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How to build a 96-Volt Electric Motorcycle

by Kentucky-bum on June 24, 2008 Table of Contents How to build a 96-Volt Electric Motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: How to build a 96-Volt Electric Motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: First, find a donor bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Strip it and start finding spots for everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Connecting the Motor to the Drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Where to put those batteries! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: Putting on the DC/DC converter & Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 6: Where to hang the Charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 7: Last step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 8: A snazzy paint job & we are done! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 7

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Author:Kentucky-bum
A jack of all trades and a master of many; I am the Sr R&D Engineer and Manager of R&D for a very large company. I can truly say 'been there, done that', but I can also admit I can never stop learning something new. An eternal optimist, I keep hoping that the good guys will win someday.

Intro: How to build a 96-Volt Electric Motorcycle

Like many others I decided to quit waiting for a decent electric road bike at a reasonable price, so I built one out of a spare bike I bought off eBay for about $700. I based mine on a '82 Yamaha turbo because 1) I have the ICE version (hence the spare), 2) I like that it is fully faired so it looks 'normal' and 3) it's a shaft drive and one of my main goal was to make it as maintenance free as possible. Shaft drives weigh a lot more and are not as efficient as chain drives, but they are maintenance free. Here is a picture of the finished product. Like Stryker (who built the 72 volt version) I live close to work so distance was not an issue, but speed and performance were, as I have over 3 miles of a rather steep curvy road to go home on. One big thing to consider when doing this is the finished product. Like Stryker I am using AGM sealed lead-acid batteries because of convenience. But since I like the final product so much my goal has always been to upgrade it to some Li-Ion or Ni-MHyd batteries as soon as the become commercially available. It would shave 100 lbs off and give me twice the range, so it's an investment worth making.

Step 1: First, find a donor bike

I have an 1982 Yamaha Turbo. It looks like this. I also had a spare-parts bike (that I bought off eBay for ~$700). It was, for the most part, complete but in pieces. I decided that I was probably not going to use the spare-parts bike for anything so I stripped it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Step 2: Strip it and start finding spots for everything

This is what it looks like gutted. I placed the motor in first and located the controller (the electronic carb for the motor). I am using 12-volt, maintenance-free wheelchair batteries; less range but more charges (& maintenance free). I stuck one of the batteries where the original 12-volt battery would normally go. It is an Advance DC 6.7" 72 volt DC motor (You can run a 72-volt DC motor at 96 volts, you just have to be careful in your rpm-ratio calculations not to over speed it!) I used a Curtis 72 to 120 VDC, 300 amp Controller (36,000 watts of power available)

Image Notes 1. One of the traction batteries went were the original 12-volt starter battery was 2. I hung the controller on some brackets here.

Step 3: Connecting the Motor to the Drive shaft

Since the 1982 Turbo is a shaft drive, I had to put a jackshaft and belt drive to turn the drive shaft already on the bike. You really should use a conventional chain-driven bike for conversion. The motor goes in sideways and the drive sprocket just goes right on the motor shaft; much easier (but I already had this bike). Since the drive-shaft to rear wheel was about 2.8:1 ration, I used a 2:1 ratio on the jack-shaft to get an overall ratio of ~6:1. This ratio will be good for mid range power and overall speed, but DC motors have such high-torque at the low end, it will be a bit overpowering for the drive shaft. I turned the controller down to min current and min acceleration. The only "engineering" part is figuring out where to attach all of the brackets & supports for all of the other components; I used only existing holes on the frame already. It's strictly trial & error.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Step 4: Where to put those batteries!

4 of the 8 batteries went on the sides (replaced the mufflers). I hung them with Uni-Strut channels from where the old side-handles used to be). I'm starting off with the cheapest sealed AGMA lead-acid batteries I could buy. If I like the results I will upgrade them to some high-end lead-acid batteries. When the price is right I'll go NiMh or Li-Io.

