easy diy electric motorcycle conversion
by：Zhenyu
2020-02-27
We started with a Honda junjunker and a dream-
Build a practical zero emission vehicle in San Francisco.
After consulting some online plans, we decided to solve the problem ourselves.
We own a basic metal store and in about a week we methodically converted the Honda rebel 250 into a clean and quiet bike.
It registered with CA and insured 250 of the revised. (
Registration is not required if the power system is below 24 v).
The old rebel rolling chassis provided us with many parts we needed
Wheels, tires, brakes, etc. . .
This is a real bonus.
But it also provides us with a lot of rusty, broken, stripped or missing parts.
In fact, most of our difficulties are due to the old part, not to the conversion itself.
Without these troubles, it will take about two and a half days to convert.
48 v charger with car and 3-
The plug on the Pr Wall is hard wired and it\'s easy to charge anywhere with a wall socket.
The charging time depends on how much the battery runs out, but usually at 5-8 hours.
We took a Honda Rebel 250 on Craigslist for less than $500.
It has an exploding engine, but includes all the other components needed to make the bike safe and street legal: lights, brakes, wheels, shocks, etc. . .
I got a set of 4 deep cycle batteries from previous projects.
We purchased most of the other ac components from electric racing in Auckland and consulted a set of plans for 21 wheels.
In the end, we had to redesign many aspects of the project and develop our own solutions.
Basic accessories LISTHonda rebel 250 rolling chassisPerm PMG-
132 motor (4)
12 v 50Ah battery in Series 36 v-
5 k potentiometer of 72 v pwm Controller (i. e.
Torque grip throttle)
48 v ac charger48-
12 V down inverter or extra small 12 V battery (
For lights, signals and speakers)
4 welding cable and lugsCustom sprocket basic tool 4 \"angle grinder (
With cutting and grinding wheels)
Drill the press metal with sawSawzallStandard auto shop, wrenchesHeavy heavy duty wire clamp/vise pressing line toolresources Honda apostate manualMake magazine file calculator (
Used to select sprocket size)
EL Chopper ET builder\'s plan-
Outdated, but a good starting point friend that can help with the first step is to peel off the framework of all components.
This is quick and fun, just basic hand tools are needed.
Save all parts.
Carry a jar or bucket with you and collect all nuts, bolts, washers, etc. . .
You need these parts later.
Once everything is removed from the frame, please clean it thoroughly.
Be sure to remove all grease, dust and dirt.
Any rust should be lightly polished.
In order to accommodate AC motors and batteries, some modifications need to be made to the frame.
Fortunately, the work of this metal is quite simple. (
The plans suggest \"chop\" the frame and extend it a few inches to accommodate all the batteries, but we decided to keep the original frame size and distribute all the batteries around the bike.
Two batteries will enter the engine compartment, but the other two will ride behind the bike like a saddle bag.
Remove existing motor mounting points and labels using a combination of 4 \"angle grinder and Sawzall.
The improvement of the swing arm may be the most challenging part of the metal work.
It needs to dig a hole from it to make room for the motor.
Many have rightly commented that cutting into swingarm could seriously weaken it and potentially cause problems.
This part is correct, but the final design takes this into account --
The placement of the AC motor helps to strengthen and strengthen the stiffness of the swing arm.
This step requires precision.
The motor must be completely in-
Align with the rear wheels so that the chain runs straight between them without any bending or distortion due to misplacement.
We use a cube.
Accurately mark the edge of the cutting line.
Once the hole is completed and the motor is tightly mounted in the hole, we measure and make a bracket.
Cut rectangular pieces of 1/4 steel plate and then measure and remove concave half
Round, produce a custom mounting plate that holds the motor exactly in place.
Measure and cut two holes for mounting bolts, then weld the part to the swing arm and the connected motor.
We made three battery trays with steel horn iron.
One tray has two batteries in the engine compartment, while the two smaller pallets are mounted at the back of the bike, like a saddle bag.
The original design of the battery tray uses a sturdy 2 \"angle iron to ensure that they can support the weight (about 50 lbs. each).
This is not a good choice.
It adds more weight than needed.
The redesign of the bike uses a slightly smaller battery, which helps in several ways. A newer re-
The bike is designed to use smaller batteries.
Now all four batteries are in the engine compartment.
Two rear saddles are not required.
The new design also replaced 2 \"steel\" with 1/2 angle iron and huge zipper\"ties.
Overall, this new design saves a lot of weight and helps to offset the smaller range of smaller battery packs.
Now is a good time to frame.
The manufacturing is done and everything is combined.
Shield any little chromium and clean the metal again.
Use anti-rust paint, gently apply to the frame with a variety of paint.
Each coating is allowed to dry between applications.
This step may be a bit tricky.
You will need to calculate something to try and determine the best way to arrange the teeth on both sprocket
One on the motor (
Drive sprocket)
There\'s another one on the rear wheel (
Drive sprocket).
