Hi everyone, I am a newbie in this vocation, and I am considering what bike to buy for this project.
I've read the 'El Ninja' book, listened in on your conversations and checked out conversions on the Austin EV site, and it looks to me like I need to pick a bike with these criteria: [I am assuming that the bike I convert won't be freeway capable, so about 50 mph max and < 50 mile range max] 1. Light, light, light. Trim as much as possible. 2. Minimal rolling resistance (and won't hurt to be aerodynamic as well). 3. Have enough space under tank for batteries (I am thinking LiFePO4, so not too much worry there). 4. Modern (so decent suspension, brakes) and common make, model (so parts easy to get). So, my first issue is: how does one estimate the weight of a bike when the motor is out. E.g. how much heavier is say, a Ninja 500 rolling chassis over a Ninja 250 one? Does it matter enough to be a consideration? If I want to take my first criterion seriously (and am not worried about freeway speeds) would I not want to get an even smaller CC bike, 125cc say a dual-sport bike? More generally, are there any gotchas with using an on-off road chassis (presuming I can switch out the knobby tires)? Of course, these bikes are less aerodynamic than the sport bikes, so that's a downside. I've also considered a Yamaha YSR 50 or Derbi GPR 50 chassis, but comfort may be an issue on those bikes. Thanks for any feedback! Sri Subramanian
