BeforePartsSolar Charged CommuterAdded Rubbermaid enclosure and Milk Crat
OwnerMatt Chamberlain
Owner's Other EVs1974 Triumph TR-6
Craftsman 19 inch 48v Push Mower
2012 Nissan Leaf SuperBlack
LocationDayton, Ohio United States map
Email email image
Vehicle1987 Suzuki SP 200
Slower than a slow thing 4 stroke becomes
an electric daily commuter and can still
go to dirt bike parks :-)
MotorBriggs and Stratton ETEK Clone - update - replaced with ME0708 ETEK-R Permanent Magnet DC
10HP Magna Motor Permanent Magnet DC
10HP Continuous - 15HP Peak Permanent
magnet ETEK type Brushed motor
update -
The Etek warped and has been replaced
with a beautiful ME0708 ETEK-R from
marselectricllc.com
Drivetrain48v AGM "Werker" Batteries Plus 33AH Deep
Cycle U1 size batteries through an Alltrax
4844 to a "Magna Motor" - reworked Briggs
and Stratton ETEK Brushed motor
ControllerAlltrax AXE-4844
Programmable 400AMP controller
Batteries4 Werker WKDC12-33J, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
U1 Lawn tractor form factor - fits with a
millimeter to spare
System Voltage48 Volts
Charger Mastec
Mastec 10A and unknown brand 2A onboard
chargers
Heaternope
DC/DC Converter unknown
I get 11.9 V out of it - and it is working
very well.
InstrumentationStock
Top Speed50 MPH (80 KPH)
It seems I got the gearing perfect at 10
front and 45 Rear
Accelerationbetter than the 200cc 4stroke that it had
before :-)
Range12 Miles (19 Kilometers)
My mileage has been varying - hope to get
15 or so as I get better at charging the
batteries fully
Watt Hours/MileI will update this field when I hook up my
serial interface and do some logging.
EV Miles
Start:8,823 Miles (14,196 Kilometers)
Current:12,365 Miles (19,895 Kilometers)
Total:3,542 Miles (5,699 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight250 Pounds (113 Kilograms)
20 lbs more than stock and just 10 lbs
more than me :-)
TiresKenda K-270 front
Cheng Shin 858 Rear
Conversion Time19 days
Conversion Cost1350 ish dollars
Additional FeaturesI've got 90 Watts of solar on the roof and am charging
marine batteries with a couple Harbor Freight specials - I'm
charging the bike off of those batteries. I found that I
must supplement the Ohio sunlight with power from the grid
to get fully charged - that means that I'm still
contributing to burning fossil fuels. I plan to at least
triple my solar setup this year and then I'll achieve
infinate MPG :-)
Tried to keep it light and spartan - like it was
originally.

I went with a 10 tooth front sprocket and stock 45 tooth
rear.

Since I had just bought a new rear sprocket and chain
before this project, I balked at switching over to an
ANSI #50 sprocket and chain setup which the 7/8 keyed
shaft of the Etek motor wanted. My brother turned down a
#50 10- tooth sprocket to be .227ish wide to fit into the
1/4 wide links in the existing stock 520 chain and it
works great.

I have replaced the motor with an awesome awesome ME0708
ETEK-R from marselectricllc.com

I now charge with solar on both ends of my commute and do
not have to plug into the grid (except when it is cloudy
- ordering a Killowatt solder it yourself kit to remedy
that) On the bike now, I have a Chinese 12v to 24v
adapter that has been hacked to put out 53 volts. I have
been trying different small panels and am successfully
using 2 x 5Watters from Harbor Freight (they actually put
out a little more than 5 W each)

Since the OIL SPILL, people have been taking notice of
the bike (eith that, or they have been tripping over the
solar panels) and I regularly receive accolades and even
an award at work for being so Green :-) I think this is
the tip of the iceburg - I think as Gearheads get green
and demand performance from their creations, give big oil
the finger, and show off, then everyone will demand to be
able to buy it - there are many examples of that
happening in history. (ie. Geeks building computers -
now everyone has to have a fast computer.)

The Speedo Cable Broke today just as it was about to turn
10,000 miles! Doggone it - I was all set to stop the bike
and run around it to celebrate!

New tires at 12350 miles - Golden boys - good rolling
resistance.

8/7/2012 Update - Electrical failure - All onboard 12
volt power was lost. Traced it back to half the stock
Ignition switch. I rewired so that that circuit (onboard
converter) is always energized, and comes on with the
diode-protected ignition to the contactor, then motor
controller - so, 48 volts off of the Altrax controller
positive after the contactor. I should have put a diode
on that circuit to the 48 - 12 v converter as it gives a
healthy spark when connected and disconnected, and that
probably killed the switch. Oh, Well... Live and Learn!
:-)

Update. Thinking of buying a zero enduro. May dismantle this bike and sell it as ice. I saved all the parts. That means I may have 2 alltrax controllers on the tradin' post soon.

code by jerry