Remember that solenoid I took off the starter motor way back in post #3? I finally decided on what I'm going to use it for. 
I figured that the regular brake system would look rather low-tech on a motorized bike. For this reason, I decided to eliminate the handbrake system that came with the bike altogether. Instead, I will be using the solenoid to pull the brake cable and slow down/stop the bike.
I lashed together the brake layout on my bike today to see how it would look:
View attachment 248 View attachment 249
Hmm... Not too bad
To operate the solenoid, I'll probably have a momentary toggle switch or push-button switch tucked into the existing handbrake lever. Also, in case the electronic braking fails during use, I will still have a fully-operable front brake (and yes, I know the front brake alone could throw me over the handlebars, but I think there will be enough weight on the back to prevent that from happening).
In my next entry I will start describing the actual construction of the bicycle, and will include lots of photos of the process
I figured that the regular brake system would look rather low-tech on a motorized bike. For this reason, I decided to eliminate the handbrake system that came with the bike altogether. Instead, I will be using the solenoid to pull the brake cable and slow down/stop the bike.
I lashed together the brake layout on my bike today to see how it would look:
View attachment 248 View attachment 249
Hmm... Not too bad
To operate the solenoid, I'll probably have a momentary toggle switch or push-button switch tucked into the existing handbrake lever. Also, in case the electronic braking fails during use, I will still have a fully-operable front brake (and yes, I know the front brake alone could throw me over the handlebars, but I think there will be enough weight on the back to prevent that from happening
).In my next entry I will start describing the actual construction of the bicycle, and will include lots of photos of the process
