KITV News Feature On Voltage Cycles

Local TV station in Hawaii does feature on Voltage Cycles.  View here.

By Paul on 8/18/2010 at 3:49 PM

The Search for Parts

The goal for this bike was to create something that I would be proud to say is electric.

This bike should turn heads and have people wondering “How is that thing moving so fast if he’s not pedaling?” 
Didn’t want the battery and all the electronic exposed, or the build to look like a traditional bicycle either.  

Wanted that Rat Rod, Board Tracker, Bobber styling.  

So I set in search of sourcing for wider than normal rims... front 26” x 2.5”, rear 24” x 3.0”, extra wide tires, full suspension triple clamp forks... without the long MTB travel, classic leather springer saddle and gullwing bars, disc brakes, stem, etc.

Rigida: Extra Wide Rims: 

Felt: Berm Master Tires

2000 RockShox Judy - Triple Clamp

On One:"Mary" - Gullwing Style Handlebars

By Paul on 8/7/2010 at 9:56 PM

Hand Crafted?

Making the cardboard tank template was relatively easy...
I’ve seen custom motorcycle shops use this method to blueprint hand built custom parts. 
I used it to help rough out the battery and controller space and create the basic tank shape.

The hard part was finding someone on Oahu that could help me fabricate it. 
I wanted the tank to be made out of sheet metal.  Like the old Schwinn Phantoms horn tanks back in the 50’s and 60’s. 
I thought stamping the tanks from CNC mold approach wasn’t even an option. 
I’m just one guy. I don’t have deep pockets and I definitely couldn’t afford to have the tanks stamped. 

So I set out looking to have the tank made the old fashioned way... by hand.

I couldn’t find anyone on the rock that felt like they could help me pull it off. 
The quotes I got from local companies were all over the place...



The higher the quote seemed to be the polite way of saying they didn’t want the challenge or they didn’t think it could be done. 
It had me asking questions like: “Does anyone actually know how to make things by hand anymore?”  Is everything made for mass production?  What happened to the little guys with talent?  What happen to the craftsman?

  

By Paul on 8/7/2010 at 9:33 PM

Pepto Pink

It had been in the works for weeks.  At times it felt like it may never happen due to import duties and shipping cost. 
Finally, the first ever Basman Sport frame in Hawaii, if not the states, was now the foundation of our first build project...



Thanks to Rhalf at the Chopperdome.  He was gracious enough to have it shipped direct from the 2010 Taipei Bike Show. 
It’s the pink frame hanging on the wall in the photo.

I love the frame but the “Pepto Pink” paint color had to go.  So off to the hardware store I went, for paint stripper, rags and gloves.

Once the frame was in it’s raw state, I set out to cut cardboard templates for the tank covers.

.

By Paul on 8/7/2010 at 9:11 PM

Built to Order

About a hundred years ago the bicycle industry helped to usher in the motorcycle.  Today, there is another evolution happening with two wheeled transportation.  Companies large and small across the United States and around the globe are pushing to bring electric vehicles to the mainstream public.  

When we set out to create the Electrick Bas Sport the plan wasn’t to create a custom ebike and sell it to the public.  We set out to build up a small ebike rental fleet for Ride-Hawaii (www.ride-hawaii.com) ...my small start up bicycle rental business.  The plan was to offer something unique that nobody else in Waikiki had. 

Since Ride-Hawaii was operating out of Cruzin Hawaii, (www.cruzinhawaii.com) one of Waikiki’s most famous motorcycle rental shops, we wanted to create a fleet that resembled the classic styling of the motorcycles of yesteryear.  

We wanted to pay respects to that early motorcycle era and set out to build a variety of ebikes with distinctly different looks and styles, like a prewar 1920’s Indian, rat rod custom, a bobber, and even a classic board tracker racer.  Something the motorcycles / moped rental crowd wouldn’t snub.  

The reaction to our first bike was unexpected.  We couldn’t ride it around town without getting stopped by the curious. 
The question that was always asked: “Where can I get one.”  This got us thinking and thus Voltage Cycles was born.

Voltage Cycles are not designed for the mainstream.  We’re not looking to sell to the masses. 
Our e-cycles are custom “Built to Order” and powered to perform!

By Paul on 8/7/2010 at 2:18 PM