The performance of the bike will be greatly affected by the slight differences in Gears
So we used a gear calculator, just like this great calculator from Make Magazine.
Once we know the ideal sprocket size, we can purchase them online from the sprocket specialist. Once the manufacture of the frame is completed, the re-assembly of the bicycle can begin.
Start with basic components: Forks, swing arms, wheels and battery trays.
Due to the loss of many common parts of the motorcycle, it will definitely look different when you regroup.
New electronic components need to be installed somewhere, including motor controllers, Chargers, fuses, etc. . .
I found this old pot and decided to put the parts inside --
It looks strange and dangerous, but it\'s attractive.
This part is very challenging.
Connect the new 48 v.
The AC system is complex, plus the original 12 v power system is still needed for running lights, horns, brake lights, etc. . .
There are several different ways to do this: one: separate the old and new electrical systems and run the old system from a small rechargeable 12 v battery.
This option keeps the line simple but requires maintenance of two separate battery/charging systems.
2. integrate the two systems by using DCto-
The DC converter, which reduces the power supply from 48 V to 12 V. This is a more complex wiring device.
Up, but can be maintained with a single charging system, which is more convenient in the dayto-day basis.
We chose to integrate the two systems together, so we relied on several sources of information to guide us, including the original Honda Rebel service manual, the suggested wiring diagram in the 21 round plan, we also have a lot of speculation about negotiating with people in electric racing.
We tried several times and burned some fuses and bulbs along the way.
But we finally got the line working reliably.
The final layout and design of the bike is OK, but some work needs to be done.
After walking on the road for a while, we decided to make some changes.
The first thing to go is four mismatched 80Ah batteries.
These are never a good set of matches and always lead to unreliable performance.
I decided to replace them with four sealed golf carts.
The 50Ah type battery is smaller in size, lighter in weight, but has less energy stored.
However, the new battery is small enough that all four batteries can be put into the engine compartment --
Eliminate two heavy back saddles (
All weight).
Steel with smaller specifications and huge zipper
The bond to build the new battrey tray saves more weight.
Sadly, the new design means that there is no room for the cauldron that holds the electronics, so the devices have to be reinstalled in one available place.
The final design looks cleaner and much lighter but less energy
This trade-off does not cause too much change in the speed or distance of the bike, the speed or distance of the bike is always at 35-40 MPH, and 15-
30 miles per charge.
Visit Gomi Style for videos, plans, and instructions on many cool projects.
Build a practical zero emission vehicle in San Francisco.
After consulting some online plans, we decided to solve the problem ourselves.
We own a basic metal store and in about a week we methodically converted the Honda rebel 250 into a clean and quiet bike.
It registered with CA and insured 250 of the revised. (
Registration is not required if the power system is below 24 v).
The old rebel rolling chassis provided us with many parts we needed
Wheels, tires, brakes, etc. . .
This is a real bonus.
But it also provides us with a lot of rusty, broken, stripped or missing parts.
In fact, most of our difficulties are due to the old part, not to the conversion itself.
Without these troubles, it will take about two and a half days to convert.
48 v charger with car and 3-
The plug on the Pr Wall is hard wired and it\'s easy to charge anywhere with a wall socket.
The charging time depends on how much the battery runs out, but usually at 5-8 hours.
We took a Honda Rebel 250 on Craigslist for less than $500.
It has an exploding engine, but includes all the other components needed to make the bike safe and street legal: lights, brakes, wheels, shocks, etc. . .
I got a set of 4 deep cycle batteries from previous projects.
We purchased most of the other ac components from electric racing in Auckland and consulted a set of plans for 21 wheels.
In the end, we had to redesign many aspects of the project and develop our own solutions.
Basic accessories LISTHonda rebel 250 rolling chassisPerm PMG-
132 motor (4)
12 v 50Ah battery in Series 36 v-
5 k potentiometer of 72 v pwm Controller (i. e.
Torque grip throttle)
48 v ac charger48-
12 V down inverter or extra small 12 V battery (
For lights, signals and speakers)
4 welding cable and lugsCustom sprocket basic tool 4 \"angle grinder (
With cutting and grinding wheels)
Drill the press metal with sawSawzallStandard auto shop, wrenchesHeavy heavy duty wire clamp/vise pressing line toolresources Honda apostate manualMake magazine file calculator (
Used to select sprocket size)
EL Chopper ET builder\'s plan-
Outdated, but a good starting point friend that can help with the first step is to peel off the framework of all components.
This is quick and fun, just basic hand tools are needed.
Save all parts.
Carry a jar or bucket with you and collect all nuts, bolts, washers, etc. . .
You need these parts later.
Once everything is removed from the frame, please clean it thoroughly.
Be sure to remove all grease, dust and dirt.
Any rust should be lightly polished.
