Some of you might remember this project from 5 years ago. Well I finished it, took it apart again, and forgot about it for 5 years. I only recently put it back together to use for short trips. But learned the hard way you do not let batteries sit for years at a time without maintenance. They no longer hold a sufficient charge to power the bike. Its not the end of the world. I've never liked how heavy and bulky the cheap lead acid batteries I bought are, and wanted to change them out for smaller lithium cells(they sell many now that are specifically designed for bikes. That wasn't the case 5 years ago). However, the cheapest sets run about $200. And if you're familiar with motorized bike kits you know that a new gas powered kit costs less than that. that annoys me, haha! I'll probably splurge for the new battery, but a gas powered one is tempting. Still, I do love my electric kit. Gives plenty of power, and there's no maintenance other than keeping batteries charged.