Kawasaki KE100 Thinking about converting to electric

[DesignerDan]

Ok I know the drum brakes are probably going to be a problem but overall would this be a good bike to convert?
It only weighs 178 lbs and that's WITH the gas engine.
It's small, aerodynamic, and has nice skinny tires.
They are also fairly cheap to buy used.
Any thoughts?

[DesignerDan]

[Scoot440]

I have often thought that the KE100/G5/G4 would be a great platform if it fits your overall goal. The bikes are light, cheap, and durable. If you want an around town commuter/backroad bike, it would be great, and many small dirtbikes would be a good source for better forks and brakes for an upgrade. The biggest limit to the bike is its small size. Not a lot of room for a motor or batteries. If they fit in your budget, this bike with an Enertrac hubmotor and lithium batteries could be an encredibly versatile, practical, and enjoyable ride. On the other hand, if you are piecing it together with a small forklift motor and lead batteries, you will probably will be very disappointed in it. It is always best to figure out what you need it to do and pick your components accordingly.

If you are doing it based on practical math, it is hard to beat that bike in its stock form: a dependable $1000 motorcyle that gets 100mpg. But that is not why most of us end up on this forum.

[DesignerDan]

Thanks for the advice. And yes I thought about that too! People will probably think I'm crazy for converting an already fuel efficient bike. But like you said that's not what we are about xD I know someone that is selling one of these and I will try to buy it today. I'll update on how the conversion goes. Oh and I would never even consider lead acid lol Lithium or nothing! And as for the limited space, I think a hub motor in the rear wheel would be the best option. They would give me a lot of room in the frame for batteries, controller, maybe on board charger.

[Scoot440]

Did you pick it up?

[SamTexas]

And as for the limited space, I think a hub motor in the rear wheel would be the best option. They would give me a lot of room in the frame for batteries, controller, maybe on board charger.

I agree. And don't forget the gas tank. I can imagine 1kwh in the space occupied by the tank.

[DesignerDan]

Well I picked it up today. I got one for 800 which is kinda of a high price considering I only want the frame. The brakes suck on it my bicycle can brake better than this. Maybe it will brake better without the weight of the engine. Any one have any idea how many kw/h I will need for a 40 mile range? I'm using a hubzilla on this. I will need to make this bike substantially lighter for this to be practical :/

[SamTexas]

DDan, use this calculator to estimate your power and energy requirement:

http://bikecalculator.com/

Add 20 to 30% to whatever value provided by the calculator to account for the typical hub motor efficiency. Have fun with the conversion.

[Scoot440]

I have seen several of the moped guys use Kawasaki KX80 and Honda CR80 front fork/wheel/disc brake conversions. That might help with the stopping portion. Check out the bottom photos on this page:
http://www.mopedarmy.com/forums/read.ph ... sg-3063706

[DesignerDan]

You'll never believe what happened. I was riding the bike (still gas powered) and the dumb thing breaks down (inferior carburetor). So I have to leave it on the side of the road while a friend picks me up. A few hours later we return with a truck with a trailer and the bike is gone. It was stolen. I called the police and they have no records of it being towed and they had me fill out a stolen vehicle report. Meanwhile hubzilla came in the mail today. This is really discouraging. 800 dollars worth of motorcycle down the drain.

[Punx0r]

Gay

[DesignerDan]

I miss it already

[SamTexas]

That's too bad. Time to look for another one? Make sure you buy a chain large and long enough to lock your bike to a tree. These small motorcycles are light enough to be thrown on a back of a pickup by a couple of teenagers.

[DesignerDan]

Not to blame anyone for my mistakes but I left it laying on its side so it wasn't very visible from the road. But some cops put a parking warning on it and stood it upright and left. Like I said, not to blame anyone, BUT... maybe if the cops would have left it HOW I LEFT it, it wouldn't have gotten stolen. Anyone should I try to buy the same bike? Or does anyone have any other suggested bikes? I'm using a hubzilla so the bike will need to be very light because it will need to operate on 4-10kw.

[SamTexas]

Or does anyone have any other suggested bikes?

I thought the smaller Honda CRF (100 to 125cc) is a good candidate. The rear suspension looks superior to me.