frodus

Tightwad, there are some other cells out there, how many Ah ya need?

Here's a video of a little cruise I went on, sorry about not dubbing music over it... need to learn some video editing.

Yeah! That's Alex, he's a buddy of mine. Great looking bike. We chat now and then, bounce ideas off eachother. He's about to upgrade his controller if I recall correctly.

I rode my Brammo to work today, after it's been so crappy in PDX for the last couple weeks, along with me being out of town. Felt awesome. I'll be riding every day this summer if I can help it!

I'm still a little bummed as well... but another member bought it and restored it, so that's good.

I still have like 40 cells I'm going to make a nice big 12V 100Ah battery that I can hook up to an inverter and have as a portable power unit (can use in emergencies, or to charge 10 miles into my motorcycle, take camping, charge with solar, etc.)

I do love the bike, and it meets and exceeds what I wanted in a motorcycle.... and much sexier than my VFR, IMHO.

Copy/Paste from another forum I'm on:

So many of you know that I sold my eVFR and decided to get a Brammo Empulse R (backstory here: http://blog.evfr.net/?p=514).

After about a couple months of waiting, Brian at Brammo called and said he was coming to the Portland area with my bike and would be there that weekend. Talk about excited. I barely slept. It felt like being a kid on Christmas! He sent a teaser pic of the bike sitting at Brammo HQ:

March 2nd, 2013

Brian arrived about 8:00 AM Saturday morning in one of Brammo's Vans:

Before I took it out, he gave me a very detailed overview of the bike, gave me my bag-o-goodies, showed me the new charger (with Brammo Logo) and handed me the keys. I took it around the block and when I pulled up next to the van I had this huge grin on my face, and he and his Father in law both laughed.... the EV grin was obvious.

I rode up to this breakfast place near me so we could grab a bite to eat and chat. The ride over was a blast. All I can say is WOW. IMHO, this thing outperforms my SV650 in my opinion (butt dyno). Power shifting through the gears is easy and I only use the clutch to downshift. As a beginner, it was simple and easy to get on the bike and start riding. I felt completely comfortable. It rides smoothly, shifting is natural and benefits are more clear. I can keep the motor RPM's wherever I want them (like in the 5000rpm high efficiency range). I could haul a passenger and get the same performance by wisely choosing my gear and If I wanted, I could just accelerate like a bat outta hell in first gear up to about 45-50mph.

Breakfast was fun.... we chatted about the bike, racing, friends we have in common and their plans for expanding the dealer/service network. I hadn't seen Brian since the TTXGP race in Portland last year, so it was nice to catch up. We both left from breakfast and I went out for a little spin, called my friend and took it on the backroads for about 30 miles.

It was a very pleasant experience from a buyers point of view. It met and exceeded my expectations.

A few more pics:

After meeting up with Brian, I called my buddy and rode about 40 miles on some twisties nearby my house. It was such a blast. The bike takes off when I want it to, the transmission is easy to power shift (Brian showed me how best to do that). I only really use the clutch to downshift. It was nice not having the loud hum of the exhaust right behind me. I could hear my buddy behind me in my old SV650 (He bought it).

March 3, 2013
Sunday I only got about 10 miles before it started to rain (no raingear yet)... then I had a Portland Timbers soccer game to go to.... so not much driving Sunday.

March 4, 2013
Chelsea Sexton (EV1, Who Killed the Electric Car) was in town promoting theelectricgeneration.org so I went down with some Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) members to Bridgeport Brewery and had dinner (no beer for me though). Total ride was about 15 miles... and it was pretty dark on the way back. I think I need to adjust the light a little, but it was pretty cool, out there in the dark.... just cruising on the back-roads.

