I spoke with the maker of the "E-Drive" recently and also have communicated with "Matt" at JK. He suggested that JK may be resuming their relationship with the maker of the E-drive "within the year or so", so I think that is encouraging news. Not holding my breath but I know that it would sure make a lot of JK customers happy. The motor and 24volt battery combo is going to be expensive. If you haven't had the pleasure of the simplicity and the uniqueness of this set up, I have to say it was worth it. You can certainly rig up your yak with aftermarket gear to get the same effect but what you wont get in the ease of use of this system. They are few and far between in the used market but you can find the motor usually around a $1000.00 or less. Plus the battery, I got the 24 volt LiPo battery and had to remortgage the house... I LOVE MY RIG!
Just received the updates regarding new prop and rudder kit. Haven't been out yet due to work. Really looks a lot smoother pedaling. I've have an oil leak from the seal on bottom, still works tho. It's a really great boat imo!
Im not sure as of now, I purchased mine over 4 years ago. I know Jackson paused production on the motor over a year ago due to a parts supply shortage.
How well does this kayak paddle and how dry is it in the cockpit? Also when pedaling how is the turn radius? I noticed when you turned with the electric motor it was a wide turn due to your speed. I'm only interested in pedaling and paddling. I have a Native Slayer Propel 13 and the turn radius is terrible on it. I have been looking at videos of the Slayer max 10 and they seem to let a lot of water in through the scuppers, but are well laid out boats. Thanks!
Native kayaks by design have water in the deck more than other manufactures (adds stability without going wider). The Bite FD I have zero water in the cockpit at 300 lbs. The motor turns wider than paddling as it needs speed to do so.
If I may add my 2 cents Brian. The rule of thumb is, the longer the yak, the better it tracks. That means it goes straight wonderfully! Buy virtue of this design it is GOING TO TURN WIDER! The shorter the yak the harder it is to keep straight... but they sure turn well! You cannot get away from this regardless of what brand yak you buy. Whew! As far as paddles, get a long one! AND it is a 100+ pound beast. I bring the paddle in case all else fails. With that being said the rudder is the rudder on the Bite, regardless if you use a motor or the peddles, nothing changes there. If I wanted to pirouette I would have gotten into ballet. I LOVE MY BITE with the "E-Drive". It's a friggin tank! A kayak will turn on a dime if you have a prop that rotates 180/360 degrees. You got this Brian!
Very informative video! Leaning towards the new Bite FD to go with my 2016 Big Rig! How is it going over shoals when you hit in the back section and rudder?
Thank you, it is a great kayak! If we pause the video @ the 3:14 mark we can see that the hull design right in front of the rudder extrudes deeper to protect the rudder blade. The 4in black piece with 2 bolts is a skid plate. Let that plate wear down and replace once or twice a year depending on how much you are hitting.
Great videos! What would you recommend between this and the SS127 for someone who is around 340 lbs and is running open water and Class I rivers? The HD is a little out of my budget range, but I may expand that if it's much better than the SS127. I'm also open to other boats as well.
Based on my experience, 340lbs with no gear yet, I wouldn't recommend either. Look towards the Jackson BigRig HD, Ocean Kayak Prowler Big Game II, Nu Canoe Frontier 12. Those are better options imo.
So I'm 5'5". That means I'd have to loosen the nuts and slide the seat back to open the hatch every time? It looks like that bar would hinder the hatch cover to open fully to remove weeds from prop.
We just tested it with some one who is 5'5" after reading your question. The lid cleared the seat, however I would still encourage you to sit in one yourself to be sure, as everyone sits differently depending on leg extension.
A lot of factors play into this, the one I was using can go multiple days. I would recommend a lithium battery if this was my every weekend setup to save another 40lbs of weight.
They are very different drive systems. The pdl is a straight shaft design therefore being slightly smoother but not as forgiving if you hit something. The Jackson's can retract the propeller into the hull when running over submerged obstacles in an instant.
@@marcusgreen6331 Yes they are solid drives. We personally haven't had to warranty any drives. I have seen 2 human maintenance error's at the shop (crank put on wrong side, and not putting oil in)
I spoke with the maker of the "E-Drive" recently and also have communicated with "Matt" at JK. He suggested that JK may be resuming their relationship with the maker of the E-drive "within the year or so", so I think that is encouraging news. Not holding my breath but I know that it would sure make a lot of JK customers happy. The motor and 24volt battery combo is going to be expensive. If you haven't had the pleasure of the simplicity and the uniqueness of this set up, I have to say it was worth it. You can certainly rig up your yak with aftermarket gear to get the same effect but what you wont get in the ease of use of this system. They are few and far between in the used market but you can find the motor usually around a $1000.00 or less. Plus the battery, I got the 24 volt LiPo battery and had to remortgage the house... I LOVE MY RIG!
