Suzuki RG250F Gamma conversion

That resin is better than nothing, but I think a lacquered, polished turd is the best way to describe this plug :lol:

polishedturd001.jpg



I also decided to get the old balance charger out and have a crack at some of my packs. They have never been balance charged, so this is clearly pretty important. My rig seems to work reasonable well.

polishedturd002.jpg
 
cool
 
Good work thus far Chris ;) The plug looks like it definitely needs some more body filler (Bondo for you Americans)
some sanding then a few coats of primer filler...more sanding appy and repeat etc etc...it really takes alot of
time to get it right if you wan't a pro finish, alot like painting, its all in the prep.

Shall be into the glass work myself very soon, got the new bike running went 12km for a test ride yesterday.

KiM
 
Yeah, this sanding-bogging-lacquering business blows. I'm inclined to only use the chop sheet mat as my tank cover for next Friday, if I get it done by then. I'm actually at home working on my grant application - a job for the next 3-4 years is a bit more important I guess...

Oh, about balance charging - how long should it take? I've had the balance charger on one pack for about 2.5 hrs already, and one cell is still hovering around 3.41 V while the other three are at a comfortable 3.60 (+or- 0.01 V). If it takes 8 hrs per pack I'll be rather busy!
 
OK so I have balanced two of the eight packs (one took about 6 hrs) but the third pack has been on balance for about 6.5 hours and one cell still reads 3.36 V while the other three cells are hovering at 3.60 (+ or - 0.02 V). How long until it starts to move???

Also, I'm wondering if there is a standard three phase power socket, and if Wanneroo raceway has three phase outlets, would they be 500 V or 240 V? I can join my 3 Elcons up to run on three phase, provided the phase voltage is 240 V.
 
After 8 hours, the voltage of the low cell has begun to rise to 3.42 V. I have left it on for another 8 hours to balance today. Slowly slowly...

MOST frustratingly - I'm not going to have a tank cover or a tail piece for my testing day :x :x :x

I spent till midnight bogging and sanding and ended up with a pretty darn smooth plug. So I coated it with a nice layer of epoxy resin like before (it's the two-part 100:100 stuff they use for jewlery making etc) and left it over night.

To my dismay, there were tiny little bubbles that have foamed up overnight :x :x :x
lacqueredturd004.jpg


Also, some parts hadn't set properly and were still a bit tacky. Realising that there was no way I'd have even a rough Chop-Mat cover, I decided to sand the rough bits again :(
lacqueredturd001.jpg

lacqueredturd002.jpg


The end result is a sanded, but still incomplete lacquered turd:
lacqueredturd003.jpg



Is there anything I can use to cover the rude bits? I doubt the scrutineers will let me out without covers. I think as long as the axillary battery and any excess wiring is taped down there shouldn't be an issue?

Sigh...
 
Hi all, I'm up at midnight Perth time putting my bike together for the track testing tomorrow. I don't know if the scrutineers will let me out without covers, but we'll see. It's sure to draw a crowd anyway :)

Oh I fixed the BMS soldering problem - it's called the right tool for the job :D
nightbefore003.jpg


Holy shit this thing gets hot! It glows dull red! It soldered the balance wires onto the heatsinks like butter!

They are wired up and connected with those 6-was pcb plugs. It would have been great if I'd bought 8 sets... instead of 7.5 :X
nightbefore002.jpg

The seat is going to be a bit of wood. For now. ;)
nightbefore001.jpg


So very tired!

Oh, the batteries are still balancing! I have two cells left to charge and balance, but one of them took about 16 Ah! The other has been devouring 8 Ah already and not showing signs of balancing :?
 
Hi again everyone,

Well as has been mentioned elsewhere, the track testing didn't happen as the bike wasn't in a race-worthy state. I could have begged the scrutineers to let me out with no tank cover, but their fear of electrocution (not entirely unfounded) would have been enough to err on the side of caution. Very disappointing, but at the same time, I'd really prefer not to go out half-built and embarrass myself infront of a couple of dozen gas bikes.

Two major hold-ups have been the balance charging of individual packs (now, after 5 days of work they are all within 0.02 V of each other) and the fibreglass tank cover and tail piece.

The balancing has been completed, but the BMS boards that Rod had supplied me with were accidentally fried when the loop wire accidentally touched the chassis where a ~96 volt (but very low current) surge was waiting. This cooked the opto sensors on almost all of the units :x Secondly, while soldering the loop wire, I noticed that my soldering iron was live!!!! I struck an arc on the bike with it! Naturally this fried the balance charger too :x :x :x However, Jaycar kindly replaced it and said never solder while it's charging or we won't replace it. I politely agreed :lol:

The fibreglassing has been an epic learning curve, mostly in how to be patient. The tank cover mould was as good as ready, with some epoxy lacquer to finish the job.