So my 3rd day impression (note, I have limited riding experience on my old eVFR and my 2000 SV650):
- The bike handles well for my weight/height. The suspension seems fine, but I'd like to take to a tuner to get a second opinion
- I only use the clutch to downshift. I blip the throttle/shift up for higher gears
- I mostly use second gear around town
- The bike is pretty flickable and easy to ride around turns
- Charging is so easy and I think pretty reasonable from a 15A 120V socket. I haven't tried L2 yet
- Regenerative braking is awesome. Need to make sure to ease into regen around a corner since it's on the rear tire. I can slow to almost a stop with Regen, usingvery little of my brake
- The build quality of the bike is great. I'd like a quick release for the seat, but I carry an Allen wrench. I store an emergency tire inflator and pressure gauge under the seat.
- I thought I'd want more information about the batteries voltages, motor/battery current but what I've found is that the dashboard displays exactly what I need while riding. The rest can hopefully be downloaded off of the memory card and analyzed later.
- I ignore the range on the dash and keep an eye on the battery SOC.
- The "thunk", "lash", "clunk" etc is almost negligible if you just ease the throttle forward while at a stop to take up the transmission slack. The only other time is coming off throttle and into regen. It's no more or less than my old SV650 coming off throttle into engine braking before a turn. It's a non-issue for me.
- This bike gets a LOT of looks as I pass by people.

Yeah, that's the other thing, thanks for bringing it up. I'm an early adopter, so yeah, I might pay more for it, but I'm supporting the technology and investing in it. Just like Tesla Roadster/Model S/Leaf/Volt people are.

100 years ago, motorcycles were a luxury that people said "wow, $XXXX for that thing? Why not just walk or take a carriage".... and now people are saying "wow, $19k for that thing? Why not just buy a Panigale!" Different tech, but same idea.

Prices are coming down, tech is getting better and people's use for vehicles changes as energy/gas becomes more expensive.

Within a couple weeks I hope.

Don't take this as dismissing your choice of bike, but if you come back here with real world world experience of 120 mile range I will eat my hat. If you look at their specs it says up to 100 miles in urban riding that they define as averaging 19 mph... Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Saving this, for posterity :)

Not sure where you got 100 miles range from.... other articles or specs on their website?

Anyway, I do know someone that works there as head of engineering as well as 2 other industrial designers that helped on their race bike. I know they've tested these and are honest about range. I'll try it out sometime. Would take me a while to go 120 miles at 20mph, but it might be fun on a weekend to try out.

Range specs:

City: 121 miles* (195 km)

Highway: 56 miles** (90 km)

Combined: 77 miles*** (124 km)

*SAE City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (variable speed, 19 mph / 30km/h average)

**SAE Highway / Constant Speed Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (70 mph / 113 km/h sustained)

*** SAE Highway Commuting Cycle (.5 City weighting, .5 Highway weighting)

Tylerstock.... I sold my stuff to this guy:

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/73827-phlebmasters-1987-vfr750f-evolution-full-of-pics-and-win/

So you'll still see how the chassis/fairings turn out ;)

Exactly. This bike fits my riding needs. I don't really desire to do long trips on a motorcycle, and I don't need to go over 100 and I don't need to refuel in 5 minutes....it's for around town, commuting and for fun.

~120 miles range, 100mph top speed are much better than the bike that I was putting together. The eVFR project was maybe 50 miles range and 80mph witn no transmission and 5 hour recharge time.... and fortunately for me, I was able to sell most of it for what I had into it/slight profit and put it towards this bike.

Well, not completely giving up on electric, just.... upgrading.

Just purchased this, A 2013 Brammo Empulse R electric motorcycle.

Decided to part the project out... too little time to finish

I've got:

Complete rolling chassis 1986 VFR700F with 4250 original miles with title

Two seats

Full set of fiberglass (including the solo tail cover)

Upper fiberglass modified for dual headlights with a matching LSL Mig Dual headlight set

Givi Luggage Rack and top case for VFR700F

Hahahaha!

Update from my blog:

It’s been a slow summer. I’ve been too busy thi

s summer to get much done and David moved his shop. I haven’t posted lately, but I have been doing things on and off. I’ve also been riding my SV650 a bit. Really glad I got this to practice on while the bike is being finished. I’d rather learn on this than the eVFR. I wouldn’t want to drop either, but I’d rather drop the SV650 (Has frame sliders) than the eVFR with rare fiberglass fairings.

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to bin my cells. I borrowed an IR meter from a friend. It’s an AC impedance meter and I realize it won’t accurately give me the DC impedance, but it will allow me to organize the cells into groups of similar IR values. I spent a few nights with my girlfriend testing the cells and writing their IR value on them (she’s awesome!). I got ~150 cells that measured between 5.0-5.9mOhm and like 30 between 6.0-6.9mOhm. One I thought was above 7, but was just the leads not attached correctly. I had some cells that were test-cells and some that were showing low voltage, so I set those aside for testing and further study/destruction.

