OwnerFrank Weyer
LocationHollywood, California United States map
Vehicle1993 Suzuki Katana 750
1993 Suzuki Katana converted to EV using 15KW DC
motor mounted on extended swing arm.
MotorPerm Motor Perm 132 Permanent Magnet DC
I originally used an Etek pancake motor. The
stator failed after 1500 miles. Same thing
happened to a second motor after another 1500
miles. Possible cause of failures is the
mounting location on the swingarm, which
subjects the motor to a lot of movement.
Changed to the MARS ME0909 brushed motor,
which failed after 1000 miles. Next tried a
MARS/ETEK brushless DC motor, which failed
after slightly more than 450 miles, with a
lot
of smoke. I now think overheating is the
problem. Have changed to a Mars ME1004 with
an external 48V fan that is keeping the motor
much cooler. Brush holder failed after 4000
miles, ruining commuator. Switched to Perm
132 motor. Improved power, awesome motor.
DrivetrainUpdated to Mars ME1004 brush motor with added
external 48V cooling fan.
ControllerCurtis 1209B
After using a Curtis 1204 controller for 5000
miles, upgraded to a Curtis 1209B 48-72V
controller, which gave an instant boost to
acceleration (400A limit instead of 200A in
the 1204) and upped the top speed to 60 mph.
Also allows upgrade from 48V to 72V motor.
BatteriesZero Motorcycles 4.4 KwH Battery Pack, 48.00 Volt, Lithium-Ion
Upgraded to Li Fe PO4 batteries at 1250 miles
(original lead acid batteries had lost nearly
50% capacity by then). Added additional 4
batteries in Oct. 2010 for total of 12
(twelve) 12.8V 20AH batteries, approx. 3KwH
total. After over 5000 miles capacity
started
dropping. Bought a 4.4 KwH battery pack from
Zero Motorcycles. Instant upgrade in
performance (top speed 65+ mph) and range (35
miles +)!! An excellent product.
System Voltage48 Volts
ChargerDelta-Q Technologies Quik 48V
Top Speed65 MPH (104 KPH)
Range25 Miles (40 Kilometers)
Haven't run the batteries all the way down, but
I have gone 30 miles without running out of
juice.
Watt Hours/Mile110 Wh/Mile
This is what I am averaging in my real world
daily commute through stop and go city driving
with speeds up to 60 mph.
EV Miles
Current:9,876 Miles (15,890 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Conversion Time40 hours
Conversion Cost$1500 (+$1200 for Lithium battery upgrade)
(+$600
for add'l Lithium batteries)(+$1500 for
replacement motors)(+$350 for controller
upgrade
to Curtis 1209B)(+$2500 for Zero Motorcycles
4.4
KwH Battery Pack)
My actual all electric mileage is 11,454 as of Aug 24, 2017. There
is a bug in the website, though, that doesn't allow the mileage to go
over 9999.

code by jerry