TexasElectric - eBike build

[TexasElectric]

Woke up late this past Friday, (I needed the extra time to sleep). So, I didn't paint the exterior primer/sealer onto the wood. But, I completed it tonight. I put two coats on, (took about 2 hours).

Tomorrow I will purchase the side panel wood and a can of matte black spray paint.

Tomorrow I will also cut and glue the yoga mat to the insides of the wood frame pieces. (I might actually exchange the 5mm mat i bought for a 10mm thick mat because i am starting to realize that 5mm isn't providing much in the way of cushion).

[TexasElectric]

Yesterday I was feeling antsy and decided to ride my cyclocross bike to work.

temporary image share


It took me about 2 hours and 45 minutes (with breaks). There was a lot more up hill than I anticipated. Total distance was 36.1 miles, average speed was 14.69mph.

I had similar numbers coming back, but I took it a little easier (3 hours to ride back) because I was a little sore.



This is the elevation my Garmin Edge 810 recorded going to work.


temporary image share

[sendler]

Wow! Riding that far to work and back is cool!
.
My commute is about the same distance each way but I have never had time to try it on my bicycle. It would be a nice ride though. Here are some photos of my commute I took on my Honda PCX with a helmet cam. It takes me 50 minutes on the back roads or 45 minutes up the highway on the CBR250R.
.
https://youtu.be/W_u4PCUFTRY
.

[TexasElectric]

sendler

About a month ago I almost bought a Kawasaki Z125. I did a lot of research online comparing the Honda Grom to the Z125 and decided the Z125 to be a better fit for me. I offered the dealer $3,200 cash (which I had in my hand), he countered at $3,700, I countered at $3,400, he countered at $3,600 and I walked away. I am glad I didn't buy it because I've owned two motorcycles in the past (2002 Kawasaki ZX-6R, and a 2000 Yamaha YZF-R1). Both bikes were awesome and tons of fun! But, as i remember very clearly, tires don't last very long (just a few thousand miles) and they're expensive, chains require constant maintenance (plus the chain tension), not to mention a laundry list of things on the bike that require on going attention/maintenance.

Motorcycles aren't as care free as the automobile. I drive all my cars (past and present) like an old lady. (nothing but oil changes, tire rotations, and the occasional fluid top off). Conversely, i'm not going to sit here and try to defend my position on building an eBike (over buying a motorcycle), because eBikes require ongoing maintenance too.


5/28 update:
I returned the yoga mat. I am going to keep looking around for an EVA foam 7, 8, or 10mm thick mat. (i'd like to find it locally so I can compare them in person).

I bought a few more things online.
2x ($19.90) 8 GAUGE COPPER #10 RING 25 PK CRIMP TERMINAL CONNECTOR AWG GA CAR EYE CUR810
2x ($71.92) Continental E Contact Tire 700 x 42

I am not able to use the knobby 29r mountain bike tires because they won't seat themselves on the 700c wheel, (the bead is 2-3mm in diameter too big). I haven't read/heard much in he way of consumer feedback on the Continental E Contact tires which are eBike specific. I am hoping that they are a harder compound tire that'll last me 10,000-15,000 miles.

In a previous post I said I'd have the bike complete in the next week or two... I am taking my time because I want to do it right, plus I don't want to see a massive amount of cash just disappear from my bank account while working on this project. Each weekend I allocate $100-$150 to spend on parts. Slowly and surely it's getting there.

[TexasElectric]

A little more info...

I am curious to know how much this whole thing will weigh when complete. So I've started to weigh various components. I zero'd out the scale before I weighed each item.




















Bicycle frame (and fork): 21lb 6.3oz
Rear bike rack: 1lb 10oz
Hub motor and rim: 294.7oz
1 'pack' pf parallel cells: 1lb 9.9oz (x16 'packs' = 25.9lb)
Black heat shrink: 3.8oz
20ft 8 AWG wire: 1lb 5.7oz
Nickel strips: 3.6oz
Motor controller: 1lb 4.5oz
2x torque arms: 7.3oz
Battery charger: 2lb 1.2oz
Twist grip throttle: 9.2oz (i'm splitting the difference between 9.1oz an 9.3oz)
Cable management: 1.4oz
eBike screen: 8.2oz
BMS: 3oz
Rear bike bag: 1lb 13.3oz
Scott Motocross goggles: 3.8oz
Joe Rocket gloves: 4oz
Motocross helmet: 3lb 5.9oz

Grant total weight (so far): 80lbs <--exactly!

I'm missing the weight from:
- 1x rear brake disc
- 2x Continental E Contact Tires
- Front rim (and brake disc)
- Wooden battery box
- Air pump
- Spare inner tubes

Maybe closer to 90lbs when complete? We'll see...

Plus... "I" the rider weigh 147lbs, and I will normally carry a 5lb(ish) backpack.

235lbs moving down the road when all said and done... ?

[sendler]

Originally Posted by TexasElectric

I am glad I didn't buy it because I've owned two motorcycles in the past (2002 Kawasaki ZX-6R, and a 2000 Yamaha YZF-R1). Both bikes were awesome and tons of fun! But, as i remember very clearly, tires don't last very long (just a few thousand miles) and they're expensive, chains require constant maintenance (plus the chain tension), not to mention a laundry list of things on the bike that require on going attention/maintenance.
.

