WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

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RussD
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WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

Hi all. I just tried to order a WE BD36 (brushed) kit from a well known supplier and he advise me that the BD36 (brushed) model was no longer being manufactured. Can anyone outthere confirm this?

hamblin10
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

I hope not! The BD36 is one of the better kits out there for the money. I have over 1500 miles on mine without a problem. That is my daily ride for work. It seems that every other bike out there wants over $1000 for thier product.

Eric Hamblin

Eric Hamblin

dogman
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

Well I guess we coulda seen that one coming. The stock BD kit is not really a legal ebike in america, and business gets simpler if you don't have to constantly explain the difference to folks. It may be that the BD is not currently being run in the factory so they can keep up with demand for the other, but maybe some other factory will start making hubs. The bottom of the line scooters will still need brushed to keep em cheap and simple, so brushed motors aren't going away. My guess is that come cold weather, and if oil prices get back under 100 a barrel, the factories will catch up and start making them again.

As big a fan as I am of the BD, I proved this summer that it can't hack the temperatures and hills I ride in the summer, so I'm looking at gear motors for next summer, and will run the BD in cooler weather. But I can't say I'm thrilled with going to brushless motors with only 36 volts.

Be the pack leader.
36 volt sla schwinn beach cruiser
36 volt lifepo4 mongoose mtb
24 volt sla + nicad EV Global

Richard145
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

I bought mine (BD36) at Bernson EV. Until recently they were showing BD36 and BL36 kits as out of stock. Yesterday they were showing only the the BL36 kit (still out of stock), but were not showing BD36 at all. If I can manage to take the bike to work at least an average of three days per week (that's assuming that the waterproofing attempt will work), I'll probably get a Phoenix Cruiser in about a year to better manage the hills between here and work. Will be hoping for a Lifepo4 pack (48v) that will offer enough amps for a Phoenix. Would be great if Wilderness Energy came up with something comparable to a Phoenix, but maybe a little cheaper.

Gasoline? No thanks.
RL

AYCE
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

I'll probably get a Phoenix Cruiser in about a year to better manage the hills between here and work. Will be hoping for a Lifepo4 pack (48v) that will offer enough amps for a Phoenix. Would be great if Wilderness Energy came up with something comparable to a Phoenix, but maybe a little cheaper.

I got a WE BL36 kit earlier this year and liked it so much I recently upgraded to a 48v phoenix racer.

I really like the crystalyte kit, but make no mistakes about it the BL36 kit really is great. Efficiency of the two motors is about the same, too, when they're both run at @20mph (14.x watt-hours/mile). At full throttle on my 700c wheel the racer kit is sucking down 35 wh/mi but speeds are up around 40 mph. Most of the time I run the racer on cruise control in the high 20's, which isn't that much faster than the BL36 kit which averaged around 22 mph for me at 36v. You notice the WE motor having trouble on hills with speeds dropping to @10-12mph, but that isn't too bad.
The bad though is that some of the parts in the WE kit are of poor quality, such as the defect prone Cansai chargers, cheap burr-y rims, and poorly assembled wheelsets (check your spokes when/if you get a kit). None of these are show stoppers, and my warranty experience (bad charger) was handled quickly and professionally.

The BL36 kit really is comparable to Phoenix but about half the price.

dogman
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

One difference that may not matter in your climate is how hot the motor gets. I'm told that the big motors run a bit cooler. I smoked a BD36 in 400 miles this summer here in the desert, climbing a big hill. The issue on the hill is that at lower speeds and full throttle the motor makes heat with the power instead of motion, so a faster motor will climb a hill cooler. I'm thinking next year either gearmotor, or the Brute. I don't really want more than 25mph, but I would like a 4 season motor. Another option would be a 24 inch wheel, but that gets too goofy on a 26 inch bike.

Be the pack leader.
36 volt sla schwinn beach cruiser
36 volt lifepo4 mongoose mtb
24 volt sla + nicad EV Global

Richard145
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

The main reason I would want a Phoenix Cruiser is the torque, which I would imagine is substantially better than the BL36. I think it would have plenty of torque for the hills that I have near here, and have more speed than the Brute. I would probably still only go 20-22mph between here and work (only 4 miles) to ensure plenty of battery to get there and back. Also, I understand that if discharge is kept at 50% or less, which I think I could do with 48v, 20mph, and some peddling, number of SLA battery recharges may top 300.

Gasoline? No thanks.
RL

Samspeed
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Re: WE BD36. NOlonger available.....

Until recently they were showing BD36 and BL36 kits as out of stock

Interesting -- I ordered a BL-36 from them a week or so ago. I noticed the out of stock message on the site but called anyway. Dennis said he had stock, and that he need to go yell at the web site guys! Guess the message here is to call.

If that's true about the BD, that's too bad...

Anyway mine should be here any minute now. Just waiting for FEDEX. This is my first ebike so wish me luck.

Stock BL36 on a 10yo Schwinn Searcher
She got wheels in her smiles, she can coast along for miles...

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