You are correct in not seeing anything in that article. I am new to this "forum" thing and have no idea how to do it! (Apparently...right?) What was in that article (if you can ever retrieve it from cyberspace) is me asking for advice on which motor, controller, etc. to use. I'm sure that all you folks on here that have already done the conversion get that question the most. I know what I want for distance and speed (most and most...like everyone else) and want to spend about $4.32! Well, obviously...that question will not get me much help in answers. So, you have seen the bike (80 CB 650) that IS going to be the conversion. My desire is to get 40 miles distance, and reach at least 55MPH. Obviously higher speed would be better, but I realize that I can't ask for both speed and distance. I have been in the research phase of this project for a while now and I seem to be more confused than anything else. There are obviously SOOO many ways to skin a cat!! I will tell you where I am at right now, and if you wouldn't mind letting me know if there are any holes in my idea's, I would appreciate it.
I'm thinking about an Etek 48v DC pancake perm mag motor with 4 yellow top batteries. I say 4 batteries, that is a minimum, but I would really like to get 5 on their. If my thinking is correct, the additional battery will help in distance and speed? I'm not sure about that, but that's what I'm thinking. I have absolutely no background in electrics/electronics so this project is a real challenge for me! I want to do it though!! As far as the controller, I think the AXE controllers are the most popular I'm hearing about. I'm not sure which controller I should get either. Should I get one that "allows" 60v in case I'm able to do the 5th battery? Will those 48v motors take 60v without breaking or burning up?
I've also seen that there are a few websites out there dedicated to this. The kits they have seem "simple" but VERY expensive. I could be wrong in that assumption, but they seem that way. Would it be better to buy a kit that way instead of piece parting it? Again, I'm looking for advice. I've thought about golf cart motors....they seem to be cheaper, but maybe they don't work as well. Ok, I've babbled enough, you should have plenty of questions there to get an idea of where I'm at. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Not a bad price for all those parts. If you are patient and keep an eye on the classified section around here, there are people selling parts left and right. Actually, I think there is a ME0709 for sale there right now for a good price. Ed (Juiced) might have a controller for sale that may work as well, I'd have to go take another look.
If you can get those parts cheaper or used, put the money towards a decent pack. I'd recommend this kit from Elite Power Solutions. This is what I have, and although I have not finished my bike yet, others who have this set up get 40 miles out of it.
Thanks very much for the help. I went to the link for the power supply & hello Ms. Betty...........I hope I misunderstood that!!! There is absolutely no way I could afford to spend that kind of money on just the power supply. No offense at all to you and I DO appreciate your suggestions here, but my goal was to be under $3K for the ENTIRE project! Actually WAY under......as under as I could be!
For the motor and controller kit link, I went to that link and just saw a motor. I will go back and see if I can find a kit on there.
As far as classified adds, I would LOVE to find some used stuff and hope that it works well. Due to my funds, I'm willing to take the risk. However, I can't seem to find a classified adds section on this forum. If you know of someone on here that has some items for sale that might work for my desired conversion, please let them know so they can get in touch with me somehow. I will check this forum again after work today. Thanks again for your help.
Moved this thread from an "Article" to the "Come On In.." section.
--ZoomSmith
@ freek and other newbs: Click on the "Forum" tab, then scroll down past the "Recent Activity" to see the various thread categories. Once inside a category, you can use "Post New Thread" button to start a thread in that category.
Thanks Ken and ZoomSmith. Sorry I didn't see how to just post a thread. I looked through the classifieds and didn't see anything that could really help me out. Especially due to the fact that I'm still not sure exactly which set up I want to use. Please let me know if you think that these "kits" are a good deal. I'm sorry to keep repeating myself, but I realize that this conversion can be done so many different ways. Below is the kit I'm thinking about. My goal is 40 mile range, 55 MPH (hopefully on both). The bike being used in the conversion is an 80 CB650, I weigh 180 lbs, and I wanted to try and put 5 yellow top batteries on the bike. I may only be able to do 4, but my thought is with an additional battery, I may have a little more range and speed (obviously weight too, so my thought may not be worth it). I could be wrong, but that's my thought. I just don't have enough education/research yet on the lighter power supplies that seem to cost a lot more. If my goals are too high for this set up and you think you know what my actual numbers would be, please let me know. Thanks again to all of you trying to help me.
One last question for now....IF I got this kit, would batteries be all I need or is there other stuff that I don't know about yet that I will still have to purchase?
