converting 50cc scooter worthwhile?

[broccoli]

Speed and aesthetics are not important to me, only cost and reliability. It would be great to be able to walk into work not dripping in sweat and save my strength for work itself (bike and bus at present). Hauling things could be much easier as well. Then there are those "air quality action alert" days which would be great to avoid heavy breathing on. Rarely do I ever travel more than 20-30 miles and could plug-in for the return trip. Therefore, friends, as a poor college student, I am looking for advice on the difficulty level and cost of converting a 50cc scooter compared to an old honda or ninja.

Any suggestions for reading or links to similar conversions would be appreciated. What kind of tools would I need? Skills? Thanks.

 

[Dauntless]

If you're talking about a scooter with a GY6 engine, what people often call Vespa style, I'd say most people will find that too difficult. It acts as the swingarm, so you have to dismantle the engine and mount your electric motor inside, etc. You'll find a few pics here. https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=17576&hilit=conver*+50cc&start=175

A moped, or a similar bare frame scooter with no pedals, would be far easier.

Maybe even the Honda minitrail at 1,000 - 1,500w.

 

[cycborg]

If you're talking about a scooter with a GY6 engine ... It acts as the swingarm, so you have to dismantle the engine and mount your electric motor inside

I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now. An alternative approach would be to chuck the whole back end (engine, CVT, wheel) and mount a hub motor (with integrated rim) on a custom-fabricated swingarm.

These swingarms must exist somewhere. There are plenty of hub-motor driven scooters in China, and I would guess that the frames are standard, so the scooter could be made either gas or electric. Which means that if you could get your hands on one of these swingarms, you could easily convert any scooter that takes a GY6 engine. But that's a Chinese part-sourcing challenge that's beyond my Ali-express level experience.

 

[23skidoo]

I'm just over 4000 miles on my custom swingarm hub setup on my Honda Elite ch80 and love it!

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=54068

The advantage of the scooter in California are:
1. Insured
2. Faster legal speeds
3. Theft resistance, in part from registration process.
4. Vehicle is designed for the rigors of motorized use, especially at higher power.
5. More pleasant in the rain.
6. Can carry more.

Disadvantages:
1. Cant penetrate traffic like a bike.
2. License for driver and vehicle required.
3. No exercise
4. Needs twice the battery.
5. Cant take it on the train.

Each mission has its optimal ride.

 

[diff_lock]

A lithium pack that gets you 40km and lasts 1000 cycles would be 40,000 km. That is like 1000+eur of fuel. But you would need to either remove the battery or heat it in the winter. A battery to get you 40km will be around 10kg.

What I did was buy an electric scooter from nettimoto and just convert it to lithium, the motor was ok and I got a new controller. I would not spend more than 350eu on a cheap chinese electric scooter. The battery I got from em3ev and i think you can get a nice battery pack for under 2000eu.

If you get a controller and hub motor from china that is the way to go for performance, if you want to save money then you can get a much cheaper motor and controller.

Example controller and motor:
http://i.imgur.com/1yuQWeL.png


My scooter: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=71242

Someone stole my seat and light so i couldnt ride it... sucks.