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Old 03-02-2010, 12:39 AM   #6 (permalink)
Ryland
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903

honda cb125 - '74 Honda CB 125 S1
90 day: 79.71 mpg (US)

green wedge - '81 Commuter Vehicles Inc. Commuti-Car

Blue VX - '93 Honda Civic VX
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Tubeless alloy rims with front disk brakes, I would much rather have drum brakes as they have fewer issues but I have disk in the front so that is what I'll deal with.
Part of the idea of using golf cart parts is that they are cheap to buy and the golf cart shop that I got the motor from has a lot of used parts sitting around that he is willing to sell me cheap, more so if I make more then one of these where I can go in with a shopping list.
The Foxx Power battery deal is on hold as the friend realized he would be better off using the trike instead of his car over the summer, so I'm back with lead acid as the planed battery.
I figure my $1,500 goal is going to be with a very basic battery, $1,000 for the bike without the battery, so far I'm at $300, another $150 for a golf cart controller, $100 or so for a charger, I have 20 feet of 2/0 welding cable and a box of crimp on ends that are not yet drilled for the studs, I'm going to need to buy some aluminum for the motor face plate and some steel for the adapter shaft, throttle, pot box, hard ware, it's going to add up but I'm pretty sure it can be done, if not the first time around the 2nr or 3rd I build will be cheaper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by captainslug View Post
I'm doubtful that you can obtain a usable battery pack ALONE for that price that will be able to allow you to reach 60mph.
I was aiming for a $1,000 price point for a 35mph bike and it's now looking to end up costing $1,800 total. And I went with SLAs, and a much lower performance goal.
You'll be surprised just how many small extra parts you will need in order to get the bike running. From thrust bearings, to sprockets, to nuts and bolts.
Inside or outside?
It better have alloy rims and disc brakes. If not then the wheels are going to have to be replaced because they'll be rusted beyond repair.

You will need a 3kwh or larger pack in order to reach 60mph for more than a mile or two. The further beyond 40mph you go the significantly larger your pack will need to be.
My pack is 60 volts 20AH and at 38mph I'm only likely to get 15 miles of range. 60 amps is one third of what an average golf cart motor is likely to draw under acceleration.
My 2kw peak motor setup was reaching a peak of 80 amps under acceleration.
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