6hp GM 24v DC electric motor $50 good deal?
 

Here is the ad

GE Motor Model 5BT1324B54 24 volt DC @ 6 HP from a forklift.
RPM @ 1150,
V 19.5, A 355,
ENCL OFC,
Serial # OH-9-1347-OH.
P/N 27900-00. AU1840.

He wants $50 for it, is it a good deal or should I pass on it, would it be enough for a 55mph ev?

Do you know the diameter and/or the weight? It sounds like a good deal, but you'd have to inspect it to make sure the bearings are good and check the condition of the brushes.

after two minutes on google I can't find the weight. judging from a picture of it though it looks to be around a foot across maybe?
http://images.craigslist.org/3K23Hd3...265ffc1e79.jpg

Depending on the vehicle you're thinking of putting it in, a couple inches can mean it fits or not. It also has a fairly large effect on torque output of the motor if you're going to be picky at all about that. Going from 10" to 12" gives you 20% more torque at the same RPM. Of course at the same voltage, you loose 20% of your peak RPM.

In all honesty I want to build a side car and attach it to my motorcycle, converting it to EV and streamlining it, and if I end up getting a car to put it in, it is going to be a 40s/50s model car with plenty of engine compartment space.

I am not picky about torque, I drive a 233cc motorcycle every day. I might upgrade to a 500cc bike eventually, but it would have three wheels and a cabin :)

That motor would be massive overkill for a motorcycle. If it really is around 12" in diameter its probably going to weigh well over 100 lbs.

Right now I have a gas/ethanol powered motorcycle. I eventually want to build an electric car. My budget is small but I want this to be an evolution, one so I can learn, and two so I can take little bites out of the final cost.

Start with the bike, streamline it, add a side car, make it electric, streamline it again, find a donor car, move the electric parts to the car and streamline that [Unless it's a classic, then I might just do a riveted boat tail or something and keep it classy.]

By massive overkill are you meaning based purely on weight or power too?

I'm saying if that is a 12" motor, it will move a pickup truck with ease. Its gonna be really hard to shoehorn that thing into a motorcycle frame, and its going to be massivly heavy. You might want it for a car project if that is something you're looking to do in the future. I wouldn't use it on a motorcycle though.

I just did some research on the motor's weight. Its not the same, but a Warp 11 motor weighs 225lbs. A Warp 13 weighs 367lbs. So, your 12" motor is gonna weigh in the high 200lbs range. That is not too far from the weight of a lightweight motorcycle itself! :)

sidecars tend to hurt fe quite a bit. you'd be better off doing a trike. this motor sounds like it'd be great for a streamlined trike. I looked around, because I know 12" is huge for a forklift. this looks like a pump motor, and is more likely in the 7" range. also, the tiles behind it are likely 12", and it doesn't look that big in comparison. I would buy it if it works at all. worst case scenario, you could resell it to someone looking to do a full conversion.

The only reason not to buy it is that it doesn't look like it has an output shaft, so it's either a splined socket or a slotted drive plate that mates up to the pump on the forklift.
My 36v 2.5hp motor is around 35-40 pounds, 6.7" across and 9" long, at 36v it will make my motorcycle go 40mph and I figure at 48v it will make it go 55mph, 72v and I should be going around 65mph.

I road my motorcycle with 400 pounds of batteries on it and I would not want to have a 200 pound motor on a motorcycle.