stable on kickstand
2. no more wobble. no hands and it just goes straight as can be
i got what I was looking for however here are the bonus changes I got
3. bike is faster about 1 mile per hour on flat ground.
4. going up hill their is a huge difference. places I used to pedal assist because bike would slow down it now keeps its speed same as on flat. long steep hills I still need to pedal.
5. moving the bike around is easy now. when I pick it up to take up and down the stairs I just grab the top tube. before I had to lift it from the seat. balance point moved way forward.
6. mounting the bike before when you layed it a little sideways it was very top heavy. now its like mounting a regular bike.
7. maneuverability is difference of night and day. took it trail riding and was very impressed. very rough trail and battery didn't move. it is rock solid.
8. this is the biggest change I found. the take off speed to get to full speed increased big time. I let a friend ride it and first thing he said was wow a what a difference in the torgue that it gets up and goes. (he has ridden the bike many times in the past)
9. this also all tells me the bike is running more efficiently which should mean longer range

anyway heck with looks and stealth. with these huge performance changes its going to stay this way. gonna clean it up and paint it if I can get matching paint. I am very happy

[Bikemad]

Nice job Paul, but it looks like the battery is now a permanent fixture, and would require the use of a spanner to remove it.

I am very puzzled by the increase in performance though, did you by any chance shorten the battery leads or adjust the controller setting?

I can fully appreciate how changing its position would affect the balance and handling of the bike, but repositioning the battery should have made no difference whatsoever to the actual performance or efficiency of the motor, unless you have inadvertently improved the battery lead connection by simply disconnecting and reconnecting the power plug during the process of the conversion:

When engaged and disengaged, the crown contact surfaces of Anderson SB Connectors "over wipe," thus providing a self cleaning action.   To ensure the continued benefit of this feature, clean the contact surfaces and lubricate the connector.  Use a "white" lithium grease, which may be obtained from hardware stores and automotive parts suppliers.

Anyway, it's nice to hear that your Smart Pie is performing so well.

Alan
 

[atcspaul]

i didn't change a thing. I always unplug battery when I charge which is a couple times a day. as I said I didn't expect the difference that I got. I ride the bike every day and have put a lot of miles on it. nice part about living in the caribbean it never gets cold. I don't know why the change but I will take it. only thing I can think of is with only 50lbs of air in the tires that they are compressing alot when taking off and maybe they aren't so much with new set up. I am as baffled as you are. later this week I am going to put the Magic Pie on it and see if any change. as far as removing battery all I do is take off the 4 nuts on the battery slide and it comes right off. really simple mount that is effective. it is like having a brand new ride set up this way. attached is the way I had it set up before. this is a long bike and the battery was set back pretty far.

[GM Canada]

Can you do some close up pictures of the mounting in the frame. I can't really tell what you did there but it looks great!

Gary

[atcspaul]

i will get you some closeups in the morning when it is daylight out. ones I did with flash didn't turn out well. things to keep in mind if you do it this way. reason the battery sits a little off the frame on bottom mounts is so you can lift handle and still plug in charger. you also need to leave room on bottom to plug battery in with the anderson connectors. I can do both just as easy as I could when battery was on the rear rack.  for taking the battery off and on from the inside of the slide I ran the screws thru with star washers on them to keep them from spinning and then slid battery on onto the slide.  I can take it off and on very easily just takeing off the 4 nuts. I also have a slide on the rack incase I want to take an extra battery. this is a very simple set up and that is probably why it took so many times of trial and error to get something that works this well. 2 inch muffler clamps were perfect diameter for the pure which has the same as your townie. clamps are just a hair bigger then the frame so I could wrap the frame with a piece of plastic so when I take it off their will not be a mark on the frame. I have put well over 100 miles on it since the change in all sorts of conditions. trails, dirt roads and of course paved and it works like a dream.

[atcspaul]

here are some close ups. did with my phone so didn't turn out great but gives you an idea. I took the battery off so you could see better the mounts.  soon as I get matching paint I am gonna paint it and clean it all up

[GM Canada]

Thank you for the pictures. I can clearly see what you have done. It does look quite simple to do. I am surprised no one has used such a simple method before. I would not be using this for my townie as I have three batteries on he rear rack and it would ruin the ease of getting on through the step through frame. But this could work well on my chopper.

Gary

[atcspaul]

if you do Gary when you cut the screw part off the clamp make it a hair short of touching the battery. that way you can put a nut on it to adjust the stiffness on the battery. L clamps very sturdy but have a tiny bit of play in them and this way you can get rid of all of it. this way battery is supported on both sides. here is a photo of what I mean. also is a better picture of the finished product

[Bikemad]

Paul,

Which side of the road do you drive on?
I'm curious as to why the rear view mirror is mounted on the right hand side on both this bike, and your other Trek.

You won't find any right hand drive cars in the United States that are sold to the general public. Left hand drive cars are required here.

Does your particular island have its own traffic rules and right hand drive cars?

Alan

[atcspaul]

they drive on the left side of the road here. was kinda hard to get used to. all the cars come from the states so they are set up for right side of road. it makes it hard in a car to pass someone. however the weather and life here makes up for all the negatives. the weather is phenominal. cost of living some things are high others are less then the states. example the picture was taken in front of my condo. I am a stones throw from the ocean and bought the 2 bed 2 bath condo for 150k. I really love it here.

[atcspaul]

i put the Magic Pie back on the bike with 48v and only noticeable difference is the handling. power up hill and starting out is the same. all I can figure is that the Smart Pie dosn't have near the torgue as the magic and with all the weight pressing down on the rear wheel with battery mounted on the back when starting and climbing slows it down and that was why I saw a big difference with the Smart Pie when I moved the battery forward to balance out the weight