Step 5: Putting on the DC/DC converter & Throttle

The rest of the batteries were put on some aluminum angles located above the motor. The DC/DC converter hangs on those angles too. (The DC/DC converter takes the 96 volts used for traction and converts it to 13 volts to run the lights & such. It is the '12 volt' battery for the bike). I just wired the output of the converter to the Main fuse on the fuse box. The motorcycle's twist grip moves a 0 - 5000 ohm pot-box that tells the controller how fast you want to go & how hard you want to accelerate. It behaves just like a normal throttle.

Image Notes 1. DC/DC converter 2. 0-5000 ohm pot-box

Step 6: Where to hang the Charger

The charger is designed to be mounted on-board and runs on 110 volts AC (household current). You can get them to run on 220, (and it would charge in 3 hours instead of 6) but it makes it hard to find a place to plug in if you want to 'opportunity charge' at work (or at someone else's house!).

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Image Notes 1. This is the Zivan NG-1 Charger

Step 7: Last step

The only other 'major' component is the Main Contactor. It's an electronic 'throw-switch' that connects all of that battery power to the Controller. It is key-switch activated and runs on 12 volts. (I wired it into the Ignition fuse.) I also have it wired in series with the kickstand switch so that after you turn the key-switch you can only drive away with the kickstand up.

Image Notes 1. 12-volt coiled Main Contactor 2. Kick-stand Switch

Step 8: A snazzy paint job & we are done!

After the snazzy paint job I covered the two sets of saddlebag batteries with half of an ABS tub that Vicki & I found at Lowe's. (Improvising being the key word here!) I put an 'Emergency' Disconnect up on the fairing (just in case something shorted out). It's the bright red knob below the left handle bar grip. I also put a 'Charging Complete' light on the fairing under the throttle grip. It took me about 2 months of spare time to put it together (and I live on a farm so there is not a lot of spare time available). (Who needs TV anyway? It's over rated!) Anyhoo, here are the 'specs': -70mph top speed -15-20 miles range (I don't baby it at all, so I usually see 15 miles/charge) -Single speed (including the wheels there are only 6 moving parts) -Cost to charge: 15 cents -Can out-accelerate most 4-cyl cars. -Maintenance: Check the pressure or change the tires every few years. -Fun Factor: Off the gage.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Related Instructables

How to build a 72Volt electric motorcycle by Stryker

How to prevent thefts steal your motorcycle for less than US$ 2 by Shadow Brujah

Gomi Style Electric Motorcycle Conversion

Regulated speed on the '85 Interceptor (video) by Akoi Meexx

Motorcycle Maintenance Customised (video) by motorcycle WhatHappensNowAdvice satnav mount by trick cyclist

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

(video) by sparkyrust

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 349 comments
Nov 9, 2010. 3:51 AM REPLY

georgeshtc says:
hello again mate, just another question about the ev conversion, motor start and run capacitors are they not required for your conversion? as you have not included that in your list..

Kentucky-bum says:

Nov 9, 2010. 5:44 AM REPLY You only need a motor starter/capacitors if you use a single-phase AC motor. DC motors and 3-phase AC motors do not require motor starters. However, a single-phace AC motor will also need an DC/AC inverter (to convert the DC power of the batteries to AC power) and a 3-phase motor does need a motor control inverter (to have variable speed control). Long story short: Use a DC motor and you don't need those things; you only need a DC motor controller.

li789 says:
what happens when you drive it say thru a puddle? would it shorten out?

Mar 4, 2011. 2:46 PM REPLY

imfat234 says:
is rain a problem with shorting crap out?

Feb 27, 2011. 8:05 AM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:
I didn't not make it 'rain proof'. It is strictly a 'fair weather' ride.

Mar 1, 2011. 6:14 AM REPLY

luckadoo42 says:
Would a couple of 12v electric fence batteries work?

Feb 1, 2011. 4:29 PM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Feb 4, 2011. 6:13 AM REPLY Yep, but if you mean by "a couple" you really mean 8 then you can get away with it. I can't tell you what kind of range you will have; it will all be based on the AmpHr capacity of the batteries.

luckadoo42 says:
Just one more thing i cant figure out: what is an AmpHr?

