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Old 11-02-2008, 10:33 AM   #2 (permalink)
bennelson
EV test pilot
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Oconomowoc, WI, USA
Posts: 4,435

Electric Cycle - '81 Kawasaki KZ440
90 day: 334.6 mpg (US)

S10 - '95 Chevy S10
90 day: 30.48 mpg (US)

Electro-Metro - '96 Ben Nelson's "Electro-Metro"
90 day: 129.81 mpg (US)

The Wife's Car - Plug-in Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
90 day: 78.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 17
Thanked 663 Times in 388 Posts
If you can get cheap batteries, great!

The 4 Optima Yellow Tops were the single most expensive thing on my motorcycle. (about $600! Ouch!) That said, they have been great batteries for this project.

My cycle is a 1981. They don't do emissions testing or anything like that on them. Make sure you get a TITLE when you buy your cycle! Some states aren't too bad in the hoops to jump through to get a replacement, but others, it is literally impossible.

Insurance wasn't a big deal. I have mine through progressive. You might want to talk to an insurance agent BEFORE you buy a cycle. If you have a crotch-rocket with a tiny electric motor, insurance will still be based on that it was a sport bike with a huge engine and wreckless attitude.

Make sure to get a cycle that has enough room around the engine to mount all your batteries. You will want to make sure that it at least has dual down-pipes. If it doesn't have passenger pegs, don't get it. If it wasn't designed for suspension and brakes for two people, it's not going to suspend and brake you AND a couple hundred pounds of batteries very well.

The big mistake I made in my bike was getting a frame with a messed up wire harness. I ended up cutting the whole thing off and making my own. It works fine, but it was a lot of work and still looks like a mess.

If I was doing it again, I would spend a little more money on the frame to get one that looks nicer. I spent $100 on mine, and it had a ding in the gas tank, some surface rust, no ignition switch (not needed, but it would be nice to lock the handlebars) and a rusted switches.

I bet if I really looked around, I could have found an appropriate cycle, with a nice-looking frame and broken engine for about $600.

Glad to know that somebody else has been reading about my cycle!

-Ben


PS: learn from my mistakes and make yours even cooler!
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