Now that I had boxes of cells, I noticed some had a tiny number of rust specs on them. None of the rust was very bad, but I wanted to get a pack with as little or no rust on it as possible. Some of the ends where the epoxy is applied seems to have been contaminated, and in some cases appeared between the case and blue plastic covering. After organizing the cells, I have ~165 cells that are near 100% and are between 5.0 and 7.0mOhm. The rest are extras and will be used if I need to replace a cell. I plan on putting a small pack of 16 cells together in a 4s4p 1/2kwh arrangement as a test pack that I can also use with an inverter for portable power (could be used as a small emergency pack to charge the bike).

So after sorting the cells, I got the water-jet cut copper buss-bar de-burred and ready for assembly. I used groups of the same IR value to assembly each parallel group. This will ensure that all of the cells share the current as equally as possible. I think I need some longer Stainless Steel screws. The screws that came with the cells seem to be all over the place with regards to quality, and some of the threads were easily stripped. Despite 2 screw issues, the pack went together well and It measured 36.38V (~3.3V/cell). Here are some pictures of building the 11s5p smaller pack (located above the motor):

I’m going to David’s tomorrow and turning the pack over to him so we can start on the plastic holders/battery box.

I also re-started my Discharger project. I’ve gathered most of the pieces and put together a schematic. I’ve gotten help from a few friends Bob Simpson and John Muchow (designed the CC400 discharger I’ve got). I think we’ve addressed any issues that were lingering and figured an easier way to stop charging when an alarm is triggered. I’ve got a sort of Interlock right now. The Low-voltage alarm, Over-current alarm, Over-temperature alarm and Emergency Stop are all wired to a latching relay. If any of them trigger, the gate of the FET is pulled low, and the discharging stops. The contactors are only there to connect/disconnect the battery, and not to stop the test. Here’s a pic of the parts and of the schematic:

Anyway, that’s it for now. I’ve cut down on my social obligations and renewed my motivation for the discharger and eVFR. I’ll probably start building up the larger front pack this week if I’ve got time.

Lots of small cracks in my airtech fairing (was secondhand) so we've spent some time filling those and making it stronger. I've been focusing a lot more on the electrical and have full integration with everything. The battery management system monitors cells and current and backs off the throttle on the controller if I go over limits, and while charging it shuts off the charger or disables regenerative braking.

And because I'm geeky enough to even build the electric motorcycle in the first place, I had to take advantage of the fact that Torque can "Tweet" to twitter :)

Haha, sorry guys. I kinda wrote it technically for another forum as well, but wanted to post an update here for the people that have supported this project.

Basically, things are coming along well and it's going to meet my expectations.

Thanks BR for the support!

More pics....

Pic of the fibarglass faux tank (just 1/2 of it, used as a cover) with filled in gas cap:

Pic of the battery pack:

I’ve still been working on the 12V test pack and wiring while parts are fabricated. I got the BMS controller + cell boards talking and shutting off the charger correctly.

Been a while since I've updated here..... thought I'd post an update here too:

Working on a schematic, but here’s what I’ve got so far:

Ordered some optically isolated FETs to wire to the throttle since the Curtis I/O is not isolated. This will allow me to limit throttle as I reach my discharge current limit (DCL). It’s an analog output from the BMS, the more that output is driven, the less throttle I get. I can also limit regen by using another optically isolated FET on the CCL line and limit the Brake input.

Got the delta-q algorithms set up and wiring figured out. There’s an enable line that is grounded to B- when you want it to run, and ungrounded when you disable it. I control this with a little automotive relay connected to the HLIM (High Voltage Limit) on the BMS controller. This allows the BMS to turn the controller on/off when cells go high.

There’s a Relay inside the DeltaQ that turns on when you plug it in. I’ve taken the 12V always on from my Surepower DC-DC converter and wired that to the COM of the relay contacts. N/O goes to my V-Source of the BMS controller, so when it’s plugged in, it powers the BMS but nothing else. The N/C contacts go through the Ignition, and to the Key-switch input on the DC-DC converter. The switched output of the DC-DC goes to the V-Load input to power the BMS. It also goes to my 12V system (lights, signals, etc.).

