Gas tank is for show...
OwnerFrank John
Owner's Other EV1994 Toyota Pickup
LocationBrooklin, Maine US map
Vehicle1974 Harley Davidson Aermacchi
I was given this for cleaning up someone's shed; it was a rolling chassis with blown motor and I decided to stick the electric stuff in it as a proof-of-concept vehicle. H-D imported Aermacchi (an Italian manufacturer) during the sixties and seventies.
MotorAdvanced DC 140-07-4001 Series Wound DC
Really too small for this vehicle but it performs pretty well regardless.
ControllerCurtis 1204
275 amp
Batteries3 Universal Batteries 12110, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM
made best use of the space available for batteries.
System Voltage36 Volts
ChargerIota DLS 42-18
No temperature compensation but works well regardless (using zener regs.)
HeaterHuh?
DC/DC Converter
none
InstrumentationSpeedo, Westberg combo Volt/Ammeter
Top Speed50 MPH (80 KPH)
Motor is geared 5000 rpm = 50 mph. It's hard to do and really eats up battery life. The bike likes 35-40 mph a lot.
AccelerationAdequate.
Range30 Miles (48 Kilometers)
I've never gone further than 15 miles but resting voltage shows the batteries at 75% SOC. This at 30-35 mph. There's a lot of rolling hills around here.
Watt Hours/Mile125 Wh/Mile
I keep track of A.C. Whr/Mile using a Kill-A-Watt meter. DC numbers would be smaller.
EV Miles
Start:2,708 Miles (4,357 Kilometers)
Current:3,301 Miles (5,311 Kilometers)
Total:593 Miles (954 Kilometers)
 
    As of 11/10/2007
Seating Capacity1 adult
Curb Weight400 Pounds (181 Kilograms)
Battery weight is about 50% of total vehicle weight.
Tiresjunk
Conversion Time3 months
Conversion Cost~$1K
Additional FeaturesI used to carry the charger with me but I think the potholes around here made it fail. I never needed to charge on-the-go anyway.

Workmanship isn't that good but the bike is functional and very reliable.
The only disadvantage of not mounting the charger on the bike is that when it's plugged into the batteries after a ride, it has never registered that they need a Bulk charge i.e. battery voltage after stopping is above what the charger needs to see in order to start bulk charging. I have to turn the system on and whack the throttle open while holding the front brake in order to force a voltage drop that the charger sees; this enables proper charging!

code by jerry