Hi guys,
Thanks for the advice. Some follow up questions..
1) Why is it so important to get a bike that hasn't been thrashed?
As I understand it the only parts that will be kept are the frame,
swing arm, fork, wheels and brakes. Everything else pretty much gets
tossed. (signals and such not withstanding) Assuming that the forks
and frame haven't taken any major damage is there really that big a
concern over it being thrashed? Obviously the cost of a thrashed
bike make them appealing, but I'm trying to understand what the main
concerns are.
2) The reason I saw states that a 1L bike, specifically a CBR would
make a good base is that it has an aluminum frame and swing arm, so
is on the lighter end of things, but still has lots of room for
batteries. That's what drew my attention towards this particular
bike. Anybody know of a good source of naked frame (and swing arm?)
weights for various bikes and years?
3) As stated I'm hoping to build a 48V bike using Lithium Ion packs
from Thunder Sky. If I understand things correctly, building a 48V /
240A system would weigh approximately 211 lbs (using 16 cells) I
like the idea of these batteries as it seems the smaller shape would
lead to more flexibility in their placement within the frame.
Comments? Are these numbers way off? One question is what amperage
most people are running on their packs and whether a 48V system such
as this would be enough to meet my goals of ~10-20 miles with up to
50mph.
-Nic
On Jul 10, 2007, at 9:10 PM, Jeff Blamey wrote:
I agree, get the most complete functional bike you can find. 250cc
to 750cc will probably net you a lighter bike, and less weight to
move around is key. If you have to do frame mods to mount
batteries, motor, etc. and that requires welding, then you better
have access to a tig welder or someone with one. Lightweight square
or round tubing in a perimeter frame may be a better deal (mine was
square lightweight, easy to weld). If you can get a bike with
decent tires and brakes, what a deal! Keep in mind you are using
15-20 horsepower to move mass, a lot easier task to move a bike
that weighs 350 lbs than one of 650 lbs. My batteries (55AH AGMs)
weighed 38 lbs. each x 6 is 228lbs. add in 22 lbs for the motor,
3-4 for the controller, then the charger(s), the weight of the
battery holders/frame/box, cables... you get the point. If the
batteries you are using are 60 lbs x 6 thats 360 lbs, man that is
starting to be a lot of mass, and physically getting to be large
and hard to package easily. You do want it to look like it was
designed not thrown together? TRY not to change the geometry of the
frame, okay enuf already...
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: john fisher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Jul 10, 2007 8:41 PM
To: ElectricMotorcycles <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ElectricMotorcycles] Newbie - Donor Bike Advice
advice:
stay away from beaters. this bike sounds like its thrashed. Better
to get something in good running condition and sell
the motor on ebay.
just my 2 cents
John