The Curtis does its own Contactor control and pre-charge, but the BMS needs to be able to turn on/off the load. I can do that with DCL limiting throttle, but nothing disables the controller in case of a fault. I’m thinking I’ll use the LLIM line to drive a small 12V coil 150VDC contact to switch B+ and pin 1 (enable) of the controller.

I also wired up Canbus, changed the Elithion to ID 7E0 for OBD-II PIDs. I connected a Bluetooth-OBD-II dongle, paired with my Android tablet, started a program called Torque and imported a list of PIDs that I got from Elithion and added some Gauges. Screenshot:

So I’ve got the logic all figured out for the 4 main electronic pieces (controller, DC-DC, BMS and charger)… so after that, it’s on to the lighting/existing electrical.

Other pics of the bike below. Have fairings mounted, starting to sand and get ready for paint:

Got my forks rebuilt last week and drilled out my triple clamp to attach a bar riser I found to mount some Spiegler superbike handlebars. Only 1 problem, the brake line isn't long enough, so I need to order some new lines. Kind of a bummer, but now I can upgrade to braided brake lines quick would be good since I'm running with 25+ year old lines.

Got me thinking about just replacing the front master cylinder too. They're harder to get parts for. Since I don't NEED anything immediately, I'll let things go until I get the bike running because I'll probably want to rebuild the front and rear brake slaves, replace brake lines, replace pads and put new brake fluid in there. It'l be a good nice weekend project in the spring.

But at least it's back together. I'll throw the old bars on there for now until I get the lines. Probably be a couple months because I don't really feel like rebuilding the brakes too. At least I can get back to the battery pack I keep putting off.

So here's the current state:

Little bit at a time. I got some new levers for my front brake (the old one has an adjustment piece that was rusting) and some other spare parts. The big thing I got was a heatsink from my friend that he made. He milled a second one for me that fits the curtis 1238 exactly. I'm very impressed. Right now I plan to mount it very low on the bike so that the fins kind of stick out from under the fairings where the exhaust was located. It will provide pretty good cooling. I might also consider the front behind the front wheel. Just need to see how my mockups fit.

Also got my old 28Ah 12V SLA's back from the guy that I sold them to and didn't use them, along with some parts he wants me to sell.

This week:

Hot glue and foam-board mockup of my battery pack and location of charger and controller.

Wow, it sure has been a while, still not finished (never enough time). Time for a little update (thanks for reminding me Sebspeed).

I do consulting on the side and have been working with the community on designing systems, so I kinda put this off. While doing that, I got a nice Battery Management System from Elithion. I've assembled a few test packs and really like how it works. I also decided to scrap the brushed DC motor (K99 motor) and go with a brush-less AC Induction motor. I started with an AC15 motor and Curtis 1238-6501 motor, but a sold that and upgraded yet again to an AC20 motor and 1238-7501 controller. This gives a little more HP and higher running voltage and higher RPM of the motor. This gives more HP than the K99 and a higher RPM. I got some motor mounts machined, mounted the new motor and am now working on trying to cram all of the batteries inside the frame. I bought some UHMW plastic (3/4" thick, 4x8' sheet) to fabricate the cell-holders. I'm not using the cheap red plastic holders shown below, I want something more finished looking.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Testing some batteries (testing for capacity so I can match cells/test them before installing):

Batteries assembled into test pack:

BMS installed on the pack:

BMS controller:

AC15 with mounts:

Mocking up the battery pack:

AC20 mounted:

Drawing of one of the battery packs (I may change this):

Prototype pack made of UHMW and milled on a CNC router table:

So anyway, there's the update. I got some of the fairings mounted so I can accurately design the battery pack. A heat sink for the controller is being machined and it'll go underneath the bike and stick out just a little bit from the fairing, right where the original exhaust went. It's a perfect place for airflow. Once I get the controller and heat-sink back, I can really start mocking things up with some foam-board and hot-glue. Once I figure out the maximum pack size, I can start to fit batteries inside it in CAD and send to my fabricator to CNC the final pack. Then we'll weld up an aluminum box for it, and start assembly.

What's the deal w/ the gas tank? Where did it come from/who made it & why bother with a bottom half since it's not really a tank? Putting coolant in there for a liquid cooled motor?

