Eleven feet long and 150 lbs, the “Blackbird” is “a fully custom made electric recumbent chopper bicycle constructed of off-the-shelf parts from the hardware store” combined with scrap bike components, along with a commercial motor and battery. As for being super-charged, this bike is driven by a 36V DC motor capable of delivering 50 miles per charge at up to 20 MPH. If necessary, it can be switched off and instantly becomes a pedal-powered chopper! An array of cateyes, headlights, a pair of monkeylights, and even a singular spinning strobe light would definitely cause this machine to be confused with a UFO late at night!

The maker, Cat Woodmansee, says, “It is mad science, and is abundantly cool. But it is a serious transportation machine, totally practical.” Cat claims to have logged over 15,000 miles in daily commutes.

Find this “Blackbird” Super Cruiser at the forthcoming Maker Faire Bay Area. It’ll be parked in the west lot along with other electric cars and solar vehicles. See you there!

Maker Faire Project Profile

"Blackbird" Super Cruiser

This is a fully custom made electric recumbent chopper bicycle constructed of off-the-shelf parts from the hardware store, a motor and battery from China and lots of scrap bike parts. The machine is 11 feet long overall, is made of iron and probably weighs 150 pounds, and has a cruising range of around 50 miles @ up to 20 mph. The drive system is 36 volt DC, and the pedals work, so I call it a "hybrid". I've used this machine for my daily commute for 3 years, at times up to 1,200 miles a month, and have logged around Read more →

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