Let’s get ready to roll!

The next steps in this build were to install the throttle, PAS (pedal assist system), motor controller, battery and motor wiring.

I had done my research and determined that I would need a 1500w motor and controller to get speeds of 35-40mph with a a 48v battery. I also knew that I would not be able to afford the batteries quite yet for this build, so to start I would be using a 36v battery that I had for my other ebike. I chose to use a 45a controller that was good for 36-52v to power my motor. I wanted to oversize the controller so that it would run cooler and give me the option to upgrade power in the future. The controller I chose also had desired features such as regenerative abs, lighting control, and a color display.

I knew I wanted to mount the controller underneath the seat of my moped to give it a nice clean look. This also allowed me to run all of the wiring to one central spot on the moped. I also wanted to keep it and all of the wiring protected so I decided to put it in a good weather-proof bag.

I made use of the moped’s tool box as another junction box for wiring.

For the throttle, I wanted to have a full twist throttle like the original moped. The kit that I ordered came with a half twist throttle that needed to be modified to make it a full twist. I ordered handlebar grips I wanted, cut the throttle side, and epoxied the grip to the throttle body. This gave me a nice custom throttle.

I ordered a PAS that would work on the right side of the moped crank. I attached the sensor to the old motor mount under the frame with a bracket that I made. There was also the perfect amount of room between the pedal crank and the frame for the magnet plate! Now I had the flexibility to either pedal the moped with the help of the motor and/or use the throttle.

The kit also came with a color display. The display is used for programming the controller and displaying information.

I programmed the controller settings according to the motor, wheel size and battery being used.

The only settings that I didn’t use as recommended was the P5 “power monitoring“ setting and c5 “maximum current” setting. I was planning on eventually installing a 52v battery, but for the meantime I had a 36v battery available to use that was only rated for 25a continuous current. I did some research and found that people had the best luck with setting p5 at 15 for 36v, 20 for 48v, and 26 for 52v. I also adjusted c5 down to a 22.5a limit to keep the bms on the battery from tripping.

For the battery, I really didn’t have enough room in the controller bag for it to fit. I decided to order a pair of custom saddlebags (originally for a Harley Sportster) and modify them to fit on my moped. I was able to use one of the saddlebags to store the battery with the other for another battery and/or additional storage!