Karma - looks like you have inverters, batteries, and solar chargers. How many batteries do you need? Did you wire them as an additional bike motor power source, or for all your auxiliary needs?

Also I was thinking of getting a small four cycle gasolene motor for the front of the bike. Effectively making it a hybrid bike. Has anyone done this?

Comments on the Walmart Bike. I weigh about 225 pounds:

1) If you put the battery in wrong the first time, the fuse will blow.
2) The motor is an ASSIST motor. It does not have the power to run the bike by itself.
3) Am not sure if it will help enough going up very steep hills. Will be testing.
4) The motor control has two SAFETY use modes for the motor. a) Power assist after you are moving. b) Power assist after you are pedaling. There is a twist DEADMAN throttle, which only continues working if you twist it.
5) Bike has an extra slot for a second battery pack. You switch between PACK-A or PACK-B depending on which has energy.

The bike doesn't have the power to run by itself - without pedaling? There must be a problem with your motor! I weight 215 lbs and can easily go 15 mph (or more) without any pedaling at all...

I have the bike in the pic (2007 model) and mine has smooth street tires with one wavy tread, not knobby tires. Don't know how you're seeing the tires as so big when they're the perfect size for the bike. Unless you were expecting those razor thin tires like are on racing bikes? And it appears the 2007 model was the last one with the controller box under the seat. They moved it to the rear of the bike, so you now have to stop and get off the bike to switch to the second battery. It's hard to imagine why they did this, but then, it's hard to understand why Bill Gates took technology a step backwards by introducing Windows Vista.

Unless you're talking about something else, it's not a Wal-Mart bike, it's a Currie bike. And you must have some problems with the bike. I've had my ezip for almost a year and I ride it daily. I hardly ever pedal. I weigh 200 lbs. It goes up gentle hills without pedaling. Steep hills with easy, minor pedaling. 18mph on flats. Never had a breakdown. Not even a loose screw or flat tire. I drive on a lot of rough gravel and dirt roads with way too many bumps. I wasn't aware that it was possible to put a battery in backwards, but even if you did, of course it will blow a fuse. The throttle is no different than any other throttle. If you let off a motorcycle throttle, it stops. If you let off a car's gas pedal, it stops. Even after a year, I can still go at least 8 miles on one battery fully charged. I sometimes fail to recharge after a ride and ride it again the next day even though Currie recommends charging after every ride, no matter how short or long a distance you rode. The battery pack weighs 18 lbs. Yes, you could lighten it up a LOT by using advanced lithium ion batteries, but the cost is astronomical. Lead-acid batteries are still by far the most economical. But if you had the funds, upgrading to lithiums would make the ezip a very very good bike. Most of the $1000+ bikes out there have no more range than the ezip does. I paid $150 for my bike brand new on clearance at Wal-Mart, and it was even assembled by Wal-Mart employees, so I guess I got lucky. Still, my only hangup is the loud whirring sound of the motor. It is NOT silent. Here's my bike on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7wt50pnmE

I really like that. I have a basket on the front but I think I'll do exactly what you did. Looks great but I wish they made black baskets like that.

I can actually flip the switch and STILL look where I'm going since I have the 2007 model with the switch below the seat. It's a little bit too low, but I can manage it. They could have just put the switch up front on the handlebars, but manufacturers don't always use logic.

Milk type crates have been sold in Wally World for years. In all colors. Used for shelving. Laws were passed long ago making ownership of real milk crates against the law. They all have the milk companies names stamped on them. I could probably pick up 50 of them at my local convenience stores right now if I was so inclined. We don't have many "motion picture supply companies" where I live haha.

I don't know where everyone is coming up with this 6 or 8 hour charging time. My battery never takes more than about 3 1/2 hours to fully charge. And maybe the newer Currie chargers are different than mine. None of this red light-green light stuff. When mine is charging, the light blinks. When it stops blinking, it's charged. If I let my battery sit a couple of days, it stays fully charged. I know this because I've plugged the charger back in out of curiosity and it doesn't blink. If it had drained even a slight amount, that light would be blinking until the charger topped it off.

