2012 Stealth Fighter 3kW lightweight bike

[SamM]

Just picked up a new to me 2012 Stealth Fighter. This thing is actually quite heavy for a bicycle but rather lightweight, if compared to a motorcycle. The bike had 650 miles on when I purchased it and only 43 charge cycles on the battery. This bike is a 60kph/60km bike. That converts to around a 35mph top speed and a 35 mile range. I have had the bike up to 34mph and it climbs hills very well. I have made a few improvements already. Such as: a RockShox Reverb seat port, a TruVativ handlebar clamp, TruVativ handlebars, new grips, lighting and a Bontrager seat. The Fighter weighs in at a portly 75lbs. Not sure, if it qualifies as an Adventure bike but I like it. I considered a Motoped but came across this first. The range is enough for my 19.5 mile commute to work. Might try that sometime if the weather cooperates. Future additions will be a new 26" front wheel and a front Duro RazorBack tire to match the rear Duro. I may also buy a new set of Marzocchi forks and a better rear shock.

The previous owner upgraded the bike with a 26" front wheel and FOX RC2 forks. This bike was purchased to help me rehab my left knee, that was destroyed last year in a motorcycle crash. The electric assist is great and the Schlumpf 2-speed drive makes petaling at speeds up to 30+mph possible.

My goal is to eventually buy a new Stealth Bomber in a year or 2. The Bomber is shown, in Red, in the photo at the bottom. The Stealth Bomber has a top speed of 50mph and a 50 mile range. It also has a Suntour V-boxx planetary crank drive. These bikes are made in Australia.

EDIT: The motorcycle rack on my Jeep is rated for 650lbs. Overkill for the Stealth but I already had it. The rack was previously used to haul my KLR and several dirt bikes around. A few days ago, the rack was cutdown and the wheel chock moved back. It doesn't stick out much further than the fender now. I plan to have the bike at the Overland Expo East in a couple of weeks.

SamM

 

[SamM]

Here's an updated picture of the bike. Just added a RockShox Reverb adjustable seat post, a Diamondback DH 26" front wheel, TruVativ handlebar clamp and TruVativ handlebar. Next week, a new 26" Duro RazorBack tire will be mounted up front. I just purchased a spare battery for the bike. Got an awesome deal on it.

SamM

 

[trailscape]

I'm fascinated by these options. I was an avid mountain biker for years, but I've got so many issues these days that I can't even put on a backpack. I miss being able to get off the beaten path in a more silent, stealthy manner. Certainly interested in seeing more of this. Looks like a nice score.

 

[SamM]

trailscape,
Thanks! It's the same for me now. Too many issues to get out there on regular bikes. Last year, I destroyed my left knee ligaments, all of them, cut my abdomen 19cm, collapsed my left lung and broke my right shoulder blade into 4 pieces. On top of that, I have an ICD. My knee surgery last September was 5 hours long. My doctors said they had never seen anything like it. I almost lost the leg. My doctors tried for 10 years to get me to quit riding motorcycles because of the ICD. When I crashed my Ural Gear-Up last year and fell over the side of a mountain, that pretty much sealed the deal on riding motorcycles. My DH mtb was just too hard to ride anymore. I get fatigued very easily. I only use that bike for training now in my living room on a Max Trainer rack. I looked at a lighter mtb but the steep hills just wiped me out.

It's very hard to abandon the two-wheeled addiction. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 6 years old. The Stealth lets me enjoy two-wheeled travel but on a different level. If it was a little faster I could easily commute to work on it. As I said in my first post, my goal is to buy a new Stealth Bomber in a couple of years. The Bomber is very expensive but will go 50+mph. The Fighter will remain my trail bike, as it is much lighter than the Bomber. I could never sell it. This bike is great fun. It makes me feel like Superman, as I know I cannot petal a bicycle at 30mph. On this one, I can though!

