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BMW Motorbike

ff1d1l

ff1d1l

pfm Member
Been having a bit of a craze in our house for generating (see what I did there?) e-bikes. Started with no1 son and a Marin hybrid, which he and I did, and it turned out very nicely. Then Mrs Ff1d1l wanted one, so she bought a s/h Cannondale and I did that for her. Finally I scrounged my dad's 10 year old impulse buy and only rode a few times BMW gravel bike off him and fitted the 52v TSDZ2 for myself...now able to casually drop into the conversation "my BMW motorbike, you know...

This the maiden voyage, up to Llyn Elsi behind Bettws y Coed, managed steep forestry roads no bother.

Edit....since the pic was taken I put flat pedals on and a parallelogram suspension seatpost, both of which I like a lot.

 
None were totally straightforward - the TSDZ2 motor is a tight fit and if cables go under the bottom bracket they have to be re routed with a continuous outer. The Marin and the BMW both had kickstand mounts, which had to be cut away. The BMW also had a Shimano octo something bottom bracket and chainset which necessitated buying a couple of specialist tools.
The BMW, which was the third one so I was pretty in practice, took an entire day once the tools had arrived.
Not to put you off, though, the result is extremely gratifying, and you are saving substantially on buying a ready made ebike.
 
I’m sorry but it’s cheating;) I spent years peddling probably 150k miles including cycling to Africa. Where’s the pain/sweat/suffering? Mark my words: you’ll lose the use of yer legs if you carry on like this…
 
MUTTY1 said:
Where’s the pain/sweat/suffering?
Click to expand...
I managed to swap them for fun/comfort/laffs.
Actually as its pedal assist, and assistance can be set from nothing to level 4 a quick trip down memory lane to revisit pain/sweat/suffering is but the push of a button away...
 
I fitted a e-bike conversion kit for a friend last year. He figured that he'd get better VFM by going down the DIY route and bought a brand new Felt mountain bike and an e-bike kit (rear hub drive) to go on it.

My experience echoes that of @ff1d1l above. The end result is impressive but the kit wasn't straightforward to install. Quite a few parts needed to be modified/adapted and the instructions were a comedy Chinese-to-English via Babelfish affair. It took me two full afternoon/evening sessions to finish it. I'm sure I'd be faster next time though now that I've had a practice.
 
I have plenty of time available:). It’s 70 year old legs that I can’t update, and the Cube/ Kalkhoff hybrids I was looking at are £2500 ish! Is there a decent website somewhere which shows the options?
 
Rockmeister said:
I have plenty of time available:). It’s 70 year old legs that I can’t update, and the Cube/ Kalkhoff hybrids I was looking at are £2500 ish! Is there a decent website somewhere which shows the options?
Click to expand...

I put the £699 Dillenger front wheel conversion on my 1980’s Muddy Fox and it was simple. I chose the front wheel kit so that I didn’t have to do anything with the chain. I regularly do a 20 mile ride and after seeing how well the battery holds up I now only charge it after doing two rides at which point it still has one of the three bars showing although it does slow up a bit as the battery gets low. i.e. it ‘only’ runs at the legal limit (12-15MPH) instead its usual 19-20MPH (on the flat). I live in the valleys so hills are common and it’s a great help.

https://dillengerelectricbikes.co.uk/
 
You can buy a new ebike for under £900 (stock might be an issue as with many products).

On the used market, many older MTBs are fetching good money, even in a well used state.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
You can buy a new ebike for under £900 (stock might be an issue as with many products).

On the used market, many older MTBs are fetching good money, even in a well used state.
Click to expand...
Paid £250 for the missises Cannondale. £900 ebikes are not of the same standard as the converted Cannondale.
As a further thread to this story, Mrs Ff1d1l did buy a Juicy ebike after seeing the success of the first Marin conversion. Was well over a grand. It lasted about 40 minutes, then bust. She sent it back.

Thing to watch with buying a second hand donor bike is enough space in the frame for the battery - we took along a cardboard cutout when buying the Cannondale - and, re the frame, plenty of clearance both at the bottom bracket and seat stays, where minimal flare is desirable.
Don't know about hub motors, but the TS motor is torque sensing, which they are not.
 
ff1d1l said:
Paid £250 for the missises Cannondale. £900 ebikes are not of the same standard as the converted Cannondale.
As a further thread to this story, Mrs Ff1d1l did buy a Juicy ebike after seeing the success of the first Marin conversion. Was well over a grand. It lasted about 40 minutes, then bust. She sent it back.
Click to expand...
Couple of guys at work bought off the shelf ebikes two years ago, the commute most days with them, both were just over £1k then. They’re still going well now, no complaints.

Me? I’m an idiot so would end up with something that can climb walls and do 40mph on the back wheel :)
 
Apparently, any kind of throttle control, turns a bicycle into a motor cycle. And therefore you need road tax and insurance?? Is this true? Because I read that some of the front wheel with motor conversions, do have a throttle.
 
E-bike throttles – what a can of worms. When I fitted the kit I did quite a few miles ‘throttle only’ to gauge how long the battery would last as I had doubts about the published figures (unfounded as it turned out). Since then I have rarely used it. Then I saw Rockmeister’s post and had a look into it. The way I see it is that the regulations are only relevant to manufacturers as legislators don't like kits (too many variables, so avoid their mention like the plague). So what is relevant is the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC) regulations. The key requirements for EAPC are: pedals by means of which it is capable of being propelled, fitted with an electric motor that has a maximum power which does not exceed 250 watts and which cannot propel the vehicle at more than 15.5 mph.

Then I found the link below and is purported to be a reply from the DoT (see Velonoir Nov 19, 2019).

From 2016, a new EAPC, with for example a "Twist and Go" type throttle, that provides power when the rider is not pedalling, was required to be type-approved by the manufacturer before being placed on the market as an EAPC. This EU regulation had no effect on any bike that was already built and in use on the road, it only affects the manufacturing of brand new bikes. In our understanding it is legal to take a pre-2016, "used" bike and modify it, by adding a throttle to provide power without simultaneous pedalling above 6 km/h, as long as it remains in compliance with the key requirements of an EAPC: pedals by which the cycle can be propelled, maximum power 250W, and power cuts off automatically at 25 km/h (15.5 mph). In fact, it is permissible for private individuals to modify a newer bike that has already been in use for a period as well, on condition that this is a one-off, as by definition an individual and unique vehicle produced by a non-professional is not subject to type approval.

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/full-throttle-ebike-legal-again/

So it’s time to dig into the hidden menu of my controller again and set its top speed back to 15.5MPH (currently set to a very optimistic 50MPH) to comply with the EAPC regulation but I think I will leave the throttle connected and will unplug it if I ever get into a conversation with the police as it’s an optional component but could be useful if the chain ever broke and reducing the top (assisted) speed should boost the range.
 
I was overtaken by 2 e-bikes today going uphill in the car. I was doing 25-30 in traffic, they left me for dead. Helmets, number plates? Very funny, just like the top speed.
 
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