Well, I didn't think so. But lets start from the beginning.
About 2 months ago, I was given a Schwinn S350 scooter. It was complete, but missing the battery charger. My Fluke measured 13.2v in both 12v 10Ah batteries, which left me to suspect other problems. Anyway, without further diagnoses, I pulled the batteries, connected them to a smart charger, and pushed the scooter into the corner.
Two weeks later, I was triking back from the local market and passed an unadvertised yard sale. Sitting boldly out front was another one of these oversized skateboards with a hand written price tag of $5. I was not impressed and really wasn't overly inclined to reach for my wallet, but, since it did include the 24v charger (which I needed), I loaded it up and headed for home. It too was about 90%, but the batteries were toast. Oddly, my 'finds' didn't stop because not two days ago, I swung by the local Salvation Army in search of few extra t-shirts (which usually get converted to grease rags by day's end), and wouldn't ya know it.... out in the back receiving yard, was yet another one these damn 2-wheelers. This one, however, was a nice looking, 'deluxe' model with lights, horn, keyed switch, and had two, 12v 12Ah batteries - sadly, the charger was missing. I whittled the cashier down to $20 and headed for home. The batteries were low, but after 5 hours of smart charging they seem fine.
Yesterday, I scanned my scooter collection and decided to experiment and see how much damage I could do to one my precious trikes. I fabbed a quick mount, then bolted on the S350 motor - then I installed the freewheel rear sprocket adapter on a 20" wheel and started bolting pieces on. As a test, I robbed the entire wiring harness from the S350, Two hours later I had a rideable EV. One snag - the largest rear sprocket I had, was an 80t - I wanted a 90t. Other than reversing to motor wires, the OEM wiring was left intact - after all, this was only a test to see if everything was functional with minimal time and investment spent.
The test ride...
I live in a very small town. Main street is about 1/4 mile long and has, what I conservatively estimate, about a 2-3 degree slope to the west. I pointed the trike uphill and launched on the pedals up to about 6-7 mph, I then slowly rolled on the throttle. It immediately started accelerating, so I stopped pedaling. It's 3-speed is geared to about 16 mph max, so my legs could not offer any assistance beyond that speed. I was gentle on the throttle, but continued accelerating. By the 3rd block, I was nearing 20 mph and beginning to feel a tad uncomfortable, so I backed off... even though there was still throttle left. I turned around and headed home. Aimed down hill this time, it was difficult to hold it back. Within two city blocks, the speed was at 25 and still climbing. This is NUTS!
Here's the unmolested trike:
Here's a couple of snips I took with a borrowed cell phone just tonight:
About 2 months ago, I was given a Schwinn S350 scooter. It was complete, but missing the battery charger. My Fluke measured 13.2v in both 12v 10Ah batteries, which left me to suspect other problems. Anyway, without further diagnoses, I pulled the batteries, connected them to a smart charger, and pushed the scooter into the corner.
Two weeks later, I was triking back from the local market and passed an unadvertised yard sale. Sitting boldly out front was another one of these oversized skateboards with a hand written price tag of $5. I was not impressed and really wasn't overly inclined to reach for my wallet, but, since it did include the 24v charger (which I needed), I loaded it up and headed for home. It too was about 90%, but the batteries were toast. Oddly, my 'finds' didn't stop because not two days ago, I swung by the local Salvation Army in search of few extra t-shirts (which usually get converted to grease rags by day's end), and wouldn't ya know it.... out in the back receiving yard, was yet another one these damn 2-wheelers. This one, however, was a nice looking, 'deluxe' model with lights, horn, keyed switch, and had two, 12v 12Ah batteries - sadly, the charger was missing. I whittled the cashier down to $20 and headed for home. The batteries were low, but after 5 hours of smart charging they seem fine.
Yesterday, I scanned my scooter collection and decided to experiment and see how much damage I could do to one my precious trikes. I fabbed a quick mount, then bolted on the S350 motor - then I installed the freewheel rear sprocket adapter on a 20" wheel and started bolting pieces on. As a test, I robbed the entire wiring harness from the S350, Two hours later I had a rideable EV. One snag - the largest rear sprocket I had, was an 80t - I wanted a 90t. Other than reversing to motor wires, the OEM wiring was left intact - after all, this was only a test to see if everything was functional with minimal time and investment spent.
The test ride...
I live in a very small town. Main street is about 1/4 mile long and has, what I conservatively estimate, about a 2-3 degree slope to the west. I pointed the trike uphill and launched on the pedals up to about 6-7 mph, I then slowly rolled on the throttle. It immediately started accelerating, so I stopped pedaling. It's 3-speed is geared to about 16 mph max, so my legs could not offer any assistance beyond that speed. I was gentle on the throttle, but continued accelerating. By the 3rd block, I was nearing 20 mph and beginning to feel a tad uncomfortable, so I backed off... even though there was still throttle left. I turned around and headed home. Aimed down hill this time, it was difficult to hold it back. Within two city blocks, the speed was at 25 and still climbing. This is NUTS!
Here's the unmolested trike:
Here's a couple of snips I took with a borrowed cell phone just tonight:
