Cyclone Motor Performance Testing
500 Watt Motor - 26" Mountain Bike
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Bike:
Model: Montague Hummer
Source: E-bay
Price: Approx. $500
Tire Size: 26"
Tire Pressure: 65psi
Cassette: 7 speed, 11-28
Bike Weight w/ Batteries: 73 lbs
Rider Weight: 220 lbs
Gross Weight: 293 lbs
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Motor Kit:
Model: Cyclone 500 Watt
Chainwheel: 44 Tooth
Optional Watt Meter: Watt's-Up
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Battery Pack:
Type: NiMH
Capacity: Two 24v 13Ahr packs in parallel for 24 Volt 26Ahr total
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Trip Description:
Location: Santa Ana River Trail, Orange County, CA
Elevation: 100' Above sea level average
Terrain: Level, asphalt bikeway
Weather: Sunny, Wind 1mph, 74°F
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Trip Start Readings:
Voltage: 27.1
Amps: 0
Watts: 0
V-min: 27.1
A-max: 0.06
W-max: 0
AmpHours: 0
WattHours: 0
Battery Temp: 70°F
Motor Temp: 72°F
Top Speed: -
Avg. Speed: -
Total Distance: 0
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Trip End Readings:
Voltage: 23.42
Amps: 0
Watts: 0
V-min: 17.57
A-max: 41.76
W-max: 925.6
AmpHours: 22.772
WattHours: 518.6
Battery Temp: 88°F
Motor Temp: 102°F
Top Speed: 24.4mph
Avg. Speed: 19.4
Total Distance: 23.2 miles
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Calculated Values:
WattHours/Mile: 22.35
Miles/KWh: 44.74
Voltage Drop: 3.72
Actual Whrs vs Rated Whrs: 518.6 vs 624 = 83.1%
Actual Ahrs vs Rated Ahrs: 22.772 vs 26 = 87.58%
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Trip Log:
For this test ride we wanted to see how a couple of the NiMH batteries would do
when powering the 500w motor. The riding style was not so conservative as shown
by the 19.4mph average speed - that's fast for an average considering we had to
go slowly around other bikes, across bridges and when avoiding pedestrians.
Total mileage was much lower than expected, probably due to the high speeds.
(Note: later rides with more conservative riding have yielded about 50% more
total miles with this battery and motor combination.) Our notes for this ride
indicate cruise speeds of 18-22 mph with current readings of 20-26 amps continuous
with wattage readings of about 480 to 525 watts at cruise speed in 5th gear.
Orange battery condition light on throttle came on at 11.1 miles and continuous red
LED occurred at 20 miles. After going red, speed was reduced to 12mph to the end of
the ride.
Conclusions:
It is obvious that higher speeds will reduce range significantly. In this test
we increased our riding speed from our conservative 14mph (about what just pedaling a normal
60 cadence will produce on this bike in the highest gear)up to 19mph. That
5mph increase reduced our range by about 50% when compared to later tests that
came in at around 32 miles for the same motor/battery/bike combination. You can
go far or you can go fast, but you can't do both.
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