I have an iZip Zuma (info after my questions). It’s a nice bike, but I’ve had problems with it. After owning it for six months, I had to have a new kickstand put on because the original wouldn’t hold bike up. After riding up hills (average 20%-40% inclines) and on level ground the motor started clicking and wouldn’t stop. Had to have a new rear wheel sent and installed. Now if I go up even a slight incline, when I get to the top the motor makes a loud sound, like it’s really having a hard time.
I was told to send the entire bike back and they’ll give me a 2011 model and will pay S&H both ways.
I am leery since the bike hasn’t been rideable without a problem; it’s mostly been sitting in the living room.
My question to the forum is: Should I take Currie up on their offer and try the new model or do I need something more powerful to get me up so many hills around here (I avoid the really steep ones)? Could I add something to make it more powerful?
Can’t make up my mind and I need to because this bike will be on its way back in a couple of days and then I won’t have a choice.
Should I keep it? Fix it up with more power? Get a different make? Help! I am about 25 pounds under the bike’s weight limit.

The iZip Zuma….

Powerful 36 Volt/500W DC High Torque Brushless geared hub motor
Twist and Go (TAG) + Pedal Assist System (PAS)
Samsung 36V 11.4Ah Lithium-ion battery pack
Speeds up to 20 mph
Range up to 16- 22 Miles
Lithium-ion 36V / 10Ah removable rack top mounted pack, Samsung battery
A little over 1/2 the weight of a conventional SLA battery pack and number of lifetime charges is 3 to 4 times longer.

Thanks, Angie M

sounds to me that you need a power upgrade....to 48 volt/ 800-1000 watt setup...

no use getting another unit with the same ratings that barley have the power you need.

Currie is a quality company and it sounds like they are trying hard to make make things right.
They are paying the shipping so it's no cost to you, give it a try.

An 800-100 watt setup may not be legal for street use.

true...but I would be suprosed if the cops in missouri pulled her over and gave her a ticket for having a bicycle with to many watts.... if she stays under 20 mph in speed...they shouldnt even bother her...

I have been driving around a 150 c.c. gas scooter for 5 years..with no tags..and all I didi was get some stickers that say 50 c.c. and put them on the back fender...and I stay below 45 mph....never had a problem or a officer bother me.

IMHO..it sounds like she needs more power...for the hills in here area..

Would probably be a good idea to pedal up the big hills.

but isnt the idea of getting a electric bike, to keep us from pedaling up those hills ? :** ..I dont mind pedalling on flat land or down slopes..its the hills that I need the electric motor for.

It really sounds to me that the O.P needs a more powerful electric kit....IMHO..its always best to buy a kit that may have more power then you need, then less power then you need..

It's pedal assist. That's why I said pedal.

Without question I would take Currie up on thier offer. And yes it is a peddle assist bike and on the hills is a good place to be doing that peddling.

See, when I used the pedal assist or full throttle motor only, it made these awful sounds and I was afraid to ride it in case I would break something. I've been looking at the Motorino's, which is only a 50cc scoot, but I can get a kit to make it a 72cc motor, allowing it to go up to 45-50 mph. I love the looks of them, which you can see here: https://www.scootersus.com/ Any thoughts?

Angie,

What are you wanting to do with a bike and how much are you willing to spend?
Do you want one for basic transportation, or are you looking for a bike to help you get into shape, or both?

I'm pretty sure all of the bikes in that link would have to be tagged as a moped (which in many states don't have to be insured).
They will work as transportation, none will help you get into shape.
As far as reliability on small two-stroke engines go, they are the pits. I would highly recommend you search for a Honda Ruckus zoomer in the link but sold as the Ruckus in North America or Honda Metropolitan. We have a Ruckus on our farm that has serviced us well for years. All of our two stroke engines, from small weeding tools all the way up high tech aviation grade two strokes on a couple of ultralights, have been fiddly nightmares to keep running well. Those four stroke Hondas however, just start and go.

I would still say give the Curry another try. But you do live in big hill country and you may need more torque than a hub motor can provide. In that case I would say any of the Kalkhoff bikes would be your dream bikes. They are expensive, but the Panasonic systems have tons of torque and I've put tens of thousands of miles on mine without fail. Fitting a Stokemonkey to an existing frame would be a slightly less expensive way to have a good torquey bicycle.
The Stokemonkeys and Kalkhoffs won't be on the used market like the Hondas. New the Metropolitan is right at two grand, used they dip as low as $800.

of course she needs transport/commute if she doesn't care if she can be on bicycle paths.
MC

I think you need to decide if you want an ebike or a mophead. Of course I am assuming you are planning on returning the Currie for a full refund and use some of the money for the purchase of the mophead. If I remember correctly didn't you onle have a mophead or small scooter in the past? In any case as already stated by others you can not use trails with a mophead and of course you can not actually peddle it ether. Keep in mind that in the US a mophear speed is limited the same as an ebike. If I remember correctly it 20 or 25mph max. and I bet the police will watch a mophead more the an ebike. But a mophead in many ways can be easier to take care of....But then there's my 250cc '09 scooter that I haven't used for over a year because it has a carb problem and I haven't had the time to worry about dealing with it. So gas motors can be a PITA too.

The clicking might have been loose spokes. I had that happen on my 9c motor. Sounded like a loose screw inside the housing. Just had to tighten all the spokes evenly, about half a turn and it went away. The new noise sounds like something you should return.

Allen G, this is a 4-stroke. I wanted a bike for exercise because I can't do weight-bearing exercises. It's either sitting on a bike or being in the water and I hate being in the water. So now it's a dilemma because I do live where there are hills all around me. When I get down them to the main street, everything is level and all is well. However, getting back home is all up hill. Right now, the pres of Currie emailed me that he'll be out of the office until mid-January and in the meantime he's sending a mailing label to pick up this bike. When he returns he'll check out this bike and we'll have another conversation about it.
Just wondered, from this forum, if I can get his 2011 model he offered and do something to beef it up to get me over these hills. The Motorino looks great and could be fun, but I won't get the exercise I need. With me, it's never simple, always complicated !!

There is nothing you can do any keep the bike in waranty......But if your not worried about the waranty you could look into adding a second front hub motor, controller and battery. There are post on EV forum of people that have twin hub motors and did it mainly for hill climbing. It would not be cheap and you would need to find the right setup to work with the stock motor. Who knows, maybe Currie will add a second motor setup for you. Personally I would doubt it though. Even if they were willing to do it I think it would be a legal issue for them. And of course their stock motor is setup for rear mounting only.

Bob

I very much appreciate all the comments and suggestions from everyone. I will use much of this to have that conversation with Larry (pres of Currie) when he gets back. Adding a front motor sounds interesting. I'll mention it to him, see what happens. Hope all of you are staying warm and healthy !!