Feb 6, 2011. 8:21 AM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Feb 7, 2011. 7:36 AM REPLY AmpHr is the rating each battery has for how much amperage it can deliver non-stop for a measured amount of time. Starter batteries, the kind you find in most cars, can deliver a lot of amps in a hurry to start the car (we call this Cold-cranking-amps) but cannot deliver them for very long. A Marine (or RV) battery may not beable to deliver as much power instantly but can hold a much larger charge and deliver power for a much longer time. This type of battery usually weighs considerably more than a starter battery of the same physical size and voltage. The bottom line: the more AmpHr rating, the further you can go.

ScubaSteve says:
What was the capacity of the batteries you are using?

Jan 21, 2011. 9:18 PM REPLY

erfquake says:

Dec 12, 2010. 7:27 PM REPLY Kentucky-bum, that cycle's great! Fine job! I've been looking for an upright design like this instead of all the crotch rockets on the market. (bad back, too) The Vectrix is all I can find these days, but lacks the nobility of this beast. Nov 29, 2010. 7:41 PM REPLY Did I miss something, or is this bike capable of shifting gears? and if not, is there an easy of making it able to shift gears? Where I live, we have a lot of hills, and I wouldn't want to compromise torque for speed, or vice versa.

qwertyman10 says:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

JAYDAWG40 says:
so how much did you spend on the bike total not including the cost of the bike it self

Jul 22, 2010. 3:38 PM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Jul 23, 2010. 5:35 AM REPLY Jay, I didn't spend much as I had a lot of the components laying around. Google search "EV conversion kits" and you will come up with a number of complete kits (sans bike) for between $1500 and $2500. Most kits are based on the voltage you want to run, but don't include the batteries. To replace the lead-acid batteries in my bike with LiFePo (1/2 the weight and twice the range) will cost me $2,700 (BMS and all).

menahunie says:

Nov 28, 2010. 11:19 PM REPLY Yes I have seen the kits also. I am trying to figure out how to assemble a bike that has 35 mile range and can go at highway speeds. The batteries and cost is the big issue. The thing that burns me is the EV-95 battery isn't being allowed to be manufactured by Chevron who bought the rights from General Motors and who bought the rights from the inventor - THIS ALL TOOK PLACE OVER A NUMBER OF WEEKS. These batteries were used in the EV-1 car GM built and also the Rav4-EV also. A battery that would run the cars at 80 mph and get around 120 miles to a charge. The EV-1 car was only leased then destroyed by GM when the Calif. air resources board caved in and removed their mandate to have 10% of the cars on the road emission free. You hear about all the junk spouted from those holes they call a mouth from politicians and GM and BIG OIL that the technology isn't here for EV vehicles - BULL. It was here until they killed it. Toshiba tried to make the EV-95 battery and was sued by Chevron and Chevron got over 30 million from them. Thing is the patient expires in about 4-6 years - when it does watch out.. I'm not a green freak and love my kick in the pants camaro and suki gsxr1100... Now they are pushing that stupid farce HYDROGEN AS THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE; give me a break... If we had use of the EV-95 battery there would be a whole heck of allot of EV cars and trucks on the road today... The battery is allot safer the LI=Lo batteries that will explode on you if you do the wrong things to them.. Sorry for the vent but if anyone looks up on the net - who killed the electric car you would be venting also...

menahunie says:
how about using the stock kill switch wired in series with the ignition switch to shut things down when you need to?

Nov 28, 2010. 11:02 PM REPLY

gregblackburn says:
awesome job!!!

Nov 20, 2010. 12:55 PM REPLY

djmorgan27 says:

Nov 4, 2010. 1:30 PM REPLY wow i love your project i have looked at alot of build on the net and to be honest yours is the tidy'est finish of them all,i have a 92 yz250 in the garage with no engine and now im realy thinking of making it electric thanks for a great instrucatable :)

olive143 says:
Really nice and very informative article . Car Motorcycle Parts *********** oliver

Aug 13, 2010. 4:32 PM REPLY

Jimichan says:

Aug 11, 2010. 2:13 PM REPLY Hey Kentucky-bum; Ever hear of a tri magnum? Google it! Converting your bike to a trike would give you room for a lot more batteries.

