ElectricMotorcycleForum.com

WOW. 

Yeah man, you've got a great looking bike build there.  If you're looking for me to say that it doesn't look good, and the swingarm mount is better, you'll be quite disappointed.  You'll get no argument from me!  Excellent looking bike.

But of course, your engineering skills significantly exceed mine.  I am looking to build one with very little or no machining or welding.  For this purpose, (and since I am a newbie, this is my first bike build) the swing arm mount seems like it would work.   I am worried about a little off balancing though.... with an Etek-RT motor (which I understand weighs 36lbs, the bike could be a little off balance...) 

I'll also need as much room in the engine compartment as I can for batteries, so I'd like to shift that motor out of that area if possible. 

I guess now that I think about it, the swing arm mount has it's advantages and disadvantages.  6 of one... a half a dozen of another...

I was thinking of putting a custom motor mount plate on the swing arm proper like this:

Here is another view

Nice... that mount looks great!

Looks like you had to weld it to the frame... that's a little bit above my pay grade right now though.  I am going to a machining shop tomorrow to see if I can have a mount custom made that I can drill into the swing arm.

Pardon my digression, but I made a couple of mistakes last time that I am trying desperately not to repeat.

The first is that I have to realize what I don't know.  I am not a welder, I have no experience machining and I've got a lot to learn. 

Since EV parts are expensive, I've got to factor this in with the fact that I've got classes to pay for and a mortgage payment.  Really I am just scraping together what I have left at the end of the month and throwing it into a jar as a matter of speaking.  In one year's time I am going to buy all of the parts from an EV supplier as a kit package.  By that point, I want everything to just bolt in.  I want my battery cage fabricated, the motor mount ready to go and a space for the controller secured.  Really by then it should just be connect the dots.  I have Bidwell's books "Secrets of El Ninja" and also "El Chopper ET."  I have bolt patterns and ideas for where everything goes.

Lessons learned from the last time and mistakes that I don't want to repeat:

-I HATE brushless motors.  Brushless motors seem to have VERY expensive controllers and also they seem to be temperamental.  I'd set myself on fire before I'd consider buying a brushless motor again.  If the wiring conditions don't pass all 365,000 of it's internal checks it won't close the contactor and then I've got no game.

-If at ALL possible don't buy ANYTHING from eBay.  Most of the sellers that I've dealt with don't give a crap about customer support.  They would have been more honest to replace the icon that says "Buy it Now" with "I've GOT YOU SUCKER!!!!"   If it lands on eBay most of them seem to be concerned with offloading merchandise.  I asked a simple question and one guy literally said "there's no monetary incentive for me to talk to you at all."  If I'd bought the items from a retailer and it didn't work, I'd simply send it back.  But here the guy clearly (and with a hint of rudeness) said "you're on your own kid."

-This kind of thing needs to be planned meticulously.  It does not pass to secure parts piecemeal just because they look like a bargain at the time.  "I found a deal on a controller, a contactor and a motor!"... great.  But do they work together?

So essentially I've got a year to plan.  But in a year's time (or less) I intend to click "buy it now" from electricmotorsport.com, cloudelectric.com, EVdrives.com or some other dealer and I do expect support from them.  But again, by that time my frame will essentially be a "kit" and the parts will just bolt in to where they need to go.  I'll wrap up wiring and then I hope to be 50MPH and gas free!

 

I'd really love to see a close up pic of how you mounted that motor.  I think that the Etek motor spin CCW naturally.

Nice!  I am getting excited about this all over again. 

Thanks a lot Bogan.

yeh, etek-r is an easy one. Perhaps if you go for a run each week as well as saving up a bit of dosh you'll sort the weight problem too don't think and extra 100lb will be too bad though, slower acceleration and a smidgeon off the top speed.

Cool!

Thanks for the advice as always man.

So one more question if I may...

That Etek-R can spin CW or CCW rotation right?  I see folks do it both ways.  Don't want to mess up the motor, but I am planning to mount it on the swing arm.  That'll probably need CW rotation.

link?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brushless-Etek-DC-Motor-with-Sevcon-Controller-extras_W0QQitemZ270462309513QQ#ht_802wt_973

That's all my stuff. 

Just tired of screwing with it.  I kept reminding myself that if I went DC, really all I'd have to do is hook up a 12v battery and I'd be done.  It's maddening.

I did do the ohm meter on the throttle again though.  It read .01k-5.5k.  I don't know if it was the oils in my skin increasing the resistance or whatever though. 

Thanks for the response. 

I had no idea that getting a motor to turn was supposed to be this difficult.

Well... I start it up by engaging the main keyswitch, and then flipping a single switch that should engage FWD and FS1 simultaneously.  REV is not used.

Several things here give me pause.

-Page 56 of the manual indicates that the controller has a "Static Return to Off" feature which requires an specific order of switches to be thrown.  Key, direction and then FS1.  Any bizarre combination therein will create a 2 flash error.  The problem is that feature is supposed to be disabled by default, so I shouldn't have a problem.

-Page 60 indicates that if either direction is selected at system startup, it will create a 2 flash error like I experienced.  I did jump the FWD connection wire originally, and that would have created such an error.  That shouldn't be an issue in the current configuration.

-Currently the keyswitch and toggle switch for FWD/FS1 are a couple of paces away from each other, and I saw that there might be a time limit from power engage to throwing the switch.  That makes sense, but again that's a feature that is supposed to be disabled by default.

FS1 according to the text must be thrown after system power on.  Jumping it to ground would probably not work as it would be closed upon system startup.  I could be true that I got some bad advice about throwing FS1 and FWD simultaneously, and it might expect some kind of order though.

I am not using a single pole double throw switch for FWD/REV, and the situation must in order to make the controller engage is that both must be off at system power up.  If the controller does in fact find the system "in gear" upon power up, it will create my 2 flash error.  That can be disabled with the programmer, but again, $250.

My key switch is a bit hefty, sure.  But the controller does in fact get power it just has some kind of illegal start condition fault. 

And this is a real headache.

well, illegal start error is going to have something to do with order of startup. We need more info.... how do you start it up? whats is the order of how you turn things on?

Also, I'm almost positive FS1 and FWD cannot be initiated ON at the EXACT same time. Since you'll always be going forward, just wire it to BAT-. The issue being, the controller is looking for EITHER FWD or REV.... but if it doesn't see ANYTHING for a certain amount of time, it might fault out. i.e. keyswitch on, then you wait, then FS1/FWD is initiated... it might already have timed out. the FWD/REV switch is usually a toggle, so its either/or...and its never neither.

Another thing confusing.... is that you've got a 275A continuous key switch and 15A fuse supplying it. What is the intention of that circuit?