<$1k DIY Neighborhood Electric Motorcycle

[Nevyn]

The temperature sensor is underneath the sticker that you can see on the top of the fan unit - as far away from the motor as you can get. I bet it'd work better if you put leads on it and moved it closer to the motor.

I hate 'em personally. I'd rather have a manual pot/dial to control speed.

[captainslug]

To-do:
1. Replace battery cables with 6awg wire
2. Upgrade to a higher rating circuit breaker
3. Replace front turn signals
4. Make foot pegs with integrated turn signals

[Christ]

K, understand about the fan.

So what's the range estimate? Does it handle well, like a dirtbike normally would, or does it feel "heavy" or biased?

[vinny1989]

Very nice. I soo want.

32mph, thats not bad considering you have a "60v 20ah" pack. Any chance of it reaching 40mph though?

Any idea what its total range is?

[captainslug]

On a slightly negative note: By now this project is over-budget by 50%
Current total: $1,500
Not too upsetting since that's the retail price for the gas version of this bike, but it does mean I failed to reach one of my initial goals. I ended up having to replace several parts I didn't expect to, and I sprung for one or two pricey extras.

Originally Posted by vinny1989

32mph, thats not bad considering you have a "60v 20ah" pack. Any chance of it reaching 40mph though?

Gearing it for 40mph would require a 32 tooth front sprocket. It would be a tight fit, I'd be over the legal limit for a moped, and I'm sure my acceleration/range would suffer, but it is possible.

Originally Posted by Christ

So what's the range estimate?
Does it handle well, like a dirtbike normally would, or does it feel "heavy" or biased?

The motor/controller is drawing way more current at peak than I was expecting it to, so I can't currently realistically estimate the range.
I will have to do more testing because I've only been doing 3 or 5 mile runs at 30mph. I don't have an affordable method of measuring the current draw, so sometime soon I'll just have to go by practical distance tests while keeping an eye on the pack voltage.

And since I have little to no experience riding dirt bikes I don't have much to compare to. It doesn't feel top heavy or awkward at all and it handles quite well on both asphalt and gravel.
I'm obviously babying it a good deal at the moment because it's been a while since I've ridden anything that can really lean into turns.

[Christ]

Well, it doesn't look like it should be too much heavier than stock, except that the weight might be placed a little higher because of the batteries.

I'd bet it handles pretty close to the same as a 125, and even if you could get a 20 mile range, I'd imagine you're beating the gassers as well. They just don't go for very long on a tank of fuel, it seems.

[vinny1989]

Originally Posted by captainslug

On a slightly negative note: By now this project is over-budget by 50%
Current total: $1,500
Not too upsetting since that's the retail price for the gas version of this bike, but it does mean I failed to reach one of my initial goals. I ended up having to replace several parts I didn't expect to, and I sprung for one or two pricey extras.
...

To have built a bike that looks that good, and for under $1500, is still very impressive.

[captainslug]

Good day followed by a rough night.

Replaced all of the battery pack wire with 6awg with Anderson powerpole connectors because the two-pin connectors were starting to melt.

Went for two 8 mile trips today. The motor was overheating a good deal and it got so hot on the trip back that I had to pull over.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'll have to think about ways to add more effective cooling, or try to find an alternate motor.

[Christ]

That sucks... but it's the nature of the beast with custom fab.

[bjn]

Excellent build thread.
I like the bike.

Sorry to hear it overheats. Is it possible to cool it by water mist?
Water requires quite a lot of energy to evaporate.