Black magic -details

[Hastings]

I just saw an interesting video from Gary on the new Black magic motor. Details like weight, internal /external controller and if it too will be available in a sine wave controller configuration is sadly lacking. GMs page only list the new Smart and Magic pie 4s available for order.

 I cant find it here on the board either.

I am in the market for a lightweight engine with a low roll resistance and a little more powerful than the Smart Pie as well as disc brake capable. Judging form the price it is a mid-market entry so maybe I have my hopes up too much.

[GM Canada]

The controller is external and its location is shown near the end of the video in the rack mounted bag.

I have never weighed one but from the feel of it, I imagine a complete 26 inch wheel is around 7-8 kg.

Until GM comes up with a sine wave external controller for the external versions of their motors the external controllers will still be the magic controller with square wave technology.

As for roll resistance, the larger a direct drive motor is the more resistance it will have. People say the motors are easy to peddle with the motors off. I don't agree with that. Of course you can pedal home with a dead battery, but to set out on a ride thinking you will just pedal and turn the motor on later is not realistic

Gary

[Bikemad]

Gary has the Black Magic motors for sale on his site at goldenmotor.ca but they are only really suitable for external controllers.

I think it is will be a while before GM start developing vector controllers suitable for this particular motor, and an internal controller option would probably require a complete redesign of the motor in much the same way that the MPII was completely redesigned to create the MPIII.

As for roll resistance, the larger a direct drive motor is the more resistance it will have. People say the motors are easy to peddle with the motors off. I don't agree with that. Of course you can pedal home with a dead battery, but to set out on a ride thinking you will just pedal and turn the motor on later is not realistic.

I haven't tried a Black Magic motor so I can't comment on the resistance, I do know that the resistance of the Magic Pie is very noticeable above 10mph, but the Smart Pie freewheels very easily in comparison.

I would say that the only real difference I have noticed with the Smart Pie is mainly due to the increase in weight being carried as installing the motor and battery pack obviously makes the bike much heavier. I'm pretty certain that it freewheels downhill at the same speed it did before the Smart Pie was fitted.

When you constantly ride with motor assistance you soon forget how difficult is is to pedal a conventional bike as you soon become dependant upon increasing the throttle to get you up the hills instead of increasing your leg power.

I used to pedal everywhere before I was sixteen, then I stopped using my pushbike and took to a moped instead.
About a week later I couldn't get the moped to start, so I had to ride my pushbike 3 miles into town to buy a replacement spark plug. I couldn't believe how slow it was in comparison with the moped and especially how hard it was having to pedal to get anywhere.

Alan
 

[Supchrgamx]

I find it really hard to pedal the mp3 with the battery dead
unsustainable
but what I do is when the green light starts to go out under load I stop using the throttle
leaving the power on with no throttle I find the bike a little harder to pedal. but only to the point of dropping a couple of gear from the gear that you would use. if you didn't have a motor at all
that will give me a range of about 4 km with no throttle before it dies
and then you might as well get off and push the bike
the wifes bike I fixed by adding a second battery for reserve

[Hastings]

First of all: Gary I should have noticed the external controller in the video.
Roll resistance is can probably be broken down to several problems.
a) Out of battery . This has happened to me on some occasions- not nice- I like a limp home mode before the battery goes flat... Presently I have a MPII and it is possible to cycle <10-8 km/h before the” generator effect” kicks in and makes it real for someone with my lungs. I sometimes think it is slightly easier if I pull the plug on the battery but this can be wishful thinking.
b) Exceeding set speed on cruise control  while pedaling making the bike heavy to pedal until you are under the set speed again.
Here I was hoping that the Black magic or the Smart pie would perform better, making the difference to a freewheeling hub smaller.
What I would like to see an intelligent controller that once you exceed the cruise speed would give enough juice to null all resistance but making it as easy to pedal as before the conversion.  Again I may display my ignorance- maybe such program already exists in the Cycle analyst?