faster !!

[stonefish]

hi,
I know this must have been covered before, I have owened 2 ebikes in the past unfortnatly both were stolen, although locked up.
im in the process of buying a electric moped/scooter..arrghh I hear you say, but I saved so much money using the bikes and not cars, scooters offer better storage for small shopping trips have alarms fitted, but have the same rules as bikes..no insurance tax etc as long as they fall within the criteria 15mph etc.
my question is one of my ebikes had a off road switch that on longer journeys make quite a difference on times etc...illegal I know but that doesn't worry me, as very hard to prove unless a police car is following you in which case you pedal..!!
what must I do with a scooter to derestrict.??
its a 48v 12ah lithium battery with a 200w motor, is it just a case of changing the controller, as the batteries have enough voltage, what sort of spec controller is needed ie volts and amps to make the motor run faster.??
or could you recommend what combination to go for I think from past experience volts=speed amps=tourque/range so where does motor watts come into the equasion.?
Im pretty confident with electrics etc so not afraid to take on most projects, but I really want to keep the motor to the 200w that is stamped on the outside
any thoughts, advice would be appreciated and hopefully I can get some sound advice and report back the results.

 

[Marctwo]

Firstly, does it have functional pedals? If not then it doesn't have the same rules as bicycles and needs type approval and all the gubbins.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You're on the edge of legality with these scooters. They look a bit like petrol scooters, so with no helmet and number plate, you can expect to be stopped a few times. Then it's up to you to convince them that its legal. You'll be deemed guilty until you can prove your innocence. Not only is the scooter required to have pedals, but they must be functional, which means that you have to be able to pedal it in a safe and normal manner on the road. Wobbling along at 4 mph won't convince them.

There's several different ways that electric bikes and scooters are restricted to 15mph:
1. Jumper wires. There's often provision for a hardware switch to restrict the speed. Normally, there's two wires coming out the controller. When connected, the limit operates. Sometimes they have a connector; sometimes it's a loop of wire that you cut to release the limit.
2. Software. LCD panels sometimes have a settings menu where you can change the speed lmit. More sophisticated ones might be programmed externally, which is harder to hack.
3. Motor winding. The motor can only spin to a maximum speed. To get more speed, you need a higher voltage battery and controller.

If the speed limit is software controlled, you can sometimes confound it by removing whatever external speed sensor is used, but some use the hall sensors in the motor, which you can't change and some will default to 15mph if they don't get a speed signal. For the Bosch motors, some people use an additional device (dongle) to slow down the speed sensor signal.

 

[amigafan2003]

any thoughts,

Yes - don't buy an electric scooter.

If you want to carry more gear get one of these and add a good front motor kit instead.

 

[cwah]

I agree with other members.

I have a 30mph brompton. I start faster than any car and cyclist.

I have also been stopped MANY times by cops, but it was NEVER because of the bike legality. It was when I cross red light or cycle through pedestrian road.

I looks like a bike, so it must be a bike.

I had an electric kid stand up scooter also before, but it was dragging too much attention from cops so I stopped using it.


Get a cargo bike and make it look as 'normal' as possible, and you'll able to cycle at 30mph with no problem whatsoever

 

[cwah]

The xtracycle cargo bike mentionned before is a very good bike. I'll get something like this when I'll live in a bigger place. For now I only have room for 2 bromptons

How did you get your 2 bike stolen? I've never had my brompton stolen even parked outside during many hours, and often on the same location.

I use 1 kryptonite faggetaboutit and an additional bag lock.

 

[flecc]

I've never had my brompton stolen even parked outside during many hours, and often on the same location.

London Mayor Boris Johnson who used to use Bromptons but has now changed to full size bikes, famously claims to have had 6 Bromptons stolen and has definitely had two of those thefts independently confirmed. So be ever watchful with your London parking cwah.

 

[billadie]

If we chained Boris Johnson to a lamp post is there any chance that someone would steal him?
Please.
I'll throw in seven Bromptons.

 

[jackhandy]

Yes - don't buy an electric scooter.

If you want to carry more gear get one of these and add a good front motor kit instead.

This would be just the job for you, Alex - Time to strip the liquorish bits off the Trek.....