Primed FrameThe bike is starting to look like a bikeBike on blocks
OwnerRich Quackenbush
LocationRoanoke, Virginia United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle1974 Honda CB-550
This was my first motorcycle. I want to build an electric car someday and this is my test bed. The project is moving from donor restore mode to actually building up some EV bits.
DrivetrainI'm thinking about just hooking a motor directly to the rear sprocket via chain, no transmission
Controller ReVolt
I have slightly (but just slightly) more than a passing interest in electronics, so I'm very tempted to build the ReVolt controller.
Batteries0.00 Volt,
I'm going to see if I can swing for Lithium Ion for this project... If not, I'll just go the traditional lead acid.
HeaterSolar. As in the sun. It's a motorcycle!
InstrumentationI'll be using the original speedometer. Other than that, I'll probably add a volt / amp meters.
Top SpeedBecause I won't have a transmission, I'm not expecting to have an awesome top speed. Am I too optimistic to hope for a top speed of 45 mph?
RangeSo far, I've taken it around the cul-de-sac. Of course, I don't have a motor in it yet.
Seating CapacityThe original bike let you seat two. As long as I don't have to do anything funky with mounting the batteries, it should theoretically allow two.
Curb Weight0
That's a good question. I need to weight it with just the frame so I have an idea what I'm working with.
TiresReplacement factory spec, but nothing fancy like reduced rolling resistance or anything like that.
Conversion TimeMore than my wife would like.
Conversion CostMuch more than my wife would like, although I'm trying to do this as cheap as possible.

code by jerry