You're spot on. If mine was at the rear, I'd definitely do it, but since mine is under the seat, it's not really a problem.

The Currie motor is 24 volts. I assume using 36v will make the motor and controller definitely run hotter.

The first thing I did when I got my bike was put slime in the tires. Haven't had a flat yet after a year of riding on some really bad roads and in a small town where roofers could care less if nails fall off their trucks.

This forum is FULL of experiences with the ezip. It's just a matter of reading them. There's no question the ezip is the absolute best bike for the money.

Yes, it will go 15 MPH on a flat road -- I mean up a steep hill. You have to pedal up a hill in order for the bike to work. We are talking normal streets here though. Steep is like maybe 10 to 15% grade for the bike. If your street was an old 45% grade you can forget about NOT pedaling. The bike needs assistance to go up that hill.

Has anyone blown a fuse trying to get the bike to go up a steep grade? Can you go offroad with the mountain bike and actually get up and down the small hills and vallys on most trails?

Speaking of fuses - what is the exact size of fuse required in the battery pack, and what are the equivalent sizes in CAR fuses?

And how much does an extra battery pack cost?

has anyone used a car trickle charger for these batteries. Say you are mobile and car camping in a remote area, can you charge the batteries while driving to or from the site?

I'm really thinking about getting this bike.

I have several questions.


1) The bike comes with two batteries, yes?

2) Does the bike use 1 battery and then the other? Or both at once?

3) Can I charge both batteries at once or do I need to charge one at a time?

4) I have read a lot about adding a 3rd battery, to not only make the bike go faster but also further. Where can I purchase this 3rd battery?

5) If I have all 3 batteries hooked up can I charge all of them at the same time?

1.Two 12v lead acids, yes.
2.Uses both at the same time.
3.The included 24v charger charges both at the same time.
4.3rd bat can be had from batteries plus, ebay, mail order, from the web. You're adding 50% more watt hours, so you *can* go further assuming you don't over use the extra speed that you also get.
5.Yes if you buy a 36v charger. Or you can use the 24v along with a small 12v automotive type charger, but thats a pain.

Thanks for the quick reply, your post cleared up a lot of things for me.
One last question.

Which online retailer has the best deal on a 3rd battery and 36v charger?


I was looking into getting the LiFePo4 battery but it's way to expensive, perhaps when the stock batteries die I might look into that option.

I'd go to TNC scooters for a cheap charger. I think those guys are on ebay too, along with a few other guys. Get the right kind, should be xlr but check. Not real sure on the battery, the quality varies quite a bit on those. So do the prices. Not necessarily in proportion. Anyway get one with matching capacity, 12ah I think. Maybe some people with reviews on lead batteries can post.

Wait, I'm confused. this bike comes with 1 or 2 batteries?

The 2008 image of this bike on walmart only lists one battery.

The bike comes with a single 24V battery PACK. The pack contains 2 12V batteries. You can mount 2 battery PACKs on the bike, there's a switch on the back to switch between them.

i have 4 12v 20ah led acid, 2 of them in paralel work with the solar panel and inverter. other 2 sit fully chargered in the trailer ready for when i need them on the road. led acid takes to long to charge im only
charging my ping pack on long rides. when i stop to recharge the ping pack i change the led acid out.

Alright, thank you! That's what was confusing me.

If I wanted to extend the range, should I get another PACK?

It seems like it would be counterproductive, since it weigh like 14 pounds I believe?

For those of you that have two packs, what are your opinions?

..

Its not counter productive. You're doubling your watt hour capacity and adding not even 10% to your total gross vehicle weight. Not to mention if you connect the two packs in parallel you can get more than twice the range due to the way lead acids batteries work. If you switch between the packs, you can only expect less than double the range however. Handling will be a bit worse of course.. small price.