I spent last night putting the release wax, release PVA, gelcoat, resin, chop sheet mat, resin, chop sheet mat and more resin.
lacqueredturd002.jpg

tankcoverfemmould001.jpg

tankcoverfemmould002.jpg


This morning it had set nicely:
tankcoverfemmould004.jpg


There are a few dry spots :( I hope I can sand these away and put some more resin over them. If I can't get the inner-mould made in time for the Perth Sun Fair this weekend, I will use this cover instead.
tankcoverfemmould005.jpg


Getting there...
 
...tell them they are lying through their teeth.

I couldn't for the life of me pop the glass off. I pushed and pulled and gouged and levered... and cut and pulled and it wouldn't pop off. I used lots of release wax and PVA release agent before laying the gelcoat etc. but no, it was stuck on.

So I took to it with the dremmel and a couple of screwdrivers and broke the slut off.

It still isn't completely away from the mould, but the mould is frocked now anyway. As is the gelcoat.

I am completely devastated by this entire ordeal. It has cost me hundreds of dollars and lots of time, and I end up with a broken, useless bit of fibreglass. It is not cheap, it is not easy, and it is a messy, shitty job!

GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! :evil:
 
So I have given up on fibreglass tanks for the time being, and spent my time building the bike back up. The new BMS system works nicely and the whole lot is well balanced.

With the new, taller gearing, I can go rather fast :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohzfLMocSeU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8dYdpqv5U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6fshXEFjto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gZi4NXzB68

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55bkFXBxkOs

The last video shows me struggling with the throttle - it kept lurching forward, possibly because it was stuck between my glove and the bar end. Hmmm, better fix that :)

I know a back route to UWA for tomorrow morning ;)
 
Hey all,

Just letting you know I have booked my flights to Canberra for Wednesday the 27th April, returning to Perth on the 2nd of May! I'm going to have to crate the bike up and get it trucked over to Goulburn, or Canberra if someone has a ute to help be move it out to the track. Splinter - If you can help me out here that would be FANTASTIC!

Meantime, I have ordered the Kelly KDH12121E controller to replace the B series. Kelly would rather see the right tool for the job on display. I also have to get a tank cover and tail piece made in short notice. I figure the tail piece can be made out of fibreglass, but the cover might still need to be made from polycarbonate or something that can handle some man-love :)

It's all happening and I have no Idea how I'll cope. But here's hoping :D

Cheers,
CHRIS
 
jonescg said:
Hey all,

Just letting you know I have booked my flights to Canberra for Wednesday the 27th April, returning to Perth on the 2nd of May! I'm going to have to crate the bike up and get it trucked over to Goulburn, or Canberra if someone has a ute to help be move it out to the track. Splinter - If you can help me out here that would be FANTASTIC!

Meantime, I have ordered the Kelly KDH12121E controller to replace the B series. Kelly would rather see the right tool for the job on display. I also have to get a tank cover and tail piece made in short notice. I figure the tail piece can be made out of fibreglass, but the cover might still need to be made from polycarbonate or something that can handle some man-love :)

It's all happening and I have no Idea how I'll cope. But here's hoping :D

Cheers,
CHRIS
Click to expand...

Chris,

I have a 7x4 trailer with bike channel etc and a few days off. :)

Will PM you with contact details.

Tony
 
Good news on the controller swap, you'll notice a huge improvement. You'll actually not be able to set it above about 65-70% without torching the brushes at higher RPM (best to set it up on a dyno watching the brushes carefully if you want to push more than that), and still have a good 70% more power that the KDHA set at maximum.

Good luck!

Jozz
 
Thanks for the tip Steve. I have no idea what my B controller was set at, but it had no trouble drawing 515 A from the batteries. Hey - how far can you over-volt these Agnis? My system't lowest voltage under load is 96 V, which is still more than what they are rated for. Of course by the third lap it will be lower, but I hope the brushes aren't going to catch on fire before then :lol:

Do you bother with regen for 'engine' braking? It's not much of a gain but it feels a bit more solid approaching a corner with some drag.
 
84v should get you 6000rpm, any faster than that and your risking lots of hot copper in your leg. I run the same voltage pack as you, and usually set maximum speed to 92%. If you could come up with an RPM limiter you could allow 100% speed (capped at 6000rpm), this would allow you a higher potential across the brushes to drive right up to 6krpm at maximum power, but since commutation deteriorates as the motor speeds up this would possibly give you brush problems..

Not many bothered with Regen last year on the track, but more are this year. The braking effect is nice as you say, and for sure, every AH helps on that last lap! Personally I fit a half throttle on the left hand bar end, and rig the switch in to the front brakelight switch. Pushing the half throttle forwards increases regen..
Are you going to race the Aussie TTXGP this year?
 