In order to accommodate AC motors and batteries, some modifications need to be made to the frame.
Fortunately, the work of this metal is quite simple. (
The plans suggest \"chop\" the frame and extend it a few inches to accommodate all the batteries, but we decided to keep the original frame size and distribute all the batteries around the bike.
Two batteries will enter the engine compartment, but the other two will ride behind the bike like a saddle bag.
Remove existing motor mounting points and labels using a combination of 4 \"angle grinder and Sawzall.
The improvement of the swing arm may be the most challenging part of the metal work.
It needs to dig a hole from it to make room for the motor.
Many have rightly commented that cutting into swingarm could seriously weaken it and potentially cause problems.
This part is correct, but the final design takes this into account --
The placement of the AC motor helps to strengthen and strengthen the stiffness of the swing arm.
This step requires precision.
The motor must be completely in-
Align with the rear wheels so that the chain runs straight between them without any bending or distortion due to misplacement.
We use a cube.
Accurately mark the edge of the cutting line.
Once the hole is completed and the motor is tightly mounted in the hole, we measure and make a bracket.
Cut rectangular pieces of 1/4 steel plate and then measure and remove concave half
Round, produce a custom mounting plate that holds the motor exactly in place.
Measure and cut two holes for mounting bolts, then weld the part to the swing arm and the connected motor.
We made three battery trays with steel horn iron.
One tray has two batteries in the engine compartment, while the two smaller pallets are mounted at the back of the bike, like a saddle bag.
The original design of the battery tray uses a sturdy 2 \"angle iron to ensure that they can support the weight (about 50 lbs. each).
This is not a good choice.
It adds more weight than needed.
The redesign of the bike uses a slightly smaller battery, which helps in several ways. A newer re-
The bike is designed to use smaller batteries.
Now all four batteries are in the engine compartment.
Two rear saddles are not required.
The new design also replaced 2 \"steel\" with 1/2 angle iron and huge zipper\"ties.
Overall, this new design saves a lot of weight and helps to offset the smaller range of smaller battery packs.
Now is a good time to frame.
The manufacturing is done and everything is combined.
Shield any little chromium and clean the metal again.
Use anti-rust paint, gently apply to the frame with a variety of paint.
Each coating is allowed to dry between applications.
This step may be a bit tricky.
You will need to calculate something to try and determine the best way to arrange the teeth on both sprocket
One on the motor (
Drive sprocket)
There\'s another one on the rear wheel (
Drive sprocket).
The performance of the bike will be greatly affected by the slight differences in Gears
So we used a gear calculator, just like this great calculator from Make Magazine.
Once we know the ideal sprocket size, we can purchase them online from the sprocket specialist. Once the manufacture of the frame is completed, the re-assembly of the bicycle can begin.
Start with basic components: Forks, swing arms, wheels and battery trays.
Due to the loss of many common parts of the motorcycle, it will definitely look different when you regroup.
New electronic components need to be installed somewhere, including motor controllers, Chargers, fuses, etc. . .
I found this old pot and decided to put the parts inside --
It looks strange and dangerous, but it\'s attractive.
This part is very challenging.
Connect the new 48 v.
The AC system is complex, plus the original 12 v power system is still needed for running lights, horns, brake lights, etc. . .
There are several different ways to do this: one: separate the old and new electrical systems and run the old system from a small rechargeable 12 v battery.
This option keeps the line simple but requires maintenance of two separate battery/charging systems.
2. integrate the two systems by using DCto-
The DC converter, which reduces the power supply from 48 V to 12 V. This is a more complex wiring device.
Up, but can be maintained with a single charging system, which is more convenient in the dayto-day basis.
We chose to integrate the two systems together, so we relied on several sources of information to guide us, including the original Honda Rebel service manual, the suggested wiring diagram in the 21 round plan, we also have a lot of speculation about negotiating with people in electric racing.
We tried several times and burned some fuses and bulbs along the way.
But we finally got the line working reliably.
The final layout and design of the bike is OK, but some work needs to be done.
After walking on the road for a while, we decided to make some changes.
The first thing to go is four mismatched 80Ah batteries.
These are never a good set of matches and always lead to unreliable performance.
I decided to replace them with four sealed golf carts.
The 50Ah type battery is smaller in size, lighter in weight, but has less energy stored.
However, the new battery is small enough that all four batteries can be put into the engine compartment --
Eliminate two heavy back saddles (
All weight).
Steel with smaller specifications and huge zipper
The bond to build the new battrey tray saves more weight.
Sadly, the new design means that there is no room for the cauldron that holds the electronics, so the devices have to be reinstalled in one available place.
The final design looks cleaner and much lighter but less energy
This trade-off does not cause too much change in the speed or distance of the bike, the speed or distance of the bike is always at 35-40 MPH, and 15-
30 miles per charge.
Visit Gomi Style for videos, plans, and instructions on many cool projects.
