<$1k DIY Neighborhood Electric Motorcycle

[captainslug]

Put the 30 tooth front sprocket back on.

2kw Parallel Top speed: 30mph
1kw Series Top speed: 12mph
Estimated range: 12 miles

Performance is comparable to a stock 50cc bike. I'll hopefully be able to weigh the finished bike soon.
And yes I've learned a great deal along the way.

[Christ]

So, later on, when you find a stack of better batteries for a sweet deal, or a couple of better motors for a sweet deal, will you revise the project over time? (Without intentionally spending a ton of time and money on it, just piecing along as you go...)

I'd like to see it come to fruition, as I said before. I just can't see all that time and money being chalked up to nothing more than "Well, I learned something..."

[captainslug]

It may be a while before I can afford or make any changes, but yes the point of making the battery rack modular was so I could replace it without any reworking of the frame.
I would however (if possible) like to find a 60 VDC brushed motor rated between 1kw and 2kw.

I was pleased with the performance of the 60 volt setup, but it was hampered by the poor build quality of the motor. It's frustrating that there are so few usable motors for this kind of application. So I'll keep my eye out for good deals on golf cart motors.

Meanwhile, it likes mud.

[Christ]

In that case, I look forward to updates in the future, as the time/money permits!

[captainslug]

Just wanted to note that the freewheel ate itself this evening. I'm going to have to weld it solid because it's no longer functioning properly and I don't have any way of removing it without also potentially destroying the freewheel adapter.

Thankfully the motors are not terribly resistant to coasting, so the difference in performance will be marginal.

[vinny1989]

Stupid question from a newbie: Would something like an ETEK RT / Perm 132 motor be better suited for the bike?

Looks awesome, and even if its not perfect, its still a cool ride. And another EV on the road. (God, i soo need my own EV...*to ebay*)

[Daox]

Ben Nelson used an etek on his bike, and it has a good amount of power, and its a much heavier bike. So, I'd say yes.

[brucey]

I just found and read this thread, and your experiences are similar to mine.

You did a much better job of creating a bike from the ground up than I did though, I basically modified a 1000 watt scooter for around 3500 watts. Had wicked torque, was almost impossible to take off without lifting the front end.

It worked great until I burned it up.

Then I scaled it back a bit, but it couldn't make it up hills at anything but a laughable pace. And around here, its hills or bust. I sold the whole thing to a friend who uses it in a flatter area of town. I dont think he uses it anymore either. Mine had a lithium pack though, I actually rode to the DMV (clear on the other side of town, pretty much as far as I would ever want to go.) to register my first motorcycle using that scoot! Was about 25 miles round trip through extremely hilly terrain.

While its possible to do something like this, I just dont think it can really be done well.

At least not on a budget.

But again, awesome work man. Lot of cool things in the thread. Hopefully you can find a new eco-time-waster soon. (:

[MetroMPG]

Captainslug: love the rolling test youtube video.

Originally Posted by captainslug

Performance is comparable to a stock 50cc bike.

Ha! If the ForkenSwift had to measure up to a 49 hp gasser Metro, I'd have had to abandon the project years ago! But I still love driving it.

[captainslug]

Quick update after I took a long break from this project.
I would like to retest this bike at 60 volts, but first I need to install a much stronger freewheel.
I managed to grind down and remove the motor linking sprocket, found the previous destroyed freewheel, and remove it from the freewheel adapter.

So next I need to
1. Order this freewheel

Sick Bike Parts
2. Attach a sprocket to it at the right spacing
3. Install it on the freewheel adapter
4. Make a replacement motor-link sprocket
5. Reconnect chain drive
6. Swap out the battery charger
7. Reinstall 5th battery