VFRChuck makes fiberglass tanks for the VFR700/750 series, without fuel petcock. I got a "half made" tank. Its unfinished.

The reason for the tank is to house the electronics. I had to cut up the old metal tank (and it was rusted). It had sharp edges and nowhere to mount things inside. This way, the two halves kinda go together pretty tight and allow a seal to be put around the edge to keep water/dirt/bugs out. I might put a hinge on it so it flips up.

So, its been a REALLY long time since I've posted pictures of my project.... It's been a busy year. Worked with the Motoczysz team for a while, started consulting, imported 25k of batteries and then joined forces with EVComponents.....

Now I THINK I finally have most of the parts I need to finish the bike. I don't have the Synkromotive controller yet due to delays in production, but if its a problem, I'll just build a Zilla 1k LV at EVC. I don't have a BMS either, but I'm working with Elithion on some BMS stuff for us moto guys, and I'll be testing his prototype. Right now I'm planning on the Lithiumate system with Cylindrical cell boards.

So what changed on my bike? Well, almost everything is changing. I decided to make the leap from Lead to Lithium before even installing the Panasonic SLA's. It wasn't enough of a gain, and would be much better long term to go Lifepo4. The fairings are no longer the stock plastic, they're all fiberglass.... Including the gas tank.

So whats going in the bike?:

• 192qty 10Ah 38120S Headway cells in 32s6p for 102V 60Ah
  

• Fiberglass one-piece tail fairing, Solo seat cowl, front fender, race upper fairing, lower side fairings, inner fairings and gas tank.
  

• taller windscreen to help cut back on aero drag a little
  

• K99-4003 72V 6.7" motor from Advanced DC
  

• delta-q 1000W 96V charger setup for 32 cells (116.8V cutoff)
  

• Vicor 100Vin 12Vout 200W DC-DC converter (works down to like 80Vinput)
  

• Inertia switch in case of a wreck
  

• EV200 contactor
  

• LSL MIG Dual headlights
  

• Sprocket Specialists 60tooth anodized rear sprocket
  

• Bar mounts so I can use a sportbike/superbike style handlebar
  

Stuff I don't have yet:

• Controller (Want to use Synkromotive, might have to get a Zilla)
  

• BMS (I'll likely use a full Elithion Lithiumate BMS)
  

Stuff I need to do:

• Fabricate new motor mount (the old one could be improved and simplified)
  

• Fabricate a battery box for the Headway cells
  

• Fabricate headlight mount and cut holes into upper fairing
  

• fabricate charger mount
  

• mount controller/contactor/DC-DC etc inside gas tank
  

• rebuild front forks (they're leaking)
  

• replace wheel bearings (since its easier now than later)
  

• Get fairings sanded and painted
  

• get wheels/subframe/gauge mounts/panel mounts powdercoated (this could wait until after bike is done)
  

• Talk with Elithion about their BMS and see if I can still integrate an LCD
  

So here are some pictures:

Front of bike

Rear of bike

Batteries

DC-DC converter

Fiberglass tank

bottom of tank

Charger

headlights

Handlebar mount

So thats about it for now, gotta check in on the controller and BMS. Talked to a welder the other day, and they said "we'll trick that bike out...." so I'm hoping the motor mount and battery box turn out good

Hi Frodus, I am torn,when you said super low mileage bike I envisioned a complete restoration of a classic bike,but since you didnt go in that

direction, I guess then, this is second best. If I understand your project correctly,its an electric motorcycle only,and not a hybrid?

Would it be possible to mount a small gas engine plus all the electrical equip on a cycle to make it a true hybrid, or isn't there enough space to do it? Looking forward to your write up after you have had it out for a few test runs. eddie

I don't want to run on gas at all.... thats the point.

A hybrid is possible, but there's no room for the batteries I'm using, I'd have to go with much more expensive batteries with higher energy density.

I know, i felt bad tearing into the bike, it's still in great shape, its just getting some new fairings and paint... it'l look like the original without the engine.

so a little over a year after I got my bike running, the TTXGP race has completed.....

I can't wait to see what happens from now on.

FINALLY got the tail:

Now I gotta get the holes drilled on the front upper and lowers, get all the hardware mounted, cut holes for the headlights (going dual) and get her painted. While thats being done, think I'll be able to fit the rest of my new batteries inside.