Some of my riding buddies and friends understand this bike, others do not! I say whatever gets you out there and keeps you active is a good thing. The Stealth lets me enjoy the many trails in my area and keeps me under the radar, so to speak. Most people just think it is a mtb and I don't even get a second glance. It lets me go out and get a 20 mile ride in several times a week. There is no other way that I could possibly do that.

I hope you enjoy reading about it. I'll post my experiences about it, as I move forward with it. I do have some plans for this bike. A complete rebuild this Winter and possibly a new controller by Spring. It might get new forks this Winter. A new larger battery pack, may also be in the future for it. A Japanese research company just made a huge breakthrough in battery technology. The new Ryden battery technology is much safer, as it produces no heat, charges 20 times faster, has 3 times the energy density and discharges quicker that other Lithium based batteries. I believe Tesla just invested millions with them to license their tech and fund more research. We live in interesting times. Hopefully, the world doesn't self-destruct and we can enjoy some of this.

SamM

 

[SamM]

Last week, I ordered a new Adaptto Max-E motor controller. The controller is Russian and is coming here via Sweden through a Swedish supplier. I might get my supplier to build me a new battery as well. A new bigger battery would boost my amp-hours and increase my range to around 60 miles.

Woody's Wheel Works will be building new 19" front and 18" rear wheels with new Excel motorcycle rims and Shinko trials tires. The bike will use NueTech TUbliss high pressure tubes. This will make flat tires almost impossible to get and will increase tire life to unbelievable levels.

The bike is also getting a new TC4080 hub motor. This should make speeds up to 50mph possible.

SamM

 

[hansrober]

Thats awesome Sam. I wish I would have seen you at the Expo. I would have liked to see the stealth in action!

 

[SamM]

hansrober,
I was over by the Main Building on Friday and Saturday. About 20 to 30 guys rode the bike. I hate to drop names but Neale Bayly rode my Stealth Fighter and loved it. Some of the Main Line Overland guys rode the bike too. All of the feed back was very positive. I could tell by some of the looks that not everyone 'got it' but I think these guys were the hardcore Adventure riders. They also didn't want to ride the bike. The Fighter would not replace their BMW and KTM motorcycles. It's a totally different animal.

It was a great experience for me. I had a blast. If you come to the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival next July, you'll get another chance to see and ride the Fighter. I will have it there.

SamM

 

[SamM]

Took the bike on a little ride today to visit my mom. She snapped this picture of me. I also rode it down to a job site that my contractor is working at. He will be starting work to finish my new passive solar home. We're very excited about getting that done.

The bike has been great. I love riding it. The new motor controller arrived this morning. I'll be starting on the conversion soon.

SamM

 

[hansrober]

I might try to make that one. Thanks for the invite!:bike_rider:

 

[SamM]

Riding my bike has been great for my knee rehab. I have increased my movement to about 115 to 120 degrees in the left knee. A slight improvement from where I was. Not much was accomplished with modifications over the Winter. Health issues kept me from working on it. I have decided against get the bigger Stealth Bomber that I mentioned in my previous post. The Fighter that I have is the perfect size and I don't find myself wanting to go 50mph on the bike, as much as I thought. The matching front 26" Duro Razorback tire has worked out great. Lots of traction and it's sticky off-road. The bike will climb about anything that I have thrown at it.

The one mod that I have been seriously looking at is 19" motorcycle rims and tires. A 21" on the front would be be great for off-roading single track. The 26" tire up front rolls over everything and a 21" motorcycle tire would be about the same diameter. The size and weight are the compromise to power. Obviously more weight means less performance. Current hub motor technology is moving quite fast. We are looking at a new hub motor now. The TC4080 could be a big jump in performance over the stock hub motor. A new battery would be made to take advantage of new tech too.

Here is a picture of a black Stealth Fighter with motorcycle rims and tires. I'll try to post some updated pictures of my bike soon.

Thanks for looking!

SamM