Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Fossil Fuel Free
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-25-2009, 11:53 AM   #1 (permalink)
dcb
needs more cowbell
 
dcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ÿ
Posts: 5,038

pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

schnitzel - '01 Volkswagen Golf TDI
90 day: 53.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 158
Thanked 269 Times in 212 Posts
halfbakery: motorcycle pusher for light EV

Quote:
EDIT from Darin: this thread sprung out of this one, where I showed my towing rig for the ForkenSwift, and posted this picture:



Question, what if you own a motorcycle, and figure out remote clutch and throttle, and use it to push your small EV on longer hiway trips?



Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	7f6d_1.JPG
Views:	919
Size:	27.8 KB
ID:	3561  
__________________
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 05-25-2009, 12:39 PM   #2 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,058
Thanked 6,957 Times in 3,602 Posts
I love it. Small scale version of:



link: http://www.jstraubel.com/EVpusher/EVpusher2.htm

For the motorbike, all you'd really need is a throttle control and on/off switch. Couldn't you leave it in top gear, accelerate electrically up to speed, then close the bike's ignition to fire the ICE and continue accelerating/cruising?

I don't think the ForkenSwift could handle the weight of the bike (even if only the front portion) cantilevered off the back, like that SUV. Might need a light 2 wheel dolly to put the bike's front wheel in and tow instead.

Halfbakery is so much fun.
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 04:17 PM   #3 (permalink)
(:
 
Frank Lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
That Max would easily get squirrely back there and wipe out.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 05:01 PM   #4 (permalink)
dcb
needs more cowbell
 
dcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ÿ
Posts: 5,038

pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

schnitzel - '01 Volkswagen Golf TDI
90 day: 53.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 158
Thanked 269 Times in 212 Posts
LOL, well I was thinking more of a 250, in a high gear. And something to hold it by the front wheel a bit better (and hope the forks last). The idea is that is just for cruising the hiway, the electric car still does the driving around town and up to speed. Wouldn't draw any specifics from that pic You want a bike/gearing that is just big enough to keep things moving.
__________________
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 05:38 PM   #5 (permalink)
(:
 
Frank Lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
I was also going to mention, forks aren't designed to transmit thrust- might want a different mount.

Probably the thing to do is, instead of pushing your EV around on longer trips, just hop on the bike.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 05:51 PM   #6 (permalink)
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Bicycle Bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: N. Saskatchewan, CA
Posts: 1,803

Appliance White - '93 Geo Metro 4-Dr. Auto
Last 3: 42.35 mpg (US)

Stealth RV - '91 Chevy Sprint Base
Thanks: 91
Thanked 459 Times in 327 Posts
I think that braking force on forks equates to thrust, but I'd go easy on the cornering.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 06:44 PM   #7 (permalink)
dcb
needs more cowbell
 
dcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ÿ
Posts: 5,038

pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

schnitzel - '01 Volkswagen Golf TDI
90 day: 53.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 158
Thanked 269 Times in 212 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee View Post
Probably the thing to do is, instead of pushing your EV around on longer trips, just hop on the bike.
Yah, but sometimes folks would want their ev car in another part of the country (i.e. a show, or weather). If you have stuff, or passengers for a long ride it might make sense (assuming you already have a bike and a small electric car)
__________________
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 09:50 PM   #8 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
Ryland's Avatar
 
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
Thanks: 867
Thanked 433 Times in 353 Posts
Big flaws that I see are most motorcycles are a wet clutch where the clutch has 5-9 plats and run in oil and have alot of drag, they do this to make them more compact, the transmissions are non-syncro most of the time so any shifting that you did do would be very rough, but you can get electronic shifting kits and ignition cut offs so you can shift without the clutch at all, designed for racing.
The cam on a motorcycle engine is also designed for power not mpg, that is why my 100cc honda can put out 11.5hp, if that was a 1500cc (1.5 liter engine) that would be 172hp and because of that gets 70mpg with a combined cycle and rider weight of 450 pounds...
Maybe make something that looks like a motorcycle rear end, using a shaft drive motorcycle like a gold wing and a better suited engine like a metro xfi, but it's also not going to work with a normal trailer hitch, it is going to need a solid mounting system, I've seen bent motorcycle forks and they are not pretty, most likely bent from alot of hard braking with the front of the bike (900 pound touring bike) as non of the plastic was even scratched, fender was fine, the guy just said it handled "weird"... fork legs looked like bananas.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2009, 10:39 PM   #9 (permalink)
(:
 
Frank Lee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,585
Thanked 3,555 Times in 2,218 Posts
I'm in the process (tedious and expensive I might add) of replacing fork tubes right now. That's why I thought of it.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2009, 12:27 AM   #10 (permalink)
dcb
needs more cowbell
 
dcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ÿ
Posts: 5,038

pimp mobile - '81 suzuki gs 250 t
90 day: 96.29 mpg (US)

schnitzel - '01 Volkswagen Golf TDI
90 day: 53.56 mpg (US)
Thanks: 158
Thanked 269 Times in 212 Posts
There are some interesting benefits of using a whole motorcycle though.

1. It should be better sized for the sole task of maintaining hiway speeds than a typical car ICE.

2. It offers complete redundancy. If the car breaks down you have a bike, if the bike breaks down you have a (short range) car. If you are an adventurous experimenter you might appreciate that

3. It should bypass any extraneous licensing. You don't have to license a special trailer that you use once a year if you already own and use a small bike. You don't really have to worry about legalities as the bike is already DOT/EPA, and bike dollies won't draw much attention.

I think the hitching/control issues are completely solveable for someone familiar with the systems intended purpose and who drives accordingly. This isn't anything for production though, just an idea that might be useful in a fairly specific set of circumstances.

__________________
WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!

Last edited by dcb; 05-26-2009 at 01:06 AM..
  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
MetroMPG.com: Electric pusher trailer MetroMPG Fossil Fuel Free 30 04-23-2015 03:24 PM
Electric car conversion: Project ForkenSwift MetroMPG Fossil Fuel Free 1041 07-28-2014 09:19 AM
Range-extender Sidecar for EV motorcycle bennelson Fossil Fuel Free 50 05-25-2009 02:21 AM
Chrysler's New EV Unveiled On CNBC This Morning! rgathright Alternative Transportation 5 02-09-2009 06:54 PM
Extreme Electric Motorcycle conversion for Publicity/Charity bennelson Motorcycles / Scooters 5 11-18-2008 04:09 PM



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com