On & Offroader suitable for hunting

[BruceC.]

I am an older. die-hard bowhunter who travels the west hunting bigger animals (bison, moose, elk, hogs, etc) and one of the primary issues we archers face is the weather. Archery season is usually during the hottests months of the year and you must get your meat packed out before it spoils. Every year I must hike deeper into the backcountry to escape the other hunters and find better hunting grounds. So I need a powerful bike with some serious battery life for getting around deep in the backcountry and for dragging a small sled containing deboned game meat. But I also wanna use it on the street for exercise (a lot of very steep hills where I live). I looked at the Luna Rhino Cargo but it was designed for hunters and other people who only ride on private property. It is not legal to ride this bike on the road in all 50 states unless you limit the power. (https://lunacycle.com/luna-5000w-rhino-cargo/). So...given my unique needs, can anyone direct me to the bike(s) that make the most sense for the application specified? The ability to recharge in the middle of nowhere is a big plus. (Solar?) Thanks...much of the technobabble regarding ebikes is over my head. I am aware of the restrictions on ebikes in some areas but that doesn't deter me much, especially for hunting on ranches I have access to.

 

[rich c]

My first thought is no way to climb back country, pulling a sled. eBikes are just not made like that. If it was to work at all, you would need to re-gear or add a jack shaft to get more torque. Then consider long pulls would really put the heat into the motor and controller. I just don't think a bicycle is the tool you need. Maybe something like the Daymark beast would be better. No personal experience, and since it says top speed of 24mph, pulling that sled will still be hard on the controller.
http://www.bikeberry.com/

 

[BruceC.]

Looked at those but their weight and poor pedaling ability make em a liability. A lighter bike can be pushed if not rode.

 

[ReallyGoodEbikes]

You might like to check out the QuietKat Fatkat 750.

 

[BruceC.]

As little as I understand the technobabble, the power, gearing and suspension of the QK Fatkat is strictly for flatlanders. Might be good for bowhunters who need to run out to a treestand in Kansas but completely ill-equipped for the west.

 

[roshan]

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

That's a wrapped Juggernaut:
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[indianajo]

Forget solar charge. My 48"x24" solar panel produces 2 amps at 12 v on a good day. You need 4 of those to produce 48 v. There is no way you are going to haul even one of those around; the wind would drag you down to 2 mph. And 2 amps is a 6 hour charge time or so.

 

[Dewey]

Felt Outfitter? Rambo ebike? I can't imagine an ebike could haul a loaded sled off road but a wheeled cargo trailer will have less rolling resistance so should work. The Felt publicity showed them towing a Bob trailer (70lb), but you might also look at the Carry Freedom (200lb), Surly Bill (300lb), or Rambo (300lb) trailers. As demonstrated above solar won't work for recharging in the field so you will need to carry a spare battery or two. Some sort of headlight filter so as not to scare the wildlife.

 

[BruceC.]

I'm advised whatever i purchase should have a minimum of a 3000 watt motor, a minimum of a 17 amp hour battery, and preferably 26" fat tires, a front suspension and no rear suspension. I need to be able to pedal it easily with a dead battery.

 

[Dewey]

I'm advised whatever i purchase should have a minimum of a 3000 watt motor.

Not if you want to ride it on street, that's electric motorcycle wattage and unless the frame is built to NHTSA motor vehicle safety standards and stamped with a VIN number you won't be able to legally ride it on the road.

 

[rich c]

I'm advised whatever i purchase should have a minimum of a 3000 watt motor, a minimum of a 17 amp hour battery, and preferably 26" fat tires, a front suspension and no rear suspension. I need to be able to pedal it easily with a dead battery.

You won't ride that very far with a dead battery, and definitely not with gear, a sled, or up an incline. That's going to be a 75+ pound bike for sure. I have a Sondors fat bike with half that battery, and I wouldn't want to ride it a mile without power.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

In very cold conditions, you lose ~ 30% range.
off-road conditions and heavy cargo puts a lot of stress on the E-bike drivetrain. If you start running 3000w even on a ebike-level drivetrain, you run the risk of snapping the derailleur or chain pulling some heavy deboned animal. It would be a PITA to fix a flat or repair broken drivetrain.
You would be better off with a dirt bike or something like http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-ds/dsr.php

 

[BruceC.]

How aggressively do cops enforce ebiking? Do they actually cite people for having too much power (assuming you aren't being obvious and speeding)???

 

[rich c]

How aggressively do cops enforce ebiking? Do they actually cite people for having too much power (assuming you aren't being obvious and speeding)???

ebikes are pretty new around here, not heard of anyone being stopped. Now if you are riding throttle only, might be a different story. It would take them an internet search and a part number to verify motor wattage. I have read where some states are looking into a permanent marking on the bike, or motor, specifying wattage for just this reason. I did read about a guy stopped and ticketed for riding on a National Park Trail. He was riding a trail the had signage including no ebikes.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

How aggressively do cops enforce ebiking? Do they actually cite people for having too much power (assuming you aren't being obvious and speeding)???

Cops/rangers rarely care about ebikes unless it poses danger to other trail users.
you might be able to do 30 mile round trip on some of the fat bikes but you would want some reserve in case something happens. Pedaling these fat bikes (without assist) off-road conditions with some cargo on it, can be a major challenge.
May be you can rent one for a weekend and try how it fares.

 

[J.R.]

Add an e-trailer to a dual battery (2 x 500 Wh.) Bosch powered MTB with plus size tires, not necessarily fat tires. I like the single wheel BOB style trailers.

Some ideas:

https://electricbikereport.com/electric-cargo-trailers-guide-video/

It won't be cheap! And I personally wouldn't consider it for elk and above. Mule deer, black bear maybe. Ebikes just aren't robust enough to handle several hundred pounds of dead weight. As for the law, I'd be more worried about a wanton waste citation if the ebike can't pack your harvest out, than a speeding ticket. That would really ruin a hunting season.

Good luck with it. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[Dewey]

Rungu fat tire MTB trike?

http://riderungu.com/electric-juggernaut/

 

[Dwight]

Surface604 Boar would be good for hunting, for 2018 they have a fat bike specifically for hunting, Court just did a review a couple of weeks ago.

surface604.com

 

[jwt355]

I am an older. die-hard bowhunter who travels the west hunting bigger animals (bison, moose, elk, hogs, etc) and one of the primary issues we archers face is the weather. Archery season is usually during the hottests months of the year and you must get your meat packed out before it spoils. Every year I must hike deeper into the backcountry to escape the other hunters and find better hunting grounds. So I need a powerful bike with some serious battery life for getting around deep in the backcountry and for dragging a small sled containing deboned game meat. But I also wanna use it on the street for exercise (a lot of very steep hills where I live). I looked at the Luna Rhino Cargo but it was designed for hunters and other people who only ride on private property. It is not legal to ride this bike on the road in all 50 states unless you limit the power. (https://lunacycle.com/luna-5000w-rhino-cargo/). So...given my unique needs, can anyone direct me to the bike(s) that make the most sense for the application specified? The ability to recharge in the middle of nowhere is a big plus. (Solar?) Thanks...much of the technobabble regarding ebikes is over my head. I am aware of the restrictions on ebikes in some areas but that doesn't deter me much, especially for hunting on ranches I have access to.

Aww hell its bruce. Whats up buddy SHTF here. You see what I picked up? Posted it in Rokslide =)

 

[roshan]

Biktrix Juggernaut FS with a Camo wrap may be the best bang for the buck bike for you. PS: I am biased as I own Biktrix. Let me know if you have any questions!