"Voyager"

[Blew it]

Hi all,

Thought you might be interested in a machine that's recently come my way.

Very much at the "getting to know you" stage, this morning, with a Velo 8 jury rigged on the back wheel, I ran a few tests. Usual apologies for my photographic skills.

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the freewheel abilities of the various motors currently in use. I think you may find this interesting. With the disc brake cable released, from 19.5 mph no load speed to a complete stop was 42 seconds!.

With the brake reset, throttle clamped fully open, the motor was still driving vigorously against the applied brake at 17.5 mph indicated....very promising!!.

An 8 wire brushless, it's specified as a Suzhou Bafang. Apart from the usual wheel diameter and voltage stickers, all I can see is: BFY 809B138. An idea of the motors size can clearly be seen when compared with the 34 tooth granny gear on the 7 speed cluster.

I might also add, it has a satisfyingly "precision" sound when running. As I discover more of this machines attributes, I'll update this thread and share them with you.

All the best

Bob

 

[flecc]

Bob, this is basically the same motor as the one I've described and photographed on this page of my Torq
website, most of the information in the lower half of the page:

Torq 1 Suzhou Bafang motor

I have two bikes with this motor type, both using the six speed Megarange freewheel, in my case both
13 to 34 tooth.
.

 

[dazzie]

Is this the 720cycles bike Bob?

Daz

 

[Blew it]

Bob, this is basically the same motor as the one I've described and photographed on this page of my Torq
website, most of the information in the lower half of the page:

Torq 1 Suzhou Bafang motor

I have two bikes with this motor type, both using the six speed Megarange freewheel, in my case both
13 to 34 tooth.
.

Thanks Flecc, that's reassuring. If it's good enough for the legendary Torq One, it's certainly good enough for me. It appears to be controller limited to 15 amps draw, but I'm confidant it will provide assistance up to around 19 mph. Road testing in anger will begin in the next few days.

Regards

Bob

 

[flecc]

Thanks Flecc, that's reassuring. If it's good enough for the legendary Torque One, it's certainly good enough for me. It appears to be controller limited to 15 amps draw, but I'm confidant it will provide assistance up to around 19 mph. Road testing in anger will begin in the next few days.

Regards

Bob

Yes, the only difference is eZee's controller Bob, that allowing a higher current and 20/22 mph in the Torq 1
with 700c wheels.
.

 

[Blew it]

Is this the 720cycles bike Bob?

Daz

Hi Daz,

Oh yes!, it certainly is. Currently being prepped ready for first test runs.

 

[eddieo]

Any chance of a picture of the bike not just it's entrails? lol

 

[dazzie]

Fantastic, thanks for reporting on it Bob. Loving the photos, not sure I've ever seen a photo taken from those angles before!

 

[frank9755]

Bob,
You seem to be putting together a formidable fleet of electric bikes; I look forward to seeing more of this one being revealed!

 

[wotwozere]

Hi

Looks like the legendary wisper motor.
how much was the bike ? Is it throttle control or peddel drive?

Bob

 

[Blew it]

Hi all,

This is the final member of a trio of fast lightweight lithium powered E-bikes. I took quite a few photo's this morning, but the very low sun flared badly off the shiny shiny paintwork. I'll try again tomorrow using my old camera. The second photo above shows the Kosei dual magnetic loop, hall elastic angle sensor fitted to the chainwheel.

In the mean time you can view the machine HERE


Cane Creek threadless headset.

 

[Blew it]

Update

Hi all,

My apologies for leaving this thread up in the air....domestic chores to attend to and all that.

This machine comes from the same facility in China as the Spanish Tucano Carrera, the unique square section chainstays being a signature of that factory. This British version is also fitted with an intelligent torque sensor chainwheel as opposed to the more usual magnetic disc motion sensor

Kindly delivered by the suppliers, it came fitted with sport mudguards, a six LED headlight incorporating an electric horn. Both operated from the handlebars and fed from the main battery. Personally I prefer a bell which is also supplied......and I've now taken it all off!!. In the remarkably poor quality photo below you can see it stripped to it's nickers ready for transformation into "The handsome brute" spoken of some weeks ago on the Wisper 905 GTS thread.

That 300mm suspension seatpost is set for a seated tiptoe touchdown for my 5' 10" height and 31" inside leg. Be aware, there's only another one inch before maximum extension. Here's some comparative heights from the top of the seat tube to the ground.

Wisper 905 30"
Synergie Mistral 29.5"
Voyager 28"

This is very good news for one of my co-riders who's a bit "challenged" at 5' 5". Up till now he's had to use the Mistral with a plain seatpost as low as it will go. On this one, he can just manage with the sprung seatpost in place. Needless to say, he has earmarked this machine as "his". I should add, he does mount and dismount in the correct way. (The only thing that gets me off the saddle is a tea urn).

For me, the handlebars are far too low for this seat height shown above. An adjustable ahead stem will be fitted to suit different height riders. If I was the sole rider, I would fit a 2.5" stem extender.

In the photo below you can clearly see the rather sexy bulge in the root of the chainstays which will easily accommodate a much fatter tyre than the supplied 1.95's. In my view, this machine just screams out for FAT tyres.

Fitting the black full length mudguards is almost completed, after which I might even get to ride this machine. I'll update this thread again soon.

All the best

Bob

 

[dazzie]

Looks almost like an electric jump bike now!

