Sunday was another EV Build Day.
While I was busy updating the firmware on my Open Source Controller, Chris and the other guys were adding brake fluid and tach-testing the cycle.
The big excitement was to actually take the bike outside and road test it in the snow.
While the cycle did beat 1200 RPM with the back tire up in the air, an actual road test showed it to be considerably slower. The controller on the cycle is just a low-amp golf-cart controller donated by one member. It was thought to be a faulty controller, but hey, it was free!
Once we were done playing with the bike in the road, we brought it back inside for more troubleshooting. Looks like the controller is bad after all. We might just have to borrow a known good controller (like the one from my Citicar) just to see what the cycle can do at full speed.
I was amazed at how quiet the motorcycle was. The driveshaft is CONSIDERABLY quieter than a chain drive.
The cycle already had the shunt for an ammeter installed, so we will have to add the ammeter itself for further testing. Also, the cycle is running with 3 batteries in it (36V) but is designed to fit 4 batteries total.
We’ll post another video of motorcycle testing after the next EV Build Day.
If you are anywhere near the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA area, check out:
http://www.milwaukee-electric-carclub.com