My suggestion is to put lots of effort into finding a deal on your drivetrain. I am in my first build and have a bike that does a little over 40mph with nobbies and lots of low end umph. I have $1300 into the project including all the little things that add up like heat shrink and wires and a welder I bought to complete the project. I was very patient and thorough assembling my drivetrain (i did not get any freebees or gimmies from connections, everything I have was from a previously unknown party). For another $1700 I would hope I could get a pretty good lithium pack and be totally on it for performance. I got my motor used from a previous application in an Electra Electric Go Kart (which I often see for about $500 complete--would have a decent kit already in it and a frame and other kart supplies that could be ebayed to earn back some cash). Golf carts and forklifts are also sources for supplies. The two best tools I have for searching are: www.searchtempest.com (lets you search multiple craigslists quickly) and placing a wanted add on craigslist. I've got tons of stuff I mean to put up on ebay or CL, but never get to it and so do lots of other people. Put an add out and get it before they have to market it and answer a buncha calls from tire kickers... that alone should shave 40% off the going rate of most products. Hope that helps keep your budget in check
Welcome man, good to finally see another Cb650 around here I'm slowly working on an 82' model myself. *freaking college*
here's a link for some kits: http://www.evdrives.com/kits_conversion.html
Thanks very much for the help. I went to the link for the power supply & hello Ms. Betty...........I hope I misunderstood that!!! There is absolutely no way I could afford to spend that kind of money on just the power supply. No offense at all to you and I DO appreciate your suggestions here, but my goal was to be under $3K for the ENTIRE project! Actually WAY under......as under as I could be!
For the motor and controller kit link, I went to that link and just saw a motor. I will go back and see if I can find a kit on there.
As far as classified adds, I would LOVE to find some used stuff and hope that it works well. Due to my funds, I'm willing to take the risk. However, I can't seem to find a classified adds section on this forum. If you know of someone on here that has some items for sale that might work for my desired conversion, please let them know so they can get in touch with me somehow. I will check this forum again after work today. Thanks again for your help.
I know the sticker shock is pretty intense, but those batteries come with the charger and management system to keep them healthy through their 3000 cycle life. Unfortunately a pack that big is pretty much necessary to comfortably travel 40 miles per charge. If you would be okay with settling with 25-30, you could save some money on a 40AH pack.
Keep an eye on the used market. I got my pack used from a member on here, and I've dropped about 3K into the electric drive components thusfar. This doesn't include all the money to get the bike back into riding shape.
EV Ed, (Juiced), I tried to reply to the PM, I would like to talk to you about the bike. If you did not get the PM with my phone number, please let me know and I will try again. Thanks.
EV Ed, (Juiced), I tried to reply to the PM, I would like to talk to you about the bike. If you did not get the PM with my phone number, please let me know and I will try again. Thanks.
I'm thinking about an Etek 48v DC pancake perm mag motor with 4 yellow top batteries. I say 4 batteries, that is a minimum, but I would really like to get 5 on their. If my thinking is correct, the additional battery will help in distance and speed? I'm not sure about that, but that's what I'm thinking. I have absolutely no background in electrics/electronics so this project is a real challenge for me! I want to do it though!! As far as the controller, I think the AXE controllers are the most popular I'm hearing about. I'm not sure which controller I should get either. Should I get one that "allows" 60v in case I'm able to do the 5th battery? Will those 48v motors take 60v without breaking or burning up?
Some answers to these questions:
- basically yeah, more volts means more speed. You can also get more speed by gearing higher, but then you get less acceleration (it gets complicated in the real world). More volts means you can gear lower and get a higher top speed.
- a brushed PM motor (etek or motenergy) is going to be the best bang-for-buck. 55 mph top speed should be no problem.
- a 48V system can get you to 55mph, but with pretty high gearing. 5 (or even 6) 12V batteries would be better. but it's more weight and you need to find the room.
- AXE are great, reliable controllers. The 72XX go from 24-72V, so room to grow. The 48XX models only go to 48V. The price difference is minimal...definitely spend the money now to have the option.
- a 48V motor *might* take 60V, but you'll probably have problems (arcing and possibly overheating). better to get a 72V motor...but the thing is, it will be wound for 72V, which means less speed if you only run 48V. A 48V motor will be wound to give you more RPMs per volt, but then you're stuck with 48V. (This isn't universally true, but basically how it works).
- lead acid will be cheaper in the short run, and simpler. you don't need a BMS, and less cells to wire together. but, they only get 200-500 charge cycles (at best) and they're big and heavy. lithium costs about 3x as much once you include the BMS, but get 2000-3000 cycles, are smaller, weight about 1/2 as much. in the long run, lithium is actually cheaper.
Just as a reference point, my scooter has a 3kW brushless hub motor, 60V lead acid pack. It can go a little over 50 mph (on flat ground). After about a year and a half, the batteries are close to shot. my range was about 25-30 mi when it was new, now it's around 10.
What Noah is saying is, set yourself up with equipment you can grow with...
i failed to do so only because the cost at that time seemed to scare the frack out of me - and thats only because i didnt realize how in depth i was going to become into the EV's...
now i wouldnt bat an eye to spend a few hundred dollars on my equipment...
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