[ngrimm]

Just wondering if those of you who have converted a m/c or have researched it quite a bit could suggest some to consider or avoid. I know everyone has their own taste but I am looking for ideas for either street or dual sport 10 or more years old due to the cost. My main concern is a frame style that allows four or more decent sized lead acid batteries and a 6" x 10" or larger motor without chopping the bottom off the frame. I think a shaft drive is out since gearing is fixed. It would be for cruising around town so a Gold Wing is too big. Am I asking for too much? Norm

[sharp21]

Well I havent built one yet, but from the research I have done I would say that twin downtubes up front is important, for mounting the batteries.
I think any of the older streetbikes will work fine. Ive got a soft spot for the gixxer 750 so thats what I am looking for.
Any of the older standards should have plenty of room. CB750, Eddie Lawson Z1000
I think the trick is to go to your local wreckers & find a decent roller cheap.
S.

[ngrimm]

I have a good lead on a 90 Ninja ZX10 (1000 cc) that is a rolling chassis with a title. The top end of the engine is gone as well as most of the plastics. In the Evalbum it appears there are more Ninjas than about any other type converted. I imagine it is because lots of battery room and the fairing covers them and also has a chain drive. I think the original engines/trans weigh around 250 lbs. Not sure if that would be enough lead to give decent performance or range.

[mattW]

The reason there are so many ninjas is because there is a book called secrets of the el ninja that goes through how to convert a ninja to an EV. What Ah batteries are you planning on using? Make sure you use a high voltage (72V+) if you want decent performance. It will cost more but you will get good acceleration and top speed. Your donor sounds really nice, there would be a ton of room on a 1000cc bike for batteries. Just make up mock-ups of the batteries you want in cardboard to make sure they will fit. Remember the centre of gravity can be made quite low on the bike and if you aren't going to carry a passenger I would say that you can get away with going over the weight of the original drive-train.

[ngrimm]

Here is a pic of the Ninja roller I am supposed to pick up tomorrow. I sold my Holset turbo to get this but I think it will be worth it. It comes with the front forks, wheel, and tank though they are not shown. Can't wait to get started on the conversion. Norm

[sharp21]

Thats great! Cant wait to see the progress
S.

[ngrimm]

Well I got the Ninja home and it is more complete than I thought. May be able to recoup some of the expense with extra parts. It even came with a front fairing but needs work. It's amazing that a 1000 cc motorcycle is only 210 lbs without the engine. I guess that will change when I start adding batteries but the gvwr is 957 lbs.

My pics were too big to upload so here is a link to a few pics:
http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m.../Ninja%20pics/

[frodus]

great find...

I got my 1986 VFR700 for $400, shipped it to Oregon for another 600, parted out the engine/carbs/exhaust/electrical and JUST about broke even

so, a rolling chassis for free... I'm sure you can do the same.

[ngrimm]

I have made a little progress on my Ninja conversion. I have the forklift motor mounted and tested it with one 12v battery and the wheel actually spins. I have started the battery frame. I will be using eight 12v 85 ah deep cycle batteries arranged with three batteries on the bottom, three more above them and two more on the top. It will be heavy but as I mentioned earlier the Ninja's gvw is 950lbs. I wonder if Lead Zeppelin is taken.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...serPics007.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...serPics006.jpg

[mattW]

Wow that's a huge amount of batteries? Have you made cardboard moch ups or anything to see if they will all fit?