The Imperial line of motors - review of all

The following is here to help understand the design goals and intentions for our motor lineup.  All descriptions on this page are merely suggestions.  We encourage unique and original ways to use everything we offer.  For example, if someone can pull off a 1S FPV plane with the 13mm 1S motor it would be incredible to see!

13mm 11400kv
9x9 M2 mount
2mm press fit or 2mm shaft T mount

Recommended use:
1S 2.5” or 3” with AUW 75-90g or less

This motor is designed specifically for 1S operation on 3” and 2.5” props with the 2mm press fit mounting hole.  It’s optimized to produce more low end power in order to make the 1S craft feel like a much bigger craft.  Compared to the other 13mm motors, this one is built a little differently in order to save on weight for small 1S crafts.  It’s recommended that 1S 3” crafts stay below a maximum of ~90g AUW and below 75g AUW for good performance.

13mm 5000kv and 6350kv
9x9 M2 mount
2mm press fit or 2mm shaft T mount

Recommended uses:
5000kv - ducted 2” 4S
5000kv - 2” 3S-4S
5000kv - 2.5-3” 3S
6000kv - 3” 2S

These two motors are designed specifically for 2.5-3” 2S and 3S operation.  They are designed for excellent performance, excellent efficiency, low weight and ease of operation.  This is now a sixth generation motor and the magnets, stator construction, windings, everything has been very carefully refined to achieve the desired goals.  There are more powerful motors out there and you can even run these motors themselves at higher voltages but we do not recommend it because of the electronic and vibrational noise management challenges.  Please don’t let us hold you back from trying but we haven’t found the effort to be worth the payoff.  The overall ‘Toothpick’ concept is centered around balanced performance in all respects and not specifically to be the fastest or the lightest.

16mm tall 3700kv
9x9 M2 mount
M3 and M5 size prop shaft

Recommended uses:
3” 3S-4S high powered craft with AUW greater than 150g
4” 3S with very low load props and well under ~250g AUW

This motor is unique in a few ways.  First off, it’s sporting our new lighter prop shaft design which will be compatible with future M3 mount props and is fully compatible with existing M5 mount props thanks to the shaft expander that can be unscrewed.  Next, it’s got 9x9 M2 mounting holes so it will fit lighter style frames and the overall stator volume is higher than 1605 while weighing much less than it should.  This motor is ideal for high powered 3” operation and low weight 4” crafts.

21mm 1620kv and 2300kv
12x12 M2 mount
M3 and M5 size prop shaft

Recommended uses:
1620kv - 5S-6S 5” ~250g AUW
1620kv - 6S 4”
2300kv - 3S-4S 5” ~250g AUW
2300kv - 4S-5S 4”
2300kv - 6S Ducted 2.5-3” Cinewhoop

The intended use of this motor is specifically for improved performance on sub 250g 5” crafts compared to other current options.  The motor size is 2104 which will give you a noticeable control performance improvement over the popular 2004 size while weighing about the same thanks to our new lighter prop shaft design which will be compatible with future M3 mount props and is fully compatible with existing M5 mount props thanks to the shaft expander that can be unscrewed.

We strongly suggest EVERYONE practice mindful operation of any UAV regardless of weight.  Just because it’s ‘legal’ doesn’t mean you can’t cause problems.  That being said, we also don’t agree with the random 250g threshold because it just doesn’t make any sense to us.

23mm short 3450kv and 2350kv
12x12 M2 mount
M3 and M5 size prop shaft

Recommended uses:
3450kv - 4S Ducted 3” Ultimate cinewhoop performance
3450kv - 3S 4” (fantastic performance)
2350kv - 6S Ducted 3” Ultimate Cinewhoop performance
2350kv - 3S-4S 5” ~250-450g AUW 5” (Significant improvement over 2004)
2350kv - 4S 4” (fantastic performance!)

