10/21/14
OwnerRich
LocationAustin, Texas United States map
Vehicle1994 Kawasaki KE100
My first motorcycle conversion after doing
over 15 ebike conversions. Still a work in
progress. It hauls my wife and I pretty
well, though it's a small bike.
MotorPerm Motor 132 Permanent Magnet DC
This came off an old Zero motorcycle I
believe. Works well. Very quiet and smooth (I
guess that's the benefits of brushed motors).
Drivetrain420 chain 16:56 ratio
ControllerKelly
600 amp older model. It works, but has
it's quirks. Such as when I roll back on
the throttle I get a touch of regen. And of
course how Kelly controllers ramp up current
with speed. You can't get full power until at
least
>70% of max speed. So takeoffs are weak,
relatively. I now have it set to 60%, which
would be 360a peak, and I'm pretty happy with
my takeoffs now. I still haven't seen more
than 263a peak yet because I don't ride much
above 50mph.
Batteries18, 68.00 Volt, Lithium-Ion
2p18s Nissan Leaf cells. 3.7kwh. Total weight
with battery rack is 82lbs. I am quite happy
with this pack, they are staying very well
balanced.
System Voltage68 Volts
Charger
Meanwell power supplies in series 3 x 25v for
75v and they output 14amps.
I almost always solar charge with my homebuilt
panels which are 110v .8amp. When it's sunny I
get about 500wh/day.
DC/DC Converter
Generic Chinese cheapie. 90v max, 10a max.
InstrumentationCycle Analyst v 2.1 upgraded to high
current
Top Speed63 MPH (101 KPH)
limited by my current gearing of 16-56. It has
no problem getting there quickly. I rarely go
that fast though, since I avoid such higher
speed roads. It's just so windy and loud.
AccelerationPretty good now that I have the amps set to
60% or 300. In reality I hit 242a, but only at
high speed. Thanks Kelly
controller for your restricted amps at low
speed. It's no slouch now. Quite fun. I won't
gear it higher as I avoid highways due to high
power consumption.
Range70 Miles (112 Kilometers)
Watt Hours/Mile50 Wh/Mile
It seems 50wh/mile is the most common figure I
see. It was 65-70wh/mile before my new homebuilt
fairing which has clearly made a big
improvement.
EV Miles
Current:1,250 Miles (2,011 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity2 adults
Curb Weight230 Pounds (104 Kilograms)
About 40lbs more than stock, but has loads more
power now with the Leaf modules.
TiresFront is 17x2.75 Shinko street tire. Rear is a a
Shinko 80/90-17. I will move up a size when it
comes time for a new one.
Conversion TimeA lot of hours. Over a year. So much time
spent reconfiguring, setting up drivetrain,
battery placement. Still not done, but chipping
away slowly.
Conversion CostAbout $2000. 1200 being the battery
Additional FeaturesI built a rear bike rack for it - such as "2x2" has done. Works
great, installs in a minute with 3 wing nuts. Solid. Now I can go
mtb'ing without using a car. I've used it to haul odd things too,
such as bicycle kid trailers, a large window, large tools. Utility is
important to me. I don't own a car myself, and believe in more than
one use for a vehicle.
I would like to make a dustbin fairing for it. I think there is a
lot of improvement in efficiency to be had with fairings. I feel
like I'm a parachute when above 40mph.
4/20/15 update - I tore the whole thing down and reconfigured the
battery, motor and controller placement. More pics and update to
follow soon.
5/17/15 - Added pics of the new motor and battery configuration,
and shabby front fairing. Replaced the turn signals to cheap
incandescent bulb instead of cheap LED (much brighter now). Swing-
arm motor works good, less noise, slightly less good over bumps,
but not a problem since I don't off road. The space I gained was
HUGE.
7/27/15 update: I swapped the fork tubes for a TTR125 set, with a
YZ85 front wheel and disc brake. This has made a huge improvement
to the bike. I can stop quickly now, and the shocks act much
better (though still soft). Currently no fairing. I will rebuild a
better one soon.
6/12/16 Update: new front fairing made from coroplast built around
a new front rack made of plywood and bike handlebars/rims. I used
a GSXR headlight. I need to redo the top to make it enclose me
more, it has a lot of room for improvement. I get a lot of
comments, mostly positive. I didn't build it for looks. I built it
for efficiency and almost 0 cost. It easily saves me 1000watts at
50mph. That's a lot of waste due to no fairing. Lately I'm doing
food deliveries with it, so range is important when working all
day.
2018 update: This project is gone as I sold off the battery and
then the bike because I simply didn't need it. I prefer using my
ebicycle (which can go 38mph if needed) and ride in bike lanes
cruising at lower speeds. With a motorcycle you are always stuck
in traffic, sucking down fumes. Plus the ebike is more efficient
and I'm an efficiency nerd.

code by jerry