Am I forked? Weigh in on this please.

Here are the photos for my Currie Ezip Trailz. It is a 2011 Men's Diamond Frame model. I have talked back and forth with Papamotors and they think the forks even with their torque bars installed won't be able to handle the 48 volt systems particularly the 1000 watt system. Thoughts on this issue? Anyhow, here are photos I took of the drop in at the front Ezip forks.









These are the forks I have. Anyone knowledgeable let me know if you think that fork can handle the 1000 watt 48 volt system.

Papamotors has recommended their cheaper 36 volt 500 watt motor front hub system. The problem is with their 15amp hour battery that comes with it, I can get about 15 miles maximum riding distance with my weight and the bike. Since I would be spending the amount, it seems better to go for the bigger system. Thoughts, thanks everyone.

Biggest threat to those forks are curbs and potholes. 1000 watts isn't a race motor, you'll be ok. You should always check frame for cracks for safety. Always use correct washers along with correct torque on an axle nut, some frames they need to be seated properly too.

Well I sent the same photos to Papamotors through email and they looked at them and remain undecided. They informed me they use a Giant ATX MTN Bike for the basis in thier usage and judge it by that model. I looked at the forks from some pics and they look perhaps a bit tougher. Most of my riding is street, some sidewalk where the road is narrow. The sidewalks are broken up along the route, but I usually ride about 6 to 8mph on them and side the bike as pedestrians need to pass for safety. The park bike path is smooth riding for the most part and the backside dirt road is pretty smooth too, a few bumpy spots but that's about it for the most part. BTW, my front forks do have shocks.

One thing I am aware of, actually two things. On a system like this, you should always get pedaling first so it is rolling before you twist the throttle and also the front hub option they said is around 12 pounds for the non geared motor. They had also suggested the rear magpie motor route but it only works with 6 gear cluster as mine is a seven. There is an option for a disc brake though on the back and I suppose if my front wheel remains the same then it means I could add a disk there as well. Modifying and installing the Magpie back hub motor of course takes a lot more time but might also be the stronger alternative.

I think I am going to go with the front hub installation after I strip all of the ezip **** off the bike. I have found a number of fork resellers online so if my forks crack I can just replace em with something of higher quality. Shouldn't be too much work actually, but I suspect since I don't throttle from a dead stop this will probably be okay for the mid term. Later if my ezip falls apart, I can always get a better quality bike and move the papamotors kit over to it. Will keep you guys updated on what happens so hopefully others with ezips can follow a successful strategy for upgrading their initial investment.

Ordered the 48Volt 1000 watt front hub. Ezip conversion about two weeks away. How will I use it? Honest question. Probably ride it at about 10 to 15 MPH. I'll try and pedal assist when I need it depending on how bad my knee and feet hurt as this is a sort of riding crutch for me.

Will I ride in streets yes. It will be under 20mph, off road I retain a faster option but essentially speed is not what I am after so much as for range. Where no bike paths exist on busy streets it is always the sidewalk for safety and 6mph yielding to pedestrians.

Opinions are mixed whether the ebike forks from my ezip trailz can handle the torque. Fair enough! If the forks even with the torque bars installed croak on me, hopefully I won't be moving though I will visually inspect them before each ride...wise idea! If they do croak, I have found there are a number of aftermarket forks out there. Worst comes to worst I'll get a MTN. bike that can handle it, but I suspect it will be fine.

Never start on the hub. Instead I'll get the bike rolling first which will put less stress hopefully on the dropins on the front fork.

So, stay tuned folks. The project starts in about a week. Hopefully it will become a roadmap for other ezip/izip users to upgrade to something better should they choose.

The first part of the kit, less battery and charger has been shipped. Will post as more happens. Maybe this is a pathway to salvage the Currie Ezip junk when it wears out. Best advice, avoid Currie Ezip junk and Hilltopper too, I learned the hard way.

Well the first kit part shipment has been in customs. Hopefully it will arrive soon. Once I start getting the conversion of my old Ezip Trailz going, I'll document what was done and then follow it up as to how it works. My greatest concerns remain the forks as they are hollow inside. Anyhow stay tuned. Oh, BTW, if the forks tank on me, I am sure I can always buy a stronger replacement online.

Just received thru the USPS the first box. This is supposed to have everything in it except the battery and charger. I presume that Li Ping is making that separately to order for these guys. Anyhow in the next few days as health and time permits, I'll begin this and see where it goes. I am thinking that perhaps by next weekend I should be riding it. My Currie Ezip, the Pedal Assist never worked and they would not warranty it for me either. So I look forward to trying out the Pedal Assist with the Papamotors kit. Being that I have a bad knee and two bad feet, pedaling more than a mile leaves me agonizing guys, so hopefully this plus the TAG as a sort of crutch will allow me a bit more roaming time on the local bike path at the park.

Received the main kit yesterday. They said Battery and Charger in second shipment, so this week into next I'll get working on converting the ezip. Will be really interesting to see how long the ezip forks even with their torque bars from papamotors, last with the torque from their motor hub.