The
GomiCycle
electric motorcycle conversion
using
(mostly) scrap materials
We started with a Honda Rebel junker and a dream - to make a
practical, zero emissions vehicle for commuting in San Francisco.
After consulting with some plans
available online which required chopping the frame significantly,
Gxaoui suggested
we figure it out for ourselves. Armed with a basic metal shop,
we methodically convert the Honda rebel 250 into a clean quiet
bike in about a week.
The
old rebel rolling chassis provided us with many of the needed
parts - wheels, tires, brakes, etc... which was a real bonus
- but it also supplied us with many rusty, broken, stripped
or missing parts. In fact, most of our difficulties were because
of the old parts, not because of the conversion itself. Without
these annoyances, the conversion would have taken about two
and a half days.
The
batteries were scavenged from my Autonomous Telepresence
robot, Sparky. We purchased
a new Perm132 motor, golf cart controller, charger and throttle
from Electric
Motorsport in the East Bay. The owner Todd is a builder
and racer of electric motorcycles, so he was able to offer
us great advice, especially helping to determine the correct
gear ratio and spocket size. These components were not exactly
inexpensive, but almost all the other materials were scrap,
junk, or part of some other project, so ultimately the cost
was reasonable.
