this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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Motorcycles

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She's called Theseus.

This death trap is built on the frame of a junker 1985 Honda Shadow I bought for very cheap. It combines a 30AH 48 volt battery with a beefy Kelley Controls bldc controller and a 3kw motor which seems to be intended for golf carts.

On a flat, straight road this thing can achieve 50mph, limiting it solely to city use, but it climbs hills decently well and has gotten me to work and back many, many times.

The front sprocket has 16 teeth, and the rear sports a whopping 72. This is to compensate for the very high speed of the motor but frankly pathetic torque. At a lower gear ratio, this under-powered machine would not be capable of hauling its heavy 80s frame up my long and steep driveway.

It is ugly and probably quite dangerous, but I love it very much.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Honestly I don't see how this is any more dangerous than an ICE bike is. Ogly and crude sure but not dangerous. I love it.

How do you like the control? Is the throttle easy to manage and do you get regen?

And now that you have done it and lived with it what do you wish you had done differently?

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It controls very well! I am never surprised by the acceleration and it responds very fast to what I ask it to do. This motor controller is well designed, it figures out just how much power the motor should have and I have no complaints.

It doesn't have regen, sadly. That would be a nice feature, for a future revision!

Honestly I love the look of this thing, but it should have been built on a lighter frame with a beefier battery. It would just be a lot more practical with a little more range and less weight to have to haul around lol. Other than that, pretty happy with this thing!