[ausev] Question for the EV Nerds

[Chris Robison]

Tom Burbridge wrote:
> Greetings,
> 
> I'm about to pull the motor off my Honda NH 450 and add a 96v pancake motor.
> 
> My question is:
> 
> Should I go direct to chain or through the transmission?

Most motorcycle conversions tend to do without the transmission. In many 
cases this is partly because the transmission is difficult to separate 
or use separately (unlike on a harley davidson, where it's already a 
discrete unit). Going without the transmission does imply a somewhat 
delicate compromise between acceleration and top speed; you'll 
definitely need a larger rear sprocket and a good bit of calculation to 
figure out how many teeth to put on it. You may need some trial and 
error as well, with a couple different attempts before you find a 
sprocket ratio that gives you the best performance without limiting your 
top speed, or acceptable top speed without burning up your motor.

What motor are you using?  If it's a permag or shunt motor, what's the 
RPM at 96V? What is the continuous horsepower rating on the motor? 
Figures like these will be important in both the transmission decision, 
and the design.

If you can keep and use the transmission, consider doing so, but realize 
that the volume it takes up may be useful for putting in another battery 
or two, which would yield better range. Motorcycle conversions using 
lead batteries are difficult, primarily due to finding ways to fit 
enough energy storage to make the bike useful.

I don't know of anyone local who's completed a successful motorcycle 
conversion, though I do know one unfortunate fellow who's blown up a 
couple Eteks trying. :-) The best online resource I'm aware of is 
http://electricmotorcycles.net. Unfortunately at the moment, it's 
apparently been taken down for maintenance...

   --chris