Kentucky-bum says:

Aug 12, 2010. 5:56 AM REPLY Jimichan, I have heard of them before, and actually helped a buddy build one (gas, about a zillion years ago :-). I had given your suggestion some thought, and I see where Honda has introduced a 3-wheel bike similar to the Bombardiar Spyder, so I suspect that 3-wheel EVs based on that idea are just around the corner. Me, I plan on converting my Toyota Spyder for an 'extended range' EV. I don't mind 20 miles range on my Bike; I only live 5.5 miles from work.

georgeshtc says:

Jul 10, 2010. 2:28 AM REPLY hey kentucky nice write up, you have inspired me to make a ev using a YZF750R I am wanting to use unsealed lead acid batterys and a standard automotive alternator to charge the batterys Would i create to much drag (load) by using a alternator? the argument being "as the alternator load increases from the battery discharge the alternator load will create extra drag on the motor which would shorten the distance i could travel between charges" thanks george

Kentucky-bum says:

Jul 23, 2010. 5:30 AM REPLY George, sorry about the delay in this response, I've been on vacation for a bit. Now, about the alternator idea...every alternator (generator) needs a bit more energy to run it that it puts out, be it mechanical energy, chemical energy (fuel) or kinetic energy. Something is always lost in the conversion. If it didn't, you would have perpetual motion. So, an alternator would produce more mechanical/kenitic drag on the EV than it would give back in the form of electro-motive energy. IF you could figure out a way to engage it when you let off the throttle [and started coasting] you would have regenerative braking; that would add something back the system (usually about 15-20%, depending on how many hill you go up and down). But if you ask it to produce energy under steady state conditions you are actually lowering the efficiency of the whole system (EV). Clear as mud?

georgeshtc says:
hey mate, you are exactly right.... :( thanks for the clarification damm that transparrent mud! :D George

Jul 23, 2010. 4:31 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

phephq says:

Jul 21, 2010. 3:12 PM REPLY There is a company that I consulted with on a similar battery issue. They're called GMB (located in asia) search GMBattery on google for their home page, though this: http://www.gmbattery.com/English/E-BikeBattery.html is their ev battery page. if you contact them, they will make you a custom battery pack for no more $$ than the normal cost, as I expect, they make most of their larger batteries order-by-order. When I was consulting with them, they gave me a quote on a 48v 50Ah LiFePO pack @ $1150 and offered to supply the charge controller for $200 Sep 21, 2008. 1:48 PM REPLY I was wondering on the battery issue. Would it be possible to addapt the Makita 18v Lithium-Ion batteries linked in succession to create a better power source at a fraction of the weight and price?

calibran says:

Kentucky-bum says:

Sep 26, 2008. 7:25 AM REPLY You could do that, but in order to get the amp-hr capacity you will need A LOT of batteries (probably about 10 sets of 5 each (for a 90-volt system) just to get an equivalent capacity. It may be lighter, but I doubt it's cheaper. Amp-hrs are Amp-hrs, and you need a lot of them to run a vehicle. Volts give you speed...amp-hrs give you range. Mike

The Lightning Stalker says:

Watt hours give you range.

Sep 7, 2009. 2:53 AM REPLY

phephq says:
watt hours give you power amp hours give you range volts give you speed

Jul 21, 2010. 3:07 PM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Sep 8, 2009. 7:03 AM REPLY Kinda...sorta... but not really. Watts are the product of volts times amps. Watt hours give you driving time, but at 10 mph an hour is still only 10 miles. You need volts to get you up to highway speed, not amps. Then you need amps to get you down the road a bit. I know it's symatics, but it's true. High watt hours at low volts won't get you very far compared the the same watt hours at higher voltage.

BRAINLESLY says:

Apr 30, 2010. 8:36 AM REPLY !!! DOA !!! I posted my last comment before reading the others that have posted! I'm sorry to have asked about the TRAILER again! please allow me to amend .... rather than hauling batteries you COULD haul a Generator instead. I realize the whole point of an electric bike is to get away from gas, BUT by adding a generator you are effectively giving yourself a HYBRID option. this way, if you should need the extra range or don't have the time to recharge, you can still get around. It would be a good fail safe if the ever was a problem with your batteries. Also, if you enclose the trailer with an aerodynamic design and deck it with solar cells, you might shave some of the load off of your batteries, and or trickle charge when you are parked away from a convenient power source.