Supersport bikes eat supersport tires. The 300 class world motorcycles are much easier on the commuter tires that they come with. The rear IRC tire on my CBR250R went 15,000 miles. The second IRC went 16,000. I changed the original front at 31,000 with the second rear also. It wasn't bald but was getting choppy on the edges. And I wanted to try the Michelin Street's that came off my R3 to see if they would improve the fuel economy. They gave me another 10% mpg and put me up to 113 mpgUS all through the hot summer last year. My PCX150 gets 10,000 out of a rear tire and the front is still on at 21,000 miles.

[TexasElectric]

sendler

How is it that your Honda CBR250R gets 110.31 mpg, but your other 250-300cc bikes get only half?

Honda CBR250R - 110.31 mpg
Ninja 250R SE Green - 65.9 mpg
2015 Yamaha R3 - 79.52 mpg

Are you getting 110.31mpg average at highway speeds (60-70mph)?

That's really cool that you are able to get 31,000 miles out of your front tire. I know that motorcycle tires can be (less expensive) than I was hinting at earlier, (depends on the size/type of tire). Plus I understand that "super sports bikes" have more torque/power and have the capability of chewing through tires faster.

My first bike was the 2002 Kawasaki ZX-6R. That was my very first motorized two wheeled machine. I guess I was what people call a "squid", 18 years old, new to motorcycles, and riding a high powered bike. I had a few scares/interesting moments on the bike. On two or three occasions when i hadn't anticipated the amount of acceleration the bike would give me from a stop, the bike would almost throw me off the back (i'm trying to hang on to the throttle to keep myself upright, but the bike is rocketing forward and throwing me off the back), thankfully i'd accelerate to no faster than 20-30mph by the time i'd have the bike under control again.

When I upgraded to the 2000 Yamaha R1 (one year after buying the ZX-6R), it felt like riding my 600cc (weight wise) but with a TON more power. The R1 would do wheelies just from a hard acceleration, no need to play with the clutch. (I didn't do wheelies intentionally, I don't know how), but I had a few instances where I'd open up the bike down a straight away and during acceleration (by accident) I'd jerk the handle bars 15-20 degrees. Only afterwards I'd realize that the front wheel had to be off the ground.


image hosting com


upload full resolution photos

It's kind of funny, I bought both bikes for $3,500 (each) and both had less than 3,000 miles on them. At the time they were 3, and 5 year old bikes. You'd be VERY hard pressed to find those prices and mileage today. Maybe I just got lucky?

I miss the bikes... But as I have gotten older (currently 31 years old), I realize saving/investing/planning for early retirement is more important to me.

[sendler]

Originally Posted by TexasElectric

How is it that your Honda CBR250R gets 110.31 mpg, but your other 250-300cc bikes get only half?

Honda CBR250R - 110.31 mpg
Ninja 250R SE Green - 65.9 mpg
2015 Yamaha R3 - 79.52 mpg

Are you getting 110.31mpg average at highway speeds (60-70mph)?

My fuel logs show reports tht are heavily weighted toward my commute since that is where the majority of my mileage is. Which is city streets at 35 mph with stop signs for the first leg from my house, 80% superhighway at 68mph with following and PnG, and 45mph wide boulevard with a few stop lights and traffic for the last 10%.
.
The Honda world bikes are more fuel efficient because that is where the design emphasis was. As opposed to most other bikes being designed for max performance with high revving cams and short intakes. The CBR250R has a long intake runner and is cammed to give the torque peak at 5,700. And singles are more efficient than twins. Less heat loss in the combustion chamber.
.
And I did change the gearing. 60 mph is 5,700 rpm.
.
The '09 Ninja250 is carbureted and has a 13,000 redline.
.
The R3 was a pleasant surprise. I was in the 80's mpgUS with that bike until I changed the tires and lost 10%. It would benefit from much longer gearing and a bigger windscreen.

[Grant-53]

An electric motor can provide the torque for stop and go riding. An aero package will help with speed and range.

[TexasElectric]

Grant-53

That looks cool, like a time trial bike except the rider is aerodynamically protected from the wind.



6/2 Update,

I bought a 60w soldering iron earlier this week (and flux, and lead free solder). I watched a TON of YouTube videos of people giving their opinion about soldering vs spot welding. I decided to do a test soldering on one of the cells. Because of the "higher" power soldering iron I was able to very quickly apply the solder to the cell without heating it up too much. I estimate the cell temperature (specifically the negative side) got up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit at most. I was able to touch the soldered spot within a few seconds after soldering the wire to the cell.

I tried soldering the nickel strip, but that failed miserably, so copper it is!

I think having a larger cell '32650' vs '18650' allows the heat to disperse more efficiently.

I am going to buy 10AWG solid wire to solder to the cells, (I was testing 14 AWG in the picture).

I would need to apply a little more solder, but I was able to apply quite a bit of force trying to pull the wire off before it finally came off.