electric 650?

[roosterd]

I just saw this video on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujydj6SBfxM

Isn't that an old xs650?

I'm not promoting ruining a nice bike, but this gives me a few ideas...

[AlanB]

Hi Roosterd,

It is a Kawasaki,...... If you are keen, I could watch it again and possibly get you a model?

AlanB

[olebiker]

I noticed that he said he could get to 45 mph but didn't say how far he could go. My understanding is that distance in the problem with electric.

[psycoreefer]

I saw a page where a guy was converting an xs850 to electric, but it wasn't done yet. there is actually instructions for doing ninja 250's and you can get "universal" kits that come with everything you need except batteries

[roosterd]

Wow, didn't realize it was a Kawa... They look similar. I actually looked into an electric car project, but became discouraged when I saw the price for battery replacement (needed every two years). It costs basically the same as if you paid for gas. Of course those calculations were at 3.30 a gallon LOL.
If it was a commuter bike, I'm sure it would save me money though...

[SG-Olli]

Originally posted by olebiker
I noticed that he said he could get to 45 mph but didn't say how far he could go. My understanding is that distance in the problem with electric.

In the other clip he says about 20 miles is the range on a full charge.
2nd clip

[DJinNH]

Does it include a lightning rod?

Don

[Montreux_Blue]

Now if he hooked up a high amp alternator to one of the tires, then he could go forever! I've always wondered why they have done that with electric cars so that they could charge themselves! Of course to produce energy you have to use energy.

[xs11jack]

You could mount a bank of photo cells on the top of the gas tank, the front fender, the rear fender, and have one that straps on your back. Probably get 30 miles out it then. But only if the sun was shining. Cloudy days are no-no.

[The Lorax]

The high amp alternator is a good idea but, non-feasible. it might help extend the range, but it would not allow for perpetual motion. you have that funny little property known as efficiency (characterized by the Greek letter nu, kind of a funny looking n with a long tail). if you has solar cells (the really efficient kind) in conjunction with a high amp alternator, you would do much better but even then, I'm not sure that it would drive itself indefinitely without needing charged at some point. and instead of driving it off the wheels, drive it off the motor itself, you would gain some efficiency in charging just by limiting the number of power transfers between motion and energy; as each step from motor to road, there is some loss of energy, usually in the form of heat. I'm no physicist (but I play one on tv giggle giggle), but I know a little about it (very little). just my own nonsensical opinions, do what you will with them, I'm finished talking for now. have a nice day and ride safe

[Montreux_Blue]

Oh I know it wouldn't really run forever, but it would defiantly extend it's range. I was thinking maybe you could rig up the front brake discs as a pulley and mount something like a Mean Green alternator http://www.mean-green.com/products/alternator.html to it. Or even some sort of wind powered generator on it, might as well take advantage of cutting through air. From what I've compared, dollar for dollar and space, solar kind of sucks. I looked into getting solar panels on my roof and it would take something like 13 years to pay itself off.

[The Lorax]

Regenerative braking would help quite a bit, I believe the hybrid cars are using regenerative braking to help charge the batteries. any other appliances or accutrements one can add on to help generate electricity to charge the batteries would also be useful. a friend of mine suggested putting small windmills all over a hybrid to decrease the time that the engine is actually running. I watch the hybrid and alternative fuels industry with some interest. so far, the only alternative fuel that has really impressed me has been bio-diesel. I would be interested in seeing weather or not bio-diesel can be refined into gasoline. I am really not knowing what goes into making diesel and gasoline, but as I understand it, gas is more refined than diesel. If one can make diesel with grease, methanol, and lye; I wonder if one can make gasoline from the aforementioned diesel. just a thought, I seem to have strayed from the topic at hand.... I guess I've rambled on long enough. have a nice day and ride safe

[yamahansolo]

i have a motorcycle mag about 3 years old and a guy converted a crotch rocket??? can't remember what model but he said it accelerated like his ninja 250 and got about 80 miles before he ran dry.

[81xsproject]

The thing I really love with the electric car hoopla, is that no one ever says anything about what happens to all those batteries once they go bad and have to be replaced (environmental impact/cost per battery/battery life).

[mro]

what happens to all those batteries

They get recycled.
At least the lead is reused, not sure what happens to the cases.


mro