mono motorcycles are keenly aware of the eBike revolution happening in motorcycle design & manufacturing. We have been keeping our finger on the pulse & watching the eBike market slowly but surely begin to gain traction. Therefore when in 2019/2020 we had the opportunity to become part of the eBike revolution; we knew it was the right time for us.

 

Here is Daniel Morris – Proprietor of mono motorcycles to tell us more about the eCUB build.

“In the Summer of 2019 I was chatting to our web designer about building him a motor bike, but he wanted something a little different. He showed me a Honda Cub with a surfboard on the side.

“I want something like this” he said.

A week later he sent me a picture of what I now know as a ‘Shanghai Customs eCUB’. Yep it’s electric!

Being a motorcycle wiring specialist & always looking forward to the latest innovations, the eCUB really inspired & intrigued me.

Chatting to another customer who has a keen interest in the environmental electrification movement, I mentioned the eCUB, said we were considering an eCUB build & before I knew it he had instructed me to build him one.

First, I had to find a Honda C90 frame. You would think this would be easy as it was the worlds best selling motorcycle a few years ago, 100 million to be exact! Problem is they were also one of the most stolen, crashed, burnt, rusted & now modified bikes on the planet.

After putting feelers out into local biking communities, we found a frame with a log book locally. The frame was in really good condition & had been sand blasted ready to build.

Next up we needed to order the kit from Shanghai Customs. Touching base with them I spoke to Alex one of the owners of Shanghai Customs.  I asked him how he came to be living in Shanghai & a little bit of history behind the company.

Alex left the UK for Hong Kong in 2013 & worked for Coca Cola for a few years. He wanted to stop selling carbonised water in plastic bottles & find a way to merge his passion for motorbikes & the green revolution. When Alex met up with Matthew from Shanghai Customs who had been building custom bikes in Shanghai for a few years; over a few beers the guys decided to become part of the eBike revolution & the eCUB was born.

The first bike they decided to adapt was the C90 which they chose for it’s kooky looks & for also being the most popular bike in the world. It was a good move!

 

We received the eCUB 2.0 in December 2019 as the guys managed to ship the kit just in time, as China had just gone into lockdown due to Covid19. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky with the battery which doesn’t come from Shanghai Customs but directly from the manufactures. Stuck in China, we decided to make a start on the rest of the bike before the battery arrived.

The frame didn’t need much, although we did cut off a few brackets like the ones that hold the leg shields & welded up a few holes. We also raised the brackets that hold the side pods on.

Our customer wanted the frame the same colour as his Ferrari which is painted in banca white, which is like a pearl if you catch it in the sunlight. Only one man for the job, Jamie Gladman at JAA custom paint. Our customer also wanted a number on the side pods, which Jamie added a nice twist to by using the pearl lacquer.

Once the frame was back with us, we hung on until the battery arrived. A few weeks later UPS turned up with a package & the battery had arrived. A week later was our first breakfast club of 2020 on 15^th March (which turned out to be our only one this year so far). We laid all the eCUB 2.0  electrics out on the bench & plugged it all in to check if it worked so we could demo it at breakfast club the next day.

The eCUB 2.0  kit comes complete. The only bits we needed was the frame, forks & front shock absorbers & Shanghai Customs have produced a step by step YouTube video which is easy to follow, although it’s quite easy to figure out. All the wires are labelled with really neat connectors.

The eCUB 2.0  kit has a good quality feel & there are some neat looking bits like the headlight. Only bits that let it down a bit is the indicators which could be improved upon&  the horn which is extremely quiet. Both are easily rectified.

 

We hoped to turn the eCUB 2.0  bike build around quite quickly, but we then went into lockdown here in the UK & everything went on hold.

Once we had fathomed our way around the Covid19 lockdown, the eCUB 2.0  build was really straight forward & I was a pleasantly surprised how quickly it came together. The hardest part as with any build was hiding the wiring & there is a fair amount of it!

As with any new product, we learn along the way. One of the biggest changes we would make for the next one would be to hang on until we have fitted the battery before painting it. We had to “modify” the inner wheel arch a fair amount to get the battery to fit correctly. We really wanted to hide the wiring inside the frame tube. In reality there is just too much wiring to run down the inside as the hole would have to be really large, this would weaken the frames structure which we couldn’t risk.”

eCUB 2.0 practicalities

The eCUB 2.0 battery is hidden under the seat locked in via a key & can be lifted out in seconds making it really easy to charge. The eCUB range is 50km at a maximum speed of 65kmh. The eCUB 2.0 is also quite light, so it would be great to take on holiday. Being silent you could take it away in a caravan or camper for example & the eCUB 2.0 is also perfect for a town or city commuter bike, a race paddock or for simply popping to the shops. Being electric it’s tax except & it can also be ridden on “L” plates with a CBT.

eCUB 2.0 – Tech Specs

• 1000W rear hub-motor
• 120 Amp custom controller
• 48V Li-ion battery pack

Performance

• Max Speed: 65km/h
• Range: 50 km

“It’s been a really exciting build, it’s great fun to ride & look ultra cool! Alex from Shanghai Customs has been really helpful & their passion shines through in the quality & design of the product.”

Daniel Morris – Proprietor, mono motorcycles

Would you like an eCUB built? We can build to your spec using the eCUB 2.0 kit. Contact us on T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 or contact us through our contact page for more information.