Just received the updates regarding new prop and rudder kit. Haven't been out yet due to work. Really looks a lot smoother pedaling. I've have an oil leak from the seal on bottom, still works tho. It's a really great boat imo!
The 2020 drive updates on all Flex Drives are very good. Much smoother and easier to peddle.
Thanks for the review, question where and whats the cost of the Flex Drive E?
Im not sure as of now, I purchased mine over 4 years ago. I know Jackson paused production on the motor over a year ago due to a parts supply shortage.
I think I will be encouraged to buy one I have a question is the motor included or not
The motor is not included, it's an add on. Check Jackson Adventure's website for current pricing.
How well does this kayak paddle and how dry is it in the cockpit? Also when pedaling how is the turn radius? I noticed when you turned with the electric motor it was a wide turn due to your speed. I'm only interested in pedaling and paddling. I have a Native Slayer Propel 13 and the turn radius is terrible on it. I have been looking at videos of the Slayer max 10 and they seem to let a lot of water in through the scuppers, but are well laid out boats. Thanks!
Native kayaks by design have water in the deck more than other manufactures (adds stability without going wider). The Bite FD I have zero water in the cockpit at 300 lbs. The motor turns wider than paddling as it needs speed to do so.
If I may add my 2 cents Brian. The rule of thumb is, the longer the yak, the better it tracks. That means it goes straight wonderfully! Buy virtue of this design it is GOING TO TURN WIDER! The shorter the yak the harder it is to keep straight... but they sure turn well! You cannot get away from this regardless of what brand yak you buy. Whew!
As far as paddles, get a long one! AND it is a 100+ pound beast. I bring the paddle in case all else fails. With that being said the rudder is the rudder on the Bite, regardless if you use a motor or the peddles, nothing changes there. If I wanted to pirouette I would have gotten into ballet. I LOVE MY BITE with the "E-Drive". It's a friggin tank!
A kayak will turn on a dime if you have a prop that rotates 180/360 degrees. You got this Brian!
Very informative video! Leaning towards the new Bite FD to go with my 2016 Big Rig! How is it going over shoals when you hit in the back section and rudder?
Thank you, it is a great kayak! If we pause the video @ the 3:14 mark we can see that the hull design right in front of the rudder extrudes deeper to protect the rudder blade. The 4in black piece with 2 bolts is a skid plate. Let that plate wear down and replace once or twice a year depending on how much you are hitting.
Always producing informative content, thanks!!
Thanks for the kind words, it really means a lot to us.
Great videos! What would you recommend between this and the SS127 for someone who is around 340 lbs and is running open water and Class I rivers? The HD is a little out of my budget range, but I may expand that if it's much better than the SS127. I'm also open to other boats as well.
Based on my experience, 340lbs with no gear yet, I wouldn't recommend either. Look towards the Jackson BigRig HD, Ocean Kayak Prowler Big Game II, Nu Canoe Frontier 12. Those are better options imo.
So I'm 5'5". That means I'd have to loosen the nuts and slide the seat back to open the hatch every time? It looks like that bar would hinder the hatch cover to open fully to remove weeds from prop.
We just tested it with some one who is 5'5" after reading your question. The lid cleared the seat, however I would still encourage you to sit in one yourself to be sure, as everyone sits differently depending on leg extension.
Nice video. Whats your average run time and what AH was that Pb battery?
So I guess you liked it awesome with the motor 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
The motor is a lot of fun!
What kind off speed did you get on the flex drive E and how long will the battery last
How do you change the speeds? You didn't say anything about it? 🤔
Control nob on the head unit.
@@tgcanoesandkayaks Thankyou.
Any design changes for the 2022 pedal drive unit?
What better do you have on this?!
I'm curious how long you can run on the marine battery roughly?
A lot of factors play into this, the one I was using can go multiple days. I would recommend a lithium battery if this was my every weekend setup to save another 40lbs of weight.
Can the bixpy be used on this kayak?
I personally do not know, that would be a question for a bixby sales rep.
Yes. Bixby is an aftermarket "MOD" YOO CAN DOO IT! Listen Cracker, I've seen a guy put a JET ENGINE on a yak... Just Google it!
How does the flex drive compare to the pdl drive from old town
They are very different drive systems. The pdl is a straight shaft design therefore being slightly smoother but not as forgiving if you hit something. The Jackson's can retract the propeller into the hull when running over submerged obstacles in an instant.
@@tgcanoesandkayaks did jackson fix the issues they had with the flex drive when it first came out is it a reliable system now
@@tgcanoesandkayaks i like the idea of it kicking up when an obstacle is hit im just curious about the drives reliability
@@marcusgreen6331 Yes they are solid drives. We personally haven't had to warranty any drives. I have seen 2 human maintenance error's at the shop (crank put on wrong side, and not putting oil in)
@@marcusgreen6331 yes
Sounds really loud
It is much quieter in person the camera makes it seem much louder than it actually is. Has a tiny hmmm sound to it.
Shit demo...