Hello people. I've been interested in EV's for some time, and I've got a classic car that I've wanted to turn into an EV for a decade or so. However, before I spend the money on that I'd like to get my feet wet with an old motorcycle I've got first.
When it comes to motorcycles, I'm more of a cruiser guy. I've seen a few off road and sport bikes, but I'd love to get on an electric cruiser. To that end, I've got a 1979 Honda Goldwing Gl1000. This was part of what were known as the naked goldwings because it was before they came with all the saddlebags and fairings. I think this bike would be perfect as an EV as well because the traditional motorcycle "gas tank" on this bike is actually a storage area made of 3 different compartments. This would be perfect for protecting controllers and electronics. The bike its self is shaft driven. This brings me to the first of a few possibilities. Would there be an affordable motor that could direct drive the shaft its-self? One that would be able to handle a gear reduction ratio of 3:1 and provide enough rpm's to get up to 80mph (130kph) for sustained distances?
Goals:
100 mile freeway range
80 mph drive speed
Would be great if it could charge at a lvl 2 charger
Build thoughts:
The curb weight for this motorcycle is about 600lbs before rider. This isn't a light weight peppy bike. But it also doesn't need to be super torqued on the low end. The motor will likely need to be liquid cooled to maintain speeds like that.
Motor and Controllers:
My first thought would be maybe a club cart motor and controller for this. They usually run at a 12:1 gear reduction but I need much more research and any additional thoughts or ideas would be super appreciated. I had considered the 14kwh Qsmotor hub motor, but it's about $2500 before tariffs kick in and I'd like to keep this first build more budget friendly as I have another project after it.
Batteries:
I know that lithium ion cells are the most energy dense at the moment, but I'm put off by the cost and the low number of cycles available per cell. I'm leaning towards lifepo4 packs for this. I know they take up almost twice the space for the energy density, but they cycle so many more times, and frankly the more stable chemistry is less off-putting as well. This bike has TONS of space for batteries and I can add saddlebags as well to get any thing extra that may be needed.
Me: I'm a "mature" full time college student and father of a 4 year old. So this build is going to be done slowly over time, but I'd like to at least plan out the build so I can keep my eyes open for deals and bargains that would advance it as time goes by.
When it comes to motorcycles, I'm more of a cruiser guy. I've seen a few off road and sport bikes, but I'd love to get on an electric cruiser. To that end, I've got a 1979 Honda Goldwing Gl1000. This was part of what were known as the naked goldwings because it was before they came with all the saddlebags and fairings. I think this bike would be perfect as an EV as well because the traditional motorcycle "gas tank" on this bike is actually a storage area made of 3 different compartments. This would be perfect for protecting controllers and electronics. The bike its self is shaft driven. This brings me to the first of a few possibilities. Would there be an affordable motor that could direct drive the shaft its-self? One that would be able to handle a gear reduction ratio of 3:1 and provide enough rpm's to get up to 80mph (130kph) for sustained distances?
Goals:
100 mile freeway range
80 mph drive speed
Would be great if it could charge at a lvl 2 charger
Build thoughts:
The curb weight for this motorcycle is about 600lbs before rider. This isn't a light weight peppy bike. But it also doesn't need to be super torqued on the low end. The motor will likely need to be liquid cooled to maintain speeds like that.
Motor and Controllers:
My first thought would be maybe a club cart motor and controller for this. They usually run at a 12:1 gear reduction but I need much more research and any additional thoughts or ideas would be super appreciated. I had considered the 14kwh Qsmotor hub motor, but it's about $2500 before tariffs kick in and I'd like to keep this first build more budget friendly as I have another project after it.
Batteries:
I know that lithium ion cells are the most energy dense at the moment, but I'm put off by the cost and the low number of cycles available per cell. I'm leaning towards lifepo4 packs for this. I know they take up almost twice the space for the energy density, but they cycle so many more times, and frankly the more stable chemistry is less off-putting as well. This bike has TONS of space for batteries and I can add saddlebags as well to get any thing extra that may be needed.
Me: I'm a "mature" full time college student and father of a 4 year old. So this build is going to be done slowly over time, but I'd like to at least plan out the build so I can keep my eyes open for deals and bargains that would advance it as time goes by.