FPVCycle was the first to introduce the 2203 size Cinewhoop motor that literally transformed the Cinewhoop class from a wonky craft you had to use, to a wonderful machine that’s instrumental, luxurious and fun to fly.  This motor is a fourth generation design and has carefully designed components for an even higher level of Cinewhoop performance.  The most obvious difference is the new 23 diameter size which results in a torque curve shift to make overall throttle control even better than our previous 2203 and 2204.  It also improves efficiency slightly and further helps with heat management and consistency of performance.  The new prop shaft design which is designed for the future of M3 mount props and current M5 mount props was originally intended to make props easier to get on and off because of the smaller M3 nut that’s easier to handle inside a duct.  It also makes the motor lighter without any other sacrifice.  Because of this motor’s spec, it’s particularly good for the ~300g 5” class and fantastic for 4” crafts.

These new motors can be mixed with any of our previous Cinewhoop motors on the same craft.  Just make sure the Kv is similar.

23mm tall 1700kv and 2450kv
12x12 M2 mount
M5 size prop shaft

Recommended uses:
1830kv - 6S 5” Light weight (<~500g AUW)
2330kv - 3S-4S 5” Light weight (<~500g AUW)
2330kv - 4S-5S 4” High powered (<~500g AUW)

After a torturous level of testing in efforts to achieve full 5” level control performance in a 250g package, we reached the conclusion that by restricting a 5” craft to 250g AUW, there’s currently no way to achieve the maximum potential of 5” craft performance.  So we then proceeded to make the bare minimum spec motor we would personally recommend for a 5” quad.

This motor is the first of its kind in that it’s a full 5” performance size motor with a 12x12 M2 mount platform and overall lower weight construction for its stator volume and performance parameter.  Pair this motor with the Gemfan F3 prop and a sub 500g AUW 5” for a truly stellar level of control performance.

We would like to point out that many low weight 5” frames available from various brands may look nice but can give you significant performance issues as a result of poor vibration management.  It is a seriously difficult challenge to design a 5” frame in the sub ~60g weight class that also has good resonance performance.  We strongly recommend sticking with designs that have real world evidence of good vibration performance for this class of quad.  As you increase in motor power output, being mindful of resonance is more and more important.  Smaller 2004 or 2104 motors will give you fewer problems on frail frames without vibration management built in but also less performance.  Finally, just because a frame is designed to work well also doens't mean your build will go perfectly.  Be mindful of the potential issues and risks with squeezing top performance into a refined package.

25mm tall 1870kv and 2150kv
16x16 M3 mount
M5 size prop shaft

Recommended uses:
1870kv - 6S 5”-5.25” (FPVCycle signature performance)
1870kv - 5S-6S 5.5”
1870kv - 5S 6”
2150kv - 5S 5”
2150kv - 4S 6”

This is our signature motor with uniquely tuned performance for crafts built around the 5" range of props.  If there was anything we are truly proud of, it is this motor.  The most notable features are enhanced throttle control AND high power output at the same time when compared to any 2207, 2306, 2307 or other similar size motor.  The power output is comparable to a 2407 of similar Kv however throttle control is improved and easier to manage.

We’ve also developed the 5.21” prop with Gemfan to further expand the performance window of the motor.  Because the ~5” crafts of today are higher weight due to heavier GoPro’s, more disk area helps improve the control performance.  At the same time, the larger blade allows for higher cruising speeds and more efficiency with a less aggressive airfoil to improve response.  The end result is a craft that moves better than it should with more control than it should have.  For general use, we recommend the Gemfan 51433 or 5.21”x2.6 (5226) prop.  For high response and high speed freestyle, switch to the Gemfan F4.  For more confined spaces, consider the Gemfan F3 which has extremely fast response but less speed.  We do not recommend the 5236 as this prop has increased load and less response than the 5226 variant for no added speed.

This is a fifth generation motor that has all the bugs worked out.  Compared to the previous motor on the market, it has a larger 10mm bearing and thicker bell construction for improved durability.  The overall power output is about 4-5% higher with slightly faster response while drawing slightly fewer amps at the same time.

Recommended drivetrain and craft specs:
FPCycle 25mm motor
5.1” or 5.21” props.  (Gemfan F4 or 5226 are good options)
GNB 6S 1100mah 130C, 1250mah 120C or comparable battery
AUW under 730g with a GoPro Hero.
AUW under 600g for a racing class quad.

If you can somehow achieve 580g AUW with the same performance battery as the GNB 6S 1100mah 130C, performance is pure awesome.