So I am building a new electric bike. I am planning on getting a front-drive kit from Amped. The idea is that I am going to get a Townie comfort bike and then apply the kit to it. From what I understand Aluminum forks aren't the best for front-drive motors (I actually witnessed one get completely bent out of shape after hitting a fairly nasty bump).

What replacement forks would people recommend for use with a front-drive motor? Are there any shock absorbing forks that would be strong enough to handle the motor?

Make sure it's steel and use torque arms too. There's a member over at the Endless Sphere forums that has a photo in his signature of a bike rider's nose and face hitting his motorized front wheel when his fork broke. It's extremely painful to look at; you don't want that happening to you.

I second the steel and torque arms. You might want to look into getting a different bike rather than buying one and having to replace the fork.

Thanks for the replies! I am going to make sure that the bike is suitable for the engine.

Is this a non-issue with rear wheel motors? Now I am thinking of getting a new hybrid and converting my old 7.2fx. The 7.2fx is also made of aluminum - could it manage a motor on the rear wheel?

I can attest - my Norco seems to be all aluminum. I run a rear hub motor and have definitely not had a problem.

I did limit the beastie to a max 30A draw and torqued the rear nuts down well. I did not install torque arms, and I carry the batteries in panniers off the back. I do imagine there is some stress on the farme, but so far no issues with it.

BTW guys - I ordered 2 * CellLog 8 today.... 40Ah cells maybe tomorrow....