1989 Kawasaki EX500 (Ninja) - EV conversion, finished but still refining

[gustavo88py]

your battery is 28s ?
What bms you use?

 

[harrisonpatm]

ANTBMS

your battery is 28s ?
What bms you use?

 

[byke]

Got the QS273 installed on the swingarm today, just before it started raining.

One of the biggest weaknesses of my previous build was the hub motor mount. Technically it worked: I used the stock (loose) torque arm plates, overtightened the nuts on the axle, and drilled for a cotter pin. So it never loosened or wiggled, and it never fell off. But I have since learned how lucky I was, and it was also a pain to precisely mount just the right way to line up the cotter pin again, when I wanted to take it apart for maintenance.

Pics below are from the previous build's mount:
View attachment 354200View attachment 354201

Ugh, really ugly looking at it now.

Anyway. I spent a ton of time designing around that issue for this build. So I shouldn't have been surprised at how easily it went together, and how frickin secure it was when I was finished. And yet, here I am pleasantly surprised.

View attachment 354203
View attachment 354205
View attachment 354206

It took more time to align the brake calipers and find the correct arrangement of washers/spacers than it took to actually mount the motor.

Really want to put it on the bike now, but it's about to rain, I'll have to wait till tomorrow. So close!

I'm thinking about a build similar to yours and I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the hub motor installation...

Where is the disc and caliper bracket from?

Was the method to basically measure the overall width of the OEM wheel with OEM wheel spacers and then modify your hub motor spacers to match?

In the second to last pic, the spacer looks like it has a notch in it, but why is that there? It looks like the spacer OD is barely larger than the slot/opening for the axle and most spacers are flanged at the swingarm side to deal with that. Have you had any problems with that spacer trying to wear its way into the swingarm?

 

[harrisonpatm]

Where is the disc and caliper bracket from?

Generic aliexpress parts, nothing fancy. I have good regen settings, so I only use the rear disc brake in emergency stopping, and it still works fine.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801170221670.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.35.45f622afS945RB&algo_pvid=41917709-619e-4a24-b004-eeb59f664632&algo_exp_id=41917709-619e-4a24-b004-eeb59f664632-34&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%218.66%218.66%21%21%218.66%218.66%21%40210313e917474794725782623ef207%2112000035909595907%21sea%21US%213203898797%21X&curPageLogUid=JwSus1cqtO4y&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

Was the method to basically measure the overall width of the OEM wheel with OEM wheel spacers and then modify your hub motor spacers to match?

Yes, essentially. I did it on the swingarm, removed from the bike, so it was not too much difficulty to add spacers/washers to the hub motor, put it on the swingarm, check spacing and alignment, remove, adjust washers, rinse and repeat. It only took 2-3 tries before I had it right.

In the second to last pic, the spacer looks like it has a notch in it, but why is that there? It looks like the spacer OD is barely larger than the slot/opening for the axle and most spacers are flanged at the swingarm side to deal with that. Have you had any problems with that spacer trying to wear its way into the swingarm?

I apologize, but I'm not sure what you're describing in the picture. It certainly doesn't help that the pic I took was dark and out of focus. I guess to answer your question, no, I have had zero issues with this hub motor/torque arm alignment, it's one of the parts of this build that I've been most pleased about.

 

[byke]

Generic aliexpress parts, nothing fancy. I have good regen settings, so I only use the rear disc brake in emergency stopping, and it still works fine.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801170221670.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.35.45f622afS945RB&algo_pvid=41917709-619e-4a24-b004-eeb59f664632&algo_exp_id=41917709-619e-4a24-b004-eeb59f664632-34&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%218.66%218.66%21%21%218.66%218.66%21%40210313e917474794725782623ef207%2112000035909595907%21sea%21US%213203898797%21X&curPageLogUid=JwSus1cqtO4y&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

Yes, essentially. I did it on the swingarm, removed from the bike, so it was not too much difficulty to add spacers/washers to the hub motor, put it on the swingarm, check spacing and alignment, remove, adjust washers, rinse and repeat. It only took 2-3 tries before I had it right.


I apologize, but I'm not sure what you're describing in the picture. It certainly doesn't help that the pic I took was dark and out of focus. I guess to answer your question, no, I have had zero issues with this hub motor/torque arm alignment, it's one of the parts of this build that I've been most pleased about.

Sorry, I'm a bozo! I looked again and it's just the tail end of the swingarm itself. For some reason last night (no drinks I swear) it looked like there was a notch in the spacer, think it's because I was looking at it zoomed in. I added some red lines to illustrate. Top lines had me thinking it was notched, but the bottom line had me wondering if the spacer was digging in to the swingarm.

 

[harrisonpatm]

Sorry, I'm a bozo! I looked again and it's just the tail end of the swingarm itself. For some reason last night (no drinks I swear) it looked like there was a notch in the spacer, think it's because I was looking at it zoomed in. I added some red lines to illustrate. Top lines had me thinking it was notched, but the bottom line had me wondering if the spacer was digging in to the swingarm.

This is correct, I know it's hard to see, but yeah, it's the rear end of the swingarm, which itself typically has to be cut to allow the hub motor to slide in

 

[toddbailey]

Feels good for now, and I measured/marked where it was before I took it apart, but it's currently irrelevant: i don't know yet whether I'm going mid drive or hub motor, so suspension is up in the air.

It did feel fine on the bike, but mostly I enjoy the process of taking apart old, gross, grease-caked and rusty pieces of equipment and making them pretty. Plus I wanted to get a good idea of the color scheme

I'm told a mid motor chain drive is the pref. option

 

[harrisonpatm]

I'm told a mid motor chain drive is the pref. option

Preferred is subjective. I prefer a hub motor: quieter, more efficient, easier for me to install, no custom chainline to sort. But I also do 100% street riding and commuting and I don't need crazy low end torque, and I don't mind the extra unsprung mass of a hub motor. What is the preferred option for me is someone else's least preferred.