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Secrets of El Moto
Building Electric Motorcycles
(Everything you need to know)
Copyright 2008, 2010 Clean Personal Transportation and Bidwell Design
Smooth, fast, quiet, comfortable, clean, and economically smart
— that’s what electric
motorcycles are all about. In most locations, oil products are not used to
produce the
electric energy used for charging batteries, and the cost of running an electric
motorcycle
is less than one-third the cost of running a gas motorcycle. Plus, the amount of
smog
producing emissions created is zero when running an electric motorcycle.
This book explains how to easily convert a gas motorcycle to
electric power in your own garage
with standard hand tools (no welding or machining required). It describes all
the technology
fundamentals, performance tradeoffs, and design decisions involved in converting
a gas
motorcycle. It then walks you through a straightforward and highly efficient
example conversion
of a 2004 Kawasaki 125 motocross bike, showing you the “Secrets of El Moto.” As
a bonus,
this book also covers maintenance and repair of the electrical components of
most any electric
motorcycle.
Foreword
T
his book is written to be read from front to back because the material in later chapters dependson the groundwork and information explained in earlier chapters. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 all provide
information needed to understand and use Chapter 4 - Motorcycle Conversion Options and Decisions.
Chapter 4 covers a lot of the groundwork for Chapter 5 - Converting El Moto because there are still
decisions to be made during the actual conversion regarding what components are to be used
(e.g., number of batteries, gearing, etc.). The content in Chapter 6 naturally follows Chapter 5 with
the break-in process, and is an excellent reference for diagnosing and fixing problems with virtually
any electric two-wheeler.
That said, it’s expected that many readers will still want to “cut to the chase” and read
Chapter 5 –Converting El Moto first. Readers can glean a good overview of Secrets of El Moto by reading
Chapter 1 and Chapter 5, then use the other chapters as a reference or to fill- in holes as they are
discovered. Please note that all information about any particular electric vehicle component (e.g.,
batteries, motors, controller, etc.,) is not covered completely in any one chapter since the coverage
needs to change from theoretical to analytical to practical. Use the chapter section headings for one
particular component (e.g., Batteries) to guide a complete understanding of that component.
Secrets of El Moto
Copyright 2008, 2010 Clean Personal Transportation and Bidwell Design
Contents
Chapter 1 — Introduction 5
El Moto - An Amazing Gas-to-Electric Conversion 6
Electric Motorcycle Conversions – Easier Than You Think 7
Registering and Licensing Electric Motorcycles 16
How Electric Motorcycles and
Operating an Electric Motorcycle (El Moto Example) 17
Safety Considerations 17
Chapter 2 — Electric Motorcycle Technology Overview 19
DC Electric Motors 20
Motor Controllers 26
Batteries 29
Throttle, Switches, Connectors, and Wiring 35
Power Cables and Lugs 35
Chain and Sprockets 36
Electronic Speed Governors 36
Chargers 37
Chapter 3 — Performance and More Performance 39
Monitoring the Performance of Your Electric Motorcycle 39
Range 39
Gearing, Top Speed and Performance 41
Hill Climbing 44
Increased Performance 44
Chapter 4 — Motorcycle Conversion Options and Decisions 46
How to Find the Right Donor Gas Motorcycle 46
Overall Design 47
Selecting and Mounting the Motor 50
Gearing 51
Selecting the Controller and Options 52
Power and Controller Switch Options 53
Battery Charging Options 54
Chapter 5 — Converting
El Moto 55Conversion Safety Notes
55Tools 55
Cabling and Wiring Techniques 56
Reading and Using the Drawings 57
Mounting the Batteries 58
Mounting the Motor 59
Fabricating and Mounting the Motor Mount Plate 60
Mounting the Etek Motor 61
Selecting the Gearing 63
Mounting the Controller 64
Mounting the Power Switch Box and Switches 64
Inserting and Cabling the Batteries 65
Wiring the Throttle to the Controller 65
Tuning the ALLTRAX Controller and Drive Characteristics 65
Secrets of El Moto
4
Secrets of El MotoConnecting the Charger 67
Bench-Testing the Drive System 68
Test Riding Your El Moto 68
Chapter 6 — Electric Motorcycle Maintenance 69
The Break- in Process 70
Battery Care 70
Troubleshooting and Repair 72
Motor Overheating 80
Using an Ammeter 81
Preventive Maintenance Tune-up Checklist 82
Sources for Parts and Repair 82
Appendix
Units and Formulas
Material List
Vendor List
Torque Available vs. Torque Required Spreadsheet
Drawings 1-2
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