If your wooden tank "Buck" is not damaged you may wish to try a quick fabrication. Wrap the buck in waxed paper, tack it to the base then purchase some "exercise cloth" which is used to make jogging/exercise clothing. This cloth is streatchable in two directions. Streatch this over the wased paper then saturate it in the catalized rosin. Once that hardens try to remove it from the buck? If it can be removed than you can continue to lay up fiberglass to the inside or outside of this base as required? Attached is an example of the side cover to my electric leaning trike that I fabricated using this process. Good luck.
John Head
 

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That's a pretty handy trick. I read the instructions I was working with and it says to apply two light coats of PVA. After watching my effort fail miserably I looked at another instruction video on the web, and they apply 10 heavy coats of PVA over the course of a day!

Anyway, I'm getting a polycarbonate cover fabricated instead. It will be heavier and a bit 'squarer' but it will work and be strong enough to be leant upon. All things being equal it will cost about the same as what the fibreglass cost :roll:
 
Jozzer said:
84v should get you 6000rpm, any faster than that and your risking lots of hot copper in your leg. I run the same voltage pack as you, and usually set maximum speed to 92%. If you could come up with an RPM limiter you could allow 100% speed (capped at 6000rpm), this would allow you a higher potential across the brushes to drive right up to 6krpm at maximum power, but since commutation deteriorates as the motor speeds up this would possibly give you brush problems..
Click to expand...

I was thinking that, but then again, I have geared the bike tall enough to hit 200 km/h excluding wind resistance, and this figure was arrived at by assuming 6000 rpm. So I don't think I will be over-volting the motors at top speed, but the current might be rather high.

Jozzer said:
Not many bothered with Regen last year on the track, but more are this year. The braking effect is nice as you say, and for sure, every AH helps on that last lap! Personally I fit a half throttle on the left hand bar end, and rig the switch in to the front brakelight switch. Pushing the half throttle forwards increases regen..
Are you going to race the Aussie TTXGP this year?
Click to expand...

I only have about 5.8 kWh of useful power, so I am going to need every Ah I can squeeze out! I thought about fitting a regen switch on the left bar, and might do that yet.

Yeah mate - I am registered for the first day at Wakefield Park on the April 29-May 1 weekend. I am keen to see me or some 60 kg midget on my bike race in the Australian TTX-GP. I guess I should register through Rupal?

Should be a cracker weekend, and if I can convince someone to support me, it will be affordable too! I already have plans for the next bike :twisted:
 
Getting ready for it's expedition over east:

crate.jpg


I'm channelling Burt Munroe right now :D
 
OK so the box is nearly ready - that's this evenings task - finish it.
crate3002.jpg

crate3001.jpg


I managed to get UWA to do the consignment for me as none of the freight companies bother with individual customers, only business to business. So TNT will be picking up the crated bike tomorrow some time. $585 all up, and that's just to the Canberra depot. SplinterOz will help me collect it on Friday the 29th :)

Getting excited!

Oh - the tank covers still aren't ready, but they might have pulled off a minor miracle and got them done by this afternoon...

And - the replacement f*%cking Kelly controller arrives at my house the day I leave for Canberra :x I might have to get Katherine to express mail it to me...
 
And so now I play the anxious waiting game. The bike, charger, my riding gear and a few tools are in the crate. Everything except the tank cover, tail piece and the new controller are inside.

crateready002.jpg


The covers are going to be ready to pick up at 3 pm in Jandakot - the other side of bloody town. The freighters are going to arrive at some time today - no specified time. I asked that they phone when they are on their way, but they often don't.

So I am going to hightail it down the freeway in about 40 minutes to get the covers, wing it back and hope they haven't collected the crate yet! They are a bit too big to bring in checked baggage...

The controller is in Singapore right now, so it's only 5 hours from Perth. Will it arrive tomorrow? I don't know. Fingers crossed!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ok I will make sure I have tie down straps that will cover the trailer side to side over the top of the crate and one to hold it forward.

It may be interesting getting it on the trailer as it has a tailgate but solid sides.... hmmm... thinking.
 
Thanks a bomb Tony! Maybe we could take the bike out and stand that in the trailer, and stow the crate beside it now that it's light enough to manoeuvre?


My freak-out day has subsided - I rode down to Polytech and picked up the covers I got made up. $550 and they fit perfectly. No resin, no glass, no mess. Sure, it looks a bit boxy but whatever, they will handle a bellyflop and prevent electric shocks. I know it's good stuff this lexan - the cover came out of the Ventura bag up the freeway and skidded along the road :shock: Fortunately no other vehicles hit it. Barely a scratch on it! :D So it was secured a bit better and home I went.

I had a good look and made sure they fit before tossing them in the crate.

covers001.jpg

covers002.jpg


TNT finally called me at 4 pm to say they couldn't get out and will pick it up tomorrow :roll: So the only thing left to do is holes at the right spots and mount them on the bike. I don't know if I have the energy to do it tonight... let alone paint them.

Sigh. Nearly there.
 
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