# starting build, '82 kawasaki kz750 cruiser



## eric-ev (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm starting a build on this Kawasaki I got for free. Decent frame, very little rust, blown engine. My uncle just didn't want to mess with it so he donated it to me. 

So, I decided it would be a fun one to convert to a BEV. I removed the engine and all ICE components. I have the frame cleaned up. I'm ready to start shopping for motor/etc, but theres so many options and I've gotten myself confused, so I'm here to reach out for advice.

I am quite skilled with mechanics and work at a machine shop so fab is no big deal, I can figure that out myself. I also have no problems with the wiring, etc.

I am looking at a daily round trip drive of 15 miles, 10 of which is on freeway (70+mph), the rest is stop and go city. I can recharge at work on 110v.

I'm doing chain drive, 12.6" wheel radius, 2.53 sprocket ratio (13/33 front/rear)

I've figured the interstate portion will take about 200w/h /mi, and the city portion 130w/h /mi. So, about 3kwh will be needed. At 6 12v batteries, 72v system, thats 42ah/battery. I tracked down some 80ah deep cycle FLA's for cheap, so I'll use those. They'll run me about $300.

I've figured I need at least 2700RPM at the motor to reach highway speeds.

I need to get to 70MPH by the bottom of the ramp, so it has to have OK acceleration.

The area's not very hilly, but it gets windy here sometimes.

I've got a little less than $1500 to spend on the motor/controller/charger/wiring, and I'd like some advice on if this looks good:

ADC A00-4009 motor for $659 - is this seperately excited / does it matter much?
Kelly KD72403 controller for $490 - seperately excited controller with regen - does regen matter much and will it work with the motor?
72v/20A 110v on-board charger for $412
13.5v 20A dc/dc convertor $180

I'm a bit overbudget so any advice on getting the costs down and still keeping the performance I need would be sooo greatly appreciated! FYI I've been mainly looking at CloudElectric 

If theres any more details which would help then lets start a discussion. Happy EV'ing!


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## order99 (Sep 8, 2008)

Be careful with Flooded LAs-you don't want to be anywhere near a splash in case of skids or rollover. Most Cycle conversions i've heard of use Gelled LA if they can't afford the upgrade to Lithiums. If you had a more stable base (car or trike) i'd be less worried about possible acid spills...

Chemical burns are no joke, trust me on this.


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## eric-ev (Apr 28, 2009)

Well, the SLA's I was looking at were cheaper than the AGM by a good margin (almost half!), but chemical burns are definately for real. I'll take your advice there for sure, thank you so much 


Performance wise, does that look like the minimum equipment package I need to get the speed/range required? Are there any calculations I can do to further assure I'm spending that money properly??


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## Jozzer (Mar 29, 2009)

Hi there, your calculation look about right (except the budget). I think in fact you'll see less than 150wh/m average perhaps as good as 120. My personal best at 72v was 75wh/m, but that was with LifePo4's on a 130kg bike, using the 93% efficient Agnimotor. More usual at freeway speeds (80mph) was around 110wh/m.
Dual Agni'd Ducati weighing closer to 180KG gets between 100-165wh/m.

I think the EVbuilder Frodus uses a motor very similar to that in a VFR chassis with lead, hopefully he'll step up with his figures..


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## ngrimm (Oct 19, 2007)

Seems like you are are on the right track. I think the only problem will be the gear ratio. Based on my Ninja which is similar weight, 2.5 to 1 will draw too many amps to get moving without frying your controller. After looking at a lot of similar conversions on the evalbum I am using a 4-1 ratio and It seems about right. I am only running five 85 ah lead acids currently with my diy controller and haven't gotten to check top speed yet but the acceleration seems pretty good. BTW I worry more about a couple gallons of gasoline than battery acid but that's just me. Good luck with your build!


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