Dual Battery Fat Tire Ebike with Bafang Ultra- Your Thoughts?

[mail_e36]

Hi Group,

Recently some 'replicas' of the Bikonit Warthog ($8,000 USD) have come on the ebike market, at a more affordable price.

These are fully integrated dual-battery fat tire ebikes, which usually have entry-level Shimano drivetrains (anywhere from Tourney to Acera).

These are basically budget-friendly versions of the Bikonit Warthog using the same frame, dual built-in batteries for a total of 30 amps, Bafang Ultra 1,000 watt mid-drive (G510 / M620) motor, albeit minus the Internally Geared Hub (IGH) gearset and of course a basic chain instead of belt-drive, a basic (slow, 2A charger) in addition to an air fork (mid-range, if we're being generous) and basic dual piston hydraulic breaks (nothing fancy... bordering on, ahem, 'value' territory).

A specific example is here:

https://www.steamoon.com/dual-battery-ebike-spectre.html

It looks like one has been outfitted for Law Enforcement purposes in the United States:

I am wondering, what are your thoughts on this configuration?

My understanding is that these could be available in the USA via various sources for around $4,000 USD, give or take $500.

For those of us whom cannot fathom spending 8K on an ebike, but like the looks of the original bike, is this bike worth half that cost as a 'replica', or should I wait and save up for the real thing?

(I have no connection to the wholesaler and currently have no clue if their stuff is any good, thus asking the experts here.)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nvreloader]

Drop in at Area 13 ebikes, I think you'll find what you want,

MD1000 Warthog (Shipping Not Included)

Shipping is $200 to the lower 48 states and/or Free if you pick up. MD1000 Warthog Black (Preowned 49 miles) Minor Scratches on paint. Converted from a Sturmey-Archer to a SRAM 11 Speed Derailleur. 1000 watt Ultra Mid Drive Motor. 26"x 4.8" Maxxis tires. 2- 15ah Batteries (30ah total)

area13ebikes.com

Kyle has done me right...........
Hth's
Tia,
Don

 

[m@Robertson]

Dual batteries are vastly inferior to a single, larger battery pack. Been there and done that. Its a major convenience hurdle. If the packs are wired together in parallel it also is not something for the novice to be playing around with, and I would not trust a Chinese manufacturer with doing that job right so there are no issues over time.

 

[mail_e36]

If you could elaborate on your concerns surrounding why you feel a dual battery configuration (OEM setup, from the manufacturer, rather than DYI), please do share your thoughts.

The bike type in question is the Bikonit Warthog (MD750 / HD750 / MD1000), Juggernaut Ultra Beast 2, Etek Hunter, Steamoon Spectre-X and other unbranded look-alikes from the Asia-based 'Leili' supplier... which are basically the same bike from different resellers, and the frame has both batteries integrated. Not entirely sure if the two battery packs are wired in parallel or in sequence, but my gut says that the Chinese manufacturer knows what they were doing with this implementation.

 

[prestoOne]

Making an ebike battery:
Step 1: take thousands and single cells and match them together with other cells of the same impedance, charge etc so they live long and happy lives together.
Steps 2-99 Do something.
Step 100: Do not undo step one by mixing 2 large batteries of different "fitness"

Being 100% truthful though I do not know how the bikes draw power from the 2 batteries. The right way to do it would be to draw from one battery for a bit then draw from the other.
The wrong way would be to hook them up in parallel and draw from both at the same time, maybe battery guy can explain better on his site:

Connecting batteries in parallel – BatteryGuy.com Knowledge Base

 

[rich c]

My feeling is that is the heaviest eBike I can imagine. Why would police want high rolling resistance fat tires?