[MENTION=18538]Turbo[/MENTION], thanks for the write-up of your rig. I aprreciate any and all ideas.
Especially since I checked the hi-powerbikes website for indepth pricing, and I was dissapointed to see that the $1400 figure I saw was just the starting point. For anything with solid hill climging torque and battery capacity, it jumps to well over $2k for their kit.
So i'll be doing this one pieces parts at a time.

[MENTION=344587]dilkes[/MENTION], that was a really good link on the MAC and BMC geared hub motors.
I just might do one of those. And from the looks of it, the newest version of the MAC, has the better style composite gears now, which should allow it to handle near 1,500 watts.

What I did manage to pick up from the hi-powerbikes site though, was the info on the latest greatest Li-NMC batteries that they carry, which are even better than the Lifepo4 versions.
So currently my plan will be to use something around a 48-52v @13amp hour capacity version of the Li-NMC batteries.
They're pricey though, and it looks like one will set me back around $700-$800.
But due to only a few hills each ride that i'll need it on, I would be able to get thousands of rides out of one.

[MENTION=326577]usnavystgc[/MENTION], i'm very mechanically inclined, and have done many crazy projects in my day. and if this were winter time here, I might have gone that route. but time is really of the essence for me. I just turned 57, and although I used to be a serious biker back in the day, it's been too long and I need to make as much of this summer as I can before I start getting too far out of shape.