 

[stonefish]

fun bike

brought one of these bikes myself a few weeks ago....my first ebike but would recommend so far..great not having to pedal anymore, and everyone has commented on how good the bike looks, the only thing im looking into is unrestricting the top speed to go faster...off road of course..!!! anyone got any ideas or advice..???? oh and yes your right am gonna get some fatter tyres to fit...

 

[Blew it]

Frustrated from Swindon

Hi Stonefish,

Oh dear.....this Christmas thingy is seriously hampering my playtime. Voyager is now ready for test runs, but, I have just been detailed with yet another shopping trip tomorrow.

I'll try and get the machine out providing I can get back before lunchtime.......really itching to take this thing for a burn. We will be able to compare notes then.

All the best

Bob

 

[Blew it]

First impressions

This morning, I finally got to ride Voyager, and a thoroughly enjoyable 12 miles it was!. I have been wanting to own one of these machines for many months, and had already started making plans to import one from Spain where it is sold under the Tucano badge. Fortunately, my ramblings were spotted by Forum member Darren of 720cycles, who alerted me to the imminent arrival of Voyager, the first example of this particular factories output on British soil.

The first thing I noticed when setting off, was the taughtness of the very robust frame. Ruler straight line running but very light and manouverable through the twisty bits. Quick sidesteps being executed in a positive and predictable way. The hefty diecast rear dropouts are but one unique signature of this factory, The drive side having a cast-in register for the Tourney rear mech. The great advantage of precision dropouts is, when refitting the rear wheel, the alignment of the disc rotor to the brake pads will always remain constant. The spring ratings of the front forks and seatpost are perfect for my 77 Kgs and, with the tyres at my preferred 50 psi, gave a very comfortable ride (old joints don't take kindly to high tyre pressures).

There are two distinct elements to the motor control system, the first is motion sensing in just one quarter turn of the chainwheel, probably in response to the first hall signal from the motor. The second element is pedal pressure sensing. I'm delighted to say this machine does NOT suffer from that power wasting surge forward which can be so annoying when negotiating crowded cycleways. When extra assistance is needed, there's nothing to switch on, simply press harder on the pedals against the spring pressure and you will be rewarded with a much more vigorous response from the motor. When climbing, there is faint click..click...click with each pedal stroke, but thankfully not that horrible whir...whir...whir corresponding with each downstroke. I soon got used to this clicking, and of course it will serve to remind the rider that anything up to 15 amps is being pulled from the battery if you can hear them. The two elements work in unison, you can press as hard as you like on the pedals when stationary....the machine will not power forward until the chainwheel starts moving. The throttle is active at all times should you wish to use it. The entire power system can be toggled on/off using the red button on the throttle housing.

The machine romped along quite happily at 16 - 17 mph without using the throttle, but I will fit a Sunrace cluster with a 13 tooth high gear at a later date to reduce the cadence a little. 20 mph machines are all well and good, providing the battery has the extra capacity needed for prolonged high speed riding. The Phylion battery, very fresh with an August '08 date code easily met the demands made of it. The final part of the 12 mile ride being the slight but long upslope of Route 45 on the west side of Swindon. All five light segments remained solidly lit when "clicking" up this slope at 16 mph. I should add, this is the best of my bunch by far for hillclimbing....it storms up 'em!!

The disc brakes fitted deserve a little respect, not fully burnished in after this short ride, but will almost certainly become even more powerful with a few more miles under the wheels. Of all the disc braked machines I have, these are the most powerful by far. Voyager was a long time coming, but was certainly worth the wait....It's a beaut!!

Please be aware, the full length mudguards and carrier do not come with the machine, these were supplied and fitted by myself.

You can view the machine HERE

All the best

Bob

 

[Cyclezee]

An excellent report Bob and some really nice photos of a smart looking bike. Sounds like a good value for money machine. At the current price it is seriously undercutting some of it's rivals.
I look forward reading more reports from you in the future.
Would this be your bike of the year?

J hn

 

[flecc]

Thanks for the report Bob, John's sentiments about the value at the current price exactly coinciding with mine.
Even at the later £899 it will be a very good price for a bike with the Suzhou Bafang/Phylion 37 volt combination.
.

 

[John Fleet]

Hi Bob

How would you compare Voyager to your Wisper? - relative strengths and weaknesses? I'm particularly interested as my employer has just introduced a salary sacrifice scheme giving the potential to purchase a sub £1000 machine, the cost of which could be subsidised by selling on the 905SE....

 

[Blew it]

A hard choice to make

Hi John,

The frame and other components are definately on a par with the Wisper 905se, the brakes being very much better. The machine also has a much more positive feel in both straight line running and low speed manouvering. This, in part, due to Voyagers frame being very much stiffer than the 905's. It's not as fast as the Wisper and I don't think it was intended to be. On the way home I pedalled the machine up to 18 mph, at which point the motor withdrew it's support...fast enough for me!

Voyager is much better at hill climbing than the Wisper, but please remember I only weigh 77 Kgs, all of my machines climb well with me in the saddle. The Wisper of course had to sacrifice hill climbing in favour of it's high top speed.

If ask to make a choice as to which machine I would take for a spin, it would probably come down to nothing more than which one was closest to the stable door. If that turned out to be the Mistral, then that's the one I would ride.

Faced with a choice of swapping one machine for another, I would strongly recommend a test ride before making a decision of that importance. I'll have to admit I could never make such a choice.....there isn't a better machine on earth than a de-restricted Wisper with a tailwind!.

My seasonal wishes to you

Bob