Spaceman Spiff says:

I've seen people who have done this by using a sidecar.

May 22, 2010. 7:33 PM REPLY

BRAINLESLY says:

May 26, 2010. 10:03 AM REPLY Was it worth doing? I know you loose around 15% of power generated every time it changes forms ( gas to electric, electric to rotational, ect...) do you have any links of folks who have done this, and there success or failure?

Kentucky-bum says:

May 26, 2010. 10:42 AM REPLY From an efficiency stand point it may be worth doing. If you use an ICE (internal combustion engine) to run a generator to run a vehicle drive motor there are efficiencies to be gained. Doing it this way is called a parallel hybrid, and it's been done this way for years on diesel locomotives. As long as the ICE is optimized to run at one RPM (which in cars they are not) without a carburator (direct fuel injection) you do see remarkable efficiencies out of them. The generators themselves tend to be very efficient as well when operated this way (at one constant input RPM). A properly designed parallel hybrid drive car (a Prius is a 'series hybrid' BTW) can see over 100mpg without using batteries (the Aptera is being designed like this).

BRAINLESLY says:

May 27, 2010. 9:22 AM REPLY COOL ! can a standard genny be set to run at a fixed rpm ? as I under stand it, the more load you put an an electric motor, the more " back e.m.f." (electro motive force) is produced, requiring more power to turn the electric motor....if the genny is set @ a fixed rpm, would that prohibit the genny from using more gas to produce the necessary power to overcome the back emf ? perhaps it would be better to couple a dynomotor to an I.C.E. rather than a standard house type generator ???

Kentucky-bum says:

May 27, 2010. 10:36 AM REPLY As a post script to the comment below (about the ICE generator idea) I think that if you want a lot more range that 20 or so miles it would be simpler, a lot lighter and far more economical in the long run to just load the side car (or trailer) up with a trailer full of batteries. Unless your cross-country cruising with a ton of luggage and your ride buddy on the back seat, most bike riders never go more than a tank-full of gas on any one day. You can put 150 [or so] miles worth of batteries in a side car...easy.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Kentucky-bum says:

May 27, 2010. 10:30 AM REPLY Most ICE (used as generator motors) have an automatic governor on them. You start it up and it goes to one RPM (let's say 2,500). As you increase and decrease the electrical load on the generator (attached to the ICE) the governor keeps the fuel feed constant to keep the RPM at 2,500 (Think if it like Cruise control on the car). Here's the pickle though...most automotive EV drive systems are looking for DC in (batteries only deliver in DC). Their controllers have an AC inverter built in. Most generators deliver only in AC. So somehow you have to change something around to give the system what it wants. Find (and run with) a DC generator, find and run with an electrical drive system that runs on AC (like a commercial grade motor) or build your own system to use what you got. That discussion [my friend] is a whole 'nuther ball of yarn...

BRAINLESLY says:

Apr 30, 2010. 8:14 AM REPLY I was struck by you comment on 220 volt charging..... In electronics, voltage doublers are a commonly used circuit ( as are voltage dividers, cascade multiplyers, aperage doublers ect...) Your charger is already on the bike, so maybe another small box with the right circuit could double the voltage and split it to give you the two 110 inputs you need to get 220 out of a 110 outlet ???? the current draw would be twice as much and maybe not practical for an outlet that is already overloaded, but COULD work... ( also you could have a second option to charge from 110 as well) also, have you considered pulling a trailer to carry more batteries?

duh-man says:
how hard is it 2 wire? iv never relly worked with electrical things.

Apr 9, 2010. 7:36 AM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Apr 9, 2010. 12:33 PM REPLY It's not 'hard' to wire, just be sure you follow the schmematics well, use the right size wires and connectors and make sure you wire up everything but the batteries first. They should be the last thing you wire up. And while you are working with the batteries be careful, as even small ones carry enough juice to melt the end of a wrench right off if you short-circuit them.

davidrvalencia says:
where did you get the motor and controller?

