Jeff,
I've done the math. It's going to be heavy. Heavier than your
estimate. And don't forget that shaft drives are less efficient than
chains or belts, so there goes some more lost energy. I'm building it
for fun because I like to do this sort of thing, not to win races. This
is a commuter, and I wanted something big and comfortable enough for two
people. Plus, there is a huge amount of space inside the frame, so I
don't have to work so hard to fit in all the innards. I can lift the
bike without the engine, so it can't be that heavy, or maybe I'm strong
enough to handle a large bike. Either way, it should be alright for our
needs. If not, it's a good excuse to build another ;-)
Seth
Jeffrey Blamey wrote:
Seth: I don't want to burst your bubble but 601 lbs dry is good bit of
weight to move around (they used 78HP of torquey 4 cyclinder). It's
what you have though. You are moving a couple of hundred extra pounds
around in your bike. That weight (mass) carries a severe penalty:
speed, range, and stopping.
601 lbs, then remove the ICE components, then add in the starter/gen
(which is what? 75 lbs) and batteries with enough AH to give you the
range you need, and keep in mind you need two passenger weight to be
added/moved around, and before you know it you have a bike of 700 lbs
carrying 250 lbs of load. That is what you have.
Just ask Garrett Maki, his first bike conversion was an 1100 with a
series wound motor, and it was a beast (I think he had another word
for it). His second full conversion is a svelte 750 conversion with an
ETEK and NiCad batteries, nimble, decent acceleration.
Again I stand by my recommendation, the lightest bike to start with
will net you a benefit of longer range or higher speed.
The majority of the builders here would say to a newbie to bypass the
1000cc+ bikes.
Cheers, Jeff
On Jan 25, 2008 3:03 PM, Seth A. Keel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Michael,
I'm working on getting one going. It's a '75 GL1000 and it is by means
TOO big. It's not small either. The bike without ICE components is
actually reasonably light. I picked up a starter/generator shunt wound
motor that cranks out 18hp continuous and it should be plenty powerful.
My girlfriend and I commute together, so we're going to need the extra
horses for two riders on the heavier Wing. I was planning on having two
PMs like Dale suggested, but this motor turned up first.
The main issue is with the final drive. I'm planning on needing to put
some kind of reduction between the motor and drive shaft. I was hoping
to get a CVT worked out, but now I'm leaning towards a fixed ratio belt
drive.
The EV album page is several months out of date, but it's got some shots
of the bike.
http://www.evalbum.com/preview.php?vid=1282
Seth
michael wrote:
So, has anyone ever done a gold wing? Or is that just TOO big of a bike?
Michael
