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€“] galloog1 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is a dream of mine to do one day. Outside of the potential for electric shock, as long as the brakes are maintained you should be perfectly safe. Is it registered and how did you do it?

[โ€“] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

I had ownership of the frame transferred to me, and paid the fee to get plates and tabs, so it is registered, but I did not change the fuel type on the registration to electric, nor have it inspected. In full honesty, I was just hoping that if I ever got pulled over, the officer would be distracted by the novelty of the bike and not scrutinize the papers too hard haha. Probably unwise, but it is what it is