An electric motorbike that performs like a motorcycle!

Meet the Cheetah

WOW! What an awesome machine! Pull a wheelie, carve a corner, beat the gassers across the intersection. Cheetah is all about great handling, impressive acceleration, and quick stopping. It’s light, nimble, and has an off-road dual-suspension frame. It’s a bicycle, but it performs like a motorcycle. And, it’s clean and quiet because it’s electric. Finally, an electric bike with attitude. Forget what you’ve heard in the past. From long range commuter to short range thrill ride, this bike can do it all.

With up to 15 horsepower on tap, you configure your Cheetah the way you want it:

• As a 20-mph electric motorbike, it runs errands all day with a 40+ mile range.

• As a 30-mph electric motorbike, it handles city traffic with ease.

• As a 45-mph electric motorbike, it gobbles up the trail quietly with zero pollution.

And Cheetah is very affordable (about $450 in parts, including the motor, batteries, controller, charger, and bicycle components for a 20-mph version). We’ll show you how to build it by yourself or with the help of a local welder!

The Unique Design — One Frame Does It All

Cheetah combines a lightweight frame with the flexibility to integrate any standard mountain bike parts, a choice of electric motors and controllers, and different sets of affordable, readily available batteries. The result is a machine configured to your needs. You select the type and size of batteries for the required range, the motor and controller for desired speed, and the mountain bike components for desired stopping and handling. Some of the motor options include the high-performance Etek motor, several Scott motors, and many readily available electric bike motors, including hub motors. Cheetah’s unique design is especially advantageous because it allows you to start with a less expensive, limited-speed, limited-braking, limited-range configuration. Then, you can upgrade the motor for more performance, and/or the batteries for longer range, and/or the brakes and suspension for better handling. One frame accommodates all the configurations. Several of the many possible combinations are shown in the table below:

Typical Configurations	Top-speed (mph)	Approx.Range (miles)	Motor	Batteries	Brakes	Approx.Weight (lbs)	Approx. cost to build
Commuter	20	15	450-watt chain drive	Two sealed lead-acid, 12 amp-hour	V-brake	80	$450
Long-range commuter	23	40	650-watt chain drive	Two flooded lead-acid, 45 amp-hour	V-brake	124	$550
Very long-range commuter	20	80	450-watt chain drive	Two flooded lead-acid, 90 amp-hour	V-brake	158	$550
Super long-range commuter	20	90	400-watt hub	Three flooded lead-acid, 45 amp-hour	V-brake	160	$700
Long-range motorbike	30	30	Scott 1-hp 24 volts	Two flooded lead-acid, 45 amp-hour	Disc	138	$950
Trail Bike 1 (flat terrain)	25	30	Scott 1-hp 24 volts	Two sealed lead-acid, 42 amp-hour	V-brake	130	$900
Trail Bike 2 (hilly terrain)	45	30	Etek 7-hp 48 volts	Four sealed lead-acid, 32 amp-hour	Disc	169	$1,500
Play Bike	45	13	Etek 7-hp 48 volts	Four sealed lead-acid, 13 amp-hour	Disc	118	$1,400

Different Cheetah Styles — Cheetah can have different personalities depending on the bicycle accessories you use. For example, the Vintage Cheetah has a vintage leather seat, cruiser fenders, a chrome headlight, cruiser handlebars, a plastic simulated gas tank, and diamond plate footboards. The Cruiser Cheetah has cruiser handlebars, cruiser tires, and a plastic simulated gas tank. The Dirt Bike Cheetah has big knobby tires and mountain bike handlebars for stand-up or sit-down riding.

Different Cheetah Ergonomics — Cheetah‘s design accommodates standard bicycle seats and handlebars to give you the right fit and comfort. The unique frame provides seat, handlebar, and footpeg adjustments to accommodate riders from 4’9" to 6’7" tall.

Different Cheetah Batteries — Cheetah‘s design accommodates an assortment of battery combinations. The Cheetah universal battery trays (lower and upper) accommodate both individual batteries and "quick-change" battery packs. The batteries and battery packs are held securely on the universal trays and are covered by a removable plastic cover for a cleaner appearance. Cheetah accommodates "quick-change" battery packs consisting of multiple (2 to 4) sealed lead-acid batteries. A four battery "quick change" battery pack can be configured as a 24-volt or 48-volt pack. These batteries can be 12, 13, 16, 18, or 22 amp-hours in capacity to provide different ranges for a very light weight Cheetah.

Other possible battery combinations for Cheetah include two 45 amp-hour sealed lead-acid or 90 amp-hour flooded lead-acid batteries, for long-range, 24-volt systems. Another configuration is: four 32 amp-hour sealed lead-acid batteries (4x32) for a long-range, 48-volt system. A hub-motored Cheetah can have three 45 amp-hour lead-acid batteries (3x45) with one of the batteries mounted to the rear swingarm motor mount plate. See the Batteries section of Chapter 3 – Technology, and Chapter 4 – Performance and More Performance to understand the tradeoffs of using the various battery configurations including the new Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion batteries. See Chapter 6 – Building Cheetah to learn how to build battery trays, configure a quick-change battery pack, and mount batteries securely. 

