Yes, it's happening already: people start converting their combustion engine motorcycles to electric power. That's exactly what Kennedy Space Center employee Otis Deal did with his Kawasaki Vulcan 500 he rode daily to work.
The engine went away and was replaced by an electric one, and 24 battery cells, creating a 72 V system, easy to charge with a 110V charger. With the batteries half empty, the Shocker needs three hours to charge back to full. With Deal spending between 24 and 27 cents a mile driving his conventional truck or car, the econoomy the electric bike creates is huge: 1 cent a mile.
The fun part is that Deal is no electronics or mechanical engineering genius, and had to learn all by himself. The only serious modding the Shocker got was the racked fork which needed to provide room for the batteries. The DIY electric bike does 65 mph (104 km/h) and offers 40-50 miles (64 to 80 km) on a charge.
Being modded by an untrained bike mechanic, the Kawasaki Shocker could use some better aesthetics, that's right. But for 1 cent a mile, we simply cannot complain, and therefore ask for a big hand for Otis.
The fun part is that Deal is no electronics or mechanical engineering genius, and had to learn all by himself. The only serious modding the Shocker got was the racked fork which needed to provide room for the batteries. The DIY electric bike does 65 mph (104 km/h) and offers 40-50 miles (64 to 80 km) on a charge.
Being modded by an untrained bike mechanic, the Kawasaki Shocker could use some better aesthetics, that's right. But for 1 cent a mile, we simply cannot complain, and therefore ask for a big hand for Otis.
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