Mar 29, 2010. 6:58 PM REPLY

Kentucky-bum says:

Mar 30, 2010. 5:10 AM REPLY eBay, KTA Services, Curtis, ... they are for sale all over the net. Just search 7" DC Motor for sale; DC motor controller for sale;...today there are parts for this type of conversion all over the net. There are even a few website set up that only sell EV conversions parts.

timstandley says:

May 18, 2009. 5:10 PM REPLY if ahrs is what gives a electric motor its range then on a motor cycle why not pull a battery pack on a small trailer or a side car.

Kentucky-bum says:

May 19, 2009. 5:55 AM REPLY Some people have done just that. But the bottom line is that motorcycles are not very aerodynamic. As a matter of fact they are some of the least efficient vehicles on the road. If range was your primary concern then it would be far more efficient to convert a small car (like a Metro) and use it to haul all those batteries around.

The Lightning Stalker says:

Sep 7, 2009. 2:57 AM REPLY Coming from someone who has so much experience with motorcycles, I find that comment surprising. Not considering the size of the engine, motorcycles have only 2 wheels instead of 4. Moreover, they are much thinner than a car tire. Less rubber on the road means less rolling resistance. Need I go on?

ProfessorJWN says:

Mar 15, 2010. 6:30 AM REPLY The largest factor affecting Cd is the rider. IF you want a motorcycle to go REALLY fast, build a low Cg shell for the bike to slipstream the air around you. The contact point of the tires on the road is only (max) of 1inch long by (2/3) the width of the wheel approximately. You can double that or triple for some cars (with radial tires). On the same token, the turbulence of the spokes are also a drag factor on bikes. If possible to place disks inside the rims, that would reduce the rotational turbulence, but you then become a "sail" in side winds. Bottom line, wheel drag is negligible compared to the rider. Fairings can only do so much. To reduce drag to appreciable amounts requires an envelope around the entire bike (look at HPVs and how those are made) this is one of the ways they can reach higher speeds. Again on a bicycle, the rider is one of the highest drag inducers. Trouble is that you COULD create an air foil on the front of the bike to create a shockwave and "build a bubble" around the vehicle, but the bubble would only form at reasonably high speeds which would be unattainable with the induced drag of the rider. When you are "raciong" with buddies, have you ever "leaned down" to get speed? Well that illustrates it better than perhaps I have here. When it comes to bikes and CG we are our own worst enemy!

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/

Kentucky-bum says:

Sep 8, 2009. 6:41 AM REPLY I know, it does sound counter-intuitive, but because 2-wheeled vehicles cannot take ground-effect into consideration their Cd (Coeff of drag) is very high compared to that of a car. And they need that high Cd because they need to force the air through them (for cooling) where cars get to suck the air through using ground effect (which lowers their Cd even more). With only two tires on the ground they do have much less rolling resistance, but it is not enough to make up for the massive difference in Cd. I will agree that some of the newer, water-cooled, tank-hugging crotch rockets have a pretty low Cd (of which this bike is definately not one!), but still I dare say it's 5 times more than a small, light aerodynamic car would have. Look to the Aptera to see what the perfect design for a electric car/motorcycle would be.

Reid250 says:
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Jan 31, 2010. 8:35 AM

Kentucky-bum says:

Feb 1, 2010. 7:37 AM REPLY Well, it really boils down to a preference. Most EV conversions (like this) use a powered main contactor (as opposed to a manual switch) for two reasons: 1) it serves as key-controlled ignition switch that applies power to the vehicle. Most vehicles use a key to keep other people from using it, and this switch is the logical choice (think of it as security switch), and 2) most manual switches are not designed to engage or release under load (they just aren't fast enough). A solinoid-operated contactor can safely cut power repeatedly with little degradation to the contacts. You can use a manual switch (golf carts do) but when you start using these kinds of loads they aren't very practical or safe. Food for thought....

Reid250 says:
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Feb 1, 2010. 9:27 AM

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-96-Volt-Electric-Motorcycle/