The Dogati is probably the finest example of home built electric bike rolling on the streets today. It is a single bike that started as one man’s passion to build the perfect e-bike for himself, using all his knowledge, some of the latest tools, and the most advanced e-bike technology available. The person who built it is a high level engineer with a background in industrial and mechanical engineering to utilize all the tools and components he had access to.
Tools he had access to include the 3D rendering program solidworks, a 3D printer to make parts of solid blocks of material, advanced CNC equipment. The latest e-bike technology the Dogati utilizes include the latest greatest RC motor and controller, the most advanced bicycle transmissions available, planetary gear reduction for the motor, multiple battery monitoring systems including the Cycle Analyst, Hobby king cell logs, and a BMS designed by Goodrum/Fetcher. Not to mention the latest bicycle components including suspension and brakes.
The bike began as Solidworks creation and a conversion bike which was used to test components. Step by step as you see in the photo log below, the bike started to come together. An advanced skelton frame was made out of Chro-Moly steel which is as strong as it is functional. The gear reduction system was made through a very advanced set of flat planetary gears which only added a few inches in length to the RC 3210 motor (later upgraded to 3220). The AstroFlight RC motor used in this build is legendary in the DIY electric bike scene. It is capable of putting out around 8 horse power in a motor that weighs less than 5 pounds. However the RPMs of a RC motor are very high and require gear reduction. The Dogati gets a total of 12:1 gear reduction from the planetary gear system.
For batteries, the bike uses a123 cells which are known for putting out a tremendous amount of power but being very stable (fire safe). Obviously concerned with fire safety, the Dogati builder not only chose a safe and sane battery chemistry, but also hooked up redundant battery management systems consisting of a Goodrum/Fechter BMS board, a cellog, and a cycle analyst on the handle bars to monitor battery condition while on the ride. The battery is encased in a metal box with ventilation holes to give still another degree of fire safety.
Inspiration for this bike came from the skeleton frame Ducatis, and the many great e-bikes created and then documented on the e-bike forum endless sphere. It seems every year the builds have been stepping up. And the time was right for someone to go all out on a build. The Dogati was an all out, 3 year build, no expense spared and no detail overlooked.
The final result is something spectacular. A powerful electric driveeline that shares the same chain as the pedals, and weighs in at only 80 pounds and is capable of speeds of over 60mph while still looking and handling like a regular bicycle.
The inventor/builder of the Dogati has decided that this first bike will be a prototype and has made the first steps of putting the bike into production. The bike made its debut on March 7th at the Taipei Cycle show and is planned to be go into production in the next few months.
From the looks of this prototype the Dogati will be an exciting new product and formidable e-bike that may very well be the fastest and slickest production e-bike on the planet. But unfortunately don’t expect a bike like this to come cheap. At the very minimum given the quality of this bike and its components, we can expect this bike to cost over $12,000.
The creator of the Dogati, Ben Chiu wrote this proclamation: Read here
Dogati Build Specifications:
battery: 16S A123 15Ah prismatic cells
motor: Astro 5-turn 3220 /w wye-delta switch via six 80A SPDT fuses (paralled in pairs)
controller: Phoenix ICE HV 160 + 6 x 470uF 63V caps (to be upgraded to low ESR)
bms: goodrum/fechter v2.3
charger: modded Meanwell S350-48
battery monitor: 2 x cell-log 8S
circuit breaker: Cooper Bussman 200A /w manual switch
gearbox: 12:1 dual stage planetary
frame/swingarm: 0.9mm Reynolds high-grade chromoly
forks: White Brothers DH3
brakes: hope tech V2 hydraulic /w 203mm vented rotors
rear shock: DT-Swiss SSD-210 /w remote lockout
front hub: Hope pro II 20mm axle
rear hub: Shimano alfine 11-speed w/ 20T sprocket
spokes: Sapim 13g stainless from holmeshobbies.com
chainring/sprocket: 32T/16T
Check out the complete build thread here:
Dogati
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Written by Eric, March 2012