Different Cheetah Motors — Cheetah‘s design accommodates several different motor/controller combinations. The most powerful motor used in Cheetah is the high-performance Etek motor that can be operated at 24, 36, or 48 volts. At 48 volts and 400 amps, the Etek delivers 15+ peak horsepower. A 1-hp Scott motor is a good choice for high power at a reasonable cost, and a small bicycle motor provides the most cost effective motor. Also, hub motors are easily mounted on the front wheel and can provide great range. See the Motors, Gearing, Forks, and Wheels section of Chapter 6 — Building Cheetah, and Chapter 4 — Performance and More Performance to understand the tradeoffs of using different motors.

You Can Build Your Own Cheetah — The Cheetah Builder’s Guide shows how to construct the frame from available steel tubing, and assemble the other off-the-shelf parts to build a complete Cheetah in your garage. It walks you though the building process, step-by-step, providing fabrication processes, dimensioned CAD drawings, and photographs for all the configurations described above.

See the CAD drawings provided in the Appendix in both 2D-dimensioned layout drawings and 3D perspectives to give you a complete view of what you are building. See the full list of the materials used to build Cheetah, provided in the Appendix. The Appendix also has a complete list of parts vendors with addresses, phone numbers, and website addresses. See the Assembling Cheetah section of Chapter 6 – Building Cheetah to learn about the integration and cabling of a variety of motors, controllers, batteries, throttles, and switches.

Outsourcing the Frame Build — If you don’t have welding experience or equipment, see the Outsourcing the Frame Build section of Chapter 6 – Building Cheetah to learn how to locate and work with local welding shops. A welder can build you a complete frame based on the information in Chapter 6 – Building Cheetah, and using the drawings provided in the Appendix.

Limitations — Although Cheetah has mountain bike suspension components and a rugged steel frame, it does not have the wheel travel or frame rigidity and strength required for extreme sports, such as motocross, supercross, or downhill racing.

Legality

Road legality, registration, and operator requirements involve federal, state, and local regulations. Contact your state and local authorities for information regarding the law and how it will affect licensing Cheetah in your area.

Registering and Licensing Cheetah

30-mph top-speed electric motorbike — Cheetah can typically be registered as a 30-mph top-speed moped or scooter under the licensing rules in many states. Look for these rules on your state’s website. This class of vehicle is usually easier to register and insure than a motor-cycle, and it often requires only an automobile driver’s license and not a motorcycle driver’s license. Many of the new, popular gas scooters are licensed as 30-mph top-speed vehicles. This typically implies the vehicle has lights, mirrors, reflectors, and other safety equipment.20-mph top-speed electric bike — According to the U.S Federal government Consumer Product Safety Commission, an "electric bicycle" must have operable pedals, a motor of no more than 750 watts, and is limited to 20 mph when under power. Since Cheetah does not have pedals, it does not officially qualify as an "electric bicycle." However, it can meet all the other requirements. In addition, Cheetah’s design features an optional electronic governor that can limit the top-speed, even when its motor and gearing can provide a higher top-speed. This makes it possible to tune the top-speed of a 30- to 45-mph Cheetah to less than 20 mph for new or less experienced riders. This can help meet the spirit of the electric bicycle law.Greater than 30-mph electric motorbike — When configured with a high-powered motor and greater than 30-mph top-speed gearing, Cheetah would be registered, insured, and operated as a motorcycle. This typically implies dual beam lights, turn signals, speedometer, mirrors, reflectors, high speed tires, and a rigid safety inspection in most states. Cheetah is not recommended as a street legal electric motorcycle but is recommended for off road use.

*Safety * Do not let someone ride a Cheetah equipped with a motor greater than 650 watts (especially the Etek @ 36 or 48 volts) if that person has not had experience riding fast motorcycles. Do allow only competent bicycle riders to ride Cheetah if it equipped with a motor of 650 watts or less.Do install disc brakes on any Cheetah with greater than a 25-mph top-speed, or when steep hills are common where you will be riding your Cheetah.

Electric Motorbikes: The Solution to Several Problems

Here in America and around the world, mankind’s love affair with the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle is polluting our air, depleting precious resources, and congesting our roadways. The brown cloud is pervasive, gasoline prices are rising, and our ever-expanding search for oil is treading on pristine and precious ecosystems!

We can help solve these problems by altering our transit patterns and taking advantage of clean and efficient modes of powered transportation. There are multiple options, one of which is to drive an electric motorbike for in-town commuting and other people-moving needs.Some Statistics

Although not prevalent here in the U.S., the gasoline scooter is one of the largest motor vehicle categories in the world; over 10 million are produced each year. (The popular Vespa motorbike, built in Italy and India, is the single largest-selling motorized vehicle ever built.) Today, most of these scooters have a 50-cc, 2-stroke, ICE and a maximum speed of about 30 mph. Surprisingly, although they can rack up 100 to 150 mpg on the gas/oil mixture they burn, they produce a disproportionate amount of pollution for their size. These motor scooters could all be replaced with electric motorbikes of varying power and speed capabilities.

According to Fuel Cell Today, "Pollution from a typical [ICE] motor scooter in the form of particulate matter is almost as high as that from a large diesel truck per mile. Pollution in the form of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emissions is triple." And quoting the California Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘News Release’ regarding 2-stroke ICE engines, "Because these are small motors and on machines that are a lot of fun to ride, they aren’t often thought of as a problem. But it is important to recognize that just one of these engines emits as many hydrocarbons as fifty 2000 model year cars."